Category: Tips and Tricks

21 Day Kettlebells for Fat Loss Challenge is LIVE!!

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Summer is RIGHT around the corner …

But there are still a few precious weeks to shed some fat and get into top shape … IF you’re dedicated, and ready to rock.

So we are going to do something special.  Something we’ve NEVER done before.

That is, a VIRTUAL 21 Day Kettlebells For Fat Loss Challenge.

And I am excited to announce that we are now officially accepting applications!

This challenge is going to be all about losing fat, get in shape and make a serious body transformation over the next 21 days, using kettlebells as their training tool of choice.

The BEST part is … you’ll be finishing right around Memorial Day Weekend … which, at least here is the US, is pretty much the official start of the summer … which ROCKS! 😉

FVT 21 Day Kettlebells for Fat Loss Challenge Details

1 – This program is geared towards folks who want to lose fat, gain lean muscle, and make a serious body transformation in 21 days using kettlebells as their training tool of choice (with some body weight exercise mixed in as well).

We are looking for folks who have some training experience, but are looking to take it to the next level. Ideally have a basic idea of how to do basic body weight movements and / or kettlebell exercises. No serious, major injuries or limitations with your workouts. Must have a positive attitude, commit to working HARD, and no whining 🙂

2 – You’ll get a complete kettlebell and body weight – based training plan to help you lose as much fat as humanly possible in 21 days.

3 – You’ll also get a meal plan designed to help you rapidly lose fat over the 21 day period.

4 – We’ll be running the program though my full-blown online coaching platform … so you’ll be able to see your workout for each day on your phone or on your computer in both written and video format, you can log your workouts and progress easily, we can communicate within the app if you have questions at any time, etc

5 – If you have questions about your form / technique on any of the exercises in the program, you can also send me a video of you doing the movement to critique

Couple more things before we get to the application link:

The cost for the 21 day program is $97.

No, it’s not cheap – but it’s a great VALUE for what you get – and it’s significantly less than my Elite Coaching program.

I will be coaching you PERSONALLY over the next 21 days to help you reach your fat loss goals, and showing you how to use kettlebells and your own bodyweight to do it.

So requirement #1 is, obviously, that you have to be able to afford the cost.

You need to fill out an application – taking some time, thought, and energy to do it – to be considered.

I want to work with people who are SERIOUS, and REALLY WANT to be in this program.

One or two word answers in each application question show me that you are not serious, and really don’t care about getting participating.

Also, given the online, “virtual” coaching format, I am are looking for folks who have some training experience, but are looking to take it to the next level. Ideally you have a basic idea of how to do basic body weight movements and / or kettlebell exercises. And you have no serious, major injuries or limitations with your workouts.

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If you feel like you fit the requirements above and you think you’re a good fit, fill out the application form below, and we’ll see if we can get you in:

=> Apply for the 21 Day Kettlebell Transformation Program here

Please note – I will be personally reviewing each application … BUT, given that we typically get 100+ apps for these KB Challenges … I am only able to respond to those applicants who are approved.  Sorry – thanks for understanding! 😉

Also, we have a new software system that I believe has significantly improved client experience … HOWEVER, we can still only work with up to 15 folks for this program.   So, the first 15 folks to apply, get approved, and make payment will secure their spots.  Thanks for understanding about this as well.

Rock on!  Thanks for reading – and look forward to (potentially) working with you!

Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training
Master of Science, Human Movement
Level 2 Certified Russian Kettlebell
Certified Progressive Calisthenics Instructor
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach
ForestVance.com
ForestVanceTraining.com

New Orleans Kettlebell Workshop + New “Kettlebell Hacks” Video

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I am excited and honored to be leading a Kettlebells for Fat Loss Workshop on Saturday, April 30th at the LEAN Performance Academy in Slidell, Louisiana (just outside of New Orleans).

My good friend Fred Zoller is opening an AMAZING new 8000 square foot facility … and I will be out for the day to lead a workshop at the new digs, as well as to help Fred with incorporating kettlebells as a bigger part of his on-going regular workout programming with his 400+ training clients!

If you are in the New Orleans area, would be great to have you out to the event.

Details and reserve your spot now at the link below (space limited to 20 participants):

=> New Orleans Kettlebells for Fat Loss Workshop

Have an awesome day –

– Forest Vance
Certified Level 2 Russian Kettlebell Instructor
ForestVance.com

PS – Check out this sneak peak video from my new Kettlebell Hacks course on the Towel Swing – it’s footage from a recent workshop we did at the studio to give you an idea of what to expect at one of my live events:

Kettlebell Hacks – the Towel Swing

PPS – Interested in the possibility of having me out for a Kettlebell Basics One Day Workshop at YOUR facility?  Reply to this email and let me know!

FVT QnA – Swing Lower Back Pain, Injury Mods + Teaching KBs

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It’s the first day of April!

And the weather here in Sacramento is GREAT – perfect for an outdoor workout:

Okay – it’s time for another FVT QnA session.

** Quick reminder that the price on the Forward Head Posture Fix course we’ve been talking about all this week is jumping tonight at midnight – details and snag your copy here => Forward Head Posture Fix **

Let’s hop right in:

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Q – “I get lower back pain when doing KB swings. Any suggestions?”

A – There are a lot of reasons why this could be happening.

If you have no pre-existing conditions though to your knowledge, the first place to look is your form.

Here is a video that should help:

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Q – “I have (X/Y/Z) injury – how do I work around it?”

A – The key is to keep training.

With the majority of injuries, you CAN keep working, and do SOMETHING.

I am SUCH a big believer in this.

I was back in the gym two days after both my knee surgeries, and my hand surgery as well.

I wasn’t working the body parts that I just had an operation on, obviously – but I was able to work the non-affected areas, and do what I could.

I was able to maintain my fitness, and get back in it a lot faster than if I had just stopped training all together.

Keep it goin’ and do what you can!

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Q – “I am looking to start teaching others kettlebells. Would you suggest me to start a online class, or a more private live studio?”

A – I think the easiest and fastest way to start in the fitness business is to train people in person.

You get invaluable experience working with people hands-on.

I think you NEED to work with some clients in person before you start putting programs out on the internet.

Getting your work online and out in the world is GREAT … but it is also HARD! And there are a lot of specific skills you have to learn to make it happen.

The best way to start is to get a few training clients – the first few, train them for free, or for a very low rate – get experience, and get them some GREAT results – and they’ll be telling their friends, and your little business will be growing in no time.

** If you are just getting started in the fitness business, here is a program that I think you’ll find invaluable => The Expert Program Design Platform **

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That’s it for this QnA – off to train a couple of sessions, then hit my own workout!

Have an awesome weekend, and talk soon –

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

Kettlebell Workout for Fat Loss

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Here is a sample workout from our upcoming Kettlebells for Fat Loss Transformation Challenge.

Now to be clear, this is a SAMPLE … so there are no video walk – thrus of the moves as you would get in the Challenge … I am not tweaking or giving modification recommendations for any of the exercises … and obviously I am not coaching you and helping you through the workout … but I wanted to give you an idea of what to expect in the program.

BTW – applications have been coming in at a CRAZY rate – we are having a hard time keeping up!

If you are interested, I have copied details on the Challenge at the bottom of this message, as well as a link to the application.

We are nearly half full already, and we WILL cut off registration at 10 … so if you want in, please apply and / or officially sign up asap! 🙂

Okay, to the workout:

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Kettlebell Workout for Fat Loss

1 – Alternate exercises back and forth; rest as needed for perfect movement quality and do four sets of each:

TGU – one rep each side – try to go as HEAVY as possible on these w perfect form … NO hip bridge
tactical pull up OR recline row – one rep LESS than failure

2 – Alternate exercises back and forth; rest about 30 seconds between exercises and do three sets of each:

Airborne lunge – 5 each side
KB snatch – 8 each side

3 – Alternate exercises back and forth; take as little rest as possible and do three sets of each:

KB figure eight to hold – 8 each way
10 push up

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Details on the Kettlebells for Fat Loss Transformation Challenge

–This program is geared towards folks who want to lose fat, gain lean muscle, and make a serious body transformation using kettlebells as their training tool of choice (with some body weight exercise mixed in as well).

– We are looking for folks who have some training experience, but are looking to take it to the next level. Ideally have a basic idea of how to do basic body weight movements and / or kettlebell exercises. No serious, major injuries or limitations with your workouts. Must have a positive attitude, commit to working HARD, and no whining 🙂

– You’ll get a complete kettlebell and body weight – based training plan to help you lose as much fat as humanly possible over the next 12 weeks. This will include the workouts in written form, as well as video walk-thrus of how to do all the exercises in the workout plan. The workouts will be short and efficient … you’ll be training 3-4x per week, 20-30 minutes at a time, using just your own bodyweight, a kettlebell or two, and some other optional basic pieces of equipment like a jump rope and pull up bar.

– You’ll also get a meal plan designed to help you rapidly lose fat over the 12 week period.

– I will require that you check in with me personally at least once a week with a specific log of your workouts, nutrition, etc (I’ll have a list of questions for you to go through and answer each week) … but you can also email any time you have a question.

– If you have questions about your form / technique on any of the exercises in the program, you can send me a video of you doing the movement to critique.

This program is a great “in-between” for folks who want more coaching and personal attention than one of my standard training programs would provide, but can’t quite afford my fully customized Elite Coaching program.

It’s also a great way for us to work together and “test the waters”, so to speak, to see if doing the Elite Coaching on an on-going, more regular basis, would be a great fit.

So are you ready to apply? Awesome!

There is just one catch though … as much as I would like to work with anyone and everyone, I simply can’t. I can only take 10 people TOTAL for this program. That’s simply all I have time for. And it’ll be first come first serve … so once those 10 spots are filled, that’s gonna be it.

If you feel like you fit the requirements above and you think you’re a good fit, fill out the application form below, and we’ll see if we can get you in:

=> Apply for the Kettlebells for Fat Loss Transformation Challenge here

Have a great day, and talk soon –

Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training
Master of Science, Human Movement
Level 2 Certified Russian Kettlebell
Certified Progressive Calisthenics Instructor
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach
ForestVance.com
ForestVanceTraining.com

The Basement Badass Workout

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Happy Holidays to you!

Hope you had a great Christmas (if you celebrate the holiday) … we were in the Kansas City area all week visiting family and friends, exploring and having fun around the city a bit, and having an overall great time!

Now that the New Year is officially around the corner, you are no doubt thinking about what your new training program will look like for 2016.

Well, if you’re like the majority of FVT Newsletter subscribers, and your goals include losing fat, building muscle, and getting into great shape … but your OBSTACLES to reaching those goals include lack of time, available equipment to train with, recurring injuries and occasional lack of motivation and discipline … then I am going to be a BIG advocate of what I’m calling the ‘Basement Badass’ approach for you!!

I talk more specifically about how to put a training program like this together in the blog post linked to below:

=> The Basement Badass Workout (blog post)

And, I’ve also been working on a full-blown, done-for-you, 12 week training program – called Basement Badass! – based around the ideas in this article, that will be available shortly.

So keep an eye on your email inbox if you’re interested – as an FVT Newsletter subscriber, you’ll be the first to know about it.

That’s it for today – I am off to get things organized and ready to rock for the gym and next week as we roll into January – enjoy your weekend, and talk soon –

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

5 Minute Kettlebell Workout for Arms

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When I first started training with kettlebells … coming from more of a lifting / bodybuilding – type background … I was taken a bit by surprise …

Because in NONE of the main kettlebell exercises, do you get what we would call “direct arm work”! That is – no moves specifically for the biceps / triceps / etc …

So, I came up with a few short KB workouts for arms, that I could “plug in” at the end of my regular kettlebell training sessions, to get my arm training fix … and I share one of my favorite ones with you in today’s video.

Here’s how it goes:

— 15 KB towel curl
— 10 KB halo + behind-the-head tricep extension
— Complete 3 sets of each with as little rest as possible

Now you too can get strong, lean arms in about 5 minutes, using just a single kettlebell.

Give it a try today!

– Forest Vance, RKC II

PS – You’ll kick yourself if you miss the sale going this week on my “Top 13 Kettlebell Training Mistakes … and How to Fix Them” course … click here for more info and to get started now

The Invincible Body Workout

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Over the course of training myself seriously for 20 years now (I started when I was 14) … and 2015 being my tenth year full-time as a fit pro … I have found that a large majority of folks I end up training with, working with, speaking to about fitness or encountering in whatever way, have pretty similar goals.

They are, in a nutshell, to:

— Gain strength and lean muscle
— Lose body fat, stay slim and trim
— Feel great, and keep the aches and pains at bay
— Be ready at any given time to take on a variety of physical challenges – examples would be run a 5k, play pick-up basketball for 45 mins, do 10 pull ups, do a pistol squat, press a half-body weight kettlebell over head, bench press 1.5x your body weight, snatch a 24k KB 100 times in 5 mins, etc

In short – to build the “Invincible Body”!

I mean – how awesome would it feel if you walked around every day, lean, strong, pain free and feeling great, and ready to rock all the physical challenges listed above (and many more) at any time?

Well – it’s VERY possible. And in fact, you can do it training about 30 minutes per day, three or four times per week.

You just have to be specific and intentional about your training, and stick to the plan for the long term.

Here’s an overview of what your training might look like to get the “Invincible Body”:

— Joint mobility and gentle stretching – 5-10 mins EVERY day in the AM
— Foam rolling / self myofacial release – EVERY day, as needed, any time throughout the day
— Dynamic warm up / movement prep – 5-10 mins at the beginning of each training session
— A basic barbell lift – at most training sessions, three or four days per week
— Kettlebell and / or bodyweight exercises – at all training sessions, three or four days per week
— Metabolic-style “finisher” / sprints / etc – at the end of most workouts
— Static stretching / flexibility work – at the end of most workouts / any other time
— Fun / enjoyable activity – on your “off” training days / any other time

Pretty cool, right?

Simple structure, very do-able – yet VERY powerful.

Now if this idea interests you, but you want more specifics, stay tuned. I am putting together a program around this concept of the “Invincible Body”, and it will be available very soon.

But for now, you have an overview of how to get strong, lean, keep the aches and pains at bay, and maintain a decent level of overall fitness at the same time. Think about the concepts we covered in today’s article, and if you have these goals, make sure that you are including everything we covered in the above list in your training.

Train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest

PS – Questions / thoughts / etc?  Put them in the comments section below!

How to Perform the KB Snatch Correctly

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The snatch is one of the best kettlebell exercises around for:

– burning a ton of calories
– rapid fat loss
– building world-class conditioning

And a whole lot more.

However, learning and mastering proper technique in this exercise (and in kettlebell training in general) can be a little tricky.

By breaking the movement down into three steps, we can drastically cut the learning curve and help you learn how to do the movement efficiently and effectively in as fast a time as humanly possible!

Check it out:

How to Perform the KB Snatch Correctly

1 – The Lockout

You’ll start with a kettlebell between the feet in a sumo deadlift position. Cheat curl the ‘bell up to your shoulder and press it up over your head. All we’re trying to do is get comfortable with our overhead lockout position.

The bicep should be right by the ear. A common mistake is to hold the ‘bell slightly in front of the body. If you lack proper shoulder mobility, this is likely going to be a problem for you (all the more reason to practice your Turkish getups).

** A great drill to practice and get comfortable in this lockout position is an overhead walk. To perform this drill, you would simply get the KB pressed over your head and walk around the room with it. If your elbow is bent, or the kettlebell is out in front of you too far, this is nearly impossible – and that this drill is very self-correcting is part of the beauty of it.

=> Find learning progressions like this one for all the basic KB exercises (swing, Turkish get up, clean and press, more) here

2 – The Downswing

To start the downswing phase of the snatch, from your overhead lockout position, think about closing the distance from the elbow to the rib cage as fast as possible to bring the kettlebell down.

The arc of the snatch is much closer to the body than the arc of the swing.

Another good coaching point for this part of the snatch is to think about throwing the kettlebell through the stomach.

If you were to take a snapshot of the kettlebell at the bottom position, it would look identical a one arm swing (another reason why it’s so important that you master the HardStyle swing before moving on to more advanced drills like the snatch).

3 – The Upswing

We’ve now progressed to performing a full kettlebell snatch. We’ll start with the ‘bell about one foot in front of us (the same set up as a swing).

To start the move, hike pass the weight back – again, the same ‘start’ as the swing. But, instead of swinging the weight in front of you and up to shoulder height, we’re going to go straight overhead with the move into a snatch.

Remember:

The arc of snatch is much closer to the body than the swing. And so to drill this idea down, we’ll perform the following progression:

– Three one-hand swings.
– Three high pulls – try to make the ‘bell ‘float’ at the top by pulling the elbow back and snapping the hips simultaneously.
– Three snatches. The snatch will simply be an extension of the high pull. The weight floats at the top during the high pull, and then we get our hand around the ‘bell to finish the snatch.

In summary, the kettlebell snatch can be a little tricky to master technique-wise, but it’s well worth it considering the benefits it provides. Use the three steps outlined in this article to fast track your learning curve in learning the kettlebell snatch!

Train hard, and talk soon –

Forest Vance, MS, RKC

PS – Did you find this article helpful? Find learning progressions like this one for all the basic KB exercises (swing, Turkish get up, clean and press, more) here

Quick Tip To Fix Your KB Swing

On By adminIn Tips and Tricks, VideosLeave a comment

Hope you had a great weekend!

Saturday was “FVT picture day” at our gym … it was a lot of fun, and we were long overdue for some updated shots!

Then on Sunday we went out to lunch at a really nice restaurant on the river to celebrate my grandma’s 96th birthday(!) … our daughter is almost 8 mos old now, and it’s getting a little trickier to take her out to eat these days, as she’s all of a sudden getting a LOT more active and energetic … but it’s all good, having fun and enjoying every day with our little girl!

Anyway, got a quick tip and video for you today to help you improve your KB swing form … but before we get to it, I would love to get your feedback on something real quick.

We are considering doing a live, streaming, follow-along workout from FVT and broadcasting it on the internet, and I’m wondering if you would be interested?

The way it would work:

— You sign up ahead of time for the workout (for a small fee – around $10 most likely for the first one)
— You “tune in” for the workout from wherever you are in the world and follow along
— The first session will be a minimal / zero equipment workout you can do at home
— I’ll be leading the session, and will have one or two or three folks that I’ll be coaching through the workout
— You would also get a recording of the workout as well – if you can’t make the actual event, so you could do it again on your own time, etc
— Folks who register will also get the opportunity to send in questions on things like exercise technique, etc ahead of time, and we’ll take 15 mins or so at the end of the workout to answer questions live

Sound interesting? Just hit reply to this message and let me know … and if I get enough responses, we’ll make it happen.

ALSO … if you are interested, can you also let me know what time of day / day of the week would be best for you, in Eastern Standard Time please?

This way, if we do end up doing this, we’ll be able to schedule the live workout at a time that works best for everyone 🙂

Okay, on to today’s kettlebell training tip – talk soon!

– Forest Vance
Level 2 Certified Russian KB Instructor
ForestVance.com

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Quick Tip To Fix Your KB Swing

Kettlebell training is one of the best exercise methods in existence for extreme fat loss and total body conditioning.

On the other hand, learning even the basic kettlebell exercises does take some study and practice of safe and effective lifting techniques.

The kettlebell Swing is the “pilar” movement of hardstyle kettlebell lifting; and while it is technically complex,the mistakes that we see folks make with it repeat themselves over and over again. One of the most common Swing mistakes in the Swing is what we call the “squat and front raise error”.

In a correct, “hip driven” Swing, the kettlebell is hiked back between the legs, and the arms do approximately 10-20% of the work.

When a kettlebell trainee makes the squat and front raise error, the individual will perform a squatting pattern with the lower body followed by a front raise – type move. In this scenario, the arms are responsible for more like 50-60% of the movement.

What we call the towel swing is a great drill to help you fix this flaw.

To perform the Towel Swing, you just do your two handed Swings with a towel wrapped around the horn of the ‘bell and grabbing the ends of the towel; to maintain tension on the towel through the entire movement, you have to use your hips and direct energy efficiently to the ‘bell.

It’s a great drill because it’s very self correcting. Do a few Swings with the towel and you’ll naturally use your lower body more and your upper body less as you get feedback from the towel.

Watch this video for a quick demo:

To sum up, one of the most common mistakes with the Kettlebell Swing is the “squat and front raise” error. This occurs when the trainee uses a squatting, knee-dominant movement on the “down” portion of the swing, and as a result has to over-involve the arms in finishing the movement. The towel swing drill is a great one to help you fix this flaw. Give it a try today!

Improve Your Kettlebell Clean – 3 Simple Tips

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Last week, one of my Elite Online Coaching clients told me that their kettlebell clean form needed some work – and sent me a video of themselves doing the move for me to take a look at and give some feedback on.

The kettlebell clean is actually one of the hardest of the basic KB moves to really perfect. I get questions about it freqently from both my online coaching clients as I mentioned above, and from a lot of folks that are just starting to train with us in person at the FVT studio.

See, most folks can pick up / swing a ‘bell into a rack position at the shoulder, and it will resemble something like what we would call a “clean” … however, to really get the movement DOWN, to make it smooth, efficient, and minimize impact on the forearm etc … is quite tricky.

So I thought I’d do a quick video with three simple tips to help you improve your kettlebell clean technique for ‘ya. Hope it helps!

1 – Think around getting your hand around the ‘bell

Most folks clean the KB up, but when it comes around their hand, it just kind of flops over the top and ends up smacking them in the wrist.

If you can think about getting your hand around the kettlebell instead, it will help you slip your hand around and finish in a nice strong position at the top.

2 – Think about zipping up a jacket

The motion your hand should be making is not unlike zipping up a jacket. Think about this next time you do the exercise, and it will help you keep your hand in the proper position.

3 – Land in the proper rack position

When the kettlebell is racked at the shoulder, this is called the rack position. You should 1) be able to touch your thumb to your collar bone 2) have the KB resting on your upper arm 3) also have the KB resting on your forearm when in the rack.

Give those technique tips a try, practice ’em, and let me know how they go for ‘ya!

Train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest Vance
Level 2 Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor

PS – The “Elite Online Coaching” program that I mentioned today is my highest-level, highest-access, most customized online training program available. I design a custom workout and nutrition plan every month for folks that are in it … it also includes unlimited email access, unlimited video form technique critiques, and a LOT more …

Because it is so customized and time – intensive, I can only work with 10 folks in this program at any one time. And many folks who start training with me in this capacity end up training for a long, continuous period, because of the great results that they end up getting …

That being said, I have three clients who have met their goals and their training periods have come to an end … and so I will be accepting applications for the program this coming week, and accepting up to three new online training clients.

If this interests you, keep an eye on your email inbox – more info coming soon! 🙂