November Challenge Workout Results

If you missed it, here’s November’s Challenge Workout one more time:

Note: There are two versions of this workout to choose from – Version B is simply tougher than Version A. Pick the workout that’s appropriate for your current fitness level.

Version A

10 Squat Jumps
20 Knee Push Ups
30 Lunges (30 steps total, 15 each leg)
40 Mountain Climbers
50 Kettlebell Swings (12k/16k)

Version B

10 18 inch Box Jumps
20 Standard Push Ups
30 Lunges (30 steps total, 15 each leg)
40 Mountain Climbers
50 Kettlebell Swings (20k/24k)

Complete circuit three times for time

And the results:

Version A:

AT 10:15
SG 12:17

Version B:

AG 11:20
KG 13:16
VB 14:01
BG 14:04
PH 14:28
ES 14:38
CK 14:52
LE 15:10
SS 15:48
VL 16:05
PP 16:30
SK 17:16
AS 18:18
SM 19:27
RR 20:09
NP 20:16

Have a great weekend!

P.S. Want updates on every challenge workout delivered straight to your email inbox? How about a totally FREE fast fat loss meal plan? Just sign up for my weekly newsletter by clicking here

November Challenge: Kettlebell and Body Weight 300 v2

This month’s challenge workout was inspired by the original ‘300’ workout, created for the cast of the movie 300 by trainer Mark Twight

It’s time again for the monthly challenge workout from Forest Vance Training, Inc.!

The original kettlebell and body weight 300 workout I posted a little over a year ago on my fitnessmonster.com blog has been one of my most popular and most viewed posts ever … so, for this month’s challenge workout, I’ve put together a new, updated version of the Kettlebell and Body Weight 300 workout:
Note: There are two versions of this workout to choose from – Version B is simply tougher than Version A. Pick the workout that’s appropriate for your current fitness level.

Version A

10 Squat Jumps
20 Knee Push Ups
30 Lunges (30 steps total, 15 each leg)
40 Mountain Climbers
50 Kettlebell Swings (12k/16k)
Version B
10 18 inch Box Jumps
20 Standard Push Ups
30 Lunges (30 steps total, 15 each leg)
40 Mountain Climbers
50 Kettlebell Swings (20k/24k)

Complete circuit three times for time

Good luck and train hard!! Results will be posted at the end of the week.

P.S. Still thinking about signing up for the Kettlebells For Fat Loss Workshop on Saturday, November 13th at my Land Park – Sacramento area personal training studio? Act now before it’s too late!
I will be starting a wait list for this workshop when all 10 spots are reserved and paid for, as there are typically one or two last minute cancellations … but if you want to guarantee a spot, make sure to sign up ASAP – just click the link below to go to the sign up page:

Kettlebells For Fat Loss Workshop Saturday, November 13th

As you walk into my Sacramento area personal training gym, one of the first things you see is a line of kettlebells against the wall.


And nine out of ten people ask the same question:

“What are those things?”

So one of the first exercises I typically cover with a new client is the Kettlebell Swing. It’s one of the best exercises in existence for burning fat. And once you’ve done a few, you’ll at a very minimum appreciate the effectiveness of the exercise to blast your heart rate through the roof – and work nearly every muscle in your body at the same time.

Click here for details on the Kettlebells For Fat Loss Workshop:
http://sacramentopersonaltraining.com/kbs4fatloss/

The fact is, if you’re trying to lose body fat and you’re not using kettlebells in your workouts, you’re missing out big time. Kettlebell training has taken the fitness world by storm. Everyone from stay at home moms to high level athletes are enjoying the benefits of kettlebells for losing fat, gaining lean muscle, improving flexiblity and increasing cardio fitness.

Now, a quick word of caution: The bad thing about kettlebell training is that it’s pretty technical – that is, reading an article or two on the internet and watching a few YouTube videos just isn’t adequate preparation – in fact, it’s a good recipe for injury. You need hands-on instruction to learn how to use kettlebells safely and effectively.

If you’re interested in learning how to use kettlebells to lose fat, I have great news: my Kettlebells For Fat Loss Workshop is set for the Saturday the 13th of November!! For details about the workshop and to reserve a spot (last year’s workshop sold out in a single day, so be sure to grab a spot if you want in), click the link below:

See you there!
Forest Vance, MS, CPT, RKC
P.S. Know anyone who might be interested in this workshop? Help spread the word and tell your friends and family!!

Kettlebell Training For Fat Loss And Six Pack Abs

If you’re looking to shed some pounds and flatten up your stomach – and you’re not using kettlebells in your workouts – you’re missing out big time.

Kettlebell training is hands-down one of the best, fastest, and most efficient ways to both lose body fat and carve out those six pack abs.

KB’s train your abs in a very functional way – the way they were meant to be trained. As an example, a crunch is a typical movement that is used to train the abs. But the crunch is a movement that is very rarely used in real life.

In contrast, kettlebell training forces you to use your abs like you do numerous sports activities and in real life every day. Squatting while holding a weight in front of you (as in a Goblet Squat) or powerfully extending your hips and efficiently absorbing and decelerating force (as in a Kettlebell Swing) is about as real-life and functional as it gets.

Kettlebells also train your abs with full-body exercises – you end up blasting those abs and hitting a bunch of other muscle groups at the same time. And if we’re trying to burn body fat, that’s the name of the game!

Check out this quick video where I go into more detail on both of these points:


Sample Exercises
To further illustrate the points I cover in the video above, here are a few sample kettlebell exercises that do a great job of both working your abs and burning tons of body fat:

1. Renegade Rows

This exercise, while working a lot of other muscle groups at the same time, is probably one of the most challenging ab exercises you’ll ever do. Here’s an entire post on the Kettlebell Row and variations of it, like the Renegade Row:

The Kettlebell Row

2. Front Squats

Kettlebell Front Squats are one of the best kettlebell exercises for your abs. They force you to stabilize a weight in front of you and maintain a neutral spine (if you’re doing the exercise right, that is) through a very real-world and functional movement – squatting! Here’s the full article on how to do the Kettlebell Squat:

The Kettlebell Squat

3. The Turkish Get Up

The Turkish Get Up is another fantastic exercise for your abs that can be performed using kettlebells. It is, however, highly technical – here’s an article on my Kettlebell Basics blog about how to perform it properly:

The Turkish Get Up

So there you have a couple reasons why you should be using kettlebells if your goal is fat loss and/ or getting a flat stomach … and three great kettlebell exercises for the abs. Incorporate these exercises into your existing routine and start reaping the benefits today!!

The Kettlebells For Fat Loss Workshop

Our group personal training/ fitness boot camp sessions include a good amount of kettlebell work … about 30-40 percent of a typical workout is done with kettlebells, including Swings, Squats, and Turkish Get Ups.
However, I get requests at least a couple of times per month for kettlebells-only group training – – right now, private training with me is the only way to get that kettlebells-only instruction.
The new Land Park training studio is in many ways the facility I’ve been waiting for to hold the next kettlebell workshop … plus, most folk’s goals include body fat loss, improved conditioning and lean muscle gain … so what better topic to cover in an upcoming workshop than how to use kettlebells to lose fat and get a toned and defined midsection?

This workshop would be delivered in four 45 minute group training sessions, held once a week, over a month’s time. We would take a group training session to address each one of these topics in detail:

  • Proper form on the basic kettlebell drills – including the Swing, Turkish Get Up, Clean and Press, and Snatch
  • The right and wrong way to use kettlebells to train your abs and lose body fat – with sample exercises and workouts
  • Advanced technique tips and drills to perfect your form
  • Integration of concepts into overall programming

And much more!

Please post in the comments section below, shoot me an email, give me a call or text message and let me know if you’re interested and we’ll make it happen in the very near future!!

3 Good Ways To Injure Yourself Working Out

You’re finally getting your workout schedule dialed in. You’re shedding body fat and gaining lean muscle. Just as you’re really hitting your grove, just as you’re finally finding a program you can actually stick to – that old nagging injury rears it’s ugly head.

Maybe you’re even getting pain somewhere new – the shoulders, knees and lower back are the biggest common problem areas for clients I work with.

Ultimately, no matter what your fitness goals are – and no matter what your specific situation is – it’s almost impossible to make progress if you’re injured and can’t work out.

The good news is that many of these injuries can be prevented by following a few simple guidelines. So check out the video below for three good ways to injure yourself working out – and a for few tips on preventing these injuries from happening in the first place:


Here’s a summary of what I talk about in the video above:


3 common ways to injure yourself working out – why sports injuries occur

1. Bad Form

When building a workout routine, we need to pay just as much attention to how we’re doing specific exercises as we do to which ones we choose, the amount of sets and reps we do of each, etc.

Take Squats for example. A Squat is a highly functional exercise that you actually have to do every day whether you like it or not – when you get up out of a chair or get out of your car, you’re doing a version of a Squat.

There’s a common perception out there that Squats are bad for your knees. But the truth is that it’s not Squats that are bad for your knees – it’s how you’re doing them that’s bad for your knees. So get some proper instruction and make sure you’re using great form in your workouts.

2. Poor Core Strength

If your ‘core’ – the muscles not only in your abdominal region and back, but also those in your pelvic floor and hips – is weak, you won’t be able to properly stabilize the trunk and spine and you’ll greatly increase the likely hood of injury.

Let’s take the example of doing a simple Push Up: If your core strength is lacking, you’ll have a hard time keeping proper form and alignment – your hips may sag towards the floor, for example – which will in turn put extra stress on those common problem areas listed above and lead to eventual pain and injury.

3. Poor Flexibility and Mobility

Inadequate mobility and flexibility is another great way to injure yourself working out.

When you go to do any movement and don’t have the flexibility in the right places to do it, you end up over stressing certain areas of the body.

For example, if you go to pick something up off the floor but lack the flexibility to do it with proper body mechanics, you end up compensating in other areas of the body – which over time can lead to pain and injury.

Summary – and tips for sports injury prevention

Using bad form, poor core strength, and poor flexibility and mobility are three great ways to injure yourself working out. And the reality is that no amount of print or video learning can replace in-person instruction – so if you know you’re guilty of any of these things and would like some personal help in proper exercise technique and program design, contact me at (916) 273 9366 to schedule a free eval session today. Meeting with you in person, I can evaluate where you’re at now and exactly what you’ll need to do to reach your ultimate fitness goals.

My background/qualifications in post-rehab and injury prevention – and possible future workshop/workout series

I don’t talk about this much, but my Master’s Degree is actually in Human Movement with a emphasis in Corrective Exercise – in other words, much of my formal education is in this exact injury prevention and post-rehab area.


I’ve had the concept for a workshop/workout series to address this topic specifically for quite a while. I know a lot of you are working hard towards your other fitness goals, but injury prevention is very important – and this would be an opportunity to address it with full attention and in detail.

This workshop would be delivered in four 45 minute group training sessions, held once a week, over a month’s time. We would take a group training session to address each one of these topics in detail:


  • What proper form actually is
  • The right and wrong way to strengthen your core – with sample exercises and workouts
  • Flexibility and mobility drills and application to common movement imbalances and pain patterns
  • Workout tips, integration of concepts into overall programming
  • And much more!

Please post in the comments section below, shoot me an email, give me a call or text message and let me know if you’re interested and we’ll make it happen in the very near future!!

Talk soon

Forest

October 2010 Challenge Workout Results

Here’s October’s challenge workout one more time:

10 Push Ups
20 Kettlebell Swings
30 Walking Lunges (total – 15 each leg)
40 Cross Body Mountain Climbers
50 Body Weight Squats

Start with Push Ups and complete the entire sequence as fast as possible. Repeat the sequence again, starting at the top with Body Weight Squats. When you’ve completed the sequence twice – once ‘down’ and once ‘up’ – start again with Push Ups and do it again. Get as many rounds as you can in this fashion in 20 minutes.

And the results (total number of rounds completed):

AT 5+2
AG 4+3
SP 4+2
MG 4+2
LE 4+1
SG 4
BG 4
VL 3+3
NG 3+3
EZ 3+3
AK 3+2
MB 3
SM 3
PP 3
AS 2+4
NP 2+3

Great job guys! Keep training hard!

‘Till next month’s challenge –
Forest

October 2010 Challenge Workout

Every month at Forest Vance Training, Inc. Sacramento Personal Training and Fitness Boot Camps, we do a challenge workout. The idea with these workouts is to test your fitness level (although the workouts aren’t identical, you can track your progress and see how your fitness is improving when you do the workouts every month) and to challenge you both physically and mentally. They’ve been a huge hit since early this year – and will without a doubt remain part of our regular workout program.

Even if you’re not involved in one of our personal training or boot camp programs, I encourage you to follow the monthly challenge workouts and do them yourself (if they’re within your capabilities, of course).

Here’s this month’s challenge:

10 Push Ups
20 Kettlebell Swings
30 Walking Lunges (total – 15 each leg)
40 Cross Body Mountain Climbers
50 Body Weight Squats

Start with Push Ups and complete the entire sequence as fast as possible. Repeat the sequence again, starting at the top with Body Weight Squats. When you’ve completed the sequence twice – once ‘down’ and once ‘up’ – start again with Push Ups and do it again. Get as many rounds as you can in this fashion in 20 minutes.

Remember, the key is to push yourself to get as many rounds as you can in the allotted time – I’ll be posting the results later in the week if you’d like to see how your time stacks up.

Keep training hard!

Forest

Re: This Saturday’s Free Workout and Open House …

Hey –

You’re in for this Saturday’s free workout and Open House at the new Forest Vance Training, Inc. personal training studio, right?

Remember, it’s happening this Saturday, the 2nd of October. The workout starts at 10 am and will last about 30 minutes … and we’ll be open for another hour or so after that, so swing by and check us out! Everyone is invited … and you’re more than welcome to bring along family and friends.

You do need to sign up fast if you want a spot for the workout, though … there are exactly 6 spots remaining as I write this blog post. Call me at (916) 273 9366 or contact me here to reserve your spot now.

The new training studio is located at 3200 Riverside Blvd, Suite A … it’s on the North side of the small strip mall at the intersection of Riverside Blvd and 7th ave. Here’s a map:



See you there!
Forest