This 300-rep kettlebell challenge is for all the strong moms out there — have a great Mother’s Day!

And if you want a little something for yourself (or need a last-minute gift idea), I’ve got my Firebreather Kettlebell program on sale today:

–>> Firebreather Kettlebell – Mother’s Day Flash Sale

The Mother’s Day 300: Spartan Kettlebell Challenge

Format — EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute): Start each exercise at the top of the minute. Do your reps, then rest for whatever time is left. When the next minute hits, move to the next exercise.

Minute 1 — Two-Hand Kettlebell Swings — 20 reps

Minute 2 — Push-Ups (scale to knees if needed) — 10 reps

Minute 3 — Alternating Lunges — 10/side

Minute 4 — Kettlebell Rows — 10/side

Minute 5 — Jumping Jacks — 30 reps

Minute 6 — One-Arm Kettlebell Swings — 10/side

Minute 7 — Narrow Push-Ups (scale to knees if needed) — 10 reps

Minute 8 — Kettlebell Side Lunges — 10/side

Minute 9 — One-Arm Kettlebell Rows (feet close) — 10/side

Minute 10 — Seal Jacks — 30 reps

Minute 11 — Hand-to-Hand Kettlebell Swings — 10/side

Minute 12 — Wide Push-Ups (scale to knees if needed) — 10 reps

Minute 13 — Dragon (Curtsy) Lunges — 10/side

Minute 14 — Gorilla Kettlebell Swings — 10/side

Minute 15 — X-Jacks — 30 reps

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🔥 Firebreather Kettlebell — Mother’s Day Special

Want to treat yourself or grab a last-minute gift for the strong woman in your life? My Firebreather Kettlebell course is on sale today only. Whether you want to be that fire-breathing kettlebell mom — or you want one in your corner — this is the deal.

–>> GET THE FIREBREATHER DEAL — TODAY ONLY

Have an amazing Mother’s Day.

— Forest

Try this descending ladder finisher at the end of your next workout:

Kettlebell clean → lunge (same side rack/forward leg)
5 reps per side
Then 10 push-ups

4 reps per side
8 push-ups

3 reps per side
6 push-ups

2 reps per side
4 push-ups

1 rep per side
2 push-ups

Quick notes:
• Clean → step into the lunge with the same side forward
• Switch sides with a one-arm swing
• Push-ups can be toes or knees—just keep moving

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

— Forest

PS – Check out the video breaking this one down on my Instagram (it’s the most recent post on the page) -> https://www.instagram.com/forestvance/

I watched Gladiator again recently. I’ve seen it dozens of times at this point — but I keep coming back for Maximus.

His strength, discipline, and unbreakable will – even when everything has been taken from him.

That character is just something else!

And it got me thinking about what it actually took to bring that character to life…

So I was listening to an interview recently where Russell Crowe talked about how he prepped for the role.

He talked about working on:

• Endurance & Stamina — He sparred and boxed to build the kind of conditioning that doesn’t quit.
• Agility & Mobility — Yoga kept him fluid, sharp, and ready to move like a fighter — not just look like one.
• Strength & Power — Heavy lifting to build real muscle and raw force from the ground up.
• Active Recovery — Daily walks to keep the body moving, flush the fatigue, and stay ready to go again.
• Mental Toughness — Do all of the above, consistently, for months. That’s how you forge the will.

So when I put together the Gladiator Gains Kettlebell Challenge, I wanted to help people build the performance and physique of a modern-day gladiator — without having to train morning to night as Russell did. Just 3-4 workouts per week, 20-30 minutes, at home with a kettlebell or two.

-> Check out the full Gladiator KB GAINZ program here (one-day fire sale)

Here’s one of my favorite workouts from the challenge. Remember, you’re going to get over 100 other workouts like this inside Gladiator Gains — but here’s a sample:

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Gladiator KB GAINZ workout (free sample)

Part 1 — Strength Ladder

Superset lunges with either chin-ups, over-the-bar holds, or 1-arm KB rows. Run through this twice:

• 3 lunges / 1 chin-up or 5-sec hold or 3 rows per side
• 6 lunges / 2 chin-ups or 10-sec hold or 6 rows per side
• 9 lunges / 3 chin-ups or 15-sec hold or 9 rows per side

Rest, then repeat.

Part 2 — Circuit Training

45 seconds per exercise, no rest between moves, one rest between circuits. 4 rounds:

• Single-arm KB swings
• Saw (moving plank — engage the upper body, drive the elbows down, use the lats)
• Side-to-side KB lunges
• High knees in place

Part 3 — Core & Arms Finisher

8-minute AMRAP:

• 5 KB halos with tricep extension per side
• 5 plank-to-push-up per side

#

If you liked that workout, you’re going to love the full Gladiator Gains Kettlebell Challenge.

With this challenge, you’re going to build gladiator-level strength and muscle, drop fat, boost endurance, and stay strong and pain-free with recovery-focused routines — plus challenge yourself with unique methods like Macon German Volume Training.

Here’s the deal on this sale: this program is on sale for one day only — a fire sale as we roll into the summer. This bundle is actually 10 different gladiator-themed workouts. It’s normally off the market, but I’m opening it up for a 3-day sale to close out the month.

Day 1: Action Hero Kettlebell ✅
Day 2: Viking Valor Kettlebell ✅
Day 3: Gladiator Gains Kettlebell ← today

Tomorrow: it’s gone.

If you’re thinking about it, check out the link below – and let it fuel your training the way Maximus fueled his battles in the arena:

–>> Gladiator KB GAINZ program here (one-day fire sale)

— Forest Vance, MS, Kettlebell Specialist
FVTraining.com | KettlebellBasics.net

Did you see the fire sale series I’m doing through the end of the month on my most popular kettlebell bundles?

For a few more hours, we have Viking Valor Kettlebell on sale — so you can get gains like a Viking.

I’m going to give you one sample workout from one of the 10 programs in this bundle. That’s right — there are well over 100 different workouts in the bundle below. Click the link to check it out. Again, it’s only back on the market for a few more hours, then it goes off the market completely:

-> Viking Valor Kettlebell – Fire Sale Last Call

When I was putting together this bundle, I actually wanted to know how Vikings really trained. Here’s the deal. They would do:

• Daily physical labor, combat sports, and wrestling
• Lifting and throwing heavy objects like stones and logs
• Building and rowing boats for strength and endurance
• Carrying heavy materials
• Practicing with weapons — spears, axes, and swords — for coordination
• Training to stay steady in battle and at sea
• Developing a warrior mindset — both body and mind — for confidence and resilience

Imagine if you trained like this too.

You might not need to build boats, or train for battle – BUT the strength, endurance, coordination, confidence and resiilence you could gain would be MASSIVE.

And what if you could do it with just a couple of kettlebells, in 20-30 minutes at a time, 3-4 days per week>

That’s what you’re going to be able to do as well when you check out my Viking kettlebell workouts — like this one:

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Viking Gains 500 Rep Kettlebell Workout
From the Thor’s Hammer 28-Day Strength Challenge in Viking Valor Kettlebell

Record the weight you use for each movement and the total time it takes to complete the workout with proper form. Retest at the end of the challenge.

Beginner Version — 5 Rounds for Time:

• 5 Kettlebell Dead Cleans / side
• 10 Kettlebell Swings
• 5 Overhead Presses / side
• 10 Kettlebell Goblet Squats
• 10 Goblet Reverse Lunges (Left)
• 10 Goblet Reverse Lunges (Right)
• 10 One-Arm Rows (Right)
• 10 One-Arm Rows (Left)
• 10 Push-Ups
• 10 Burpees

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That’s just one sample workout from my 28-day Thor’s Hammer Strength Challenge.

When you grab the Viking Valor Kettlebell Bundle, you get 10 complete 28-day programs like this one.

But this is your last chance — after today, this bundle goes back off the market.

Click below and grab it while you can.

-> Viking Valor Kettlebell – Fire Sale Last Call

— Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Specialist
KettlebellBasics.net
ForestVanceTraining.com

If you’ve got 15 minutes today and want a workout that makes you feel like you just stepped into an action movie, try this one.

It’s called the Iron Will.

See, some waste an hour in the gym moving from machine to machine, checking their phone, doing half the work they should be doing, and walking out feeling like they accomplished… maybe something.

This is the opposite of that.

The Iron Will is a single kettlebell complex that hits strength, power, and conditioning all in one shot.

You get NO REST except the 30 seconds you earn between rounds.

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15-Min KB Complex: The Iron Will ⚡

-> 🔥 FIRE SALE: Hero Mode Kettlebell — One Day Only

— 2 Kettlebell Snatches (right side)
— 4 Kettlebell Push Press (right side)
— 6 Kettlebell Rack Squats (right side)
— 8 Single-Arm Kettlebell Swings (right side)

— (repeat sequence on left side)

— (rest 60 seconds; repeat for 4 rounds total)

#

Now — here’s something I need to tell you:

I’m doing something I’ve never done before to finish off the month strong.

As we head into summer, I am running a one-day fire sale for the next three days on three of my most popular bundles ever.

These programs have been officially retired. The only way to get them now is as an add-on when you buy other courses — you can not buy them standalone anymore.

But summer is coming. May is here. Vacations, beach trips, barbecues — you want to look lean, feel strong, and be ready for the season.

So here is the deal. For the next three days, I am bringing one bundle back from the dead each day. After 24 hours, it goes back off the market for good.

Today, it is Hero Mode Kettlebell.

You get 10 of my best kettlebell and bodyweight programs — all built around 20 to 30 minute workouts you can do anywhere, three to four days a week:

— Thor’s Hammer Kettlebell

— John Wick’s Relentless Pursuit Kettlebell

— Captain America’s Super Soldier Conditioning Kettlebell

— Rocky’s Recovery Regimen Kettlebell

…and many more!

Today only — just $47 for all ten programs.

Tomorrow it goes back off the market.

–>> Click here to get Hero Mode Kettlebell — today only

— Forest

*Find your free HKS – Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle Workout at the bottom of this email

*For my birthday, I’ve got my Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle program on sale. And when you grab it, you also get a free copy of my Bulletproof Shoulders program, which will keep your upper body healthy for the long haul.

-> GET – Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle – Forest 45th Birthday Special

—–

My birthday is in two days.

I’m turning 45!

And, nothing irritates me more than the guy who’s like, “I’m 45, and I have the body age of a 25-year-old. Look at me. Here’s how YOU can be just like me.”

That stuff drives me crazy.

Yes – I’m still strong, still mobile, still active, and still out there doing the work.

But I’m also not some unicorn. I have many clients in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who are doing the same thing.

Here’s the thing, though. It takes a different approach.

What Worked “Back Then”, Doesn’t Work Now

For a long time, even pretty recently, I kept gravitating back to training like I used to. Chest and tris one day, back and bis the next, legs after that.

This style of training worked WELL for me back in the day!

I still remember my first serious lift. I was 14, maybe 15. My varsity football coach pulled me aside and said, “Forest, you were a standout tight end on JV. But I want you on the offensive line. Put on 20 pounds and you’ll be our starting tackle as a junior.” So he put me on an eating plan — had me waking up in the middle of the night for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. That’s a story for another day.

But that old school weight room, the power cleans, the bench press, the machines — it was basically straight out of Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. And for a 16-year-old? It worked great. Your body can take a lot of abuse when you’re young. You’ll get results just from the sheer stimulus of lifting when you’re first starting.

How to Train in your 40s, 50s, 60s and Beyond

The problem is, that approach stops serving you in your 40s, 50s, 60s.

It’ll make you big and strong. But it won’t keep you functional. It won’t keep you mobile. It won’t keep you out of pain. And that last one is huge.

So now I run what I’d call a hybrid approach. If you came to train with me at my gym — where I specialize in training the Ageless Warrior (40s, 50s, 60s) — here’s what it actually looks like:

We still do barbell work. But we prep for it. Before we deadlift, we’re doing core activation, glute activation, hip mobility drills. Then the lift itself is progressive and intentional — we’re not just coming in and maxing out every session. We’re periodizing, waving the load up and down over time.

We do kettlebells — swings, cleans, snatches — for functional conditioning and movement.

We add rotational work, core, and flexibility.

And then we do recovery counter-work. All that forward flexion from the lifting? We balance it out with baby cobras, sphinx holds, and anti-flexion work to protect your back for the long run.

Little things. Big difference.

You take the body part split — not great long-term. You take the hybrid functional approach — you get strong, you get lean, you build muscle, and you do it without constantly being beat up and in pain.

That’s the goal.

So — for my birthday, I’ve got my Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle program on sale. And when you grab it, you also get a free copy of my Bulletproof Shoulders program, which will keep your upper body healthy for the long haul.

-> GET – Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle – Forest 45th Birthday Special

Let’s go!!

— Forest

PS – Here’s a sample workout from the program so you can see exactly what I’m talking about:

Warm-Up

— Core activation / dead bug — 1 min
— Monster walks (band above knees) — 1 min
— Hip airplanes — 1 min (30 sec per side)

MOVEMENT VIDEO DEMOS IN THE FULL PROGRAM HERE

Main Work

— Deadlift @ ~85% 1RM x 3 reps + Hard-style plank x 30 sec — 3-4 rounds

— Recline rows (or pull-ups, or 1-arm KB rows) – 5-12 + Reverse KB lunge paired with 1-arm swing (alternating sides) 5 per side — 3 rounds

MOVEMENT VIDEO DEMOS IN THE FULL PROGRAM HERE

KB Skill / Conditioning

— Swing → clean → high pull → snatch progression — ~7 min

Cool-Down

— Baby cobra, sphinx,supine spinal twist

—–

That’s strength, movement, conditioning, and recovery all in one session. And your back feels better walking out than it did walking in. That’s the hybrid approach in action. Grab the program at the link below:

-> GET – Hybrid Kettlebell Muscle – Forest 45th Birthday Special

Hey, I hope you had a great Easter.

Now it’s a new week, and we’re starting our Gladiator Kettlebell Tetrad Challenge today. I’m pretty excited about it.

Over the last couple of days, I shared a “Preparation” day and a “Test” day with you – sample workouts from the program. Today I want to show you the third part of this training cycle: the skill day.

*If you still want to jump in for Gladiator Tetrad Kettlebell, you can. We’re starting today, but this will be your last chance to join at the beginning. Once we get rolling, it’ll be harder to jump in and keep up. You can check it out at the link below if you haven’t already:

-> Gladiator Tetrad Kettlebell (starts today, Monday, April 6th 2026)

This is a 200-rep workout. You’re moving through a circuit, getting your heart rate up, and working through a range of kettlebell movements. It’s a longer, steady session where you practice different exercises and build volume.

—–

200 Rep Kettlebell “Skill Day”

Do 20 reps of each exercise listed below. You can rest as needed, but you CANNOT move on to the next exercise until you have completed all 20 reps:

• 10 1 arm KB rows per side (recommended weight – 8k/12k (women); 16/20k (men)
• KB squat clean (recommended weight –12k /16k women, 20k/24k men)
• Bodyweight squat
• Two hand kettlebell swing (recommended weight –12k /16k women, 20k/24k men)
• Single arm kettlebell swing (10 per side) (recommended weight – 8k/12k (women); 16/20k (men)
• Alternating lying leg raise (10 per side)
• Renegade rows (10 per side) (recommended weight – 8k/12k (women); 16/20k (men)
• Squat jumps
• Burpees
• 1 arm kb press (10 per side) (recommended weight – 8k/12k (women); 16/20k (men)

STANDARD VERSION – do one round

ADVANCED VERSION – rest and repeat for a total of 400 reps!

—–

This ties the whole thing together.

We’ve gone over each day individually, but the real value comes from putting them together and following the full cycle.

Getting pieces of it through email gives you a taste, but if you want a progressive plan where everything is laid out and builds over 28 days, that’s what the full challenge is for.

If you want to be stronger, leaner, and move better 28 days from now, I’d recommend jumping in.

It’s less than the cost of a single personal training session, and you’ll get a lot more out of it.

You can sign up at the link below.

-> Gladiator Tetrad Kettlebell (starts today, Monday, April 6th 2026)

Have a great day!

—Forest

Did you run the kettlebell prep 17-Min “Gladiator Build” KB Complex that I sent you yesterday?

That’s the first part of how this is set up.

You see, in Gladiator Kettlebell, we use a four-day training cycle called the tetrad that dates back to ancient athletics and was described by Philostratus, who wrote about how athletes prepared for competition.

The idea is simple.

The first day, which was yesterday, was a sample of that. We do what is called a prep. The idea is that it prepares the athlete. Regarding exercise, the first day consists of short, intense movements that should get the athlete going and prepare him for the hard work to follow the next day. Short bursts of exercise similar to high-intensity interval training or plyometrics. That’s what we did yesterday.

Today, day two, is your trial day.

This is an all-out trial. It’s a strenuous day and an all-out test of the athlete’s potential.

So today you’re going to push a little bit more and give yourself something you can come back to and improve over time.

—–

Gladiator KB “Trial Day” – Snatch + Descending Ladder Challenge

Start with a strength and core pairing for four rounds.

— Kettlebell snatch for twenty seconds per side
— Rest for ten seconds
— Plank hold for twenty seconds
— Rest for ten seconds and repeat

After that, move into a descending ladder.

Complete all reps of each movement, starting with ten and working your way down to two.

— Squat jumps
— One arm rows
— Push-ups
— Walking lunges per side
— Burpees

—–

A test day, the trial day, like we did today, gives you something consistent you can come back to and improve instead of just doing a different workout every time.

When you rotate this with the prep day from yesterday and the two other days in the tetrad, rest days and skill days, which I’ll cover in a future email coming soon, stay tuned, you will start to feel more organized, and it will be easier to stick with. That is going to be the key to unlocking your progress.

The full 28-day version of this is all put together so you can follow it without having to plan it yourself.

You can check it out at the link below, but hurry because we start this challenge on Monday:

–>> Gladiator Tetrad Kettlebell – Starts Monday, April 6th

I’ll be back soon to walk you through how the skill day fits in next.

—Forest

There’s a certain feeling you used to have when it came to training.

You didn’t overthink it; you just showed up, and you were ready to go.

You felt strong, capable, and like you could handle whatever you threw at yourself that day.

For many of us, that came from sports, the military, or just training hard in our 20s without much thought.

Over time, that starts to change.

Life gets busy, work and family take priority, you pick up a few injuries, and workouts become less consistent.

Now, you’re still trying to train, but it doesn’t feel the same.

You’re starting and stopping more than you’d like, working around things that didn’t used to bother you, and when you do get a session in, it can feel like you’re just going through the motions instead of actually building anything.

A lot of people chalk this up to getting older, but what’s usually missing is structure.

When you were at your best, you were following something that had some built-in progression, even if you didn’t think about it that way.

Now most workouts are random, and while you might get a good sweat, there isn’t much that carries over from one session to the next.

If you want to start getting that feeling back, the first step is not going harder, it’s getting back to a simple structure that lets you build momentum again without beating yourself up.

(That’s why this structure idea is a BIG FOCUS for our upcoming Gladiator KB Challenge.)

Here’s a “build day” session you can run right now:

—–

17-Min Gladiator Build KB Complex

Start with a dynamic warm-up for five to ten minutes.

Then move into this kettlebell complex for three to five rounds:

• Five presses each side
• Five reverse lunges each side
• Ten swings
• Five burpees

Rest for about 60 to 90 seconds between rounds, and keep the focus on clean, controlled reps.

Then finish with three to four rounds of quarter Turkish get-ups and hardstyle planks. Do three to five reps per side on the get-ups and hold each plank for twenty to thirty seconds.

—–

You should feel like you got a solid session in, but not beat up.

That’s intentional.

This kind of work is what most people skip, and it’s a big reason they end up inconsistent or constantly restarting.

I’ve been building out a full system around this idea using a simple four-day rotation that helps you stay consistent and actually build from week to week.

Learn more at the link below:

-> NEXT PAGE

—Forest

We had a great training session this morning.

It was snatch day — and if you’ve never done a kettlebell snatch protocol built around hitting a target number on the minute, every minute, you’re missing out. It’s one of those workouts that looks simple on paper and humbles you fast.

Here’s exactly what we did:

—–

KB Snatch Workout – 4.2.26

A. Turkish Get-Up + Waiter’s Walk — 3 rounds per side

— 1 TGU up → waiter’s walk 30 seconds → 1 TGU down
— Complete all reps on one side before switching

B. Kettlebell Snatch — EMOM x 5 minutes

— 14 snatches on the minute, every minute
— Scale to 1-arm swings or high pulls or combo if form starts to break down\

C. 1-and-a-Quarter Superset — 3 rounds – :30 work / :15 rest, alternating:

— KB 1¼ Curl — all the way up, down a quarter, back up, all the way down
— 1¼ Push-Up — all the way down, up a quarter, back down, all the way up (3 reps per set)

That’s a full training day. Skill, power, conditioning, and a little hypertrophy work to finish.
But here’s the part most people miss.

That snatch protocol didn’t appear out of nowhere. Eight weeks ago we started at a lower number. Every week we added a rep or two. This morning was the payoff — hitting 14 on the minute felt hard but doable because we’d been building toward it the whole time.

That’s progressive overload. And it’s the difference between people who train and people who actually get stronger.

Here’s a simple test. Think back 90 days. What could you do then that you can do better now? More reps? Heavier weight? Same weight but cleaner, faster, easier?

If you can answer that question — you’re on the right track.

If you can’t — that’s the unlock right there. That’s the whole game.

Turns out this isn’t a new idea. Roman gladiators were training this way about 2,000 years ago using a system called the Tetrad — a four-day cycle built around progression and recovery.
It went like this:

Day 1 – Preparation: Build up, moderate intensity, get ready
Day 2 – Concentration: The hard day — like what we did this morning
Day 3 – Relaxation: Active recovery, let the work sink in
Day 4 – Restoration: Full reset before the next cycle

Then repeat. Seven cycles over 28 days.

We built an entire 28-day kettlebell challenge around this system — the Gladiator Tetrad Kettlebell challenge — and it kicks off this Monday.

If you want in, now is the time. Early bird pricing ends soon and this is the best price you’ll see:

–>> the Gladiator Tetrad Kettlebell challenge

And even if the challenge isn’t for you right now — take that 90-day test seriously. Write down what you can do today. Train with a target. Check back in 90 days

Hope to see you on the inside.

– Forest