If you want to build serious pulling strength, there’s one benchmark that never lies: pull-ups.

That’s exactly why I created Operation Pull-Up — a complete program designed to take you from wherever you’re starting (zero, five, or anything in between) all the way up to 20 strict pull-ups.

How Operation Pull-Up Works

Operation Pull-Up runs in a 28-day challenge format, but it’s built in phases:

— Phase 1

— Phase 2

— Phase 3

— Etc.

You move through the phases at your own pace. Everyone progresses differently depending on their starting point, bodyweight, strength level, and recovery. Some people move faster, some slower — but the structure keeps pushing you forward until you hit 20.

The Two Biggest Pull-Up Mistakes I See

Before I tell you how to get the most out of this program, let’s talk about the mistakes that keep most people stuck.

Mistake #1: Only Doing Pull-Ups Once Per Week

This does not work.

Pull-ups respond best to frequency. You should think of pull-ups more like a skill than a body-part workout.

In Operation Pull-Up, you train pull-ups three times per week. Sessions are short — often just 10–15 minutes — but that consistent exposure is what drives progress.

Mistake #2: Going to Failure Every Session

Grinding every set to failure is a fast way to stall progress and irritate your elbows.

Again, this is skill-based strength. Most of your work should feel challenging but repeatable, not soul-crushing.

You’ll perform multiple sub-maximal sets throughout the week. Some weeks you’ll add two or three reps to your max. Other weeks you might only add one — or even hold steady.

What Happens If You Stick With It

If you follow the plan and respect the process, your pull-ups will go up.

You’ll build real pulling strength, improve technique, and develop the kind of back strength that carries over to everything else you do.

Get the Full Plan (Free Right Now)

Right now, Operation Pull-Up is included for free as part of Bodyweight Beast 2.0.

When you grab it, you also get:

— Bodyweight Beast 2.0 (full bodyweight training plan)

— Bodyweight Phase 1.0

— the 14-Day Steel Mace Challenge (a unique, athletic training style)

— My Core Kettlebell Challenge eBook

Even if you already own one of these, the rest easily makes this worth it.

This promotion is ending soon — so if pull-ups are something you want to finally master, now’s the time:

-> GO HERE NOW

Check it out and get started!

-Forest

If you’ve been curious what Steel Mace Vinyasa training actually feels like, here’s a quick taste.

This is the 20-minute strength + conditioning block from one of the classes in the 14-Day Steel Mace Vinyasa Challenge.

(Full sessions also include smart warm-ups, flows, and cooldowns — but I wanted to keep this short and simple.)

Why this works so well:

• Builds real strength without heavy loading
• Lights up your core, grip, and shoulders
• Improves balance and coordination
• Feels powerful, athletic, and honestly… just fun
• You finish feeling better than when you started

Here’s the 20-minute steel mace block:

20-Minute Steel Mace Strength Block

Format: 60 sec work / 30 sec rest
Run one learning round, then work sets

1. Standing Cat–Cow (Single-Leg)
   Two-hand guard position. Pull mace behind head, crunch forward with a knee lift.
   → 60 sec (30 per side)
2. Ballistic Squats
   Over-under grip. Squat, pull mace in, switch grip at the top.
   → 60 sec
3. Warrior III RDL
   Single-leg hinge, mace stays close to the body.
   → 60 sec (30 per side – kickstand or full balance)
4. Uppercut Lunge
   Step back and punch the mace up across the body.
   → 60 sec (30 per side)
5. Four-Corner Balance
   Balance on one foot. Quarter squat and tap: front, side, back, curtsy.
   → 60 sec (30 per side)

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That’s it.

Rotational strength.
Core stability.
Grip and shoulder work.
All in about 20 minutes.

If this looks like your kind of training, the full video classes (with warm-ups, flows, and cooldowns) are included inside the free 14-Day Steel Mace Vinyasa Challenge — available right now as part of Stormproof Strength.

You can check it out here:

→ Bodyweight Beast 2.0 + Free 14-Day Steel Mace Challenge

– Forest

I was just putting the final touches on the video training for the 28-Day 8-Minute Knee Fix Challenge. (It kicks off this Monday!)

This is one of those challenges I honestly kind of also built for myself 🙂

I’ve had knee surgeries. I did all the physical therapy. There’s nothing “clinically wrong” with my knee anymore.

But the issue is… it still hurts sometimes!

What I’ve found is that when I stay consistent with a short, very specific rehab-style routine, my knee feels way better and stays way more stable.

For example, here’s a simple 8-minute routine from the program (videos included; and you actually get a new sequence, six days per week in the full challenge):

Minute 1 – Quad Sets + Straight Leg Raises
Minute 2 – Glute Bridges (slow squeeze at the top)
Minute 3 – Terminal Knee Extensions (banded)
Minute 4 – Hamstring Sliders or Eccentric Hamstring Curls
Minute 5 – Tibialis Raises (shin muscle work most people never train)
Minute 6 – Standing Calf Raises (slow tempo)
Minute 7 – Supported Split Squats or Step-Back Lunges (pain-free range)
Minute 8 – Ankle Mobility Rocks + Deep Squat Pry

If I do something like that first thing in the morning, every day, it makes a big difference.

It helps:

• strengthen my hips
• activate the right quad stability muscles
• build hamstring support
• strengthen calves and ankles
• keep my knees mobile
• improve knee tracking

I still train hard. I lift. I do kettlebells. I do yoga. I move most days.

But if I skip this specific stuff for a while, my knee flares up.

So I started this challenge again for myself — and I figured I might as well invite you to do it with me.

It’s only $15.

And honestly… what do you really have to lose?

Hope you’ll join me.

GO HERE NOW.

— Forest

Quick heads up — this is the last email I’m going to send about my 8-Minute Shoulder Fix being on sale.

Right now, when you grab it, you also get my Tactical 10-20-30 Kettlebell Plan included. It’s a solid deal, and if shoulder pain has been limiting your training, it’s worth a look.

You can check it out here:

-> 8-minute Shoulder Fix (last call)

A little background, in case you don’t know my story.

I played football for almost 15 years — high school, college, and a short run in the pros. I was a three-time All-American offensive lineman at UC Davis (a Division I FCS), and I had short stints in the pros with both Green Bay and Kansas City.

..and my shoulders got absolutely wrecked in the process 😉

Years of contact, years of heavy lifting, years of just “pushing through it”… like a lot of guys, I figured pain was just part of the deal.

But here’s what I eventually learned the hard way:

Taking care of your shoulders helps you both reduce pain, AND perform better!

— Stronger presses.
— Cleaner Turkish get-ups.
— More confidence under the bell instead of that searing “uh oh” feeling every time you go overhead.

Here’s a simple 8-minute kettlebell shoulder warm-up from my Shoulder Fix program you can try before your next workout:

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8-min “Pain-Free” Shoulder Warm Up (from 8-minute Shoulder Fix)

– Arm circles + controlled shoulder CARs
1 set of 6–8 slow reps each direction per arm

– Light kettlebell halos
1–2 sets of 8–10 reps each direction

– Kettlebell arm bars
1 set of 3–5 slow reps per side, or 30–45 seconds per side

– Tall-kneeling or half-kneeling kettlebell presses
1–2 sets of 5–8 controlled reps per side with a light bell

– Turkish get-up reps or partials
1–2 slow reps per side

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Nothing fancy — just the right mix of mobility, stability, and activation.

Do this before your next kettlebell session — especially if you deal with tight or cranky shoulders — and you’ll feel the difference almost immediately.

And when you do it consistently, as we do in the 28-day Shoulder Fix, that’s when things really change.
You could experience Less pain over time, better performance, and more confidence doing things like training hard without breaking down.

If this kind of work resonates with you, this is your window.

This is the last reminder about the discount, and the last chance to grab it with the Tactical 10-20-30 Kettlebell Plan included.

-> Grab it here while it’s still available

— Forest

I recently had a new client come in, and this is extremely common.

They had clear strength goals.
They were training consistently.
Kettlebell work was dialed in.

On paper, everything looked good.

But something was stalling them out.

Their hips were tight. Especially the hip flexor complex. Which meant the glutes weren’t firing well. And once that happens, everything downstream suffers.

Swings feel off.
Snatches feel awkward.
Athletic movements feel limited.

So before we touched a kettlebell, we spent 5–7 minutes at the start of every session opening up the hips.

Nothing crazy. Nothing aggressive.

Just a short, repeatable sequence — very similar to what I’ll be teaching in my upcoming 90-minute Hip Mobility Workshop.

I want to give you a simple version of that sequence right now so you can try it yourself.

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5–7 Minute Hip Reset (do this daily or before training)

1. Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch (Couch Stretch setup)
:60–90 seconds per side

• Back knee down, front foot forward
• Light glute squeeze on the back leg
• Tall torso, slow nasal breathing

2. Half-Kneeling Hip Flexor + Overhead Reach
:30–45 seconds per side

• Same position
• Reach the arm of the back leg overhead
• Gentle side bend away from the kneeling knee

3. 90/90 Hip Switches
:45–60 seconds total

• Sit on the floor in a 90/90 position
• Slowly rotate side to side
• Use hands for support if needed

4. Bridge Hold with Slow Breathing
:45–60 seconds

• Feet flat, squeeze glutes, lift hips
• Slow breaths
• Feel the hips fully extend

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Try this before your next kettlebell workout, or first thing in the morning if your hips feel stiff from sitting.

Most people notice an immediate difference.

Now — if this hits home for you, I’m teaching a full 90-minute Hip Mobility Workshop where we go much deeper into this exact process.

This is a live workshop I’m doing as a guest session for my friends at FleX16 (my former gym in Sacramento). You can attend in person if you’re local, or live on Zoom, and you’ll also get the replay.

When you sign up, you also get my 8-Minute Hip Fix (28-day daily routine) included as a bonus.

Today is the lowest price I’m offering as part of the 12 Days of Christmas.

If you want the full plan, the full progression, and live coaching through it:

-> Sign up for the Hip Mobility Workshop here

This is a one-day offer. When today ends, it comes down and the next deal goes live.

Give the sequence a try — and if you want the complete system, I’ll see you in the workshop.

— Forest

One of my favorite programs in the new Mission Ready Conditioning System is called Fire Breather.

The idea behind Fire Breather was simple — a conditioning plan you could run alongside your kettlebell or strength workouts to torch extra calories, boost cardio capacity, and even drop body fat without having to overhaul your diet.

I originally built it while training for ultra-distance Spartan races.
The more I followed this structure, the more I noticed something wild: I was trimming down and getting into the best shape of my life without counting calories or cutting carbs.

Fire Breather became my go-to way to maintain peak conditioning, mental toughness, and work capacity year-round.

Now — heads-up — this one’s not a casual “10-minute home workout.”
It’s real work. You’re layering meaningful cardio and conditioning on top of your strength training.
But if you’re up for it, it’s powerful stuff.

Here’s a quick look at what a Fire Breather week looks like (you’ll burn up to 900 calories in some of these!):

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DDay 1 – Hills (HIIT Day)

• 12 × 60-second uphill sprints with 2-minute walks between
• Duration: ~36 minutes total (including rest)
• Intensity: Very high (90–100% effort intervals)
  — Est. Calorie Burn: 450–700 kcal
  (closer to 700+ for larger athletes or full sprints on steep inclines)

Day 2 – “Roadwork 2.0” (70-Minute Aerobic + Calisthenics)

• Duration: 70 minutes
• Intensity: moderate steady-state + 5× short bodyweight bursts
  — Est. Calorie Burn: 600–900 kcal
  (most users in your 40+ demographic average 700–800 kcal if maintaining 130–150 bpm)

Day 3 – Bodyweight Circuit (HIIT Day 2)

• Duration: ~35 minutes (5×5-min rounds)
• Intensity: high, full-body movements with short rests
  — Est. Calorie Burn: 400–600 kcal
  (leaner / smaller athletes ~400; larger or more conditioned ~600+)

Day 4 – Recovery Cardio (50-Minute Aerobic)

• Duration: 50 minutes
• Intensity: conversational pace, 60–70% HRmax
  — Est. Calorie Burn: 300–450 kcal

Total Weekly Burn Potential

If someone completes all 4 workouts:
≈ 1,800–2,600+ calories per week
—and that’s purely from the Fire Breather sessions, not counting regular kettlebell or strength training.

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That’s one week — and it works.

If you like the look of this, you’ll love the full Mission Ready Conditioning System, which includes Fire Breather plus 11 other minimalist, bodyweight, and single-kettlebell training programs you can do anywhere.

Check it out here 👇

Access to “Mission Ready Conditioning” System

The Hook:
Build Field-Ready Strength, Endurance & Resilience — Using Primarily Bodyweight Training (and One Optional Kettlebell)
A Complete No-Gym System for Men & Women 40+ Who Want to Stay Lean, Strong & Capable — Anytime, Anywhere

Author:
Forest Vance, MS Human Movement | CPT | RYT-200

What You Get:
– Road Warrior Workout – 4-week, travel-tested total-body plan
– Zero Equipment Fat-Loss Plan – 4-week no-gear shred system
– Firebreather Conditioning System – 5-week hybrid HIIT + cardio plan
– Mission 100 Push-Ups – build to 100 consecutive push-ups
– 5 Pistol Squats Report – progressions for true single-leg strength
– 5 One-Arm Push-Ups Report – upper-body power and control
– 5-Minute Abs – old-school bodybuilding-style core training
– Kettlebell + Bodyweight Beatdown – hybrid conditioning classic
– Kettlebell + Bodyweight Power Circuit Workout – explosive full-body power
– Kettlebell Challenge Workouts – 12 legendary short challenge sessions
– Total Body Abdominal Annihilation – hybrid strength + conditioning finishers
– Functional Flexibility Secrets – OG recovery and mobility system

Access to “Mission Ready Conditioning” System:

→ Mission Ready Conditioning System

– Forest Vance
MS Human Movement | CPT | RYT-200
Former Pro Football Player | Founder, FVT Warrior Wellness

I stepped outside yesterday morning, and had to put on a jacket for the first time!

And I look forward to this time of year.

There’s something about the cold air and quiet mornings — the constant movement, the trips, the tournaments, the chaos … all of it quiets.

And that’s when:

You lock in.
You disappear for a while.
You rebuild.

No one sees the work — and that’s the point.

The “winter arc” is about discipline for its own sake — and emerging in spring a different animal than you were when the leaves started falling.

And if you want to start your own winter arc, here’s a 20-minute bodyweight-only workout you can do anywhere — no gym, no gear, no excuses:

Get as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:

— 50 Seal Jacks
— 8 Bodyweight Renegade Rows (per side)
— 15 Total Body Extensions
— 12 Plank Jacks
— 10 Alternating Reverse Lunges (per side)
— 8 Burpees

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If you like this kind of short, minimalist training that gets real results, I’ve got something brand new for you.

It’s called the Mission Ready Conditioning System — a complete set of bodyweight and minimalist workouts designed to keep you strong, lean, and capable through the winter arc and beyond.

Inside are programs like:

– The Road Warrior Workout (for tight spaces and schedules)
– Zero Equipment Fat-Loss Plan
– Firebreather Conditioning (hybrid HIIT, hills, and circuits)
– Mission 100 Push-Ups (from zero to triple digits)
– Kettlebell + Bodyweight Beatdown (optional single-bell training)
– Functional Flexibility Secrets (mobility and recovery)

Right now it’s in fire-sale launch mode — starting at $30 and going up $1 for every 10 people who join.

If you want to jump in early and lock your rate, you can check it out here:
–>> Get the Mission Ready Conditioning System here

— Forest