Exercises (171)
Can "heavier" folks do handstands?
I've often spoken about the amazing benefit that one can get by doing handstand pushups (and handstands) on a regular basis. Talk about some serious, serious strength gains - especially in the upper arms, shoulders, back and chest - and talk about some SERIOUS cardio benefits when you combine this exercise with some others. The handstand pushup lends itself toa fearsome workout, even if I'm saying that myself after completing 3 sets of 10 slow, shoulder popping handstand pushups. . .
But, the very nature of this exercise seems to scare most people off. First, holding your body in an upside down position is in itself not "easy" for most people to think about doing (as opposed to doing - note the difference) - and those trainees that are slightly (or more so) on the heavier side will automatically shy away from them thinking that they are "too big" to do the exercise without injuring themselves.
Bad, bad mistake - remember that when performed with good form, and adequate strength, just about ANYONE can do handstand pushups safely. Executing the movement correctly might be harder to do if your on the heavier side, but you CAN do it - provided you use good form.
And don't just take my word for it - look at some of the "heavier" folks that have done it in the past. Take the English wrestler Bert Assirati - he weighed no less than 240 lbs, and he'd perform movements like the iron cross - and a ONE ARM handstand for reps without giving it a second thought. John Davis (I'm sure you all know who he is!) could do sets of 10 handstand pushups at a bodyweight of 200 lbs - and that ain't no joke either.
And the list likely doesn't stop there either.
Now, I know that these men perfected their skill through hours of practice, which the average trainee isn't willing to put in. I also know that these were some EXCEPTIONALLY strong men - but nowhere does it say that YOU cannot become exceptionally strong through regular training. And while these men may have been on the heavier side, note that it doesn't mean they were FAT - they were big and strong, but not necessarily FAT - there's a difference, and it's an important one.
And I know that some of you are going to Google the guys I just talked about, and come back with "well, he doesn't have a toned midsection", or "where is the 8 pack", or similar comments. And my response will always be the same "Guys, REAL strength has got absolutely nothing to do with a six pack". Why? Well, I've been over that a bunch of times (see the blog for more), but take your average guy with a six pack, and see how well he does on handstands as compared to a wrestler or real strength enthusiast (NOT bodybuilder).
Last, but not least, this isn't an excuse to get fat or heavy - all I'm saying is that being big and strong (a.k.a "heavy") does NOT mean you cannot reap the benefits of this amazing exercise. It takes practice - lots of it - will power to stick at it - but it CAN be done - and it can be done SAFELY at that.
And that's that for today - over and out!
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: Fast and Furious Fitness shows you handstand variations that will build shoulders like boulders: - http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/83-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book
The importance of regular core training
This morning, I did a workout that hammered the entire body, but focused a lot more on the core than I generally do during my regular workouts. Note that this does NOT mean I don't work the core every time I work out - what I'm trying to say is that I concentrated especially on the core today. I do this from time to time, and am absolutely delighted with the progress I'm making.
Remember that the core is one of the most important parts of the body you can train. Train nothing else but the core, and you'll have good all round development - but concentrate mostly on the "beach muscles" as most of the gymgoers do, and you'll end up as a disconnected bunch of bulky muscles which lack real strength and power.
I could give you a host of reasons behind why core training is so important - and indeed, that would a great topic to cover in a future email, but for now, bear in mind that the core is responsible for connecting your upper body to your lower body - and for facilitating transfer of power as well. If you've got a weak core, there's simply no way you can perform to your full potential on any decent exercise.
Anyway, as I said, today was a "core training" day for me and it went well. One of the exercises I did in my routine was straight leg hanging leg raises for reps - while holding for time - this ONE exercise alone is enough to bring the average gym goer to his knees within a matter of minutes. I did some other exercises as well - exercises that are ignored for the most part - and then finished things off with gymnastic bridging - another superb exercise that I cannot endorse enough.
On that note, when most people talk about bridging - they are referring to the neck bridge, or the "wrestler's bridge". And while these are great as well, the gymnastic bridge is a fantastic variation that you can use from time to time - or use exclusively as a "finisher" if you wish. For those of you that are interested in learning the gymnastic bridge, be sure and grab a copy of Fast and Furious Fitness where you'll learn how to do it the right way. Do NOT attempt these unless you have the form down pat - this goes double for all exercises, but especially tough core exercises.
And make sure you make core training a regular part of your routine - not just something to do "at the end of your workout", or "something else to do after the cardio". That is NOT how to approach core training - you need to approach core training with utmost seriousness, and devote certain days almost exclusively to core training. Do so religiously, and you'll make great progress in all your other exercises as well.
And that's the tip for the day - back again tomorrow!
Best regards
Rahul
PS: There are many other great core movements that you can do that will give you a fantastic workout - for more on this, see Fast and Furious Fitness.
One thing at a time, pardner
One of the more common mistakes many new trainees make is to do too many exercises in a given workout. This is sometimes due to misinformation from the muscle mags or from junk posted on the Internet - you know, the type of routines that purpotedly take 3-4 hours daily to complete, include just about every exercise under the sun and then some (except the good ones) and put plenty of emphasis on "pumping and toning".
And sometimes, it's not even that - you'll find a beginner raring to go with GOOD exercises. He'll read about all the different types of good exercises he can do, and he'll start working them - but trouble is, a lot of times, he ends up trying to get good at ALL of them - at the same time. And this usually leads to frustration as he's attempting something that isn't easily done (unless you spend your entire day training, and even then it's tough to improve on tons of exercises at the same time). This leads to frustration, the trainee stops getting the results he'd like from his routine, gets disillusioned with it, and may end up dropping it altogether. Not good.
It's more common than you'd think, and yet, it's easily avoided by keeping this one maxim in your mind "One thing at a time, partner" (pardner, if you so choose).
Remember that it's ALWAYS better to pick a HANDFUL of exercises, and literally grind your body into the dust trying to get better at them, than picking 50 exercises and moving from one to the other without really improving on any of them. If your doing things right, and giving it your all, then it should be impossible for you to focus fully on - and make good progress in - more than a handful of exercises.
For instance, I focused on JUST pushups and pullups for my upper body routine this morning. That's it - no dips, no supplementary exercises I often do - just pushups and pullups. And my shoulders, chest and forearms feel like they're about to explode - at one point, I was doing good just to make it past a set of pushups and move on to the pull ups.
And I'm not saying not to try new things - not at all. Once you get good at a certain exercise, by all means try another one and get good at that as well - that's what I do myself. But the thing to avoid is "flitting from exercise to exercise without getting good at any of them" - do so, and you'll make great gains.
And just so you know, this is just as applicable to advanced trainees as it is to those that are just starting out. It doesn't matter if you can bang out 500 pushups per workout, or if you max out at 50 - the advice is just as applicable. Focus on ONE thing at a time for a given workout, and literally work that exercise (and your body) into the ground.
Incorporate this bit of advice into your training, and watch your results go through the roof in very little time.
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: For more shoulder popping workouts, Fast and Furious Fitness is what you need to be focusing on.
The truth about abdominal training, and some forgotten ab exercises
Most of the modern day theories about training the abdomen aim at developing the trainee's "six pack", to get the desired "look". Whenever someone talks about a healthy midsection, the first thought that springs to mind is "does have a six pack"? Apparently these six muscles at the front of the stomach are the ones that determine if your in good shape or not. In fact, I've seen razor thin folks with six packs that were unable to do a single pull-up - and they were being referred to as "fit". Uh, not in my book though. . .
People have literally forgotten that "abdominal training" is NOT "six pack training". Further, REAL abdominal training is actually all about CORE training - a concept that is an alien to most people as pull-ups done to the chest are for those tugging away at the lat pulldown machines.
And so, we have a host of modern day exercises that claim to get the job done. When one talks about ab training, the first exercise that springs to mind for most people is the "crunch" - an exercise that supposedly "isolates" the abdominal muscles, and allows you to develop them to the fullest. Or you have folks talking about gadgets such as the "tummy trimmer" - this particular contraption was one I saw advertised on late night TV once - a semi-circular sort of instrument in which your lower back "rests" and you rock back and forth - supposedly developing the abdominals. The advertisement claims to have your "abs showing within 10 days without any other exercise".
Uh-huh. . .
And note that while there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting the "six pack" look; most people mess up in that they sacrifice real core strength in favor of crash diets and thousands of crunches. It's OK to get a six pack as a RESULT of your training - but training FOR a six pack is usually a big mistake.
And this brings to me to another topic - forgotten ab exercises. Despite what the "experts" nowadays say, crunches are probably the worst way to train your midsection. They do NOT engage the core to any degree - instead they attempt to isolate certain muscles which defeats the purpose of training the abs in the first place. The old timers did plenty of situps - but those have somehow fallen by the wayside in favor of the "crunch", which is much easier to do - and given how modern day training theories work, that doesn't surprise me one bit.
And while situps are great, and will give you a good core workout, there are many, many other "forgotten" core exercises that will get the job done FAR more efficiently - and will bring even the strongest man to his knees ultimately. Here is a sample "core" routine consisting of some of the core exercises the old timers did: -
- Warm up
- Bear crawl for 30 seconds to a minute
- 50 situps
- Bear crawl for 30 seconds to a minute
- Hanging Leg Raises (shoot for 10 reps, and try and hold for at least 10 seconds on each rep)
- Crab walk for 30 seconds to a minute
- Table pushups
- Hanging "L" holds (10 reps, hold for at least 10 seconds on each rep)
- 50 situps
There, that's a "simple" 15 minute or so routine that should get your core quaking like an earthquake's hit it (along with your grip and shoulders as well). No crunches, and believe me, you won't NEED them once you are through with this.
And if these exercises sound like completely alien to you - well, that's because they've been ignored in favor of easier exercises that don't give you half the results these will. Do them in proper form - the way I teach you in Fast and Furious Fitness - and you'll reap dividends you won't believe.
And one last thing - diet is of paramount importance when it comes to ab training. Actually, any training for that matter - but especially when it comes to abs. You can exercise all day long, but you'll never completely burn the fat off (and keep it off) unless you combine a good exercise routine with a decent diet, such as what I advocate in the Simple and Effective Diet.
So, train the way the old timers did - and follow a good healthy diet along with it - and that's really all you need!
Ok, that endeth today's tip. . .
Best regards,
Rahul
What if you can't do a single pull-up?
Pull-ups are one of the most "complete" exercises that I have ever done. A workout consisting mainly of pull-ups and related exercises will give you strength benefits that are almost unparalleled. You'll build your ENTIRE upper body - especially your back, shoulders, arms and core. And if you do them right, some of the "related" exercises can give you a decent cardiovascular workout as well.
YES, you heard me right - certain types of exercises that fit into the "pull-up" category do have the ability to give you a cardiovascular workout as well. I'm sure your agog to find out just how, and I'll speak about it in a later post, but for now, let's concentrate on another question that is very common. That being "What if I cannot do a single pullup?"
And the reason I'm focusing on this for now is simple - more than 90% of adults cannot do a proper pull-up - and I'm being generous by saying 90% - it's probably more like 95% or so.
The reasons for this vary - some people may not be strong enough, and some are too overweight to do them (I've seen many cases of this). Some may just not WANT to do them because they've been brainwashed into using the lat pulldown machine with false assurances - and if you know someone that falls into that category, well, your not alone.
But whatever it is, the fact remains that a lot of people are unable to do a single full pull-up with proper form and range of motion - even those that genuinely want to get good at this amazing exercise. So, what next? How do you get that first elusive full rep in?
Well, my answer may surprise you. It's NOT doing "negative reps" as is written on most of the Internet, although the concept of negative reps is not a bad one in itself. It's NOT developing the strength to do pull-ups by lifting weights. And I won't even say the secret lies in losing weight if your overweight - though that also helps.
What is it, then.
Well, simply put - just put yourself in your shoes when you were a "young un" runing around in the playground - and do what you'd do back then to improve.
Huh? What good can that do, you might ask. And I can see why your saying that - but still, think about it for a minute. When you were a kid unable to do an exercise (let's say pull-ups), or were just starting out, did you research hours on the Internet for how to do them?
When a baby starts to walk - does it ask others or research how to start walking before it does so?
The answer to both these questions is a big fat NO. The kid simply tries doing pullups until he can do them, and the baby keeps on trying to walk until it can - it's that simple.
The kid does "half-pullups", or "quarter pull-ups" (or whatever he can). He then comes back the next day, and the next, and the next - and does much the same thing. He's not in the least bit worried about "focusing on the lats", or "negative reps", or "slow reps", or anything of that sort - he simply DOES what he can - and before he knows it, he's banging them out with no problem at all - without even thinking about it.
And thats what you need to do as well if you cannot do a single pull-up in proper form. Keep doing what you can, and you'll eventually improve. If all you can do is "half pullups", do sets of those regularly. If you can do one pull-up, but can only do halves after that - then do that - and your strength will improve.
YES - the other things I mentioned (negative reps and all that) do help as well, but what helps the most is doing things naturally. Do what you can - do it regularly, and you'll improve for sure.
And while I'm sure there are some folks out there that will titter upon reading this and say "oh, thats nothing so complicated" - well, no, it's not - but it's also a fact the simplest and most effective things are often ignored by most people!
And as I close out today's email, here's a quote to remember - "Do the thing and you will have the power. But they that do not the thing, had not the power." ~ Emerson, Ralph Waldo.
He's said it better than I ever could.
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: Fast and Furious Fitness talks about many such other tips that will have you doing pull-ups like never before - grab your copy NOW.
"You've got such huge, bulky arms!"
My family members (other than my wife) don't think much of my training at all. And come to think of it, it's not that difficult to understand WHY they don't.
Why not? Well, here are but a few reasons: -
Does my routine include running on treadmills for hours while watching TV?
Does it involve working on a menacing looking contraption (er, machine) that looks like it was brought straight out of Star Trek - with absolutely no concern for form or even caution while tugging at the cables of this behemoth?
Does it involve keeping the cell phone on - and answering it - while exercising?
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. It's sad, but true - all of what I've said above holds true for the average person - especially that last point about the cell phone, and since I don't believe in doing any of that, my routine's obviously "strange" and "doesn't work". Oh, and I don't put much emphasis on six packs (and don't have one myself) - so the routine obviously "is pointless".
Hmm.
Anyway, the other night one of my family members (I'm not going to say who) made this sarcastic comment about "Oh, you've got such huge bulky arms. What's the point of all this? You exercise to excess!".
And that particular comment almost made me laugh out LOUD - though I managed not to.
First, having huge bulky arms (bulky as in strong) and broad, powerful shoulders is NOTHING to be ashamed of. Modern day training "wisdom" emphasizes hours of "pumping the chest" but devotes little time to developing the shoulders and arms - and this is one of the biggest mistakes one can make. And even if we set aside this "wisdom", well, isn't STRENGTH what most folks would like to attain? The family member that made this comment hasn't done one pushup in his entire life - and that in itself says a lot.
Second, my routines don't take longer than 30 minutes (at most). I can do more if I want to - but I don't have to - and I don't think that time period is "excessive".
Third, if the routines "don't work" - how would I develop big bulky arms? You see the point - these sorts of comments are common when your training hard, and doing things DIFFERENTLY from other people - but most of the time, they have little substance behind them.
Anyway, rest assured (if you need assurance on this one) that having big, strong arms and shoulders to match is NOT something to be ashamed of. And no, doing endless sets of bicep curls or "tricep extensions" won't cut the mustard - and won't bring you any results as well. If you really want huge upper arms, arms that look - and ARE - as strong as they look, then follow the upper body routines I mention in Fast and Furious Fitness - and you'll soon be sporting a set of arms that you'll be more than proud of.
And last, but not least, remember to work the shoulders and back into the ground as well - these are KEY to developing huge arms. You should feel TIRED after you got done with your workout - good, but tired as well. In fact, I just got done with my workout - doing exercises I do daily - and my triceps are singing out loud to me as I type this.
And THAT'S the type of training that will bring fantastic results for you as well.
All for now - train hard, and be safe!
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: The kind of training that will bring superlative results for you can be found right HERE.
Another good one for the books
Had a great workout this morning - one straight out of Fast and Furious Fitness. One that had me panting like a runaway steam engine and feeling like I'd been run over by a truck in 30 minutes flat - and then a shorter workout in the local park that hit the grip and back especially well. Great workout, one for the books as it were.
And thats how your training should be as well. One good workout after the other, day in and day out, leads to rapid overall improvement in health, stamina and strength - and more importantly, building up a "repository" of good workouts also ensures you have something stacked away for a "rainy day" - as in, when your too sick to exercise, or maybe recovering from an injury and so forth.
Most people think that they'll lose the progress they've made if they stop exercising due to factors out of their control - but it's important to remember that if you already have a base, you'll eventually get the building built. What's important is that you keep trying to move forward; and that you keep piling on one good workout after the other - the rest will take care of itself.
More on that later.
Anyway, I thought I'd mention that I didn't hit some of my best numbers today during my workout. Didn't quite get the times I'd like for my jump rope routine, but on the other hand, I did my pushups in lesser time - and, if you can believe it, with BETTER form than before. Yes, that sounds hard to believe as I say I do my exercises in good form anyway, but there's always that little bit of room for improvement - regardless of how experienced a trainee you are - and those of you that have been training regularly know what I'm talking about.
So remember that not being able to hit personal bests during a workout is NOT an indication of a bad workout. In fact, and I've said this before as well, it's better NOT to shoot for a personal best in every workout.
And that's it for the day - as I said earlier - another great one for the books! If you train today - make sure you do the same thing as well!
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: - If your searching for routines that you can follow year after year, and still not get bored doing them, then Fast and Furious Fitness is just what the doctor ordered.
Former bodybuilder tells it like it is
Those that know me well know that swimming is one of my favorite pastimes. In addition to it being a a great, great overall body exercise, swimming is also fun and enjoyable to do. It's good for overweight people, it's good for toddlers, and it's great for the average person looking to get in some exercise. Cannot say enough good things about swimming.
Anyway, swimming reminds me of something I thought I should share with you. There was a guy at the pool I swim at who used to participate in bodybuilding competitions. And when I say bodybuilding, I mean it - he looked every bit the part. Gigantic muscles popping out in all directions, an unnaturally slim waist, the flared lats; you get the photo. Now to his credit, this guy was learning how to swim - one of the best things you can do - and being that I used to hare up and down the pool at a pretty decent clip completing my laps, he'd come up to me at times and ask me for pointers on how to improve his technique, breathing style, etc etc.
Now, while I'm certainly no expert on swimming, I helped him out the best I could with what I knew and some tips that I thought would improve his swimming. And while doing so, we started to chat, and got around to talking about exercise routines.
And this brought up the topic of bodybuilding, and what this guy did full time for many years before taking to the pool. And it aint pretty - think 8 hours of pumping iron (not kidding you - 8 full hours pumping iron daily), making sure he got enough food in him, and of course, the anabolic steriods which is pretty much a must - do if your anyone of any repute in the bodybuilding field.
"Well, at least you must have built up a considerable amount of strength with all that weight training", I told him.
And his response was this: "Yes, to a degree - but whats the point? My muscles hurt when I swim with any regularity, and I've already had TWO heart attacks. My wife fears the third one could be the last, so I quit professional bodybuilding at that point".
So, how old was this guy? The answer may shock you - he was 30.
That's right - THIRTY years of age, bloated muscles and all - and TWO heart attacks already!
Now, I bring this up not to point fingers at this guy and give him a lecture on how bodybuilding is BAD for him - he's done that better than I ever could by changing what he does, and hats off to him for that. But, his routine is about par for most modern day bodybuilder, and that sort of routine is best AVOIDED. The trouble is though, that all those fake muscles get folks thinking that they're the "real deal" - and they start to ape the bodybuilder routines - and thats when the problems start.
Think about it - doing all sorts of exercises for 8 hours a day daily - and eating next to nothing except protein shakes and eggs - and bloated muscles that don't work worth a darn in the real world. Is it worth it? I can just begin to imagine how that guy would do if I asked him to rep out 5 pull-ups in good form. . .
Two heart attacks before the age of 30 and virtually no stamina/endurance left. Is it worth it?
Only you can answer those questions for yourself, but I know what my answer is.
And lest you think this type of thing is limited to bodybuilders, think again."Professional" wrestling (not the real deal) is rife with cases of folks dying of drug overdoses, and movie stars routinely use drugs to maintain their "perfect" bodies.
Now, if you've made it to this point, and still believe that bodybuilding is the best thing you can do for yourself, well, no further arguments from me. It's your choice - and not really my business - so have at.
But, for those of you that choose to do things differently - and naturally - grab a copy of Fast and Furious Fitness today. 15-30 minute workouts that get you in the best shape of your life, and looking great as well - as compared to hours of slaving away at the gym - you can't beat that. Most of all, you'll be using your body NATURALLY - the way Mother Nature meant you to use it; and your body will thank you in heaps for it as well.
So, my friend, there's the wisdom for the day. Give it a serious though, and let me know what you think.
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: Though my book doesn't talk about swimming, swimming is one of the best things you can do for your health; so if you have access to a clean pool, and know how to swim - incorporate it into your routine at the earliest!
PS#2: No pool, no problem - all the tough workouts you need are mentioned right HERE.
Going back to the BASICS
Amidst all the new fangled machines, latest treadmills (equipped with a space to rest your coffee mug, no less), heart monitors, fancy sweatshirts, and what not, we have all but forgotten that there was a time when people trained WITHOUT all these gadgets - and still made fantastic gains.
I mean, look at folks like Jack Lalanne (someone I greatly admire) and what they've achieved. Lalanne emphasized sticking to the basics, eating a proper diet, and regular, hard training - and that was pretty much the secret to his amazing success. Sure, he may have lifted weights at some point, but thats fine as well; nowhere does it say that lifting weights won't help you in your fitness pursuits.
Yes, that might sound strange coming from me - the bodyweight exercise maniac - but remember that everyone has their own way of doing things. Lalanne was BIG on bodyweight exercises - but if doing something else also helped him, hey, thats perfectly fine by me.
Anyway, back on topic - all the fancy equipment we see floating around the gyms these days is practically worthless in terms of getting real gains. I mean, think about it - a treadmill with a place to put one's COFFEE mug of all things? Someone's actually gong to be sipping coffee while training and call that real training?? More to the point, if that someone has enough time to drink coffee during training, is he really training?? I don't think so.
What most people need (and what most gym owners need to do, but never will) is to drop all this airy-fairy stuff, and get back to the BASICS. First off, you don't even need anything other than your bodyweight to get in a fantastic workout, and believe me, that type of workout is way more than the average Joe in the gym can handle.
And equipment? Well, believe it or not - a rusty swing set out in the park, an old set of parallel bars that folks mostly use to hang their jackets on, a jump rope, and some rusty, creaking monkey bars are really all the equipment I need, and will need for the forseeable future. And you don't even need to purchase a gym membership for any of that. Go to your local park, and you'll likely find all these pieces of equipment lying about virtually untouched.
Now, I realize that some of you gym goers may think I'm talking through my hat here. I mean how does a thick rusty iron bar compare to the shiny, heavy weights in the gym? Parallel bars? What possible good could they do?
Well, my friend, the answer is that these types of things will do way more for you than the fancy machines or weights ever will.
Take for instance the parallel bars - a training tool that I VERY HIGHLY regard - but which is barely used by most folks (other than gymnasts). The average person is unable to do ONE bodyweight dip on these; so he ends up using the
"chest press" machine or whatever it's called. Do a set of 25 pushups, and a set of 10 dips on a parallel bar set up - and then tell me if that gets you sweating more than running for 10 minutes on the treadmill.
And thats but one example - the list goes on and on. I could give you many more, and Fast and Furious Fitness contains many routines that require little or no equipment, and will have the average gym goes collapse in a puddle of sweat within minutes. But for now, lets just say that going back to the basics will give YOUR health and fitness a much needed shot in the arm.
Give this a thought, and let me know what you think.
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: There ain't much point spending $40 and upwards a month on gym memberships when you can get better for LESS. In addition, the "true" cost of a gym membership ends up being far more than the monthly fee you pay - google this if you don't believe me. Don't fall into this trap! Instead, pull that credit card out right NOW, and grab your copy of Fast and Furious Fitness for just $24.99 (with NO hidden costs whatsoever). It's the best decision you can make your health and fitness - so hurry!
Train like an ape
This morning, I was reading up on ape strength. It's incredible just how strong our simian friends are - a 165 lb chimp, for instance, has been known to register a pull of a mind-boggling 847 lbs - and that only with his right hand!
That's right - 847 lbs! A 90lb chimp can wrestle THREE full grown men to the ground within minutes - and toss them up into the air while doing so. Now if that isn't some real strength, I don't know what is.
And in addition to being STRONG, our simian friends are also fantastic acrobats. I've been to the Himalayas in India, and have seen monkeys perform acrboatic feats on ropes (or electric wires) hung up at precarious heights - and do so without an apparent care in the world. You know a monkey's strong, but you know it's flexible when it does somersaults on a thin electric wire hanging about a 100 plus feet in the air - and that with a baby gripping on to it's underside!
Well, so what this has to do with you?
Well, nothing really - nothing unless YOU too would like to develop the kind of strength these primates posess. If this doesn't interest you, you can stop reading right here - but if this is your thing, then read right on.
Apes and monkeys get as strong as they are by working with their own bodyweight in the wild. Most of their lives are spent swinging and hanging from trees, and they do this for survival - not "fun", or not "to train". A baby monkey starts life off by grabbing on to Mom's underbelly and staying that way for hours on end - and a baby monkey likely has a grip stronger than two or three adult men combined.
And while we humans can't ever get AS strong as our simian friends, we can certainly work up to levels of grip and pulling strength that most folks would find impossible to achieve. And the way to do that is to, quite literally, train like an ape.
This doesn't necessarily means tons of pull-ups and chin-ups, though those DO help, and ARE a fantastic starting point. But training like a monkey goes way, way beyond that. Truly training like a monkey makes pull-ups and chin-ups look EASY, and I'm not kidding you on that one.
I did a lot of this type of training this morning - and had a fantastic workout. One of the things I did was to "walk" the monkey bars - only I didn't do it the normal way - I held on to the side of the apparatus and "walked" my hands up and down the entire supporting bar. Try that one on for strength, and let me know how your forearms feel after that!
And that's just ONE of the exercises I did. There are so many of them that I don't even list them all in Fast and Furious Fitness - mostly because most of them are too advanced.
I may put out a course on advanced pulling exercises in the future, but for now, know that training like a monkey is one of the best things you can do for your overall strength. You'll develop a ferocious grip without even thinking about it - and you'll build massive amounts of upper body power within a very short period of time. And you'll develop a core that feels as if it's made of steel - and has the strength and flexibility to match.
"Walking" the monkey bars will likely be too tough for most folks, but know that pull-ups and chin-ups are a great place to start. The pull-up alone with work your entire upper body in the ground - some folks do NOTHING but pull-ups in their workouts, and get great, great results.
Once you get better at doing them you can try some new things - but that will likely take a while. I talk about pull-ups and assorted variations in Fast and Furious Fitness - believe me now and listen to me later, these exercises alone are more than what most folk manage to master during an entire life of working out.
Grab your copy NOW, and get started on the way to ape-like levels of power.
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: If you have kids, these exercises are some of the BEST things they can do for their overall health and development. More importantly, they're fun - so doing them ain't gonna be a chore for them. Get them started as early as you can!
More...
The endless potential of bodyweight exercises
Dear Reader,
One of the biggest myths that we hear about bodyweight exercises is that they offer little room for progression, other than in the number of repetitions performed - and maybe a tougher version of the exercises if you're lucky, but thats about it. Most folks tend to view bodyweight exercises as "boring" and with "little potential to build real strength", and so forth. So when you ask someone to do bodyweight stuff exclusively for a while, you'll have people thinking of doing endless numbers of pushups or X number of sit-ups per day, or a few stretches - and not even believe that they can get any benefit from doing so - and therefore end up dropping the concept altogether in favor of the latest fancy machine in the gym.
The amazing thing is that in most cases, bodyweight exercises would actually HELP these folks more than other forms of exercises would. I've seen folks that couldn't do five pushups in correct form claim that doing pushups was of no benefit to them, while attempting to lift heavy weights in the gym (with poor form) was. And while I'm certainly not bashing weight training as a form of exercise, it's not a good idea to try and lift heavy if you can barely handle your own bodyweight for five reps in the basic pushup.
And as for gaining strength through bodyweight exercises, well, if you don't believe you can get stronger through bodyweight exercises - how do you think gymnasts develop the kind of "superhuman" strength they have? Certainly not from lifting weights. Elite army units consist of some of the strongest and fittest folks in the world - and what do these guys do for exercise? I could talk ALL day long about this - and as a matter of fact, I think I'll do so in an upcoming email.
But, for now, let's get back to the topic of endless progressions - this idea is tough for most to stomach - even those that HAVE been doing bodyweight exercises, and have been benefiting from them. There are literally dozens and dozens of ways that you can progress from bodyweight exercises - and you are NOT limited by the number of repetitions alone.
Let's take the good ole pushup (the regular pushup) as an example here. You first start with regular pushups, and when those get easy - no problem - you start doing them in higher reps. Ok, so you do those, and now you can bang out in sets of 25, so your done with the progression, right? Wrong - now you decrease the cadence of the movement, and go up and down slowly, while still maintaining letter perfect form.
That get to be too easy for ya? Well, do the same movement on your fingertips now - and then tell me.
Ok, so your getting good at those as well? Now do the same pushup, except on one hand - and then come back and tell me how tough it is.
You see what I'm saying here - I've already given you three or four different variations of the pushup, and thats NOT EVEN scratching the surface of the number of ways you can perform this exercise. And remember we've only dealt with the pushup - we haven't even gone on to the other exercises as of yet. And neither have I even begun to speak about the cardivascular benefits of this type of training; that is a whole another kettle of fish altogether.
So always remember that bodyweight exercises are second to NO other form of training when it comes to progressions, and potential strength gains. It's easy to get suckered into a fancy gym membership, or hours of yoga - and if thats what you prefer - no problemo amigo - but always remember that bodyweight exercises, done correctly give you far more bang for your buck than anything else can.
Grab a copy of Fast and Furious Fitness today; once you find out how bodyweight exercises will transform your body QUICKLY - and with far less time invested - you'll never want to go back to the other stuff.
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: Scoot on over here to grab the book that will change the way you think about fitness forever.
PS#2: I gave you one very important tip on how to improve your pushup numbers in this email; see if you can spot it!
Brute upper body strength
Back when I was a kid in high school, I was one of the skinniest guys around. I wasn't much of an exercise fanatic back then - but something I've always wanted to have was a huge upper body. At that time, I had no idea about how to train the body, or what parts of the body are the most important to train - or anything like that, but all I knew is I wanted a huge, barrel chest along with arms to match. And mostly for the "look" - it's sad, but true, that most kids at their age don't have an inkling of what REAL strength can do for you.
When I first got into training, I started doing pushups on a regular basis. These didn't quite give me the results I wanted, but then I found out I wasn't doing them right - so I started doing them right, and started to see results. Fast forward a few years, and I'm doing like 250 pushups per workout - on a daily basis - which is not a bad number to be cracking off daily. And I got more than the results I wanted from this routine - but, I still wasn't quite growing out of my shirts like I'd have liked to. I had a flat stomach, a strong chest - but my shoulders, while not under developed by any means, weren't bursing out of my shirts.
But, there was ONE thing lacking in my routine - and that was doing pushups from a handstand position; in other words, handstand pushups.
Ever since I started doing this amazing exercise, I've never looked back. My upper body strength has skyrocketed - and my chest and shoulders have grown broader than ever before. I think I wrote to you a while back about having difficulty shopping for shirts? Well, that problem persists - we're never quite sure whether the shirt I buy today will fit me in a couple of month's time. Also, remember that I'm 31 years of age, and not exactly a spring chicken any longer. - but, I have a far stronger upper body than I've ever had before in my life.
And folks keep asking me if I go to the gym and lift weights - and my answer is always, NO. It's an honest answer - I don't lift weights, but remember that bodyweight exercises done correctly will give you even more "bang for the buck", and the example I've just given you is a case in point.
Remember that while handstand pushups are one of the best exercises you can do for the upper body, they are NOT for everyone. If you have wrist problems - work into these with caution, strengthen your wrists, or use pushup bars to do them. If you are currently unable to do more than 10 regular pushups in a row - then your probably NOT ready to start banging out handstand pushups. Trust me on this - I developed a nasty bone "spur" from doing these when I wasn't quite ready for it - which took a while to heal - so don't make the same mistake yourself.
I cover handstand pushups and other related exercises in Fast and Furious Fitness - you can get your copy here.
And last, but not least, remember that a BALANCED exercise routine is of utmost importance. You can do handstand pushups all day long, but you'd be well advised to mix in other things into your routine for best results. More on that later.
Ok, that's it for today. Have a great weekend, and if your training this weekend - make it a super one!
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: If you have kids, make sure that they know that while academics is of utmost importance, physical exercise is equally important for overall development. Make sure they have access to the RIGHT training information - not the nonsense being pushed around in the bodybuilding magazines - most of that is as applicable to normal folks as a piegon landing on Mars. Fast and Furious Fitness would be a great place to start.
One of the keys to improving your pull-ups
Pull-ups are a fantastic exercise to build strength throughout the entire upper body. This one exercise, as I've said many times before, is worth it's weight in gold, but is sadly ignored by the majority of people these days - believe it or not, 90+% of folks today cannot do a single pull-up in good form. And out of those that DO them - you'll find that the enthusiasm for sticking to the exercise quickly tapers off as they learn how hard the exercise is, and consequently struggle to progress. Not good.
And today, I'm going to share with you one tip that will help you improve your pull-up performance, or get past a "sticking point" (if you are at one) on this exercise. This tip works for all levels; it will help you if you cannot do a single pull-ups, and it will help you do more if you can currently bang off 10 in a row.
And this tip is NOT what most people would think about doing - in fact, most folks will likely not believe me when I mention it. It is NOT doing more pull-ups. It is NOT working on the grip - though that helps as well. And it is NOT doing lat pull downs - or lifting weights - none of that.
So, what IS it then Mookerjee, you might ask? What the heck is this mysterious secret that will help me improve on pull-ups? Well, its not a secret at all - at least not to me it ain't. And it is - doing PUSHUPS.
That's right - doing pushups - all sorts of pushups - WILL help your pull-ups. There are some kinds of pushups that lend themselves better to pull-up performance than others, but rest assured that pushups in general will help you do that first pull-up - or do more if your stuck at a certain number. And the reasons behind this is that pushups, contrary to what most folks think, build ALL the muscles used in pull-ups, specifically and most importantly, the grip, forearms, shoulders, entire back, and biceps as well - yes, biceps as well.
Additonally, the pushup complements the pull-up perfectly. I wrote a post about exercises that complement one another a while back - if you missed it, go HERE. And pushups are easier to do for most people than pull-ups (remember I said easier than pull-ups, not just "easy"), so progressing on them and consequently building more strength through this exercise is easier - and all this leads to better performance on pull-ups.
Still don't believe me? Well, for those of you that are currently spending hours trying to bang out that first pull-up, do this. Do NOT do any pull-ups for the next two weeks - but concentrate on banging out 100 pushups daily in letter perfect form. Don't dwadle while doing these; make sure you bang them out as fast as you can - but - and this is IMPORTANT - maintain correct form while doing so (never compromise on form for speed). Do regular pushups, or any type of pushup you prefer - there are many different combinations of pushups you can do - see Fast and Furious Fitness for more on this.
And at the end of the those two weeks (or however long it takes you to get 100 pushups in a row), try your pull-ups again - I'll bet you'll be surprised.
This ONE tip is so valuable that I could probably devote an entire chapter to it in Fast and Furious Fitness, but I figured I'd send it out in my daily newsletter for maximal benefit to all. in fact, I'm going to add it to the articles section of the website as well - it is THAT important. Of course, if your looking for more great tips on improving your pull-ups, and general levels of fitness, then grab a copy of the book pronto.
So for those of you that find pull-ups to be tough - or even if you've been doing them a while - give this a try, and let me know how it works!
Best regards,
Rahul
I'm having a deuce of a time shopping for shirts
I'm having a REAL tough time shopping for shirts these days. And it's not just me saying this - my wife's been complaining as well. She often tells me that it's next to impossible to shop for shirts for me without having me there in person as well. She says that she can buy the right size, the right colors, make, everything - but more often than not, if I'm not actually trying the shirt out before I buy it, I'll complain that it's too tight, and won't be able to wear it.
And by "too tight", I mean that it fits a bit too snugly around the shoulders - so I feel like I'm about to rip the shirt apart when I raise my arms up. That same logic applies for coats and jackets as well. My wife tells me I've gained some mass around the shoulders recently, and I can believe it given the exercises I've been practicing.
Funny thing is, a while back I used to wear size XL shirts - but as of late, I've started to find some of those to be "too tight" as well. Problem is, the next size up fits OK around the shoulders, but ends up looking a bit baggier than it should around the waist - but thats what I have to live with if I choose to buy "off the rack" clothing.
And why am I telling you this?
Well, pretty much to warn you that YOU too may have difficulty purchasing shirts that fit right once you start following an exercise routine similar to what I do. Remember that ALL I do is the exercises I teach you in Fast and Furious Fitness. I do NOT lift weights, play sports professionally or do manual labor - these are all activities you'd associate with broad and powerful shoulders, but I'm not doing any of them.
So I'll warn you in advance - if you're the type that shops once a year and expects your clothes to fit you correctly the entire year, then you probably don't want to mess around with the exercises that I advocate. If your worried that a constantly expanding shoulder size, or broad, powerful back muscles will make it tougher for you to shop for clothes, well, you've been warned ahead of time.
Of course, if your the rare breed that doesn't mind having a set of broad shoulders that are every bit as strong as they look - and continue to get stronger as you keep training - then you'd be well advised to grab a copy of Fast and Furious Fitness TODAY. But if you do so, expect to have to keep buying new shirts on a regular basis. Yes, the exercises contained within ARE that powerful - do them as I tell you to - and you'll be building muscle on your entire body like you never have before, while also melting off fat at a record rate.
On another note, we did end up buying an "off the rack" coat which seems to fit ok for the time being. The function's still a few months away though - so all bets on the coat fitting right at that point are off. You could also look upon it as a sort of "goal" to achieve; increase your shoulder width so much that you have to buy new shirts every so often.
Now that's an interesting goal to aim for - aim to outgrow your shirts! My wife doesn't think much of it, but then again, she's the one shopping for me (and the one who gets to have me try on each and everything before she buys; NOT the easiest of tasks) - so I can't say I blame her.
So, thats the wisdom (or warning) for the day. Be back tomorrow with more!
Best regards,
Rahul