Meet Nancy

Meet Nancy G – winner of the 2017 Underground Fat Destroyer Challenge!

Nancy lost 6.56% of her bodyweight, 2.9% of her bodyfat, and 9 total inches – in just 56 days!

We kicked off the UFD Challenge at the beginning of the year, and Nancy knew that she needed to dial in her diet – as well as kick up in the intensity in her workouts – after a fun but over-indulgent Holiday season 🙂

So she signed up for the Challenge, got to work, and was able to achieve some tremendous results!

Nancy said that her secrets to success were:

1 – Cutting out the alcohol – she said that the extra calories can really add up!

2 – Eating out less – and as a result, being able to much more effectively track her food, and keep to her daily calorie target.

3 – Working out more – she added 2 or 3 quality workouts per week to her routine, and this made a huge difference in burning more calories and boosting her metabolism.

Congrats to Nancy on her success in the Underground Fat Destroyer Challenge!

– Forest and the FVT Team

March 2017 FVT Challenge Workout

Here is the March 2017 workout in case you missed it:

March 2017 Challenge Workout

And the Results!

Men:

KP – 10
GH – 9
CB – 8
OR – 8
DW – 8
AW – 7
BP – 7
JM – 7
DM – 7
KE – 7
DV – 7
KS – 6
DH – 6
EZ – 5
Women:

PK – 9
DP – 9
SK – 9
KE – 9
JD – 8
CH – 8
BC – 7
AL – 7
PS – 7
JM – 7
AL – 6
NG – 6
GK – 5
PT – 5
AS – 4
JL- modified

Awesome work everyone!
Till next time –
– FVT Team

[throwback vid] KB Snatch Technique Tips

The kettlebell snatch is a fantastic exercise – but it can be tricky to learn proper form.

It’s also one of the four exercises you’ll be doing in the Sun’s Out Guns Out Challenge – so it’s important that you learn how to do it safely and effectively.

Check out this throwback video from 2010 (!) – I break down a simple progression to help you improve your technique in the exercise.

Give it a try today, and see if it helps:

And don’t forget to snag your spot at the Sun’s Out Guns Out Challenge!

=> FVT Sun’s Out Guns Out Challenge

Rock on –

– Forest and the FVT Team

March 2017 Challenge Workout

2 spots remain at Early Bird Pricing for the May 6th CORE Kettlebell Workshop @ FVT. You’ll learn my FULL KB training system to increase client retention, stimulate referrals, differentiate yourself from the competition and get SERIOUS results. Info and save your spot here:

=> CORE Kettlebell Workshop – May 6th, 2017 @ FVT

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A big mistake a lot of folks make who are training for general, “aesthetic”-based fitness goals like fat loss, muscle gain, etc. – is that they set zero performance-based targets.

So – let’s say your main goal is fat loss. Your biggest measurement of progress should be your weight, body fat %, measurements, etc., for sure. But setting performance-based goals for yourself should be a key part of the process as well. You need a way to see if you are getting stronger and making progress in your workout program.

HOWEVER – being specific, and knowing the best way to measure your workout progress, can be tricky. You know that, for example, doing swings with a given weight is getting easier – but are you really getting stronger/getting in better cardio shape/etc.?

Well, we use kettlebell challenge workouts for this exact purpose at my Sacramento, CA boot camp.

Challenge workouts, done somewhat infrequently (every two to four weeks), are a great way to test yourself both physically and mentally, and see how your overall fitness level is progressing.

And I got one for you today that you are going to love!

Read the workout overview. Watch the video. Give it a go. And let us know how you do –

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March 2017 FVT Challenge Workout

— 30 second timed intervals – beat the clock style
— Continue the workout until no longer possible .. the total # of rounds 100% completed is your score
— Regular push ups for men, knee push ups for women
— 24k kettlebell for men, 16k for women (used for swings and squats)
— score guidelines – 6-7 = good, 8-9 = great, 10 = elite

First round =

2 swings
2 push ups
1 squat
1 burpee

Second round =

4 swings
4 push ups
2 squats
2 burpees

Continue in this fashion until no longer possible, climbing the ladder .. MAX score is:

20 swings
20 push ups
10 squats
10 burpees

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To sum up, kettlebell challenge workouts are an awesome way to test yourself both mentally and physically, and see how your overall fitness level is progressing. The workout we’ve covered in today’s article is a great one to get you started. Give it a go, and let us know how you do.

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training
ForestVanceTraining.com

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2 spots remain at Early Bird Pricing for the May 6th CORE Kettlebell Workshop @ FVT. You’ll learn my FULL KB training system to increase client retention, stimulate referrals, differentiate yourself from the competition and get SERIOUS results. Info and save your spot here:

=> CORE Kettlebell Workshop – May 6th, 2017 @ FVT

Sun’s Out – Guns Out Challenge

It’s been quite the rainy season in Sacramento this year.

And we’ve needed it!

But spring is around the corner. We’ve had some beautiful weather over the last few days. And everyone is thinking about getting ready for summer ..

That’s why we came up with this:

Sun’s Out – Guns Out Challenge

Will you be joining us?

This is an 8 week Challenge program designed specifically to help you get lean, strong, and summer ready.

It’s for current FVT clients, past clients, friends, family, co-workers, and ANYONE who has a positive attitude and is ready to work hard towards their training goals.

We kick off on Monday, March 20th at 6pm. We’ll do a special Challenge workout on day one to see where you stand, and to set some goals to work on for the end.

Your Challenge will be to train for and perform at a special Challenge Workout event on Saturday, May 20th.

Check out what the actual workout will consist of:

Sun’s Out – Guns Out Challenge

EVERYONE is encouraged to participate. There will of course be some friendly competition – but ultimately it’s the event you’re training for and looking to do your best that is going to be the motivation you need to get into shape for the summer.

You’ll get a special edition sleeveless “Sun’s Out Guns Out” shirt included with your regisration, as well as a special “prep pack” of materials to help you prepare properly for the training.

OPTION A – for current clients, who are happy with their current training plan, and ONLY want to register for the kick-off workout, Challenge event, and shirt – $49 – CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW

OPTION B – for new clients, OR current clients who want to kick up their training a notch for the next 8 weeks in preparation for the summer season – includes kick-off workout, Challenge event, sleeveless shirt AND 12 additional boot camp OR 6 additional semi -private workouts that can be used at any time over the 8 week training period – $199 – CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW

Enjoy the nice weather this weekend, and talk soon! –

– Forest

Suns Out Guns Out Challenge is LIVE!

Okay – registration for the 2017 Suns Out Guns Out Challenge is LIVE!

http://bit.ly/2mL9wYo

This is an 8 week Challenge program designed to get you lean, strong, and summer ready.

It’s for current FVT clients, past clients, friends, family, co-workers, and ANYONE who has a positive attitude and is ready to work hard towards their training goals.

Details and reserve your spot now at the link below:

http://bit.ly/2mL9wYo

Thanks! –

– The FVT Team

PS – We are limiting registration for this event to 30 participants total. Based on initial interest we expect spots to fill extremely fast. If you want in, please reserve your spot ASAP:

http://bit.ly/2mL9wYo

[video training] How to Get to Where You Can Do a Pull Up

Pulling your entire bodyweight over a bar, for a lot of folks, can seem like an insurmountable task.

But pull ups are important! They are one of the best indicators of total body fitness. If you are a woman and you can do a few pull ups … or if you are a man and you can do 10 or more … you probably have a solid bodyweight-to-strength ratio, relatively low level of bodyfat, and good overall level of fitness.

They are a great way to train your upper body pulling muscles … as well as the core and the total body!

That’s why I created this video for you.

In it, I cover:

— The difference between a pull up and a chin up .. and which one is easier
— What “counts” as a legit pull up or chin up rep
— The PROPER way to do a jumping or assisted pull up or chin up
— The PROPER way to do a band-assisted pull up or chin up
— How to work to full, unassisted pull ups / chins ups – and beyond!

Check it out:

Got some killer info coming your way over the next few days on how to gain muscle with bodyweight only training. It’s one of my favorite topics, so I’m pumped. Stay tuned!

– Forest Vance
ForestVance.com
ForestVanceTraining.com

[new video] 3 Tips to Make Burpees Easier

One of the performance standards our clients have to hit at FVT to earn one of our coveted multi-colored wrist bands is to do 20 burpees in one minute.

It’s a tough, but also do-able goal – and our clients love having targets like this to work towards and measure their progress over time.

Now most of our new clients have done burpees at some point – but they are making a few small mistakes that are causing the exercise to be MUCH harder than it should.

So here are our three top tips to make burpees faster, safer, and more effective:

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We have a special guest for today’s video – Master FVT Trainer, Chris Baad – to demo these tips!

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Tip #1 – Get your hands underneath your shoulders as you lower to the floor and push back up.

This is the safest and most efficient way to do the exercise. It will help you do more reps, faster, as well as save your shoulders in the long run.

Tip #2 – Get ALL the way down to the ground on EVERY rep.

This standardizes the movement, so you can move through a consistent range of motion and gauge your performance over time.

Tip #3 – Keep the hips high for more efficiency.

Avoid dropping all the way into a squat with your hips during the exercise. Instead, think of it more as a hip hinge.

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There you have three simple – but POWERFUL – tips for faster, safer,
more effective burpees!

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If you found these tips useful, be sure to check out:

http://forestvance.com (Forest’s personal blog – training tips, free workouts, and much more)

https://wordpress-551394-2308741.cloudwaysapps.com (Home of FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training in Sacramento, CA)