Body Weight and Kettlebell 300 Workout - Part 2

In the original article I wrote about this body weight and kettlebell 300 workout, you can find a detailed description how to do it. Since originally posting this article and the amount of page views it generated, I decided to do a YouTube demo of this bodyweight and kettlebell 300 workout. Enjoy!

Kettlebells For Football Conditioning

Whether you're a high school or college football player, a weekend warrior, or you're just trying to 'peak' for your annual Thanksgiving Day two-hand touch game, I think you'll enjoy this article I wrote for www.kettlebellandstrength.com. It's designed to bring you to peak football condition in a short amount of time.

What I did was design a kettlebell circuit with the specific metabolic demands of a football game in mind. The workout is broken into 'plays', 'drives', and 'quarters'. To see the exercises I chose and the exact workout protocol, click here!

The Relationship Between High Intensity Workouts And Getting Results

How much intensity are you truly bringing to your workouts on a regular basis? Intensity is probably the most important factor when it comes to maximizing the results you see from your exercise program.


Intensity and results are directly proportional. If you want to make progress, you have to work hard. Therefore, an effective workout program is not comfortable. It is very uncomfortable.

However, if you can learn to link the short-term pain of discomfort with the long-term pleasure of great results, you're in the money. This is the cornerstone of effective program design.

Intensity in itself is also an elusive animal. Too much too soon and you'll quit. Too little and results are not forthcoming. Knowing your body and finding the correct balance is the key.

Another thing: you can't go 'balls to the wall' all the time. You'll burn out. So periods of high intensity must be cycled with periods of lower intensity.

So ask yourself the following question: are you getting all you can out of your workouts? Download a few new songs for your ipod, get a workout partner, even hire a personal trainer - turn up the intensity and start making the progress you should be!

You'll Never Have To Miss A Workout Again ...

If you've ever missed a workout due to time constraints, lack of equipment, or simply no plan, I've got a solution for your problem:

No Gym? No Excuse! - my new book and DVD - comes out today! You can find out more about it and pick up a copy at www.nogymnoexcuse.com.

Whether you're new to thefitnessmonster.com or you've been a loyal reader for some time, I think you'll find that No Gym? No Excuse! embodies my philosophies on training and eating right. I think you'll find some new information that will help your workouts immensely. Best of all, you'll have a workout plan, exercise descriptions, a meal plan, answers to frequently asked questions, and a lot more right at your fingertips whenever you need it.

Here's a couple of highlights from the book:

• The three most important factors in helping you reach your fitness goals
• How to make sure you never hit a training 'plateau' again
• What 'functional training' is and why you should be doing it
  
• The five things you must include in your training program to get phenomenal results
• How to test your own flexibility and core strength
• Why you probably aren't stretching enough
• The truth about building core strength
• Why strength training should be your #1 priority no matter what your fitness goals are
• How to put all the pieces together into a body-transforming and life-changing program
• How to get optimum results in minimal time with your cardio plan
• Meal planning basics
• Frequently asked questions answered

You can also see a short clip of the DVD by visiting www.nogymnoexcuse.com.

Seriously - what do you have to lose? The product is backed by a 30 day money back guarantee! Order today!

A Motivation Tip for Weight Loss or Reaching Any Fitness Goal

We all need a little extra kick in the pants every once in a while. Here's a quick tip to get you fired up, no matter what your fitness goals are:

In his book Awaken the Giant Within,Tony Robbins talks about the two primary driving forces in our lives: pain and pleasure. When you're making up your mind whether to order desert or not, or to workout even though you might feel like doing something else, it's because the short term pleasure you gain from your decision is greater than the long-term pain you may experience from it. The pleasure you get from having that ice cream or skipping your usual after-work gym session for happy hour is greater than the pain you'll probably experience from not reaching your weight loss goal.

What's the solution? To make reaching your goals such a priority that it's just not worth it. And a big part of this comes from having definite, concrete fitness goals set for yourself.

Setting a goal is typically the first thing I do when meeting with a client - it's a hugely important step of the process. Whether your goal is to drop your body fat by 10%, to run a 5k, or to do ten consecutive pull-ups, having a goal gives your workouts a purpose. It enables you to develop a more specific plan. And it helps you to boost the intensity of your workouts - you're likely to work harder if you have something you're working towards.

Goal setting is one of the most important things you can do to keep your motivation for working out high. If your workouts aren't going as well as you'd like them to, or you're need of some extra motivation, don't hesitate to contact me for one-on-one or group personal training at www.forestvancetraining.com.

How To Create An Information Product: A Few Lessons Learned - Part Two

In case you missed Part One of this two article series, you can check it out here. I've been talking about a few things I've learned in the process of writing a book and making a DVD; my intent is to pass a little bit of that knowledge on to all of you. I think these lessons can be applied whether you're trying to do something similar or you're just trying to excel in business or in life.

Don't be afraid to pay others to help you

This was actually something I think I could have done better and that I continue to work on. I did have an assistant help me with a few tasks, like transcription and online promotion, and the DVD I obviously had professionally done, but there were a lot of things I ended up doing myself that took me a lot longer than if I had just hired someone to do them.

If your time is worth, for example, fifty dollars an hour, it doesn't make sense to spend it doing something you could pay someone else to do for ten. I think this is one of the keys to living an ideal life, but is also something many people have a really hard time wrapping their mind around. You can always do something cheaper if you do it yourself, but it also may not be the 'best' use of your time. The importance of this concept is that it frees your time for other higher leverage activities - or just for doing things you'd rather be doing.

Shameless self-promotion is okay

I've personally spoken with quite a few individuals - in my business in particular - who posess high levels of knowledge and skill in their specific trade, but continue scrape by at 30 or 40k a year. They justify it by saying things like 'I love what I do' and that 'it's not about the money' - but seriously people, let's get real. You want to do what you love, but you also want to make a good living.

Here's the cold, hard truth: ability or knowledge are many times not the limiting factor in your success. People skills and business skills are. While there are a lot of skills that ultimately contribute to one's success, the ability to sell yourself, I would argue, is one of the most important ones. Whether you're trying to sell a service, a product, you're trying to get ahead in the corporate world, or you just want to be a leader in your field, you can't be afraid to put yourself out there.

The fear then becomes, for most people, of rejection. A thick skin is a trait you can develop, and one you need on your path to success.

Completeing this project was a great learning experience for me. One thing is for sure - it's not going to be my last. Thanks for reading and I hope you learned something from this series. You can check out the No Gym? No Excuse! project in its entirety at www.nogymnoexcuse.com.

List of Foods That Will Kill Your Healthy Eating Plan

Despite your efforts to stay true to your healthy eating plan, there's a long list of foods that can easily sabatoge you, even when you're trying your best to be good. Here's a short list of five that really surprised me:

1. Venti Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Latte

You knew Starbucks drinks were high in calories. But I'll bet you didn't know it was this bad: The highest calorie content of all Starbucks drinks, the Venti Peppermint White Chocolate Latte comes in at 660 calories and 22 grams of fat. That could be more than half a day's worth of calories!

2. Chipolte Burrito

A chicken burrito from Chipolte with rice, pinto beans, corn salsa, cheese, and sour cream has 1050 calories, 11 grams of carbs, and 40 grams of fat. If you're a Chipolte fan, this could be bad news. Here is a pretty cool calculator that can help you make better choices next time you build your own burrito.

3. Chips

Thought tortilla chips were a healthy alernative? Think again. For example, adding a bag of chips from Chipolte to your burrito adds another 570 calories and 27 grams of fat to your meal!

4. Beer

This one might not be that big of a surprise. But I'll bet you didn't know just how high the calorie content of some popular beers can be - one 12oz bottle of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot contains 330 calories! Even a bottle of Samuel Adams Boston Lager comes in at 180.

5. Denny's Breakfasts

As someone who enjoys grabbing a breakfast out every once in a while, looking through nutrtional data for meals at places like Denny's and IHOP was admittingly a little depressing. Here's one that stood out: The All-American Slam from Denny's has 1028 calories and 87 grams of fat!

Moral of the story is to pay attention to what you're eating! Keeping a food log is one of the best ways to keep yourself in check.

If you liked these tips, make sure to subscribe to the Forest Vance Training newsletter. You'll get a free meal plan and workout just for subscribing, plus fitness tips, workout ideas, product updates, and more.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Get A Free Copy Of No Gym? No Excuse!

I’ll be giving away two free copies of the No Gym? No Excuse! Book and DVD Set! To enter to win, simply click this link to visit forestvancetraining.com. Leave a comment detailing one frustration or obstacle you've experienced in reaching a fitness goal on the post you are directed to - it should say "Get A Free Copy Of No Gym? No Excuse!"

You have until 11:59 pm PST Sunday night to leave a comment and thereby automatically enter your name, so don't delay!

IMPORTANT: Make sure you leave a comment on forestvancetraining.com, not here. If you leave a comment on this post or anywhere on this blog, you won't be entered to win.

How To Create An Information Product: A Few Lessons Learned - Part One

I'm very happy to announce that the No Gym? No Excuse! workout system is complete and ready for release on October 21st. No matter its ultimate fate (although I'm 100% confident that it's a great product), the creation process was an incredible learning experience. Here are a few things, in no particular order, that I learned while making No Gym? No Excuse!, and that you may find interesting and/or useful if you'd like to create your own product, excel in business, or even just live a better life.

Know what you're getting yourself into

For those of your who've read The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, think back to the chapter on product creation. You make it sound so easy, Tim.

Your book inspired me to start a business and nearly double my income while working about 2/3 of the time in the last year, has helped me leverage my time and enjoy life more, and was even the catylist for creating this book and DVD ... I couldn't give your book a higher recommendation (you can pick up a copy by clicking here).

However, I will say that you make creating a product and everything that goes along with it sound a hell of a lot easier than it acutally is. But then again, maybe I wouldn't have even tried in the first place if I hadn't read your book :)

The moral of the story here is that knowing what you're getting yourself into before embarking on any sort of project will make your life a lot easier - although it's not always possible. Whether that's starting your own business or beginning a new fitness program, sometimes you just gotta do it. If you've never done it before and it's something you really want to accomplish, sometimes it's best to just jump right in, enjoy the ride, and correct course along the way! Plus, you'll never know unless you try.

Planning Can Be Overrated

My wife would probably kill me for this one. My problem with planning too much is that the future is just too unpredictable. Don't get me wrong; I plan out every day and week and figure out the most important things I need to acomplish. This has actually made an amazing difference in my personal productiviy. I also write down my goals and work hard to accomplish them. My main issue is with planning too much in advance: there are so many variables in life, it's hard to know where you're going to be in six months, let alone five or ten years. What I originally had in mind and the amount of work required for the and No Gym? No Excuse! Book DVD was a lot different than how it ended up in the end.

Look back at your life five years ago. Are you where you thought you would be? I'll bet the answer to that question is no. Make the most of every day and enjoy the ride.

I think as I completed this project, I also began to realize that these 'lessons learned' are also emerging as my philosophies of life. In Part Two, I'll be talking about how to leverage your time for a better life and the benefits of shameless self promotion. Stay tuned!

Did you enjoy this post? You can check out www.nogymnoexcuse.com for the full details on this project or www.forestvancetraining.com for info about Forest's one-on-one and group training services in the Sacramento, CA area.

3 Tips For Making Healthy Food Choices

The food choices you make every day will have a huge impact on the success (or failure) of your fitness program. Here are three quick tips to help you make healthier food choices:

1. Plan your meals ahead of time

This might seem obvious, but it's something that very few people actually do. If I'm going to be away from the house for longer than three hours or so, I always bring food with me. If you get stranded somewhere and you're starving, you're much more likely to grab something from the vending machine or hit up the drive-thru. Having a meal or snack pre-prepared will stave off your hunger and greatly increase the likelihood of you staying on your plan.

2. Read the nutrition facts when you eat out

Here in California, all restaurants with over a certain number of stores are now required to post nutrition facts for menu items. Although it might be a bit of a bummer to actually see the calorie content of your meal, checking the nutritional facts of what you're putting in your mouth can certainly help you make a better choice. It saved me several hundred calories last time I ate out, and I still got a tasty dish. Just because you're eating healthy doesn't mean you have to give up foods that you enjoy!

3. Drink two glasses of water before every meal

This is an easy one that actually does a pretty good job of supressing your appetite. It also gets you closer to drinking the recommended 'half of your bodyweight in ounces' of water per day. Simply drink two glasses of water about 10-20 minutes before your meal and I can almost guarantee you won't eat as much.

There you have it ... three quick tips to help you make healthy food choices. Enjoy this post and don't be afraid to pass it along!

If you liked this post, you'll love the Forest Vance Training Newsletter ... plus you'll get a free workout and diet plan just for signing up!