ShareToday, I have a guest post from my friend and Kettlebell Expert Forest Vance. He is a former NFL superstar and lives over in sunny California. Seeing as the weather is turning scary, this post will you avoid common at home workout mistakes.
Over to you, Forest.
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Forest Vance, Certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor
Author, Kettlebell Challenge Workouts
Do you make these common at-home training mistakes?
In my college years, and during my brief two year “cup of coffee” in the NFL, I had lots of time to work out. Staying in peak physical condition was a top priority – if not THE top priority – in my life.
Nowadays, things are different. I have family obligations, work obligations, social obligations, travel obligations, community/contribution/charity obligations … the list goes on and on … but the moral of the story, is that time is limited.
You might say “but Forest, you have your own gym and spend all day, every day working there!”
Well, this is true … but, believe it or not, with all the things we have going from this list above, and a lot more I probably didn’t even think of, I don’t always have time to get the length and quality of workouts that I would like to.
Now, you may have not played sports at the college or pro level, but I am sure that when it comes to lack of time, you can relate. It’s a major thing that keeps a lot of folks from reaching their ultimate fitness goals.
So, you, like me, may get some or all of your workouts at home. This is a great way to go when you are crunched for time.
You also, like me, may use kettlebells and your own body weight as your primary at-home training tools. This is also a great way to go, as these two training modalities, in my opinion, give you the maximum bang-for-your-training-buck.
This set up can work incredibly well. BUT – there are some key components to your ultimate at-home workout success. Miss these, and your workouts will not be all that they could be.
Forest’s top five ways to get the best, quickest, and most effective at-home kettlebell/body weight workouts:
1. Have a designated workout space
If I try to work out in my living room, and my dog and cats are running between my feet as I am doing kettlebell swings, it compromises the quality of my workout.
We are fortunate to have moved to a larger home recently, and now have a designated workout room. This has made all the difference.
If you do not have a separate room, it’s all good – just carve out some space somewhere where you can do your workouts.
2. Plan ahead
Know exactly when you are going to work out ahead of time, put it in your schedule, and stick to it.
Working out at home can be one of those things that you might feel like you don’t need to put into your schedule – but if it’s not in there, the chances of it actually happening go down DRASTICALLY.
*One great way to maximize your at-home training results is with kettlebell challenge workouts. And I have my new Kettlebell Challenge Workouts program on sale this weekend at a stupid-low price. Click here to check it out:
=> Kettlebell Challenge Workouts
3. Get your mind right
You have to make a specific effort to get in the right mind state when you are working out at home. It’s easy to be thinking about other stuff when you are not in a dedicated and separate workout environment.
Take a couple of minutes to turn off your computer, put your phone on silent, and get your mind right for the workout ahead.
4. Have a specific plan in mind
Make sure that you have a workout that you are going to do planned ahead of time. You also want to have a progressive plan that builds and works towards a goal over time – NOT half-hazard routines that are just thrown together for the day. This will maximize what you get out of each workout session, and the progress you make over time.
5. Do challenge workouts
Challenging yourself both mentally and physically on a regular basis will help you take your workouts to the next level. And semi-regular challenge workouts will help you do just that. I use them in my own home workouts once or twice per month, and they are an incredible training tool that, now, I couldn’t do without.
To sum up, if you are working out at home, you CAN get awesome workouts. But, there are some common mistakes that you absolutely need to avoid to maximize your situation. Implement the tips in this article, and start getting better at-home workouts today!!
Forest Vance, MS, CPT, RKC II
PS - If you liked this article, and want to learn more about the challenge workout concept I mentioned in the last tip, check out my new KCW program – it’s on sale at a ridiculous price until Sunday night:
=> Kettlebell Challenge Workouts
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Thanks for the awesome article Forest! Bad weather is a lame excuse to skip a workout. Like Forest said, you CAN get awesome workouts at home.
Have an awesome day.
KV
