Blog | FVT - Part 120

3 Tips to Dominate Your Upcoming Obstacle Course Race

Since we are gearing up for another FVT Obstacle Course Race training program, we thought we’d share some tips to help you be at your best for your upcoming race.

Let’s get right into it –

3 Tips to Dominate Your Upcoming Obstacle Course Race

1- Do Interval Training

This is an event where you’re not going to be sustaining the same pace for an extended period of time. For example you might be going fast, then you’ll do an obstacle, then you might be walking through mud, then running fast again. The point is that your intensity is going to vary. The best way to train for this is doing interval training. Interval training is basically alternating the intensity levels during a workout.

A very simple way to do interval training is to go for a 20-25 minute run. Start with your 5 minute warm up. Most people listen to music while running so for the length of the first song pick up the pace a little. Then for the next song slow down to a slow jog. Alternate back and forth for the duration of your run then do a 5 minute cool down and you have a very basic but effective interval workout.

2- Practice Carrying Objects

During your event you may have to carry different objects like heavy logs, or even people if there is a partner carry obstacle. A simple and helpful way to prepare for this is by doing an overhead walk. You can use a kettlebell or a dumbbell, just pick a heavy weight that you are able to press overhead. Start by pressing the weight overhead and locking your elbows out. Biceps should stay even with your ears as you practice walking around the room with your weight locked out over your head.

Another exercise you can try is the farmer’s walk. Again you can use kettlebells or dumbbells but the weight should be a little heavier for this one. You’ll be holding a weight in each hand and keeping your arms down by your side. Practice walking for distance with this one, walk around the room several times or around the house or building.

3- Run

Mud runs these days range anywhere from three miles to over ten miles. So your running should certainly be specific to the event you’re training for. Just make sure you’re conditioning yourself and working up to longer runs with some type of program. Don’t just show up on race day and expect to run 10 miles if you haven’t been training. Even though the events are broken up with obstacles and it’s not usually continuous running, your body still needs to be conditioned to the impact and the distance.

We recently opened registration for another obstacle course race training program.

The event we will be prepping for is on Sunday, November 13th, and is in the Sacramento area.

It is 3-5 miles and includes 20-23 obstacles, such as:

– climbing over walls
– carrying sandbags / buckets of rocks / etc up hills
– crawling in the mud and under barbed wire
– swinging from monkey bars

We will be training together for it as a team as well.

The training will be held on 8 consecutive Tuesday nights at 6 pm, starting on September 27th.

The workouts themselves will be a step up from our regular boot camps in terms of intensity etc – and will be 60 minutes instead of the standard 45.

We will focus specifically on preparing for the event – running outside, working on our pull ups and upper body strength, and doing specific drills to prep us for race day.

We will also get special T shirts made for everyone who participates in the training.

And we are also going to throw in a free copy of my “20 Tips to Crush your Next Mud Run” report – tips and tricks to make sure you are prepared to survive – and THRIVE! – on race day.

If you are ready to sign up and make it happen, you can do so starting now at the link below – the cost for the training is a single payment of $159 or two payments (spaced 30 days apart) of $87.

(one payment of $159) http://nanacast.com/vp/10003669/

(two pay option) http://nanacast.com/vp/10003671/

We hope you can join us as we get ready to crush out next obstacle course race!

– The FVT Team

Obstacle Course Race Program – Sample Workout

Our last Obstacle Course Race Training program was a great success!

Everyone involved made great improvements, and the FVT crew killed the course come race day.

Since we opened registration for another special training, in preparation for another event we will do together as a team in November, we’ve been getting a lot of questions about what the actual workouts will look like.

Well – here is an outline of what phase 2 of the training looked like last time around – this time will be similar (with some tweaks and improvements of course):

1 – Dynamic warm up:

2 – “Road Work”:

– regular / towel / travelling pull up ladder w partner – 1/2/3 OR 2/4/6 x2
– run .25 mi
– partner swing lunges – 3×10 each leg
– run .25 mi
– box jumps with partner – 3×12
– run .25 mi

3 – Finisher (3 rounds):

– waiter / rack / suitcase carry w KB – 30-60 secs per side
– bear / army crawls – approx 30 yards
– sprints – approx 100 yards

FALL FVT OBSTACLE COURSE RACE TRAINING PROGRAM DETAILS

We are going to put together a training group for an upcoming Obstacle Course Race.

The event we will be prepping for is on Sunday, November 13th, and is in the Sacramento area.

It is 3-5 miles and includes 20-23 obstacles, such as:

– climbing over walls
– carrying sandbags / buckets of rocks / etc up hills
– crawling in the mud and under barbed wire
– swinging from monkey bars

We will be training together for it as a team as well.

The training will be held on 8 consecutive Tuesday nights at 6 pm, starting on September 27th.

The workouts themselves will be a step up from our regular boot camps in terms of intensity etc – and will be 60 minutes instead of the standard 45.

I know it is early to open registration – but spots for the event itself are filling, and we want you to be able to plan for this if it’s something you want to include in your busy fall schedule.

We will focus specifically on preparing for the event – running outside, working on our pull ups and upper body strength, and doing specific drills to prep us for race day.

We will also get special T shirts made for everyone who participates in the training.

And I am going to throw in a free copy of my “20 Tips to Crush your Next Mud Run” report – tips and tricks to make sure you are prepared to survive – and THRIVE! – on race day.

If you are ready to sign up and make it happen, you can do so starting now at the link below – the cost for the training is a single payment of $159 or two payments (spaced 30 days apart) of $87.

(one payment of $159) http://nanacast.com/vp/10003669/

(two pay option) http://nanacast.com/vp/10003671/

If you have questions of any kind, let us know.

Hope to have ya on board!

And talk soon –

– The FVT Team

FVT Obstacle Course Race Training Program – Sign Up Starting NOW!

Following up on our message from the other day –

We are going to put together a training group for an upcoming Obstacle Course Race.

The event we will be prepping for is on Sunday, November 13th, and is in the Sacramento area.

It is 3-5 miles and includes 20-23 obstacles, such as:

— climbing over walls
— carrying sandbags / buckets of rocks / etc up hills
— crawling in the mud and under barbed wire
— swinging from monkey bars

We will be training together for it as a team as well.

The training will be held on 8 consecutive Tuesday nights at 6 pm, starting on September 20th.

The workouts themselves will be a step up from our regular boot camps in terms of intensity etc – and will be 60 minutes instead of the standard 45.

I know it is early to open registration – but spots for the event itself are filling, and we want you to be able to plan for this if it’s something you want to include in your busy fall schedule.

We will focus specifically on preparing for the event – running outside, working on our pull ups and upper body strength, and doing specific drills to prep us for race day.

We will also get special T shirts made for everyone who participates in the training.

And I am going to throw in a free copy of my “20 Tips to Crush your Next Mud Run” report – tips and tricks to make sure you are prepared to survive – and THRIVE! – on race day.

If you are ready to sign up and make it happen, you can do so starting now at the link below – the cost for the training is a single payment of $159 or two payments (spaced 30 days apart) of $87.

(one payment of $159) http://nanacast.com/vp/10003669/

(two pay option) http://nanacast.com/vp/10003671/

And if you have questions of any kind, let us know.

Thanks – and hope to have you on board for this training!
– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

August 2016 Challenge Workout + Results

We just wrapped up out FVT challenge workout for August!

Here’s the workout in case you missed it:

August 2016 FVT Challenge Workout

– 12 push ups (toes for men / knees for women)
– 3 one arm KB squat to press per side (16k for men / 8k for women)
– 5 burpees
– 10 hanging leg raises
– 7 one arm KB swings per side (24k for men / 16k for women)
– 5 burpees
– 12 inverted rows

Do 5 rounds of the sequence above as fast as possible.

And the Results:

Women

HEB 14:35

RK 15:34 Modified

PK 15:46

DP 16:25

NW 17:55

JenM 18:01

AC 18:20

CH 18:31

SK 18:39

KU 18:53

JV 19:30

JessicaM 19:30

BC 19:50

RR 20:10

MG 20:23

CL 21:05

LK 21:38

SY 22:10

CS 22:30

AL 23:40 Modified

GK 4.5/5 Modified

PT 4.5/5 Modified

Men

ZB 13:30

IL 13:31

CB 14:55

DM 17:10

OR 17:30

DM 17:39

AO 18:41

DW 18:52

PK 19:14

BV 19:19 Modified

DV 19:25

OR 19:47

JM 20:12

RA 21:09

MD 21:18

KS 21:20

BR 22:04

ET 22:38

Great work everyone!

’till next time-

– FVT Team

FVT Obstacle Course Race Training Program

The Obstacle Course Race we did as a team a couple of weeks ago was VERY challenging … but so rewarding! …

And talk amongst the FVT community has spurred interest in doing another one 🙂

So check it out – we are looking at putting together a training group and signing up for a local Obstacle Course Race to complete as a team in November.

BUT … we need to gauge interest and see if folks are actually serious about signing up.

So, reply to this messgae and LET ME KNOW please, when you get the chance – if we do indeed put this together – are you interested?

The structure / cost / etc of this one would likely be very similar to the last one we put together – details at the link below (please do NOT sign up using this page):

https://www.forestvancetraining.com/mudrun2016

If you have family / friends / co-workers / etc who you think might be interested – please feel free to forward this message their way.

Thanks – and let me know!

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

Meet Cielo

We kicked off the Team FVT Showcase Series a couple of weeks ago.

Our team members take great pride in being part of the FVT family, helping men and women in the Sacramento area become fitter and stronger versions of themselves.

We all have different backgrounds, and are all a vital part of keeping the motivating and encouraging atmosphere alive at the gym.

And now you’ll have the opportunity to get to know each one of us a little better.

Next up is our awesome admin assistant Cielo!

Cielo is a recent graduate of C.K. McClatchy High School, and is currently studying nearby at Sacramento City College, pursuing a career in Occupational Therapy.

Cielo has recently gained an interest in maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle, and has started her journey towards that. She plans to not only contribute to the encouraging and welcoming environment here at FVT, but to balance work, school, and fitness as part of her new and improved lifestyle.

Get to know Cielo: Fun Facts

1- Favorite exercise – besides bootcamp at FVT 😉 – would be hot yoga

2- Favorite passtimes include swimming and hiking at nearby trails

3- Dream Vacation would be Italy

4- Bucket List item: To have visited every US state at least once (7/50 completed!!!)

Say hello to Cielo next time you’re at FVT!

Eagle Pose – Stretch for Shoulders and Hips

We have another great yoga pose to give your hips, upper back, and shoulders some much needed care. It’s called the Eagle pose – it not only provides a deep stretch, but because it is a standing pose, will help improve balance .

Here’s a video that shows you how to do the pose:

This will be a great recovery after a boot camp filled with push ups, presses, and KB swings , that can be hard on your body. Not only will you improve flexibility and get a good stretch, but you will begin to see an improvement in your strength training as well.

We have begun our weekly Restorative Yoga session held Wednesdays at 6pm at FVT. You can drop in for a class for $15, or pay for a 5 class pass for $60 (and don’t forget, cash or check ONLY please.) We hope to see you tomorrow!

– FVT Team

Restorative Yoga Wednesdays @ 6pm

We are so excited to be starting our 6pm Wednesday night yoga classes back up again tomorrow night!

As a reminder – you can sign up for these classes in the mindbody system as you would for any other workout. The cost is $15 per single session, or $60 if you’d like to prepay for 5 classes at a time – cash or check only.

Here’s another message from FVT yoga instructor Becky Jensen about the healing power of restorative yoga. Check it out below:

The Healing Power of Restorative Yoga
by Becky Jensen, RYT 200

Top fitness experts are heralding the benefits of adding a period of restoration to your fitness schedule. Rest after workouts, is where the work you did in the gym sinks in.

One great way to do this, as well as to expand your awareness of self and body, is with the practice of restorative yoga. You will come to cultivate a deeper understanding of your body as we guide you through gentle poses tailored to work in tandem with your heavy duty bootcamp fitness routine.

Restorative yoga, or yin yoga, is practiced in a quiet setting, involving no flow, limited movement, and centers on a few poses per class held for longer lengths of time, usually in low lunge, supine, sitting, or prone positions.

We turn inward, we focus on our breath, we explore beginning mediation and mindfulness.

You need no prior yoga experience to start this practice!

In our hour together, we RELAX while the muscles let go and the connective tissues of the body slowly lengthen. These long poses not only train us to learn to quiet the mind, but as we create space in the mind we also create lasting benefits of this practice such as greater range of motion, increased flexibility in less time, and time to reset the body back into its natural parasympathetic rhythms (as opposed to the all-day fight or flight stress response we can find ourselves in).

Classes are $15 each or $60 for 5.

– FVT Team