Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning

© Forest Vance Training, Inc.http://forestvance.com

http://forestvance.com/

Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning

Disclaimer

Strenuous physical exercise can be a dangerous activity. There are inherent risks in any physical activity, intense fitness training is no exception. The use of professional instruction is recommended before entering into any type of sport or physical exercise. You should become knowledgeable about the risks involved and assume personal responsibility for your actions. Theinformation contained within this manual may or may not be accurate and is open to interpretation.

© 2012 Forest Vance Training, Inc. 2http://forestvance.com



Contents

About Forest Vance & The Extreme Kettlebell Conditioning Program … 4

Introduction & Background … 5

The Program … 9

Exercise Descriptions … 14

Bonus Content … 27

Conclusion … 32

Additional Resources … 33




About Forest Vance & The Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning Program

Forest Vance has a Master of Science in Human Movement and is a Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor. He is also a Personal Trainer, Gym Owner, Blogger, Author and Fitness Entrepreneur based out of Sacramento, CA.

From the author:

This program is not for the faint of heart – but if rapid fat loss and extreme cardio conditioning are what you’re after, you’ll love it!

Once you finish this report, be sure to check out my main site at http://forestvance.com – you'll find out more about my websites, gym, workout programs, books and DVDs, membership site, and much more.

Forest Vance, Master of Science, Level II Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor





“Cardio” - Defined

Before we get into all of the Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program details, a quick question: how do you define “cardio”?

It might conjure up images of folks pedaling away on recumbent stationary bikes at the health club, catching up on the latest E! channel celeb gossip …

Or you might think of running or biking outdoors …

But odds are you probably DON’T think of cardio and lifting weights of any kind as one in the same. So my goal with this kettlebell cardio program is to PERMANENTLY change the way you think about cardio …

Let’s start with some defining facts about cardio from healthstatus.com:

Cardio exercise is any exercise that raises your heart rate … Cardio exercise uses large muscle movement over a sustained period of time, keeping your heart rate to at least 50% of its maximum level … You need a minimum of 20 minutes of continued elevated pulse to get the best results …

So – if we elevate the heart rate, utilize large muscles of the body, work at a reasonable and sustained intensity, and do it for a continuous period of time, we’re good to go – no matter our implements/training tools of choice.

Kettlebells happen to be a great tool to elevate the heart rate quickly. And if we work at a high – but sustainable – intensity with them for a continuous period, we get a killer kettlebell cardio workout ...




Why Interval Cardio Is A Better Solution For Fat Loss

Now that we've defined what “cardio” is … and established that kettlebells are a viable and useful tool for doing it … we're going to talk about the best way to set up your cardio workouts – interval-style!Here are three quick reasons why I hate traditional, long/slow cardio, and why intervals are superior for fat loss and super-human conditioning:

1) LSD cardio is mind-numbing

Doing 45 minutes of low-to-medium intensity cardio on a stationary bike or treadmill is seriously boring. That’s why I was excited when I found out that LSD (long-slow-distance cardio) is not the best way to lose fat …

2) It’s unfavorable for “positive” changes in body composition

Perfectly evidenced by the pic above … high-intensity, interval-based cardio is the type of training the individual on the right does on a regular basis …




low-intensity, sustained effort training is the type the individual on the left does for his sport. Which physique would you rather have? I rest my case.

3) Humans aren’t designed to work this way

To quote Mark Sission of the Primal Blueprint:

Humans were just not designed to work for extended periods of time at 80-90% VO2max. Our evolutionary blueprint, the last draft of which was completed well over 10,000 years ago, set us up as great slow-movers and occasional fast sprinters.



http://kettlebellbasics.net/primalblueprint


Interval Cardio Programming

According to an article from Craig Ballentyne (fat loss expert and author of the famous Turbulence Training program) on ArticleClick.com, variety is one of the main keys in your interval program that prevents you from hitting a fat loss plateau. Three ways you can switch up your cardio interval workouts include:

• Increasing or decreasing the length of the interval (while decreasing or increasing the intensity, respectively)

• Increasing or decreasing the number of intervals per workout• Increasing or decreasing the rest time between intervals

And so, through some unique and fun programming strategies, we're going to incorporate all of these methods into the Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program for maximum results in minimum time ...



http://fatlosshowto.info/


The Program

Overview

• Workout is to be performed every other day for five weeks (42 days). Perform workout one on day one, workout two on day three, etc.

• On “off” days, do about 30 minutes of easy cardio like jogging, biking, swimming, etc. Shoot for about a 6-7/10 intensity level.

• Take one day off per week completely.• Do all workouts circuit-style – perform the first exercise, rest the

allotted time, move on to the next, repeat for sequence, start over.• Set your timer for sixty second intervals. Perform prescribed reps

of exercise. Rest period is from the time the set is finished until timer goes off for the next 60 second period. Complete entire workout in this fashion.

• Do three (beginner) to five (advanced) rounds total of each day's exercise sequence. (Meaning you'll end up doing three to five sets total of each exercise)

• Make sure to perform a SMR/joint mobility/dynamic stretching/etc. warm-up and static stretch cool down.

Other Tips/Guidelines

• This workout is all about intensity. It's very low volume, especially at the beginning … so if it's too easy for you, you need to pick harder exercise variations and/or heavier weights.

• For example, five sets of 15 handstand push ups and 25 swings with the beast with minimal rest is tough no matter who you are :)

• On the other hand, if you want to make the workout easier, just regress the exercises (ex. Knee push ups) and use lighter weights.

• If you can't do regular pull ups yet, do body rows (see exercise description section) and double the prescribed reps.

• Windmills are a tricky exercise. Take your time to follow the recommended progression and learn them properly.




21 Fat Burning Kettlebell Cardio Workouts

1

10 push ups15 swings

2


3


4

4 rack squats/side4 pull ups

5


6





7

10 push ups15 swings4 windmills/side

8


9


10

4 rack squats/side4 pull ups1 TGU/side

11

6 rack squats/side6 pull ups2 TGU's/side

12

8 rack squats/side8 pull ups3 TGU's/side




13

10 push ups15 swings4 windmills/side6 lunges/side

14


15


16

4 rack squats/side4 pull ups1 TGU/side4 burpees

17

6 rack squats/side6 pull ups2 TGU's/side6 burpees




18

8 rack squats/side8 pull ups3 TGU's/side8 burpees

19

1 TGU/side15 swings4 windmills/side4 rack squats/side4 burpees

20

2 TGU's/side20 swings4 windmills/side6 rack squats/side6 burpees

21

3 TGU's/side25 swings6 windmills/side8 rack squats/side8 burpees




Exercise Descriptions

The Swing

1. Start by performing a simple sumo deadlift with the kettlebell between the feet. This is the movement you need to get down before you move on to a full blown swing. Focus on pulling your butt back behind you with your hip flexors and moving through the hips instead of squatting. The deadlift and the squat are two very distinct and different movements. Your back should stay completely flat and you should feel a stretch in the back of the legs if you're doing the movement properly.

2. Once you have the deadlift down, you can try a ½ swing. Two things to think about: make sure you're 'hike passing' the weight back between the legs on the downswing; again, this movement is like a deadlift, not a squat. Try to get the bottom of the kettlebell to face the wall behind you as you hike pass it back. Then, snap the hips and swing the weight up. If you're doing it right, the arms are loose and the legs are doing the job of lifting the weight. It's not a squat and front raise, it's a hip snap. The knees lock out and the hips come all the way through – the force is then efficiently transferred to the upper body.

3. When you feel comfortable with the ½ swing, you can progress to the full swing. The mechanics of this movement are the same as the half swing, the hip snap is just more powerful and the 'bell should swing up to about shoulder height.




Single-hand Swing

Now, there are several variations of the basic swing. The first one we'll cover is the single-hand swing. The form here should be identical to the basic swing, with one exception: turn the hand slightly in on the bottom of the movement. You should feel like you're pouring a pitcher of water. This is to pre-stretch the external rotators and allow for a more comfortable bottom position of the swing.

Another thing to keep in mind is shoulder and lat engagement; the elbow should be straight, but be sure to pull the shoulder back 'into its socket'; don't let the arm separate from the body as you swing the weight up. Keep the lats (the muscles underneath your armpits) tight and flexed at all times.




Hand-to-Hand Swing

All the same coaching points apply to the hand-to-hand swing as do the one hand swing; just switch hands now when the kettlebell is in front of you in mid-air.




Turkish Get Up

In contrast to the swing, the get-up is a slow and controlled movement – it's considered a 'grind'. As a frame of reference, fast, explosive movements like the swing, clean, and snatch are considered 'ballistics'.

We worked the back of the body with the swing – the hams, glutes, and back – now we're hitting most of the muscle groups in the front. This is a highly complex movement, so I'll break it down into steps for you:

1. Start by lying on the ground with the kettlebell at your side. Grab the 'bell, pull it into your body, and roll to your back.

2. Press the single kettlebell straight up to the sky. Make sure your wrist is straight and you have a firm grip on the kettlebell handle.

3. 'Punch' up towards the ceiling while rolling on to the elbow at the same time. Your shoulder blades are pinched together and the chest is 'high'.




This is the first 'half' of the movement. You'll want to learn the movement by getting this part down first, with no weight to start, and then with weight added as you get better at it. This is not only something to practice, but a viable exercise; I use the ½ get-up in personal training sessions and group classes all of the time. Once you have the ½ get-up down, it's time to progress to doing the complete movement, which involves standing all the way up.

Next, bring the knee 'through' your hips and to about six inches away from the same hand.

Squeeze the glute and come up to a lunge position; take a deep breath, hold it, and stand up.

4. Slowly reverse the motion and return to the ground.




Pull-Up/Body Row

The pull-up is your basic upper body pull. You can perform this exercise with your palms facing away or palms facing towards you. Start with arms fully extended; drive the elbows towards the ground, lead with the chest, and keep the shoulders down and back through the top of the movement.

To perform the Beginner Pull-up, start by finding a bar about chest high. A railing outside would work – I found a perfect bar at a playground for our photo shoot. Shift your body underneath the bar so that the exercise is challenging for you but not impossible. You’ll have to play with your body position a little to get it just right.

The movement is just like a Pull-Up, but your feet stay on the ground. Drive the elbows down towards the ground, the hips and shoulders should stay down and back.




Rack Squat

To perform the squat, start with your feet between hip and shoulder width apart, and your toes pointed straight ahead or slightly out. Weight is back through the heels, chest is tall, and shoulder blades are pushed down and back. Sit back as if you’re sitting on a chair. The lower legs should stay completely vertical. Imagine that you are stuck in cement up to your knees.

In the rack squat, the kettlebell is simply racked on one side; this adds a unique core and stabilization challenge to the exercise.




Push Up

The basic version of the push-up is performed from the toes. Starting from the ground, the body is nice and straight, your chest, hip, and thighs should all be in the same plane. Your shoulders are pushed down and back, abs are engaged, and your glutes are squeezed.




Burpee

The burpee is one of the greatest total-body conditioning exercises of all time; it can be performed with nothing, but your own body weight, it works nearly every muscle in your body and requires very little space.

Start the burpee in a standing position. Jump your feet back and land in a push-up position. Do a push-up, jump your feet forward and jump in the air. Repeat for reps!




Lunge

To perform the lunge, take a giant step out, your weight should still be through the heel, and your knee should be tracking over the toe. Make sure the knee doesn’t come out over the toe. The lower leg position is very similar to that of a squat.




Windmill

The windmill is an awesome exercise for building core strength, shoulder stability and mobility, for “unlocking” the hips, and a whole lot more … however, it's a bit tricky to master. Follow this progression to learn the exercise:

Weightless Windmill

Start with a ketttlebell at the instep of your foot. Your feet should be pointed to the side at approximately 45 degrees.

Poke your hip out to the side. The movement in this exercise is coming from the hip and not the torso.

Let the hand slide down the leg; tap the 'bell and stand up.

(You're imagining you have a kettlebell in your top hand throughout the movement here.)




Bottom-Hand Windmill

Same exact movement; now you're simply picking up the 'bell with your bottom hand.




Standard Windmill

Same movement – only now the KB is overhead. Arm is locked, shoulder is “packed” - same principles as the TGU. Make sure you tense the glute and engage the core to stand up.




Bonus Section #1: Diet vs. Exercise Video

The kettlebell workout program in this manual focuses on fat loss … but it's very important to note that without a clean diet, your KB workout efforts will be a complete waste.

Here's a great video that shows you why DIET is such an important component of fat loss.

Click the link below to watch the video now:

=== >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbuzsY_34Q

And also, if you haven't yet checked out the 5 Minute Fat Loss diet/meal planning program designed to go with this workout plan, you can do so here:

=== >> 5 Minute Fat Loss



http://kettlebell-circuits.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbuzsY_34Q


Bonus Section #2: Kettlebell Lower Back Pain – Causes & Fixes

I see the same “kettlebell issues” pop up over and over again at my kettlebell workshops – and with training clients in general – and one of the biggest ones is kettlebell lower back pain. That is, people complain of their lower backs hurting during and/or after a kettlebell training session.

Plainly put, this is bad. Because kettlebell exercises folks typically get back pain from doing – like swings, snatches, and cleans – aren’t exercises for your lower back! In fact, if you’re doing these exercises correctly, you shouldn’t feel them in your back at all.

Now while there are a variety of reasons why this can happen, in 90%+ of cases I see there are two main causes: 1) muscle (specifically core) weakness and 2) poor form. In this article, I’m going to cover each of these KB LBP causes in a little more detail, and show you how to fix them.

Kettlebell lower back pain reason #1: muscle weakness

Lifting a kettlebell in a balistic fashion – as you do in a swing, snatch, or clean – will require your body to brace to stabilize the movement. It will also place demands on the core muscles of your torso, including your lower back.

If your core muscles are weak, you won’t be able to brace effectively. And you’ll get lower back pain.

Fix:

Check out this post for a quick test and my #1 exercise to improve your core strength:

How To Tell If Your Core Muscles Are Weak (plank test)



http://www.thefitnessmonster.com/2011/09/how-to-tell-if-your-core-muscles-are-weak-plank-test.html


Kettlebell lower back pain reason #2: poor form

Poor form – specifically during KB movements where you flex forward at the hip – is another cause of kettlebell lower back pain.

Fix:

In a post on my kettlebell blog, KettlebellBasics.net, I covered two common kettlebell technique mistakes that cause lower back pain (and fixes to them as well) – click the link below to see that post now:

Lower Back Pain During The Kettlebell Swing – Causes & Fixes



http://kettlebellbasics.net/2010/11/04/lower-back-pain-during-the-kettlebell-swing-causes-and-fixes/


Bonus Section #3: The Real Truth About Buying A Kettlebell

Are you currently looking to purchase a kettlebell?

Are you trying to find a ‘bell at the lowest possible price AND the best possible quality?

In this article, I’ll reveal the REAL TRUTH about buying a kettlebell … and answer these common kettlebell purchase questions.

See, when I started casually training with kettlebells about five years ago, I didn’t have a clue of what kettlebell brand was the best. My first kettlebell purchase was – quite embarassingly – a plastic-coated ’bell from the local super store. The ‘bell was way too light – I had no idea of what size I needed and figured I’d just start with a small one because it was cheap – and after a few months of heavy use, the plastic actually started to wear off and the handle started to chip. Bad first purchase – but live and learn …(I also didn’t know what the heck I was doing in terms of training techique, but that’s a story for another day …)

The next set of KBs I picked up were significantly better in quality. I’ve had this set for the last five years, still train with them today, and they’re perfectly fine for basic kettlebell use.

Then, at the June ’09 RKC, I trained with a Dragon Door ‘bell for the first time – and could immediately tell the difference. I still remember doing the 100 rep snatch test and thinking “gosh, this is a little easier than doing this with the ‘bells I have back home” …

The DD ‘bells are balanced better, have a much smoother handle, and have a great quality feel. HOWEVER – they are a bit more costly that a lot of other brands out there – and whether you really need to invest in them depends on your ultimate training goals …



http://kettlebellbasics.net/dragondoorkbs


Here’s the real truth about buying a kettlebell: if you’re just doing some basic two hand swings and TGU’s, and you won’t be using your ‘bell more than two or three times per week, then you can probably get away with a basic brand and save a few bucks. On the other hand, if you’re going to be doing more intermediate-to-advanced moves like cleans and snatches … and if you’re going to be using your ‘bell more frequently … you may want to consider going with a high quality KB brand like Dragon Door.

I AM an RKC instructor. I’m probably biased – I have no problem letting you know this. And there are lots of kettlebell brands out there I haven’t used. But my main point of this article is that training with quality kettlebells is important if you’re going to be serious about it – whatever brand you ultimately choose. And I can vouch first hand for the fact that Dragon Door ‘bells are an excellent, reliable, proven, and 365-day-satisfaction-guaranteed(!) choice.

Find out more about Dragon Door kettlebells by clicking the link below:

=== >> Dragon Door KBs



http://kettlebellbasics.net/dragondoorkbs


Conclusion

You may hate traditional cardio, but that doesn't mean you can't train your heart, build superhuman conditioning levels, and have fun doing it. This Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning program is just what you need to do all of the above!

I wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing your success story!

Forest Vance, Master of Science in Human Movement and Level II Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor

http://forestvance.com





Additional Resources

http://forestvance.com – Info about Forest's gym, websites, books and DVDs, membership site, workshops, apparel, and much more.

http://kettlebellbasics.net – All about kettlebell training! Weekly updates with new kettlebell videos and workouts all the time.

http://fvtcoachingclub.com – Forest's membership site where you can get all of his workout and diet products at a killer discount.



http://fvtcoachingclub.com/

http://kettlebellbasics.net/


Extreme Kettlebell Cardio Conditioning

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