Inspirational Kettlebell Workout Videos

Posted on October 14, 2011 by admin

One great thing about kettlebell training is that you can do it almost anywhere …

One potential downside to this, though, is that a lot of folks working out at home, etc., end up going at it alone most of the time.  No training partner there to give that extra push, no up-beat gym environment to fire you up … so in this scenario, it’s easy to get stuck in a training rut.

Whenever this happens to me, one of the best ways to get myself motivated is to check out some cool training videos.

So I dug up some kettlebell training vids to get you fired up and inspired … just remember, these are for inspiration and motivation only.  In other words, don’t attempt any of this stuff at home :)

Kettlebell 1992 video 70lb kid Jerking two 35lb Kettlebells

Sergey Rudnev Performs Several Feats of Strength

Steve Cotter – 116 Repetitions In The Jerk At The Arnold Sports Festival

Keep training hard -

Forest

P.S. For inspirational training videos, workout tips, nutrition advice and more, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter by dropping your name in best e-mail into the box at the upper right of the page. You’ll get a free sample from my body weight-based training program No Gym? No Excuse! when you do … so make sure to sign up now!

Posted in Kettlebells, Motivational, Videos, Workout | 2 Comments

Top 10 Kettlebell and Body Weight Exercises

Posted on October 9, 2011 by admin

Are you looking for short, effective workouts you can do anywhere?

Do you need a workout that hits all of your major muscle groups, that combines all the elements you need (resistance, cardio, core, flexibility) into one?

If you answered yes to either of the questions above, exercises that utilize a kettlebell and/or your own body weight are your perfect solution.  And the even better news is that you don’t need to spend the time to learn a ton of new exercises to take advantage of these training modalities …

My training philosophy is all about quality over quantity.  You’ll get much more out of mastering a few basic exercises and being able to perform them perfectly than you will out of learning a larger number of moves but mastering none.

Here are the top 10 kettlebell and body weight exercises you need to get short, effective, fat blasting and muscle building workouts anywhere you are:

(For each exercise, I’ve linked out to a more thorough description of how to perform it properly – all links point to articles with pictures and/or video, and some even include sample workouts) 

The Squat

The Lunge

The Kettlebell Swing

The Push-up

The Press

The Row

The Pull-up

The Turkish Get-up

The Plank

The Burpee

Master these basic kettlebell and body weight exercises and you’ll have all you need to blast fat, build muscle and get into great shape anywhere you are.  Next time, I’ll give you more sample workouts you can do using these exercises.

Thanks for reading and talk soon -

Forest

P.S. I have a new project in the works … it’s all about how to combine simple exercises like these into short and effective workouts for maximum fat loss and lean muscle gain … so make sure to sign up for my email newsletter if you haven’t yet to get first news of its release!

Posted in Kettlebells, Workout | 2 Comments

‘Weekend Special’ 8 Minute Arm Blaster

Posted on October 2, 2011 by admin

Functional training is great.  And in this context, ‘functional’ meaning training to improve endurance, strengthen your core, enhance general health and quality of life.  Most folks should be training this way almost all of the time.

But there’s also something to be said for training those ‘mirror muscles’ every once in a while … looking good, feeling good is important to keep motivated … and I know for me, getting the guns pumped fires me up.  In all honesty, it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Here’s a killer arm workout to try at the end of your next training session as a ‘finisher’, or when you’re getting ready for a big night on the town in your tight sleeve T …

The ‘Weekend Special’ 8 Minute Arm Blaster Workout

Each exercise pair is done ‘Tabata-style’: Perform the first exercise for a continuous 20 seconds, rest for 10, perform the second exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10, and repeat the sequence three more times for a total of four sets of each exercise.

Rest for a minute or two after the first exercise pair, then move on to the next one.  Total ‘work time’ for the session is eight minutes.

Pair one

Alternating Dumbbell Hammer Curl
Barbell Curl

Pair two

Standing Rope Tricep Pushdown
Lying Barbell Tricep Extension

Give this workout a go next time you want a quick arm pump; keep training hard and talk soon!

Forest

P.S. If you liked this workout, these additonal resources might be helpful to you:

Beyond Bodybuilding – How to get big and strong, the Pavel way.  So much info in this book it’s like drinking from a fire hose!

TT For Meatheads Muscle Building System – An awesome workout series from Craig Ballentyne, creator of Turbulence Training, you can use to put on some serious muscle.

GymBoss Interval Timer - Awesome interval timer that makes workouts like the one in this article a piece of cake.

Posted in Videos, Workout | Leave a comment

FREE + PROVEN Rapid Fat Loss Meal Plan

Posted on September 25, 2011 by admin

Everyone knows the keys to losing weight: Eat less and move more.

But in the context of real life and its demands, it’s usually just not that simple.

The big problem with a lot of fat loss meal plans is that they focus on the ‘theory’ and leave it to you to figure out exactly what to eat.

You have to calculate the exact amount of calories you need each day, figure out what to actually eat at each meal, how to properly balance your foods, etc. …

So I’ve come up with a simple solution that’s working great already for me and a small group of my personal training clients.  It’s called the FVT Express Meal Builder.  It’s a one-page document that enables you to build a healthy meal in less than 30 seconds.  And the best part is that it takes all the guesswork out of eating healthy.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Print out the FVT Express Meal Builder where you can post it up or carry it with you for quick reference.

2. For each meal (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner), simply pick one food from each category.

3. Snacks can consist of things like fruit, nuts, plain yogurt, hard boiled eggs (see the short list below the main food categories for more ideas).

4. Also make sure to drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water each day, and to follow this plan for at least 90% of your meals.

Please note: The portions in the meal builder are intended for a ~ 150 pound individual with 15 or 20 pounds to lose.  Adjust portions for weight, activity level, and body composition accordingly. 

—————————————————

The FVT Express Meal Builder

First, pick one protein:

•chicken breast (3 oz)
•turkey breast (3 oz)
•salmon (3 oz)
•canned tuna (3 oz)
•beef (3 oz)
•ham (3 oz)
•whole egg (1)
•cottage cheese (½ cup)
•plain yogurt (½ cup)
•protein powder (1 serving)
•protein bar (1)

Then, pick one carbohydrate:

•apple (1)
•orange (1)
•banana (1/2)
•strawberries (1 cup)
•blueberries (½ cup)
•tomato (1 cup)
•spinach (2 cups)
•zuchinni (1 cup)
•green beans (1 cup)
•broccoli (1 cup)
•oatmeal (2/3 cup)
•corn tortillas (2, 6 in)
•flour tortillas (1, 6 in)
•brown rice (6 tbsp)
•black beans (½ cup)
•whole grain bread (1 slice)

Finish with a ‘dash’ of healthy fat:

•peanut butter (1 tsp)
•almonds (~ 6)
•olive oil (2/3 tsp)
•avocado (2 tbsp)
•macadamia nuts (~ 2)

Breakfast – 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 apple, ~ 6 almonds
Lunch – spinach salad w/ tomato, black beans, etc., 3 oz chicken breast, 1 tbsp olive oil + vinegar dressing
Dinner – 3 oz salmon, 2 cups broccoli, (cooked in) 2/3 tsp olive oil
Snacks – fruit, nuts, plain yogurt, hard boiled egg, cottage cheese, protein shake, protein bar

Additional notes: Drink ½ body weight in oz. of water/day, follow the ’90% rule.

———————————————

The FVT Express Meal Builder is a tool that’ll help you lose fat in record time.

I’ve included a nicely formatted version of it in my new-and-improved Easy Fat Loss Meal Plan.

My Easy Fat Loss Meal Plan is a complete, done-for-you plan with dozens of recipes, a healthy grocery list, and even a rapid fat loss workout to go with it.

For more info and to grab a copy, please click below:

Forest’s Easy Fat Loss Meal Plan

Posted in Announcements, Diet | 1 Comment

Getting Started On The Zone Diet – Tips From Dr. Barry Sears

Posted on September 16, 2011 by admin

Before I get to the Zone Diet tips video from Dr. Barry Sears, I want to share with you a quick personal story about the power of his eating plan:

Just over half a decade ago, fresh off of a 10+ year competitive sports career, I found myself, for the first time in my life, pathetically out of shape.  I saw a picture of myself and decided enough was enough … and ended up losing 64 pounds in a period of just over 5 months. And I kept that weight off – but I never got that really lean look I was after. I couldn’t seem to shed that last layer of body fat.

About three years ago, I got married – and my wedding was a great motivator for me to buckle down and do what it took to get truly lean. So I set out to design the most effective and time efficient fat loss program I possibly could.

The workout program I used (which I later put together into my No Gym? No Excuse! Dumbbell Complexes For Fat Loss program) played a big part in the results I got … but in all honesty, the diet I used played an even bigger role.  I followed the Zone Diet to a ‘T’.

If you’d like to try the Zone diet yourself, here’s a video from its creator, Dr. Barry Sears, that’ll help – it’s great because he makes it super simple – in about a minute and a half, he explains how to put together a Zone meal:

Video Recap

In this video, Dr. Sears explains how the Zone is the best diet, especially in regards to ‘silent inflammation’ …

He goes on to say that a common complaint folks have with the program is that it’s too much work to put together Zone meals and to properly balance carbohydrates, proteins and fats at each and every feeding.

Dr. Sears then shows that all you really need to follow the Zone diet is one hand and one eye.  At each meal, you simply divide your plate into three equal portions:

  • One third of the plate should be a lean protein source, no larger or thicker than the palm of your hand
  • The other two thirds of the plate are filled with fruits and veggies
  • You finish each meal by adding a ‘dash’ (small amount) of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, slivered almonds, or guacamole

This video from Dr. Barry Sears provides a great simplified description of the Zone diet.  I’ve had great success with this way of eating personally and with literally hundreds of personal training clients; use the basic meal building technique in the video above to help you get started today!  

Thanks for reading and talk soon -

Forest

P.S. If you liked this post, you’ll love my weekly newsletter – you’ll get diet and exercise tips like the ones I covered in this article delivered straight to your email inbox when you sign up – plus you’ll get a free preview of my body weight – based training program No Gym? No Excuse! as a free gift!  Just drop your name and best email address into the box at the upper right of the page to sign up now!

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The Total Body PreHab Program

Posted on September 9, 2011 by admin

If you get up in the morning and your joints ‘creak and crack’ …

If you live with chronic pain …

If your core strength, flexiblity, and cardio conditioning levels aren’t where you’d like them to be …

This workout is for you.

It’s the Total Body PreHab Program; it pulls together all the elements from my recent PreHab Revolution into a functional work out system.  It’s a ‘hybrid’ program that will help you stay strong, in great condition, and feeling great for a long time.  It won’t ‘bulk you up’, but it doesn’t neglect the strength element either.

Enjoy the workout – and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the post.

- Forest

Total Body PreHab Routine

1. Pre – workout prep

foam rolling
joint mobility
dynamic warm-up

2a. Body weight – only conditioning day (to be performed two times per week)

Sequence 1

  • split squat – 8 to 15 reps
  • push-up – max reps -2

Perform exercises back-to-back without rest; rest 30 seconds and repeat sequence total of three times.

Sequence 2

  • pull-up – max reps -2
  • squat jump – 8 to 15 reps

Perform exercises back-to-back without rest; rest 30 seconds and repeat sequence total of three times.

Conditioning finisher

  • body weight squat – 20 reps
  • plank – 30 to 90 second hold
  • body weight SLDL – 8 to 10 reps each leg
  • run in place – 60 seconds

Perform exercises back-to-back without rest; rest 30 seconds and repeat sequence total of three times.

2b. Strength day (to be performed one time per week)

  • Heavy press – barbell bench press, barbell military press, double kettlebell press, etc. – 5 reps
  • Heavy squat – barbell back squat, double kettlebell front squat, etc. – 5 reps
  • Heavy pull – weighted pull up, double kettlebell swing, etc. – 5 reps

Perform exercises as a circuit, but rest 30 to 90 seconds between each exercise; rest 60 seconds and repeat sequence total of five times.

3. Conditioning work/ ‘cardio’

  • Perform two days per week of high intensity interval training
  • Perform one day per week of long-slow-distance ‘recovery’ cardio (easy heart rate, ~ 30 mins., something you enjoy)

4. Post workout

  • Finish each workout with static stretch of tight muscle groups

So there you have a total body PreHab routine to reduce/eliminate pain, strengthen your core, gain flexibility, improve your conditioning level, increase relative strength and overall well being. It pulls together all the elements from my recent PreHab Revolution program into a functional work out system; good luck and keep training hard!

P.S. The PreHab Revolution is a training program I recently put together in response to popular reader demand; it includes info on how to strengthen your core, reduce chronic pain, improve flexibility, and improve your overall quality of life – for more details about the system, click the link below:

http://nogymnoexcuse.com/prehabrevolution/

Posted in Workout | 1 Comment

How To Tell If Your Core Muscles Are Weak (plank test)

Posted on September 4, 2011 by admin

The spinal column is responsible for sending messages to the muscles in the body. And when it is not supported properly, your muscles don’t produce as much power as they should.

Even if you exercise regularly, you may not be doing enough to adequately strengthen your core. If you really want to know how strong your midsection is, take the plank test.

According to Stuart McGill, a spine biomechanics professor at Canada’s University of Waterloo and one of the world’s leading experts on back health, a person with sufficient core strength should be able to hold a plank for two and a half minutes.

Now, please note:  Don’t hold the plank longer than you can with good form.  Most new clients of mine can’t hold a plank for longer than 30 seconds or so without collapsing their neutral spine … so don’t worry if you’re not quite at two and a half minutes yet!

How to perform the plank

Lay flat and lift the hips along with the stomach and chest off of the floor – you’ll end up in a Push Up – type body position, but you’ll be resting on your forarms. Remember, your abs should be braced like you’re bracing for a punch in the stomach, your upper and lower body should be ‘tight’, and you should be able to breathe normally at the same time.
and hold the position for as long as you can.

Thankfully, it doesn’t matter how out of shape your core is, a regular routine of focused core training can help you build a rock-solid midsection. Even if your core is in tip-top condition, exercise is still essential to maintain its strength.

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about how to strengthen your core – no matter what your current level is – you should check out this new section I’ve added to the site:

Programs + Products from Forest Vance

Posted in Miscelany, Workout | 2 Comments

No Equipment Body Weight – Only Hotel Room Workout

Posted on August 28, 2011 by admin

I just got back from an awesome vacation … it’s easy to forget how important it is, when you work hard, to play hard!

I always keep working out when I’m on a break – because I truly enjoy it! Problem was, at this particular destination, we weren’t reasonably close to any kind of workout facility – and I actually thought we would be – so I was totally unprepared :(

Here’s the workout I did – it’s a no equipment, body weight – only workout you can do absolutely anywhere you are.  I hope it helps you out next time you’re in a situation like the one I was last week:

(Note:  This workout doesn’t include any kind of real pulling movements – if you’re planning on doing it for any length of time – like over a week – you might want to find a pull up bar somewhere and do a few pull up ladders a couple of times per week if you can to make sure you take care of that movement pattern and associated muscle groups)

Warm up – joint mobility/dynamic stretch

Exercise pair 1 - 6 Squat Jumps/ 12 Push Ups (perform exercises back to back without rest, rest 30 seconds, repeat twice for a total of 3 rounds)

Exercise pair 2 – 8 Split Squats/ 15 Mountain Climbers (perform exercises back to back without rest, rest 30 seconds, repeat twice for a total of 3 rounds)

Conditioning ‘finisher’ – As many body weight Squats as possible in 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, as many Sit Ups as possible in 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, repeat this sequence 4 times (Tabata interval)

Finish w/ static stretch of tight muscle groups

Try this no equipment body weight – only workout for a quick, total body resistance, cardio and flexibility session you can complete in less than 30 minutes start to finish.

Thanks for reading and talk soon -

Forest Vance, MS, CPT, RKC

P.S. For a more no-equipment-required, body weight – only workouts like these, check out my bodyweight strength training blog at BodyWeightStrengthTraining.com

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The ‘Golden Rule’ of Kettlebell Workout Design

Posted on August 22, 2011 by admin

Most folks seem to make one of two common mistakes when designing their kettlebell workouts:

1. They change their workouts up too much

On a quest to fight boredom, keep workouts ‘fresh’, and because they think it’s the right thing to do, they do a different kettlebell routine every time they work out.

2. They don’t change their workouts up enough

People are creatures of habit – so some folks will pick one routine and do it for a really long time … months, even years on end.

Both of these approaches are less than ideal. Change your workouts up too much and you can’t measure improvement – if you’re doing something different every time, it’s hard to see if you’re getting stronger in specific movements, if your conditioning levels are improving, etc.  Stick with the same routine too long and the principle of adaptation kicks in – your body becomes more efficient at particular movements, activities, and skills as time goes on, adapts to that specific stress, and the movement becomes easier to perform (and consequently less effective).

The solution?  Pick a solidly designed kettlebell workout routine.  Do it for four to six, maybe eight weeks – until it stops working – and move on to another one.  It’s the golden rule of kettlebell workout design – and it’s simple and effective.

Thanks for reading and talk soon -

Forest Vance, MS, CPT, RKC

P.S. Check out this (ever growing) list of 26 free kettlebell routines over at my kettlebell basics blog to get you started in designing your own kettlebell workout program:

26 Free Kettlebell Workout Routines

Posted in Kettlebells, Workout | Leave a comment

Attack Injuries, Chronic Pain At The Root With ‘PreHab’

Posted on August 14, 2011 by admin

Imagine this:

You tweak your back or pull a muscle.  You’re in pain, your normal everyday life is affected, maybe you even miss a day or two of work …

So you treat the site of the injury.  You ice your strained muscle.  You take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory.  You rest and stay off the injured area.

All this is fine and dandy, but there’s one big problem with this approach: It doesn’t address the root of the problem.

Maybe you tweaked your back lifting something heavy – but you were using improper lifting mechanics, and your core muscles are pathetically weak.

Maybe your new running program is causing you knee pain, but muscle imbalances in your hips and lower extremities are causing unnecessary stress on your knees.

The answer? PreHab.

This approach focuses on strengthening weak areas, addressing flexibility and muscle imbalance issues, and attacking common problems before they start.  It’s the best way to take a preemptive stance to injuries and pain and to bounce back from the challenges life throws at you.

Example(s) of PreHab exercises/workouts/programming?  I’ve been focusing on this topic for the last month or so on this very blog – check out these posts:

Joint Mobility Basics

Prevent, Eliminate Lower Back Pain By Strengthening Your Core – Here’s How

The Healing Power of Self Myofacial Release

In summary, taking a preventive approach to injury prevention and pain management can go a long way.  I touched on basic concepts in this article, but please search out more info and learn more about this topic if it’s one you’re seriously interested in (and check out the resource I mention below) – thanks for reading and talk soon -

Forest Vance, MS, Corrective Exercise Specialist

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about this approach and get some specific PreHab strategies, exercises, and workouts, please take a look at my new PreHab Revolution program – it’s a package of reports written around the exact concepts I covered in the article above:

Posted in Miscelany, Workout | 1 Comment