meet Brett :)

Brett and I met in 2014 through a mutual friend.

A few months after we were first introduced, he reached out looking for some help to take his training to the next level.

In Brett’s words:

“I was trying to piece things together, I would do some cardio, some flexibility, some small group training. I didn’t have an overall strategy, in terms of getting stronger or building on things. So that was my big motivation to come here.”

So, we got things organized, and had Brett scheduled for a workout at the studio the next day!

Here’s how that went:

“I was tired. I almost didn’t finish! I remember the workout we did was really tough, and was a totally different training style than I was used to. But I do remember I felt good also, it wasn’t like I took a pounding, it was a healthy kind of tired.”

After a few months of doing our kettlebell boot camp a couple of times per week, Brett was ready to step it up. He started training doing extra personal training sessions once per week, and shortly afterwards, upped it to two times per week of PT work.

And now Brett has gained some SERIOUS strength, and totally changed his body.

He’s gained 8+ pounds of muscle and lost 12+ pounds of fat. He’s also added 40+ pounds to his bench press, 70+ pounds to his squat, and 100+ pounds to his deadlift.

Here are a few of his secrets:

1 – “Stay Consistent, pick a few class times that you can attend every week so you don’t find yourself at the end of the week without working out.”

2 – “As I’ve gained strength it’s helped take more and more pressure off my joints. I used to have tendonitis in my left knee, but all of the lower body strength work has helped eliminate that as muscles take the pounding instead.”

3 – “It’s helped me stay active. Including the workouts at FVT I’m doing physical activity 5 times per week.”

4 – “I’ve lost weight while gaining muscle too. That’s been a nice unexpected benefit as I always expected to gain weight along with muscle. But overall I lost almost 10 pounds which is also cool.”

5 – “Your nutrition advice has also been helpful. I’m eating better now than when I was a year or two ago. I would recommend everyone considering one of your fitness challenges at some point so that they too can take a look at what they’re really eating. I thought I had a handle on it but I really didn’t until I tracked it for a period of time.”

Congrats on your success Brett! You always show up ready to put in work. Your success is a testament to your consistency and positive attitude!

-Forest Vance
ForestVanceTraining.com

PS – Want to get results like Brett? Click here for more info on our Personal Training – 14 Day Jump Start program.

Sample Day – FVT Custom Meal Plans

I did a custom meal planning session with a client this morning.

We have a solid plan in place to help her lose 10 pounds over the next 60 days!

Now she is going to follow the custom meal plans we created together, start logging her food, and we will check back in about a week to check weight / body fat, go over how things are going, and make small tweaks to stay on course.

She also has the option to continue to meet / weigh in / get feedback and tweaks weekly, and get new custom meal plans monthly, if she wants / needs further support.

The plan below is not the exact one we came up with – but I wanted to give you an idea of what a custom meal plan might look like, if we were to do one for you.

1 – The meal plan below is for a hypothetical 160-pound, 52-year-old women who is moderately active.

2 – We haven’t made any special considerations (gluten-free, vegetarian, etc) in this sample – but that is certainly possible, if you are considering the program.

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Sample Day – FVT Custom Meal Plans

BREAKFAST

2 eggs
2 corn tortillas
2 tbsp avocado

LUNCH

3 oz chicken breast
salad – lettuce, tomato, cucumber, black beans
2 tbsp olive oil + vinegar dressing

DINNER

3 oz beef
2 cups broccoli
1 yam

SNACKS

medium apple
medium banana
2 oz almonds

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There is not any sort of “magic” in the individual foods listed here. However, we have put this plan together for one specific (hypothetical) person, for their specific calorie goal, and for their specific macronutrient profile.

And then the follow up, the coaching, the tweaking, the feedback, the accountability – that is another huge part of this program that is going to get people tremendous results.

=> Details and sign up here for the FVT Custom Meal Planning program (3 spots left at intro / discount pricing)

If you have tried other meal plans, but they didn’t work, take a look at this! Look forward to working with you 🙂

-Forest and the FVT Team

The FVT Method

The method we use to help you lean down, gain strength, and improve cardio – all in a safe, effective, fun, and time-efficient way – is called FVT Performance Fitness Training.

FVT Performance Fitness Training is a specific combination of kettlebells, calisthenics, HIIT, core work, and restorative yoga. It’s backed by science and an 11 year track record of client results. And it’s highly adjustable, so it’s appropriate and safe to each individual’s fitness level and unique considerations.

We have two locations: 1530 X Street Sacramento, CA 95818 (Land Park / Downtown) and 7485 Rush River Drive Sacramento, CA 95831 (Pocket / Greenhaven).

Contact us here to start your 14 Day Test Drive today!

-Forest and the FVT Team

How to Eat Normally and Lose Weight?

How to eat normally and lose weight: this is the puzzle that most people try to solve throughout their lives.

Really – who doesn’t want to lose a few pounds and not have to give up the weekend BBQ, the ice cream truck, or the happy hour drink?

I’m here to tell you that eating normally and losing weight is 100% possible.

I lost personally 64 pounds in 7 months 14 years ago, and have kept it off since, eating normally. I ate Carl’s Jr. burgers once or twice per week during the whole process, as well as pasta most every night.

Just recently, I lost 10 pounds over a 90 day period, eating normally. Having beers on a regular basis. Eating a sandwich for lunch every day.

Hundreds of clients we’ve worked with in approximately that same time frame with our methods have done the samThe HOW of this happen is the big focus of our Custom Meal Planning program.

The exact process is somewhat difficult to summarize in a short article like this, but the main components are:

1 – Building a reasonable, do-able meal plan based on YOUR specific fitness level, goals, and food preferences

2 – Looking at and working with you to change your food habits

3 – Looking at and working with you to change your overall relationship with food

The main point of today’s article is to let you know that through a reasonable, do-able meal plan based on YOUR specific fitness level, goals, and food preferences, through changing your food habits, and through changing your overall relationship with food, eating normally and losing weight is 100% possible.

More info on our Custom Meal Planning program here.

And here’s to your continued success! –

-Forest and the FVT Team

“Muai Thai Shred” – 5 min Bodyweight Cardio Workout

Like it or not, increased cardio fitness is correlated with corresponding decreases in cardiovascular disease risk.

Fat loss and being in physical shape to live the active lifestyle you want to lead are a couple of other important reasons to have a cardio component to your training routine.

But the good news is, there are a LOT of ways to accomplish the end goal.

One time-efficent, minimal equipment, fun and different way you can incorporate cardio into your routine is with the new MMA Shred program from my friend Funk Roberts.

You’ll do workouts like this:

“Muai Thai Shred” – 5 min Bodyweight Cardio Workout

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds rest one after the other. Once you have completed all exercises you can rest and repeat for 1-5
rounds total:

1 ROTATIONAL PUNCHES
2 REVERSE LUNGE TO KNEE STRIKE
3 ROTATIONAL ELBOWS
4 SQUAT AND UPPER CUTS
5 STRAIGHT AND UPPER PUNCHES (JAB-CROSS-JOB-CROSS)

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Funk does follow-along video squences where he shows and coaches you on how to do all the moves.

You can build your cardio, shred fat, and feel great – all in just a few minutes per day from the comfort of your own home.

Full program access at the link below:

=> MMA Shred

To your continued success –

-Forest and the FVT Team

14 Day Jump Start

We’re opening our 14 Day Jump Startprogram back up for new and returning clients this month, wanted to post here and make sure you knew about it.

You get:

– 6 workouts over two weeks – in of our regularly scheduled boot camps workouts
– A copy of our 14 Day Rapid Results Meal Plan – takes out all the guesswork, and shows you exactly what and how to eat to get fast results
– Before / After Body Comp Assessment – so that you can get a true starting point on your fitness, as well as measure your results

It’s a great way to “test drive” our group training program, without the commitment.

If you’re interested, fill out the form linked below, and we’ll get back to you ASAP:

=> FVT 14 Day Test Drive

Look forward to hearing from you!

– Forest and the FVT Team

PS – Got a friend that might be interested? Feel free to forward this message their way – in fact, please do!

New Video – 16 Minute Zero Equipment Bodyweight Circuit Workout

The year was 2008.

I was on my honeymoon with my new bride on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

We swam, snorkeled, zip lined, kayaked, hiked, ate incredible meals … it was the trip of a lifetime!

One of the things I also did most mornings was a fifteen or twenty minute minimal equipment – type workout to start the day.

I didn’t have my kettlebells, so these workouts ended up being bodyweight-based.

It was a great way to get things going, get a little sweat on, and get the body and mind ready for the activities of the day.

Whether you are in Hawaii, or travelling somewhere else, or just busy and need a workout you can do in your living room in a short amount of time, bodyweight workouts rock.

Check out today’s workout:

16 Minute – Zero Equipment Bodyweight Circuit Workout

Do as many reps as possible of each exercise in 30 seconds. No rest between exercises. Rest for 60 seconds between each round. Peform four rounds total:

– Squat Jumps
– Alternating Swing Prisoner Lunge
– Double Burpee
– High Plan Hold with “T” Rotation
– Running Jacks

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There you have your 16 Minute Zero Equipment Bodyweight Circuit Workout.

As you know, I love kettlebells! – and they are typically a part of my training program at all times – but bodyweight training is another one of my favorite ways to get a quick, efficient workout any time, any place.

To your continued success –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Personal Trainer
ForestVance.com

PS – If you found this video helpful, check out my Beginner’s Guide to Kettlebell Training.

It’s a great compliment to this workout, and you’ll get a “crash course” on how to use kettlebells safely and effectively to reach your fitness goals, complete with a sample workout to try. Get it now at this link: https://www.forestvancetraining.com/beginnerguidetokbs

Meet LeAnne (FVT Remote Coaching Success Story)

LeAnne had been following my email newsletters and social media posts for a couple of months.

She wanted to get stronger, improve her nutrition, and overall health.

Only problem was, we lived many states apart!

But luckily, we had a solution: FVT Remote Coaching.

We were able to get LeAnne some amazing results, with her never even setting foot in either of our actual physcial studio locations.

(She did end up coming out to one of my in-person kettlebell workshops – but that wasn’t until we had worked together for about two years already in a distance coaching format.)

Check out this review LeAnne recently left on Facebook:

“I’ve been working with Forest for over a year and a half and couldn’t be happier to have such a knowledgeable trainer! Forest has kept me on my toes and has helped me make big gains in my strength, nutrition and overall health.

He is easy to communicate with and is honest with his feedback. Although we lived many states apart he has always been there for me. I have a deep love for kettlebell training, and he is the best I’ve found for online group and personal training!”

And here’s a pic of LeAnne doing a Turkish get up with a 40 pound kettlebell:

If you are out of the Sacramento area … or even if you are in the area, but just can’t make it in regularly due to schedule, time, or other reasons … we got you covered!

Two options:

1 – Join our upcoming 28 day 1000 Kettlebell Challenge. We’ll give you workouts to do each week on your own, you’ll get daily coaching and accountability from us, and much more. All for a SUPER affordable price. Details and sign up here.

2 – Leave me a message here to inquire about my VIP Remote Coaching program. This is where we will custom tailor a workout specifically for you and your exact goals, and work with you closely and personally to help you get there as fast as possible.

To your continued success!

-Forest and the FVT Team