If you are like me, you like to train hard. You push yourself to your limit, on a regular basis.

But because of this, you also get sore, and even end up with tweaks and injuries from time to time.

These nagging aches and pains and injuries get in the way of your workouts, and your life.

The solution that I have come up with personally, for my training clients, and now that I am codifying into a program, I am calling:

REGENERATE – Simple Recovery for Lifters and Athletes

It is a combination of yoga poses, static stretches, core exercises and more combined into simple sequences that take 3 to 6 minutes to do, that require no special equipment.

I am putting the finishing touches on the program, and it will be available later this week.

In the meantime, here is a sample:

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REGENERATE – Simple Recovery for Lifters and Athletes – Sequence 1

Do this sequence either immediately after, OR within 48 hours of, a big HIP HINGING day (lots of KB swings, deadlifts, etc).

Hold each stretch / pose for 60 seconds:

– Pigeon (60 seconds per side) – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pigeon+pose
– Doorway Hamstring Stretch (60 seconds per side) – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=doorway+hamstring+stretch
– Seated Spinal Twist (60 seconds per side) – https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=seated+spinal+twist+pose

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REGENERATE – Simple Recovery for Lifters and Athletes – Sequence 1 is specifically engineered to hit your hamstrings and hips – muscles you hit hard during that KB swing, or deadlift workout.

The full REGENERATE – Simple Recovery for Lifters and Athletes program is a series of sequences like these, designed help you recover from specific workouts. For example, there are sequences to help you recover from:

– A big pull up day
– Running
– Jump rope
– A big overhead pressing day

And more.

If you are like me, the reality of the situtaion is that you know you NEED to do more work on this stuff, but you don’t have a ton of time to dedicate to it. So that’s why these sequences only take 3 to 6 minutes to do.

Not to mention, they will also help you reduce chronic pain, improve mobility / flexibility, and feel amazing!

This is a revolutionary program, and I firmly believe that every person reading this message needs it, and should get it. So stay tuned – it will be available very soon.

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist
ForestVance.com

PS – The REGENERATE – Simple Recovery for Lifters and Athletes – Sequence 1 pairs perfectly with my CORE Kettlebell program.

If you don’t have it yet … and since if you’re reading this sentence, you made it all the way to the end of today’s article! 😉 … here is a link to get it, where you can save a few bucks off the regular price:

http://bit.ly/corekbspecial

We are always on the lookout for the newest workout, diet, and supplement regime that will help us shed fat and add lean muscle.

But one thing we often forget is that your body is PRIMED for building muscle during sleep.

If you are not sleeping well, much of your workout efforts could actually be wasted.

Because, during sleep, the repairing of muscle and other tissues occurs, as well as the replacement of aging or dead cells.

Your hormone levels are also impacted BIG time during sleep.

Here are some signs you might not be getting enough:

– You hit the snooze button on your alarm at least once every morning. Regardless, you wake up tired, sluggish, and unmotivated despite going to bed at a decent hour most nights
– You try losing body fat … yet each morning you’re heavier on the scale or stuck at the same weight as the day before despite eating healthy and exercising
– You struggle to focus at your job and get passed up for promotions and bonuses by the “young bucks” in your workplace
– You experience inconsistent energy swings throughout the day and take naps during the week
– You wake up in the middle of the night or have trouble falling asleep within the first five minutes of closing your eyes in bed

So what to do about it?

Here are a few basic tips to start:

– Avoid alchohol and caffeine at night
– Set up a correct sleeping enviornment
– Train hard – but not so late in the day that it distrupts your sleep
– No screen time before bed – TV, phone, etc
– Do a “brain dump” – write down what you’re thinking about and worrying about before bed

If you are serious about improving your sleep, I also recommend you check out the “Anabolic Sleeping” protocol:

=> “Anabolic Sleeping” protocol

I will be back with more info on it later this week, but for now, click the link above to get all the details on this “overnight muscle building solution”.

Thanks, hope these tips help you improve your sleep, and stop killing your GAINZ!

– Forest Vance
Certified Personal Trainer
Master of Science, Human Movement
ForestVance.com

The 1st CORE Kettlebell Workshop is a wrap!

It was SO fun – THANK YOU to the folks who came out – and I can’t wait to see how what we covered will be implemented now across the country, and so many people will benefit and change their lives!

We got some great video footage too, which will be released over the coming weeks and months, stay tuned.

This is the beginning of some BIG things for CORE Kettlebell!

So I have been thinking – what is the BIGGEST take-away that I can share with YOU, a loyal FVT Newsletter subscriber, that can help with your kettlebell practice?

There were SO many … but for now, based on what participants of the workshop shared with me, I’ll say it’s GET FEEDBACK.

All but one of the participants at the workshop were trainers themselves.

And one of the biggest points they had was that they so appreciated my feedback and critique on their exercise form. This is something that interestingly, many events I’ve attended as a fit pro leave out … but it’s probably the most important thing when it comes to getting results!

Because it’s not about adding endless different exercise variations to keep progressing …

Or about doing a different workout every single day …

It’s about doing the fundamentals, over and over, and GETTING REALLY GOOD AT THEM.

Get someone you trust to look at what you are doing, give you feedback, give you small tweaks, etc.

I have a online / distance KB Strong Challenge – opening registration tomorrow – where you can get feedback and coaching and tips from ME over the next few weeks (I’ll have more info coming on that in tomorrow’s message).

But it could be a (knowledgeable) workout partner, or a trainer / coach in your area.

Think about this take-away as you work towards your ultimate fitness goals, and do your very best to make it happen.

Getting feedback and constantly improving on the fundamentals is key to your continued progress and best possible results.

Talk soon, let’s make it a great week! –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Lead CORE Kettlebell Instructor
ForestVance.com

PS – I have a online / distance KB Strong Challenge – opening registration tomorrow – where you can get feedback and coaching and tips from ME over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for details!

Maybe you work out by yourself, but you want to check your form during kettlebell moves.

What to do?

Short of getting coached directly, the best tool for the job is taking video.

Thes days, almost everyone has a phone or other device capable of getting this done quickly and easily.

I’ve worked with distance coaching clients in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia – and I’m able to review their technique and progress using this method.

A few tips to get the most out of it:

— When you are training by yourself, you want a set up stable enough for you to trust that it won’t fall over while you are lifting. You may need a mini tripod if that’s going to be difficult.

— Keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to get your full body in the shot, so decide what’s the most critical part, and position the camera so you will capture that.

— You can review your form during your training sessions, between sets, to correct as you go. You can also review after the fact if you want to sit down and do a more detailed anyalsis.

If you are going at this on your own, you’ll obviously have to know what you are looking for, in terms of what you are doing wrong, and what to correct. I would suggest going searching the blog archives on ForestVance.com, and reviewing the dozens of posts / videos I’ve done on how to various kettlebell exercises, and/or picking up a copy of one / all of the following courses of mine – Kettlebell Challenge Workouts, Top 13 Kettlebell Training Mistakes – and How to Fix Them!, the CORE Kettlebell System (do a search on ForestVance.com to find info on those).

If you want personal coaching / feedback from me, I am also opening up my distance KB coaching program during this coming week to new clients.

I only do this a few times each year – when spots open up, I only work with 10 clients at any given time – but I currently have a few openings.

Send me an email if you are interested in distance KB coaching with me, with ELITE KB COACHING in the subject line, and we’ll go from there.

To sum up, if you work out by yourself, but want to check your form during kettlebell moves, I suggest taking video.  It’s what I have all of my Elite Kettlebell Coaching clients do, and it works great. Just use the tips I outline in this article to get the most out of it.

Keep training hard, talk soon! –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Instructor
ForestVance.com