Lifetime Kettlebell Fitness

Gain Strength, Lose Fat, and Move Freely at ANY Age Using the Power
of the Kettlebell!
Forest Vance, MS, RKC II
http://forestvance.com

Lifetime Kettlebell Fitness

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. The
information contained within this manual may or may not be accurate and
is open to interpretation.

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Contents
About the Author 4
Introduction 5
Exercises 6
Workout Plan 13
Hang-Ups and Solutions (reader Q&A) 19
Additional Resources 22

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About Forest Vance

Forest Vance, Master of Science in Human Movement and Certified Russian
Kettlebell Instructor is a personal trainer, gym owner, blogger,
author and fitness entrepreneur based out of Sacramento, CA.
From the author:
Whether you're just getting started with kettlebells or you want a program that's
geared towards gaining strength and balance, reducing stiffness and improving
flexibility, this is the program for you.
I hope this can be the start of an on-going relationship and that I can help you
reach all of your ultimate kettlebell training goals.

Good luck and train hard -

-Forest Vance, MS, CPT, RKC II

ForestVance.com

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Introduction
This program is geared towards 1) folks in any age group that are looking
to get started training with kettlebells correctly right from the start and 2)
more advanced trainees who want to get back to basics and dial in their
technique etc.
The Lifetime Kettlebell Fitness manual is laid out and intended to be used
- in the following way:
1) Exercise descriptions study this part of the manual before you get
started. Make sure you're 100% confident that you're using safe form
in all of the kettlebell exercises.
2) Workout program get started on the workout program as soon as
you feel comfortable with all the exercises covered in the 'exercise
descriptions' section.
3) Hang ups and solutions I cover some common hang ups folks have
with kettlebell training and more specifically a program like this one
and exactly how to address and fix them
4) Additional resources some additional resources, both free and paid,
that help you enhance your results with this program and moving
forward with your kettlebell training
Without further ado, let's get going!

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Exercises
Warm Up Moves
Box squat

Perform these with a box/bench/etc. behind you. The idea is to practice

hinging at the hips and feel like you're sitting back into a chair. Use just
your body weight and a nice, slow, controlled tempo.
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Stretch Combo
Start in a downward dog position. Hold it for about 10-15 seconds. Then,
shoot the right foot forward. The foot should land right by the hand on the
same side. Bring your upper body up into a hip flexor stretch. Hold for 1015 seconds. Return to the downward dog position. Do the same hip flexor
stretch on the other side. This is one rep.

The Swing
KB deadlift progression
face-wall deadlift
To perform the Deadlift, start with your feet between hip and shoulder
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width apart. The feet are going to be slightly narrower than a squat
position here. The best way to learn this exercise is to do it facing a wall.
Just like a Squat, the shins stay vertical, the chest stays up, and the
shoulders stay back, only now we start the movement by pulling our hips
back behind us.

face-away-from-wall deadlift
Same movement, only now you're facing away from the wall and focusing
on pushing your butt back every rep and tapping the wall behind you with
it.

sumo deadlift

This is just 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.

Swing Progression
The kettlebell swing is a complex, often misunderstood, and highly
technical kettlebell move. It forms the foundation of much future kettlebell
work, so it's an absolutely essential exercise to learn properly and continue
to refine as you progress with your kettlebell training. The easiest way to
learn the swing is to break it down into simple steps, as follows:
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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.

standard two hand swing

When you feel comfortable with the 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.

one hand swing

Now, there are several variations of the basic swing. The first one we'll
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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.

The Push Up
knee push up
hands elevated push up
standard from-toes push up
The Turkish Get Up
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 'balistics'.
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:

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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'.

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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 get-up in personal training sessions
and group classes all the time.
Once you have the get-up down, it's time to progress to doing the
complete movement, which involves standing all the way up.

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Full Get 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.
Slowly reverse the motion and return to the
ground.
Get ups are a fantastic exercise for shoulder stability, core strength,
flexibility, hip mobility, and a whole lot more. Between the swing and the
get up you've already worked nearly every muscle in your body.

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The Lifetime Fitness Kettlebell Workout

Week One
We're starting with a very simple workout for your first week. You can
make this workout as easy or as hard as you like use more weight for the
swings, do additional reps, do a harder push-up version, etc.
The workout detailed on the next page is to be performed every other day. On your 'off' days, perform
cardio sessions as described in the 'cardio programming' section. Take one day per week off completely.
You'll follow this pattern for workout frequency and cardio programming throughout the entire
program.

Warm Up
Box Squat
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Stretch Combo
Perform these two exercises back-to-back without rest; repeat the pair of
warm-up movements twice without rest.

Week One Workout

Workout
KB swings - 15 (two hand)
Active Rest Cardio: ~:30
Push-Ups: Max Reps -2
Active Rest Cardio: ~:30
Continue this sequence non-stop for 10 Minutes.

Cool Down
5 minutes of static stretching tight muscle groups only

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Week Two
Week two of the program builds on the first. We'll be doing the same warm
up, but adding in some variations of the kettlebell swing adding a bit of
additional volume to the workout as well.

Warm Up
Box Squat 10-15 repetitions
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Stretch Combo
Perform these two exercises back-to-back without rest; repeat the pair of
warm-up movements twice without rest.

Workout
Swings- 15-20 (two hand/one hand)
'Active Rest'- :30
Push-Ups - Max Reps -2
'Active Rest'- :30
Continue this sequence non-stop for 12 minutes.

Cool Down
5 minutes of static stretching tight muscle groups only

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Week Three
We'll be building on what we've done so far and introducing your next
foundational kettlebell exercise - the Turkish get up.

Warm Up
Box Squat 10-15 repetitions
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Stretch Combo
Perform these two exercises back-to-back without rest; repeat the pair of
warm-up movements twice without rest.

Workout
Swings- 15-20 (two hand/one hand)
'Active Rest'- :30
Turkish get up 3 ea side
'Active Rest'- :30
Continue this sequence non-stop for 15 minutes.

Cool Down
5 minutes of static stretching tight muscle groups only

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Week Four
This week will build upon last week's workout and incorporate some new
moves in addition to adding a bit more volume.

Warm Up
Box Squat 10-15 repetitions
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Stretch Combo
Perform these two exercises back-to-back without rest; repeat the pair of
warm-up movements twice without rest.

Workout
Swings- 15-20 (two hand/one hand)
'Active Rest'- :30
Turkish get up 3 reps ea. Side
'Active Rest'- :30
Continue this sequence non-stop for 18 minutes.

Cool Down
5 minutes of static stretching tight muscle groups only

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Week Five
This week, we'll be building upon last week's workout.

Warm Up
Box Squat 10-15 repetitions
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Stretch Combo
Perform these two exercises back-to-back without rest; repeat the pair of
warm-up movements twice without rest.

Workout
Swings- 15-20 (two hand/one hand/hand-to-hand)
'Active Rest'- :30
Turkish get up 1 reps each Side
'Active Rest'- :30
Continue this sequence non-stop for 18 minutes.

Cool Down
5 minutes of static stretching tight muscle groups only

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Week Six
This week, we'll be adding on to what we've done so far and getting the
best workout yet!

Warm Up
Box Squat 10-15 repetitions
Hamstring/Hip Flexor Stretch Combo
Perform these two exercises back-to-back without rest; repeat the pair of
warm-up movements twice without rest.

Workout
Swings- 15-20 (two hand/one hand/hand-to-hand)
'Active Rest'- :30
Turkish get up 1 reps each Side
'Active Rest'- :30
Continue this sequence non-stop for 20 minutes.

Cool Down

5 minutes of static stretching tight muscle groups only

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Common Hang-Ups and Solutions (reader Q&A)

I thought I'd address common problems/hang up folks run into when
starting a kettlebell program and some possible solutions.
I'm done with this program. What do I do next?
The answer to this depends on where you're at if you feel you've
mastered the exercises presented in this program and you're ready to
move on, the next logical step would be the Kettlebell Basics Quick Start
Guide:
Or, you can start the program over and do the whole thing with increased
resistance, tougher exercise variations and better form.
The biggest obstacle for me has been consistency in the nuitrition
side of things. What should I do?
The eating part is tough but keep on working hard and youll reach those
goals before you know it. Check out this resource for a specifc plan:
http://ultimatefitnessresourcetoolkit.com/bestfatlossdiet/
I have been told not to play or lift heavy due to a medical
condition/injury/etc. What should I do?
You can get a lot of benefit from the exercises and workout presented using
low loads as long as you pay extra special attention to 1) perfect form and
2) optimum muscle activation.
My biggest obstacle I think is time. I know that adjustments need
to be made in my schedule, Im just struggling with where to fit
things in.
Im personally a big believer in the idea that you need to plan your
workouts during a time you know you can make it happen consistently
because its really hard to be consistent and actually stick with the program
for the long term if it's at a time where other commitements consistently
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get in the way.

I have kettlebell ADHD. There are so many different kettlebell
programs and workouts i dont know which way to go. Is your
program geared toward me?
The trick is always to stick with a program long enough to see progress,
but not so long that you adapt and stop seeing results.
I think this program would be great for you just try and temporarily
forget everything youve learned and do it, and it only, for 10 weeks.
I have not been able to run and need to lose weight and gain
strength in my legs without the pounding of running. Is this a good
program for me?
I think kettlebells could be a great solution for burning a ton of calories in a
short period of time in a low-impact way.
The biggest hinderance i am faced with right now is working
around an old __ injury. What do I do?
Kettlebells (done right) are great tools to work around injuries like the one
youre dealing with. Make sure to know your limits and do what you can!

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Additional Resources
If you enjoyed this report, here is where you can find more of my stuff:
http://forestvance.com Forest's site, updated several times each week
with cool new videos, workout tips, and much more.
ALSO here you can sign up for my free email newsletter where you'll get
TONS of free workouts and updates on the latest happenings in the FVT
world
http://facebook.com/kettlebellbasics My Facebook Fan Page 'like' for
free workouts, videos, and a lot more
http://youtube.com/forestvancetraining My YouTube channel updated
weekly (or more) with new body weight and kettlebell training videos
http://forestvance.com/store Online store where you can find all of my
other programs and products!

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Sources Referenced
"FMS vs SFMA." Gray Cook Movement, Functional Movement Systems.
Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://graycookmovement.com/?p=29>.
"Kettlebell Training - What Is Kettlebell Training? Learn the Basics About
Kettlebell Training, Techniques and Exercises." Exercise - Get Weight
Loss Advice, Cardio and Strength Training Workouts, Information on
How to Get Started and More. Web. 01 Jan. 2012.
<http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/a/kettlebelltraining.
htm>.
"Kettlebell." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kettlebell>.
"Return of the Kettlebell - Explosive Kettlebell Training for Explosive Muscle
Gains - By Pavel - Book | Dragon Door." Homepage | Books | Dragon
Door. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://www.dragondoor.com/shop-bydepartment/books/b40/>.
"Sore Knees Exercise | Turbulence Training Fat Loss." Fat Loss Advice From
Craig Ballantyne. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.ttfatloss.com/sore-knees-exercise/>.

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