March 2015 Challenge Workout

IMG_4756

When I first started my weight loss journey, my #1 goal was weight loss. So I knew I needed to design my workouts around that goal.

But, the main focus of my workouts up to that point in time – in my athletic career – had been performance.

That is, I wasn’t just training for weight loss or to hit a certain number of inches gone … every time I hit the gym, it was to put a few more pounds on the squat bar, or add a couple reps to the bench press.

This PERFORMANCE – based concept … setting goals like doing a few more reps of push ups or squats in a certain amount of time, etc. … is what really accelerated my results, and is what helped me actually make progress and eventually reach my weight loss goal – but in a fun and enjoyable way.

This performance – based idea has also become a big part of the workouts I design now and use every day to help folks lose fat, gain lean muscle, and feel great … and has evolved into our Monthly Challenge Workouts!

Our Monthly Challenge Workouts at FVT are high intensity, strength-endurance style sessions that are scored in some way. We repeat each Challenge several times throughout the year so you can see how your fitness level is improving over time.

Check out this month’s Challenge. And, if the idea of training this way sounds cool, motivating and fun to you … and you’re NOT currently training with us at FVT … contact us HERE today to set up a free Test-a-Trainer session at the studio!

On to the workout:

 

March 2015 Challenge Workout

Men

— 15 chin ups
— 35 hanging knee raises
— 50 goblet squats w 24k KB
— 75 full push ups

As fast as possible

Women

— 35 hanging knee raises
— 50 inverted rows w eq
— 50 goblet squats w 16k KB
— 75 knee push ups

As fast as possible

Notes

— Exercises / reps CAN (and probably will have to be) be broken up – e.g. for men – 5 sets of 3 chin ups, 7 hanging knee raises, 10 goblet squats and 15 push ups
— KB weights are “prescribed” … of course folks can use lighter … use good judgement!
— If men can’t do chin ups, do recline rows instead
— Be strict! NO swinging on the chin ups. Full range of motion. Same on recline rows – touch the floor on each rep at the bottom and chest to bar at the top.
— For knee raises – folks must fully extend the body at the bottom and bring the knees up past parallel to the floor at the top. No swinging or kipping.
— For squats – thighs must break parallel; fully extend hips at the top of the movement
— For push ups – break at LEAST 90 degrees w forearm and upper arm at the bottom; fully lock out at the top

 

That’s it! Let’s get this party started!!

– Forest Vance, owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

Meet Paul!

Image result for forest vance training paul

Big shout out to superstar FVT client Paul K!

Paul is 57 years YOUNG … and he is in the best shape of his life.

A few words from Paul:

“A serious car accident left me in discomfort just to walk, it also left me determined not to have this be my new norm …. enter Forest Vance. A year plus later and dedicated adherence to three workouts per week, I can now honestly say that at age 54 I am in the best shape of my life. Thanks Forest!

Let me be honest, it was not easy, it still is not easy, Forest will not allow it to be easy but it is incredibly rewarding on many levels. Be as dedicated to Forest as he is to you, that is the key. He will call you if you fail to show up, he will keep the exercises fresh and challenging, he will send out e-mails of encouragement and advice, he will educate himself on new and effective techniques. In return put in the time, dedication and effort and you will see results.

I look forward to every training session, I am challenged to get through them and I leave with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, now those are the signs of a talented trainer.”

You rock Paul! Keep up the great work!!

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

lol

I laughed out loud when I saw this:

Seefood-Diet_o_93290

See, I KNOW it’s tough (at first) to get both your nutrtion AND training dialed in at the same time.

But when you do, you WILL take your results to the next level.

It’s actually NOT that hard to do … when you know EXACTLY what to eat, and when to eat it … and and you follow a “done-for-you” plan like this, for 30 days.

This way, you can get the habits you need in place for long-term results. And that’s what the FVT Rapid Fat Loss / Performance Nutrition Challenge is all about:

=> Click here to sign up (registration closes tonight)

Maybe you tried another program in the New Year … and the results you got from it are less than stellar.

Maybe you’re stuck at a weight loss plateau, and you need a burst of focus and discipline to snap you out of it.

Maybe you just want to lose a lot of body fat in a short period of time.

=> Click here if you answered yes to any of the questions above – the FVT Rapid Fat Loss / Performance Nutrition Challenge is for you!!

Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions:

Q: Tell me more about the “diet” you’ll be using in the Challenge.
A: See the full Challenge meal plan HERE.

Q: Do I have to do ALL the workouts at FVT, or can I do some on my own?
A: Both, for sure. We encourage you to do both. We’ll have various workouts and difference resources that we share with you, but you can visit my body weight training workout site HERE as a great start.

Q: Who is the challenge open to?
A: Anyone who wants to sign up! Current and past clients, their friends and family, newsletter subscribers, Facebook followers, etc.

Q: What if I can’t make the scheduled workouts?
A: No worries. You’ll still get a workout guide – so you can workout on your own – and you’ll get your NUTRITION dialed in, which is the #1 focus of this Challenge. Just make sure to contact me and schedule an alternate time to get your weight and body fat done at the beginning and end of the challenge.

If you’re “on the fence” about signing up and have ANY other questions at all, please direct them my way – I am happy to help!!

Remember, registration closes TONIGHT at midnight – so don’t delay. Take this opportunity to get your workouts AND nutrition dailed in. I can’t wait to see the results you’ll get in the next 30 days!

=> Click here to sign up for the FVT Rapid Fat Loss / Performance Nutrition Challenge (registration closes TONIGHT at midnight)

Thanks, train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest Vance
Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

5 Minute Home Ab Workout (new video)

Got a simple, body weight – only, ZERO equipment ab workout for you today.

You can do this one literally ANYWHERE – so no excuses! – and it’ll take you less than 5 minutes.

There are two different ab exercises in this sequence, and NO crunches or sit ups. There are much better, safer, more productive ways to train your abs than doing endless reps of sit ups and crunches … today’s workout being a great example!

The first exercise in the sequence is called a hollow hold progression. This is a GREAT move for strengthening your core muscles in a very functional way.

— You’ll start by lying on your back on the floor, with your knees tucked up towards your chest, and your arms wrapped around your knees.
— From there, you’ll slowly straighten your legs and arms out, until the point just BEFORE you feel your lower back want to lift off of the floor.
— The objective of the move is to keep your lower back in contact with the floor, abs engaged, and to get your hands / feet as low as you can.

The second move in the sequence is a variation on the plank exercise.

— You’ll get down into a plank position to start.
— Then, once you’ve established a solid plank, you’ll pick one arm up off of the floor and CRUNCH down all those muscles on the side where your arm is down on the floor.
— You’ll want to switch to the other arm and make sure to get an even amount of work on both sides.

So the workout will look like this:

— 30 seconds hollow hold progression
(rest 5 to 10 seconds)
— 15 seconds one arm plank (right side); 15 seconds one arm plank (left side)
(repeat sequence 3 times total)

Watch a video demo of the workout below:

There you have a simple, body weight only, zero equipment ab workout you can do anywhere in less than 5 minutes.

Add this little sequence into your current routine two or three times per week, and you’ll see those abs getting stronger and leaner in no time!

Train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest

PS – If you want to get ABS … and you’re in the Sacramento, CA area … get registered our 30 Day Rapid Fat Loss / Performance Nutrition Challenge!! Two more days to sign up … it’s an awesome opportunity to dial in both your workouts AND your nutrition, and maybe even get those ABS you’ve always wanted! Click HERE for details and to get registered before we shut the doors on Tuesday night.

Best Gym in Sacramento

FVT Rapid Fat Loss Meal Plan (sample day)

Registration for the FVT 30 Day Performance Nutrition Challenge closes Tuesday night:

=> FVT 30 Day Fat Loss Nutrition Challenge

I wanted to follow up and show you what an actual day of meals would look like, based on the FVT 30 Day Performance Nutrition Challenge Meal Planning Guide we shared last time.

Important to note that the actual PORTIONS are going to vary depending on the individual (use the guide linked to above to calculate your specific intake requirements).

###

FVT Rapid Fat Loss Meal Plan

Breakfast (730am)

— egg(s)
— veggies (spinach etc)
— piece(s) of fruit
— 12 oz coffee

Lunch (1130am)

— big salad w LOTS various veggies, chicken breast, olive oil + vinegar dressing
— iced tea

Snack (3pm)

— almonds
— baby carrots
— 16 oz water

Dinner (630pm)

— beef
— pinto beans
— avocado
— sauteed bell peppers and onions
— 5 oz (medium – size glass) red wine

Additional Notes

— Log your food every day using MyFitnessPal so you can track your progress.
— Drink 1/2 your body weight in oz of water per day
— About once per week (three times during the challenge), have a “cheat” day and eat whatever you want (within reason)

###

There you go. Not as bad as you thought, right? 😉

AND … after eating this way for 30 days … you’re going to be pounds lighter, have WAY more energy, and have built the foundation and habits you need for long-term success!!

Have a great weekend, and talk soon –

– Forest

PS – Registration for the FVT 30 Day Performance Nutrition Challenge closes Tuesday night – sign up at the link below:

=> FVT 30 Day Fat Loss Nutrition Challenge

Easy Way to Lose At LEAST 10 Pounds in the Next 30 Days (meal planning guide, print this out!)

fruit

Well, we officially opened up registration for the 30 Day FVT Rapid Fat Loss / Performance Nutrition Challenge yesterday … sign ups are brisk, and we’re SO excited to get this thing going … and to help you lose fat, gain lean muscle and feel great!

=> Grab your spot here (registration closes soon)

We’ve been getting a lot of questions … but the most common ones seem to be based around the meal plan we’ll be using.

Now we are NOT a fan of “diets”. In fact, the goal of the challenge is to help you make LASTING changes to your eating habits – not lose weight quickly, just to gain it all back.

That being said, we also recognize that you want some guidelines … a “done-for-you” meal plan to follow, if you will … to make it easy for you to lose fat fast.

SO … I am going to share with you the meal planning guide we’ll be using for the Challenge.

Feel free to use this, whether you sign up for the Challenge or not. The POWER and VALUE of doing this Challenge, is, quite frankly, NOT getting access to the meal plan – and that’s why I’m okay with sharing it with you. The power of the Challenge is the motivation, the accountability, the coaching that you’ll get both from us – the FVT Team – and the rest of the group that is doing the Challenge together.

(After all, you probably know what you SHOULD be doing when it comes to eating healthy … you just aren’t DOING it consistently … which is why you’re considering doing a Rapid Fat Loss Challenge!! Just giving it to ‘ya straight 🙂

Without further ado, let’s get to it –

###

The FVT 30 Day Performance Nutrition Challenge Meal Planning Guide

The rules of the Challenge are simple. If you follow the meal planning guidelines outlined below for a full day, you get one point. If you do NOT follow the guidelines, you get zero points. You need 27 points to complete the Challenge.

This is a simple, VERY do-able meal plan plan … for the 30 days of the Challenge AND beyond!

The FVT 30 Day Performance Nutrition Challenge Meal Planning Guide

DO eat:

— lean proteins like beef, chicken, pork, and eggs
— lots of vegetables
— some fruit
— nuts and seeds
— healthy fats

Do NOT eat:

— Refined carbohydrates – bread, pasta, cereal, etc
— Processed foods
— Refined sugars
— Liquid calories (fruit juice, soda, and alchol) (you CAN have an optional glass of red wine in the evenings) (you can also have a cup of coffee or two in the morning)

Additional Considerations:

— For the purposes of this challenge, we are going to eliminate dairy. You can re-introduce it at the end if you can tollerate it … but you might be shocked at how great you feel after you cut it out for 30 days! 🙂 Have a teaspoon or two with your coffee in the morning if you must, but no more.
— Same goes for grains. No bread, pasta, cereal, etc. You can re-introduce it at the end if you can tollerate it … but you might be shocked at how great you feel after you cut it out for 30 days! 🙂
— You CAN have legumes … taking out grains and other carbohydrates you are likely eating a lot of now, can make it tough to get ENOUGH calories … so adding legumes is a fine way to add some “bulk” to your diet.

More details:

— Log your food every day using MyFitnessPal. Shoot for about 10 calories per pound of body weight per day to start, and adjust up or down as needed as you go. (Example – 150 person would eat 1500 calories per day to start.)
— Shoot for a mix of about 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat. A simple way to do this is think about building each meal with 1) a protein 2) a carbohydrate (veggie or fruit) and 3) a healthy fat.
— Keep it simple. Plan out your days / weeks ahead of time, and eat the same meals most of the time.
— Eat four to five times per day – whatever fits your schedule and total calorie target best.
— Drink half of your body weight in oz of water per day. (Example – 150 pound person would drink 75 oz of water each day.)

###

That sums it up! You can take this simple meal plan and lose TONS of body fat – and feel great! – in just 30 days.

If you want to get the BEST results, sign up for the FVT 30 Day Performance Nutrition Challenge, and you’ll get the motivation, the accountability, the coaching that you’ll need to reach your goals and stay there.

=> Grab your spot here (registration closes soon)

Train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest Vance, Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

MY Kettlebell Story + Last Chance for FVT RKC Early Bird Discount

I had this insane workout partner at one of the “big box” gyms I worked at when I first got into the personal training world. He was an ex-marine, and we would do these ridiculously hard workouts every day, and always compete with each other.

One day, he brought his kettlebell with him to the gym, and we mixed it into one of our training sessions. I was instantly hooked. It was just about the coolest thing ever. The shape of the weight, how you could do things with it that you couldn’t do well with other training implements, just the flat-out uniqueness …

Problem was, we didn’t know what the hell we were doing 🙂

I figured that since I was a trainer, I could figure out how to use kettlebells properly on my own. BOY was I wrong!

I started to get a bit of back pain (turns out it was from doing swings and snatches incorrectly). I also could NOT get the hang of the Turkish get up … everyone said it was such a great move, but it just didn’t feel right, and it hurt my shoulders every time I did it.

So, I bit the bullet and signed up for an RKC certification. I trained for about three months leading up to it … with a local RKC trainer, and of course lots of practice on my own … and turned out to be a LIFE CHANGING experience.

The three eight-plus hour days of KB instruction was more intense than anything I had ever experienced from a “certification”. This was the REAL deal … deep learning about kettlebells, but also being TESTED physically and mentally … I loved it! 🙂

Like I said, the experience was life-changing. I’ve learned most of all I know about kettlebell training from the RKC and the folks involved in / with it … I’ve since attended and assisted at multiple different RKC events over the years … and frankly, I owe a good portion of my business success to our focus / local “expert status” on kettlebells.

That’s why I’m SUPER excited that things have come a bit “full circle” … and we’ll be hosting an RKC certification at our gym in September!!

If you are an instructor looking to learn how to use kettlebells the RIGHT way, I highly recommend you sign up and start training for it right away.

And if you’re an avid kettlebell trainee who wants to take their kettlebell form and knowledge to the highest level, I also recommend you attend the event and get your KB certification.

Get all the details on the event and register HERE … and be sure to do it by Friday, Feb 13th 2015 if you want to get the best “early bird” price.

As far as I know, this is the first time the RKC has come to the Sacramento area … exciting stuff!

Plus, it’s a great opportunity to come and check out our new facility, and get a little bit of the FVT experience over the weekend as well 😉

Thanks, train hard, and talk soon –

– Forest Vance, MS, RKC II
ForestVanceTraining.com
ForestVance.com

FVT 30 Day Nutrition Challenge – Registration Open Now

Registration is officially open for the first EVER 30 Day FVT Nutrition Challenge.

Details and reserve your spot at the link below:

=> First EVER 30 Day FVT Nutrition Challenge

 

A bit more about the Challenge:

— The challenge will run Wednesday, Feb 18th to Friday, March 20th

— This is a personal challenge to help you dial in both your workouts AND your nutrition for 30 days … and in the process, get results you never thought were possible in such a short period of time!!

— Instead of this being a “most weight / body fat / inches lost” competition (OUTCOME driven), this challenge will be based on a daily points system (PROCESS driven):

You’ll get points for both working out (at FVT and/or on your own) AND for ‘eating clean’ and logging your food. Hit your target points (and your weekly check – ins), and you’ve completed the challenge!!

 

Your registration will include:

— Before and after body fat measurements – so you can track your progress and see how much you’ve improved after just 30 days of focused training and nutrition

— Access to three special boot camp workouts where we’ll get together as a group and do a challenge-style workout … this will be a timed / scored workout, so that you can see how your fitness improves over the 30 days.

Dates / times for these workouts are:

– Wednesday, Feb 18th @ 6pm
– Wednesday, March 4th @ 6pm
– Saturday, March 21st @ 9am

— Access to a private Facebook group were you’ll 1) post a weekly check in with your total points for the week, questions, comments, etc and 2) get coaching from the FVT team to get any and all of your training / nutrition questions answered, and 3) get help with anything else that you need.

— A special edition t shirt / band / etc that you can ONLY get by completing the challenge. You’ll wear this with pride, and it will be your hard-earned prize for 30 days of mental and physical discipline!!

 

Details and reserve your spot at the link below:

=> First EVER 30 Day FVT Nutrition Challenge

 

Woo! So pumped, can’t wait to see the amazing results folks will experience with this Challenge.

Let’s do this!

– Forest Vance, Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training