Blog | FVT Warrior Wellness | Lee’s Summit Personal Training & Kettlebell Coaching

New Orleans Kettlebell Workout

WHAT a weekend in New Orleans!!

My friend Fred Zoller invited me to his amazing new Lean Performance Academy facility to lead a KB workshop.

Spent the day on Saturday with Fred and about 30 of his awesome team members and training clients. It was literally the most fun I’ve had “working” in a LONG time.

Plus – as you can see from the pic above – was able to carve out a little fun too! 🙂 Walked around the French Quarter, ate some tasty New Orleans food, and even took a Voodoo tour.

Here is the thing though. I got 24 hours delayed on the way back (!)

My flight leaving New Orleans for delayed …

My connecting flight got delayed …

I ended up switching airlines so that I could get home without staying the night in Los Angeles, and THAT flight got delayed …

It was like the day that would never end!

I felt like Lamb Chop – lol 🙂

day that never ends

Anyway – after being cramped up in a seated position for all that time – especially being a 6′ 4″ and 245 pounds – I pretty much felt like a giant turd when I woke up this morning.

So first thing, I hit up my “Unlock Your Hip Flexors” routine – and I am feeling much lighter, looser, and BETTER already.

If YOU travel … or sit a lot … or just know you have tight hips … I highly recommend you check out this routine. It outlines a complete program you can incorporate into your fitness plan to loosen up your hips, reduce pain and get you moving better:

=> “Unlock” your hip flexors with this routine

Okay – back into the grove at the gym today – gotta run!

Train hard this week, and talk soon –

– Forest

PS – Here is one of my favorite drills to help you unlock your hip flexors, that you can try and see results with right away:

THE COUCH STRETCH

– Start by standing in front of a couch
– Put your back knee on the couch and keep your front leg on the ground
– Put your back foot up against the back of the couch
– Lower your body slightly to the floor and/or scoot yourself back to increase the stretch
– Hold for 30-60 secs on each side

=> “Unlock” your hip flexors with this complete routine

Is beer the new recovery drink?

Is drinking a beer or two a good way to recover after a hard workout?

Putting your body through the strains of exercise depletes a lot of important vitamins, hydrating electrolytes, and carbs. Recovery drinks are popular because of this reason – they’re all full of good sugar and nutrients that replenish your body.

Beer has got some of that same good stuff too! Sugary carbs, a hint of electrolytes, and a few helpful plant-based nutrients that come from the hops, yeast, and barley.

The alcohol does sort of the opposite though – it dehydrates you, and some research shows that it has a potentially negative effect on protein synthesis.

Bottom line, getting hammered after every workout probably isn’t a great idea, but having a beer after a vigorous workout might not be as bad for you as you’d think. A little moderation and a ton of water could be the perfect reward for yourself after a particularly grueling session 🙂

And that’s EXACTLY why you need to reserve your spot at our upcoming ‘Bells, Beers and Buddies event.

On Weds, May 4th @ 6pm, we’ll hold the final boot camp for our Rapid Fat Loss Challengers … but whether you are participating in the Challenge or not, you are HIGHLY encouraged to attend … and bring friends, family members, and co-workers.

It is free for you and any buddies you’d like to bring along. (Attendance is capped at 30.)

We will announce the winners of the Challenge … get an awesome kettlebell workout … and you can also bring a beer (or beverage of your choice) to enjoy afterwards!

If you plan on attending, please let us know here:

http://bit.ly/24ikK6n

… and, also have your buddies / family members / co-workers / etc sign up using the form above as well.

Have an awesome day, and look forward to seeing you for a kettlebell workout – and a beer! – next Wednesday.

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

PS – Have you seen this video that The Film Squad put together from the Tactical Strength Challenge we hosted at FVT last weekend? Check it out – gives you a GREAT feel for the event if you dind’t end up making it out it person – and will get ‘ya fired up for the next one, happening on October 1st! 😉

4.23.16 Tactical Strength Challenge at FVT

Tactical Strength Challenge Pics + ‘Bells, Beer and Buddies Workout May 4th

Hosted the Tactical Strength Challenge at FVT last Saturday – it was a great success!

We had over 20 participants from the area come out to compete, as well as dozens of supporters by to watch and cheer them on.

Great work everyone!!

We’ve actually had quite a few inquiries about our regular training services since last weekend (lots of buzz on social media etc) …

So if you’d like to come out and experience a workout at FVT first-hand, next Wednesday is a PERFECT opportunity …

And that’s because …

We have another ‘Bells, Beer and Buddies Bootcamp event on the schedule.

It is free for you and any buddies you’d like to bring along. (Attendance is capped at 30.)

We will announce the winners of the Challenge … get an awesome kettlebell workout … and you can also bring a beer (or beverage of your choice) to enjoy afterwards!

If you plan on attending, please let us know here:

http://bit.ly/24ikK6n

… and, also have your buddies / family members / co-workers / etc sign up using the form above as well.

Have an awesome day, and look forward to seeing you for a kettlebell workout – and a beer! – next Wednesday.

– The FVT Team

‘Bells and Beer – Weds, May 4th @ 6pm

It’s time for another FVT ‘Bells and Beer Event!

It is free for you and any buddies you’d like to bring along. (Attendance is capped at 30.)

We will announce the winners of the Challenge … get an awesome kettlebell workout … and you can also bring a beer (or beverage of your choice) to enjoy afterwards!

If you plan on attending, please let us know here:

http://forms.aweber.com/form/59/1703251759.htm

… and, also let us know the name and email address of any buddies / family members / co-workers / etc you will be bringing with you.

Thanks!

– The FVT Team

TSC This Weekend + NEXT FVT Training Challenge? [YOUR help needed]

The Tactical Strength Challenge is happening this Saturday at FVT – super pumped!

Check out this video to see what the TSC is all about:

If you are around this weekend, you are welcome to come by and watch – we’ll be getting started at 9am.

Now … after THIS Challenge is over … we’ll take a week or two to re-boot … and then we’ll get the next Challenge event on the FVT schedule …

And this is where we need YOUR help.

We are going to put together a special program to help you train for a special event this summer, and get in GREAT shape in the process (kind of like we did for the Tough Mudder last year – https://www.forestvancetraining.com/2015/06/team-fvt-at-tough-mudder-recap-pics-inside.html) …

SO … for our next FVT Training Challenge … we want to know! … would you be most interested in:

1 – A Spartan Race in July:

http://www.spartan.com/en/race/detail/1323/overview

2 – A GoRuck Challenge in August:

http://www.goruck.com/tough-challenge-sacramento-ca-08-05-2016-10669/p/E010669

3 – A special summer time FVT Ultimate Challenge workout event (like the one we did last January):

https://www.forestvancetraining.com/fvt-ultimate-challenge-workout-2016

Simply reply in the comments section of this post and let us know!

Thanks in advance for your help – looking forward to some fun times getting ready for our next FVT Training Challenge –

Talk soon –

– The FVT Team

Learn the Basics of Safe and Effective KB Training (free intro session)

If you’re interested in learning all the basics of safe and effective kettlebell training, we’ve set aside a few spots over the next 10 days for some special “Test-a-Kettlebell-Trainer” sessions at the FVT studio.

And as part of these sessions, we’ll do a 15 minute “speed” kettlebell workout – so that you can experience the power of KBs first hand.

The only catch? If you’re interested, take action right away – we have a very limited number of spots set aside for these special “Test-a-Kettlebell-Trainer” sessions.

Thanks!

– Forest Vance
Level 2 Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

PS – We know that a mix of both existing and potential new clients will be seeing this message … just a reminder that this offer is for new clients ONLY, who are not currently participating in workouts at the FVT studio, and have not done so for at least the last 90 days. Thanks! 🙂

Tactical Strength Challenge – April 23rd @ FVT

Wow – the Tactical Strength Challenge is just 10 days away!

We have a small group that’s been training hard for the last couple of months for the event. Check out Zeb, Sarai and Jeff pulling some serious weight off the floor at Monday morning’s Lean and Jacked session (link goes to short video on our new Instagram page):

https://www.instagram.com/forestvancetraining/

So what exactly IS the Tactical Strength Challenge?

On Saturday, April 23rd at FVT (and other participating locations around the world), competitors will complete a max deadlift, a max number of pull ups, and max repetitions of the kettlebell snatch in 5 minutes.

It’s a true balanced test of three types of fitness – maximal strength, bodyweight strength and cardio-vascular endurance.

Scoring is based on participation. 1 point for 1st place, and 2 for 2nd, and so on.

All the details – and the official registration page – can be found at the link below:

http://www.strongfirst.com/tactical-strength-challenge/

Hope to see ya there!

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Instructor
Certified Barbell Instructor
Certified Progressive Calisthenics Instructor

April 2016 Challenge Workout

Folks come to FVT to lose fat, build muscle, and feel great … but they also want fun and challenging workouts to keep them motivated and excited! And that’s what our monthly challenges are all about.

We rotate through three different Challenge workouts over the course of the year, and each one is scored or timed in some way. So these sessions are also a great way to see how one’s fitness level improves over time.

This month, we have our quarterly Band Challenge Workout – check it out:

2016 FVT Band Challenge

** Complete ALL the “tests” at the grey band level and earn a grey FVT band! (if the workout is done at a boot camp at our facility)
** Complete ALL the “tests” at the black band level and earn a black FVT band! (if the workout is done at a boot camp at our facility)

1 — KB swings – 16k for women, 24k for men

Clcok will be set for 30 second intervals. On each interval, 10 swings will be performed. Rest period is the time between the 10 swings are finished and when the next 30 second interval starts. Repeat for a total of 10 rounds.

10 sets of two hand swings with prescribed weight listed above = grey band
5 sets on each side of one hand swings (alternating hands each set) with prescribed weight listed above = black band

2 — Push ups – knees for women, toes for men

Elbows and upper arm BREAK parallel, no exceptions … body stays in a totally straight line, no hip sag or “A frame” … no adjusting the knees, hands or feet during the test.

Body cannot touch the floor at the bottom of a rep; cannot lock out and rest at the top.

15 for grey
30 for black

3 — Pull ups

Any grip (pull up or chin up)

women – 15 sec hold over bar = grey, 1 rep = black
men – 1 rep = grey, 5 reps = black

4 — Burpees

Thighs and torso much touch the ground at the bottom of the movement. Full extension of the body – knees, hips, and upper body – as well as a jump and clap of the hands over head – must be completed at the top of each rep.

15 in one minute = grey
20 in one minute = black

NEW – 2nd degree black band qualification!

Invidiuals who successfully complete the black band will get the opportunity to qualify for a 2nd degree black band.

To get the 2nd degree black band, one rep of a strict overhead kettlebell press must be performed with an 18k (women) or 32k (men) kettlebell on each arm.

The kettlebell must be cleaned to the shoulder with one hand in smooth motion.

The kettlebell must come to a complete stop at the shoulder.

The hand of the pressing kettlebell must start under the chin.

There will be no bending of the knees or leaning to the side as the kettlebell is pressed overhead.

The kettlebell must come to a complete and controlled stop at the top of the movement.

The kettlebell must be lowered to the ground in a controlled fashion.

LOTS of new grey and black band earners this time around (just officially wrapped up this workout in our boot camps this week as we write this) … awesome stuff!

Keep up the great work, and until next time –

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training