OCR “Domination” Workout [sample]

The Spartan race we did at Sqaw Valley in Lake Tahoe last year was an unforgettable experience.

I hesitate to call it “fun” – because it was a SERIOUS challenge of the body, mind, and spirit –

But it is such a great feeling to train and prepare for such an event, and then complete it successfully.

The entire group of what was I believe 8 or 9 of us finished, and finished strong.

And I think it was largely due to the 12 week program we did leading up to it, using workouts like the sample below:

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*SACTO LOCALS – sign up here for our next in-person OCR prep program, starting April 16th

*SELF GUIDED TRAINING PLAN – get my OCR Domination program here

OCR “Domination” Workout [sample]

100 Secs Jump Rope (for conditioning)
– 20 Sec rest
100 Secs Bear Crawls (great practice / prep for the variety of crawling done during the events)
– 20 Sec rest
100 Secs Step Ups (more conditioning)
– 20 Sec rest
100 Secs Pull Ups (SO many of the obstacles require pulling strength and grip strength – working on it is CRITICAL to success)
– 20 Sec rest
100 Secs Jumping Jacks (even more conditioning)
– 20 Sec rest
100 Secs Carries (tons of carries in the Spartan – from sandbags to Atlas stones to buckets full of gravel – this is critical to practice too)
– 20 Sec rest
100 Secs Running (even MORE conditioning)
– 20 Sec rest
100 Secs Burpees (you end up doing 30 burpees for any obstacle you miss – so you better be ready!)
– 20 Sec rest

Complete 2-3 rounds total

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If this reading this has given you that feeling in your gut, like – “I gotta do one of these things!” –

I highly encourage you to take on the challenge. You will get better physically and mentally as a result.

BUT – and I say this from personal experience, having not really trained seriously for my first one, and getting burned – YOU MUST BE PREPARED.

SACTO LOCALS – sign up here for our next in-person OCR prep program, starting April 16th.

SELF GUIDED TRAINING PLAN – get my OCR Domination program here.

To your OCR success! –

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

SPCA Charity Boot Camp – Sat, April 21st, 9am @ FVT Pocket / Greenhaven

We are hosting a Charity Boot Camp Saturday, April 21st @ 9am at our Pocket / Greenhaven location.

This is a full 45 minute FVT boot camp workout, specifically for:

– Current clients who want to come out, get great workout in, and support the cause
– Friends, family members, and co-workers of current clients who want to come out, get great workout in, and support the cause
– Past who want to come out, get great workout in, and support the cause
– Anyone who wants to support the SPCA and try a workout at FVT

However, BECAUSE we are hosting this event at our Pocket / Greenhaven location (full address – 7485 Rush River Drive, Sacramento, CA, 95831), SPACE WILL BE LIMITED. We can fit 15 people MAX at the space for a training session there.

So if you would like to attend, you MUST reserve a spot ahead of time, using the link below. Spots at the workout will be first come, first serve. Do so by clicking the link below, filling out the form with your name, email, and phone, and then following the link (you’ll get this after registering your spot) to the donation page to make your contribution:

SPCA Charity Boot Camp – Sat, April 21st, 9am @ FVT Pocket / Greenhaven

Look forward to seeing you there!

– Forest and the FVT Team

PS – Proceeds towards this event support Team FVT at the 2018 Doggy Dash! If you would like to join us for the event itself, let us know next time you are at the studio, all are welcome 🙂

More info on the event at the link below:

https://www.classy.org/fundraiser/1363219

 

recommended Probiotic supplement

About two weeks ago, I did something called the “Mean Bean Challenge”

In support of Tearfund and their efforts to help put an end to poverty and hunger, I got people to sponsor me as I ate NOTHING but porridge, rice and beans … and drank NOTHING but water … for 5 full days.

It was quite the experience. VERY difficult.

One thing I fully expected was … well … a lot of farts.

I mean, come on! That’s a LOT of beans!!! 🙂

But, interestingly, that didn’t happen. I was trying to figure out why. And I think a big reason was, the Probiotic supplement I have been taking.

It contains 30 billion (CFU) live friendly bacteria cells per serving which promotes all aspects of digestion, including breakdown of food, absorption of nutrients, and removal of waste. It’s also got a clinically tested prebiotic, NutraFlora®, that enhances the growth and colonization of healthy bacteria.

A probiotic supplement is interestingly one of the most important supplements you can take that can enhance your overall health.

Since I have been taking this supplement and really enjoying the benefits, I contacted the guys at Previnex to see if there was any kind of special discount or anything that they could provide to FVT newsletter readers. It is your lucky day! – because they hooked you up with a coupon for 15% off:

Get 15% off Previnex Probiotic – use this link and enter discount code “fitnessmonster” at check out

At the end of the day, if you are experiencing digestive issues, and you recognize the impact that this can have on your overall health, this supplement gets my recommendation.

If you do end up ordering and testing it out, I would love to hear about results.

To your optimal health! –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Personal Trainer
ForestVance.com
PS – BTW – Tearfund has had 920 people participate in the Challenge so far, and has raised a total of 190,000 dollars!

If you would like to dontate and support the cause, you can still do so for a little while longer at the link below:

Forest’s Mean Bean Challenge page

recommended Joint Health supplement

Recently, along with an awesome group from FVT, I trained for and ran a Spartan race.

I’ve had two surgeries on my right knee, and typically, during the training, which includes a good amount of running, I get knee pain.

This was the first time I can remember for YEARS – training for events like this, Triathlons, 5k’s, 10k’s, etc – that I had very LITTLE knee pain.

And I think a big reason was because of the joint health supplement I have been taking.

It’s called Previnex Joint Health Plus. It is the natural source of all four nutrients necessary for healthy joint tissues (Glucosamine, Hyaluronic Acid, Chondroitin, and Collagen). And it is clinically shown to reduce stiffness and improve joint flexibility is 7 to 10 days.

Since I have been taking this supplement and really enjoying the benefits, I contacted the guys at Previnex to see if there was any kind of special discount or anything that they could provide to FVT newsletter readers. It is your lucky day! – because they hooked you up with a coupon for 15% off:

Get 15% off Previnex Joint Health Plus – use this link and enter discount code “fitnessmonster” at check out

At the end of the day, if you are looking for something to help with joint pain and flexibility, IMO, this is well worth a try!

If you do end up ordering and testing it out, I would love to hear about results.

To your optimal health –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Personal Trainer
http://bit.ly/previnexfvtdiscount

STOP doing “American” swings (WHY, and what to do instead)

If you missed it – I opened up the video QnA this week to ALL fans of my KB Basics FB page.

It was a great one! – we went for ~20 mins, and covered topics such as:

– why you probably should NOT be doing overhead swings – and what to do instead
– advanced grip tips on the clean and snatch
– advanced rack position tips

And more.

Check it out below:

Hope it helps, to your success! –

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Kettlebell Instructor
ForestVance.com

why YOU should do an Obstacle Course Race in 2018

I LOVE this quote from the Spartan.com website:

“Helping people achieve their fitness and health goals and positively transforming their lives by changing what they believe is possible”

On that note, here are 3 reasons why YOU should do an Obstacle Course Race in 2018:

1 – It gives you something to train for. You know you have an event that you’ll need to be in top shape for coming up in 8 to 12 weeks, so you are on top of your game – and as a result, lose fat, get stronger, and into great shape.

2 – You will get a chance to work on your ALL AROUND fitness. Let’s face it – people gravitate towards what they are good at. But with these events, you have to have great endurance, PLUS good upper body strength, PLUS much more.

3 – It gets you better as a person. Seriously! By challenging yourself and doing something that you didn’t think was possible, you get better in every way.

So – what are you waiting for? We have a special training starting in a couple of weeks (April 16th). 5 of the 10 available spots are already taken. Hop on board for the ride of your life!

http://nanacast.com/vp/10005846/

– Forest and the FVT Team

 

Join Team FVT at Doggy Dash 2018

The 25th annual Doggy Dash is coming – Saturday, April 28th!

And we are putting together a team this year for the event 🙂

You must register by Friday, March 30th AND join team FVT on sign up to get your special shirt with the team name on it. Do so at the link below:

http://www.sspca.org/25th-anniversary-doggy-dash

Your registration and participation in the Doggy Dash help the Sacramento SPCA care for more than 5,500 animals annually. Funds raised from this event provide medical care to sick or injured animals, low-cost vaccinations, spay/neuter services for the local community, behavior training, humane education programs and much more!

Let’s do this!

– Forest and the FVT Team

CONGRATS TEAM FVT OCR [pic]

BIG CONGRATS TO TEAM FVT – Keith, Buzzy, Kris, Pam, Erik, Tiffany and Forest – for successfully completing the San Jose Spartan Sprint yesterday, Sunday, March 25th, 2018!

It was a Challenging course, about 5 miles, lots of hills, and 20 or so obstacles … I am really proud of everyone for doing so well.

It is amazing to see people achieve their fitness and health goals and positively transform their lives by changing what they believe is possible. Because THAT is what these events are all about!

Info copied below on our next 8 week Obstacle Course Race training program, if you want to join.

To your success! –

– Forest and the FVT Team

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Spring 2018 FVT Obstacle Course Race Prep Program is LIVE!

First group workout is April 16th, and spots are limited … sign up now!

– This is for folks who have a base of fitness established, and want to take their workouts to the next level.
– This program is specifically geared towards prepping for the June 9 / 10 Spartan Super in Monterey)
– We’ll start the training April 16th … there are 8 training sessions total in this program
– We’ll do the training on Monday mornings at 6am, at our 1530 X Street location, and the workouts will go a full hour, 6am – 7am.
– I’ll write up a complete workout plan for the week for everyone doing the training, so we’ll meet and work out together as a group on Monday mornings, but then you’d have a complete plan to follow for the rest of the time as well.

Full details and reserve your spot at the link below (these fill fast!!):

http://nanacast.com/vp/10005846/

– Forest and the FVT Team