Workouts (72)
10 reasons YOU should start doing dips - NOW.
... If you aren't already doing this great exercise, that is!
Back in the day, when I built - and wrote - Battletank Shoulders - dips were a huge, huge mainstay of my fitness routine, my friend.
I remember Marc the African Silverback Gorilla, himself no weakling - whose arms were literally quivering like a maple leaf in the Toronto breeze on his first dip "in the up position - he couldn't go down - too stiff" - telling me as I was knocking sets of 20 out easy peasy "lemon squeezy".
"You should do 'em like th eRock, with extra weight attached!"
True, the Rock does them too.
and I could have titiled this email "build a chest like the Rock's!" - by doing dips. And hype it that way.
Truth is, the Rock and his build - well, you'll need solid genetics to get THAT big for one!
Second, probably anabolic steriods - third, you'll need to be a wrassler, fourth, they just grow 'em big there in Samoa!
Rather than trying to get bloat - you should focus on getting BIG AND STRONG - while LEANING OUT - and staying that way.
Which is what Battletank Shoulders and all my other great courses emphasize.
Shoulders like Boulders too!
In that course, I give you a secret exercise - oft ignored that PREPS you for doing the almighty handstand pushup (or the handstand, in case the pushup is a step too far) ... an exercise that preps yo ufor it QUICKER than the other exercises I've given you in the supplementary section.
Yet, people tend to ignore it.
Big mistake, my friend.
That exercise is DIPS.
And without further ado, here are the 10 reasons you should be including this magnificent exercise in your routine (and note, I'm writing this for YOU, the fitness enthusiast, not the boobybuilders). (though it might give them a good kick up the rumpus too).
One, virtually no other exercise for the upper body addresses weak triceps - that issue I wrote about yesterday - quicker than dips.
True, pushups do it - but end of the day, you're still supporting 75% of your bodyweight on your arms for the most part (unless you're doing handstand pushups or handstands).
Dips, by their very nature strengthen the triceps and the entire upper body far more - and far quicker.
Following from all of the above ...
Two, they're known as (and I call them) the upper body equivalent of the SQUAT not just for that reason - but because if pull-ups are the big dog for back - dips are no slouch in that area either.
Done right, with proper form as I teach you in Shoulders like Boulders - you'll feel a burn along the entire upper - and MIDDLE - back and between the shoulder blades in a way even pushups cannot give you - and you'll build THICK lats that will be the envy of all (human) barndoors if you do this exercise right and regularly.
Third, its far easier to progress up to high reps with dips - as opposed to pull-ups. You "big guys" will notiec that while there is no excuse for being fat - you bigger guys will be able to progress in dips a lot faster than in pull-ups - and build the strength required for them (pull-ups) as well.
Fourth, dips by their very nature are GREAT for the grip. Simply great - pushups are too, but not everyone is that into fingertip pushups - though you should be - and dips done on thick bars as I do - strengthen the grip - BEYOND BELIEF.
Fifth, it's easier to add weight on.
And big guys?
Just look at the picture of Big Doug on the Shoulders like Boulders! page doing dips - at 300 plus lbs - on dipping bars!
Talk about BALANCE, co-ordination, and pure utter STRENGTH - brute GORILLA strength!
Trust me, when you get to that level, you'll be writing a book on dips yourself - and telling ME about the benefits!
Sixth, following on from 5...
Dips are easier on the fingers and wrists. And CALLUSES too, for those of you with calluses from doing pull-ups that bust open all the time. Hehe.
But they're much easier on the wrist joints than fingertip pushups for one ...
Seventh, dips work the upper ab area and core in general heavily.
Eigth, because of the sheer amount of chest work and upper body in general involved - dips done in high reps cause your body to release tons of HGH - couple with pull-ups, and there's the muscle building formula any gym goer would be more than glad to "load up on!"
Ninth - dips lend themselves great to virtually any workout routine - both push and pull.
You can do pushups and dips all day, or pull-ups and dips - or squats and dips. They're one of those exercises that go no matter what!
And tenth, of course, chest strength, mass and size - few exercises build the chest as quick - and bulky - as dips do!
Well, my friend, I'm sure I could think of 10 more reasons to tell you, but these will suffice for now.
And no, the only reason I'm writing this email to you is not to tell you all the above, though there's nothing wrong if I were to do that either.
I'm telling you - asking you - this QUESTION.
What I teach you about dips in Shoulders like Boulders! barely scratches the tip of the very pointy iceberg in terms of dips
Barely, my friend.
There is a whole another world to them - and whether you're interested in working up to 50 reps per set on these - or doing handstands on dipping bars - DO YOU want an advanced course - or a course dedicated to dips alone?
Let me tell you , if brute upper body strength is your thang, then combine with Battletank Shoulders and Lumberjack Lodestone Fitness, and you will GET it in spades - and then some
It will be a great, great course much like the course (advanced) on bridging I'm halfway through right now - but I am only, I repeat, ONLY going to put it out if there is enough interest.
I'm getting sick of asking over and over again and not hearing back - so please, if there is interest, let me know.
No, It ain't gonna be "cheap".
But oh boy, will it be worth it, trust me on this one.
Alrighty, my friend - thats it for now.
Let me know!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS - Oh, for BRUTE animal like strength- don't forget Animal Kingdom Workouts either!
The Steve Austin quote thats my FAVORITE!
CRASH!
I can hear the glass smashing, I can see the Texas rattlesnake come out to kick McMahons' ASS!
His RUMPUS!
And now is a good time as any to say his second most used quote.
First was ..
And thats the bottom line, because STONE COLD said SO!
OH HELL YEAH!
And this here "redneck" from Texas says the following i.e. yours truly -
(he'll borrow a quote from Steve).
FUCK FEAR - DRINK BEER!
To a certain Gorilla Girl Sophia, that will sound like "Rahul's drunk".
He ain't.
But he is.
Ain't on liqor, is on LIFE!
While the world is the polar opposite, sheeplesville...
Oh well.
cant change those that dont want to. Those that do though?
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!
Quote of the day, this one!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS - Get the course that will turn you into a raging beast and remove any and ALL TRACES OF ANY FEAR that hideth within - become a REAL MAN (or woman) and more with ANIMAL KINGDOM WORKOUTS!
The "awe inspiringly brutal" workout in Animal Kingdom Workouts
One of the workouts, I believe it's #7, but I'm not sure - I dont have the book open in front of me - in Animal Kingdom Workouts is a workout that sometimes stops even me in my tracks, and I'm the one that wrote it.
So tough is it, so BRUTAL that even I have to sometimes wonder if I should do something easier.
I dont, of course!
But here is what Tommy, a former wrassler (high school, I believe) in ... I think Turkey, it was? Currently in china wrote back on Animal Kingdom Workouts (he bought this last week).
"Rahul, this is not just normal exercise workout! This is AWE inspirengly BRUTAL exercise routune!"
Now, I modified what he said a bit, but thats the gist of it obviously. (I simply made it shorter, much like I refer to myself as the Stella Artois of Fitness - that isn't me that said that - I simply shortered the original remark to something easy to type and remember!).
(Especially after one too many Stellas, hehe, and I dont mean the heffas and Stellas Bozo Schofield so loves and adores (their backsides especially)).
Cow Schofield, we should call "her", the amount of grazing Miss Bozo Schofield does. Hehe.
But anyway, Miss Schofield aside . . .
Tommy said some other things also - in short, it was a book that floored him, and this is a former wrassler that said it.
Now, Tommy hasn't wrestled for years.
But there are customers, my friend - that have been into SERIOUS, SERIOUS, physical activity for YEARS - and that have said the same thing about not just Animal Kingdom Workouts, but ALL my books.
Indeed, my training isn't for pussies, as Charles Mitchell, ex cop said.
And it never ever will be.
I will never compromise on who I AM!
Not for sales, not for nuttin (though I do pretty well in the former regard I'd say).
Ex cops.
Former Elite Marines.
Army.
And of course, Ji Jitsu experts and the like . . . Former Samurais.
The list is legion.
Let me tell you, my friend,even if I dont do a shred or ounce of marketing, my books sell themselves. Most of my customers found me on Amazon for one (where I dont "market"). (or didnt before, at least).
If just for the results ...
And thats the tom tomming for this one - and if you haven't already - pick up Animal Kingdom Workouts now to see the "awe inspiringly brutal" workout that Tommy BE referring to, hehe.
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS - But if you're a Bozo, or a Schofield type, stay away. These workouts are unfeasible for Miss Schofields. Utdderly butterly so!
More on my conversation with a great, great guy Charles Mitchell and why it applies to you (it DOES!).
Yours truly has made no secret of the fact he's BRUTAL.
In every regard.
Brutally frank.
Brutally honest.
He goes the whole hog.
He drinks teh whole barrel.
He sings songs about "extreme ways have helped me, have helped me every time" ...
On another site, he has written almost a HUNDRED - yes - books - about a topic completely unrelated to this one (Bozo Scofield loves the books though) ... and he's been equally, if not even more brutal, frank, to the point and from the heart on it.
Now, lots tell me that "I'm not for everyone".
And I agree.
I wrote about the list of people that love me and follow me until the ends of the Earth because I give them the REAL DEAL without pulling any punches is LEGION.
The list of haters is x 10.
Or more.
I put that on the front page of 0 Excuses Fitness too!
But anyway, workout wise, a common grip (and someone once said this about Gorilla Grip too) was that ... "these are too tough".
And I've always said, no, they AIN'T " too tough" either - and they are.
if you think they're too tough and can't do 'em, they'll always remain that way.
If you pull up your socks and determine you CAN, and WILL do them come hell, rain or high water - you will damn well do 'em, and get good at 'em!
And thats the entire key.
My stuff is for EVERYONE out there - yes, especially the FANATICS like me, but it helps EVERYONE.
From the average couch potato to Crossfitters and IRonmen to bonafide fitness MANIACS like the 0 Excuses Fitness SHIP members are - and even to Bozo Schofield if he gets off his fat rumpus and decides to make something of himself some day ... what I got to say fitness wise(and indeed on all my other biz endavors too) works for everyone.
If it worked for me, it'll work for you.
The DESIRE and FIRE is what is required, bro.
DEEP DESIRES!
Most men that succeeded at high levels did because they were (amongst many other factors) persistent and so closely driven by circumstance that they had no choice but to, and I'm not talking money here. I spoke about that in the post before this on the other site.
I'm talking genetics ...
Anyway, enough chatter from me.
First, before you read the SECOND part of the email I sent Charles - read the FIRST part (and his initial email) HERE.
Lots of lessons there ...
And once you're done, here is what I had to say (again).
Here though is another KEY, my brother. One you mentioned yourself in your email beneath.
YES, most would give up just by looking at the workouts.
But and quoting from your email ""Few can master these workouts right out of the box, but it is certainly something to aspire to. If and when you are able to complete one of these workouts, you know you have achieved something special"
THAT is the key!
ASPIRING - and doing and not being lazy.
If yours truly can do these workouts with my genetics, issues of being overweight etc in the past, health issues that I had - and solved MYSELF through my workouts and THAT ALONE (not what some lard ass doc said about not swimming or drinking beer or popping pills) - then ANYONE can.
I dont know if you know Karl Gotch?
He was known as the God of Pro Wrestlin in Japan.
He had some rather uncomplimentary and (in my opinion) WRONG views about money, which is probably why he passed on poor, but training wise, he was a legend right up there with the best, bar none.
FANATIC in terms of conditioning.
And what he said was this "All I asked of any boy that wanted to learn wrassling was a WILLING HEART and the desire to DO".
(That isn't a verbatim quote, but it's out there on the Internet).
But the point of this - ANYONE can WORK UP to these workouts - and become superhumans - - which as you know is why I DO all this.
THAT is what it's all about, bro!
Anyway, more on this later in another email. Inbox Infestation to start again shorty too, hehe, but for now, just visit the blogs on both sites ...
Cheers
Rahul
Well, my friend, thats enough lessons for one post.
Inbox Infestation starts soon, hehe - and when it does, and you'll probably be so "flooded that you won't be able to keep up.
Just the way I like it!
And with the Bozo (Schofield is the top "dog" (I should say "biaaaaaa.....!") there, but there are others too) no doubt creaming his sissy panties to "flooding" and "boy" - LOL - I'm out. Back soon!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
Sun drenched workouts . . .
What a pain Win-Blows is!
I had this post nicely typed out (email) and then the computer chooses just this time to crash. Hehe.
Lets try another time (I'm still on a hunt for that Toshiba I want!).
Anyway, sun drenched workouts - and spoiler alert - this ain't what you might be thinking.
No sun drenched beach, warm sand you can feel, sparkly water right next to yo uthat you want to DIVE into (even if you just saw the Meg, hehe) ... and certainly no girls lying on their tummies with their posteriors pried tightly SHUT so that leering Bozo Schofields can't even try and pry 'em open.
Now, admittedly the Bozo looks harmless from a distance, but he ain't.
Appearances can be deceptive, and believe me, not even the most desperate of old women would want the Bozo anywhere near her posterior.
Unless he flashed "wads" of cash but beign those are usually given to him by women, gullible ones in China he dupes, and being he's "stuck" in Mom's basement for now in the UK, that ain't happening either!
Hehe.
The lovely Bozo.
Not.
But he's great fun in some regards as you can tell!
Anyway, sun drenched.
I just got done with a sun drenched routime myself out there - a 100 pull-ups in the park and the sun literally "bathed" my back and "kneaded it from the inside out" as I worked out!
Great, warm feeling, and my calves are still BUZZING with that buzz you get from great workouts.
But it brings to mind some recollections - and this one - I have NOT posted in the workout memoires - workouts, if you're the nut job reading this - for "salacious memoirs" you'll be redirected to the right site, LOL - truly one of the best fitness memoirs EVER - and a book very dear to my heart (and trolled roundly, since it's just so damn inspirational, just like Pushup Central) - 16 Inspirational Fitness Recollections.
Golly, those memories!
Anyway, back in the day I'd often workout at 1PM or so - outdoors.
Remember this is Southern China, my friend. The sun would be BLAZING and BASHING down on me as I trained. It's so hot in that part ofthe country that it would rain one minute - tropical style downpour - you'd be SOAKED to the bone.
Next minute, sun would show up, and you'd dry out, and be soaked again within a minute - with sweat.
Literally.
BRUTAL.
I completed many a tough hill climb in those conditions, tons of 'em!
Not for nothing they call me Mr. Ironman, hehe.
But the time I'm talking about, I climbed the hill at the end of my routine.
First, I would do Hindu squats out there, out by the lovely lake int he park as the cool breeze blew across my face.
I loved that lake - still do!
Then I'd do 150 pushups - once done, I'd dust off, and do MORE - with feet plonked on a bench. A style I believe I popularized in Pushup Central ...
Then, it was on to the park itself - unshaded area, and I'd bang out pull-ups and more pushups. It was so hot that the thick bars felt like molten steel, and my hands used to literally feel like they were BURNING!
You gotta experience it to FEEL it, hehe.
And I'd do those 100 handstand pushup/pull workouts out there in that heat.
The park used to be deserted at that time. Save a few "aunties" fanning themselves under the trees wondering what the Da Xing Xing was up to, there was no-one crazy enough to be out there at the time.
Just me, myself, and the SUN! BLAZING DOWN!
And I'd finish them workouts, then climb the hill, then finish off with a Bourne sprint or two.
Some of the best toughest workouts of my life - and some of the best times I HAD and continue to!
The RAVENS WOULD CROW!
And .. good news is this.
YOU don't have to be NEAR as extreme to get in great shape.
I'm not asking you to do any of this necessarily. In fact, when you start out, I would NOT recommened this type fo thing!
But YOU, my friend - and this is a promise Rahul Mookerjee makes - -you, my brother, can get into the best shape of your life in less than 15 minutes in the comfort, privacy and AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONS (if you so choose) of your Home .
You do NOT need extreme.
You can work up to it.
But no, you do NOT need it!
And you might just SWEAT in the air conditioned environs too - you'll see me doing that in the Rolls Royce of Fitness workout video!
But thats all you need bro.
And thats a promise Rahul is making to you - and whe he makes ones - he does it - and DELIVERS - and you can take his word to the BANK, my friend - and my great customers around the GLOBE know it!
(so do the Bozos, hehe).
I'm out. Man, that felt good!
Back soon.
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS - The hill I trained on is HERE - Advanced hill Training. Be sure and grab it now - truly the JAGUAR of fitness, and goes great with the Royce here . . .
Why HANDSTAND PUSHUPS (especially the PROFOUND kind) are a great, great LEG WORKOUT amongst others!
What I didn't mention in Shoulders like Boulders, and any of my other "shoulder" courses (or upper body, for that matter), is the emphasis on profound.
Its there in the 0 Excuses Fitness System in a direct maner, and indirect in most others (so I did mention it, - just not directly).
But there are few, my friend - FEW more profound positions than doing the handstand (not even getting into the pushup) - and then following it up with one of the positions I show you in Isometric and Flexibilty Training - a LEG POSE that most diss as being "too easy" or too simple to work.
These idiots don't know that the greatest of men did the simplest of things, and so it is with yours truly and what I ask YOU to do.
But anyway, I should have added the word "profound" onto the book on isometrics.
I didnt, but those positions, most of them are very profund.
The clarity of mind you get after a workout like these - stunningly enough some of the simplest and QUICKEST workouts (see the end of the book!) you can do is MIND BLOWING and AMAZING to say the least. Ideas flow. THINGS flow. Life flows.
It just - IS!
As it's meant to be, as you want to!
Now, anyway - back to the physical from the spiritual although both of them are very closely LINKED ...
I say in Pushup Central that the LEGS will get a super workout from doing pushups.
I keep repeating this over and over again through the book for good reason.
One, because it's true, and two, to get the nuts who believe "pushups are just an upper body" workout are IDIOTS.
I am NOT just talking "Hindu" pushups when I say working the legs while doing pushups by the way.
Those are great.
But the other styles of pushups mentioned, believe me, you won't need anything more for the legs after a hard, hard pushup workout!
And especially profound handstands, and the ADVANCED way in which I'm doing them now off the wall - they give you a SUPERLATIVE workout for the LEGS.
Truly like nothing I've ever felt before!
If you're interested in a course like this, do let me know. Profound handstands, or handstands that work th elegs, or FREESTANDING handstands.
Or a combo therein.
And I know you're interested in especially the last.
Anyway, give me a shout out (John, I know you're eagerly waiting for the book on training with the Gada, Jori etc - but patience my BROTHER - that will come soon too!).
And for now, make sure to pick up what is possibly my best book ever - right HERE.
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS - Go HERE for more workouts that will FRY the fat off your body in ways you NEVER imagined possible. And - HERE too!
What I learned (and the workout I got) from fixing the WATER machine this afternoon ...
It's funny, my dear reader, but tru.
Yours truly is NOT a "technically" inclined person in that he dos NOT like to "take things apart and fix them".
If theres something to do around the house?
Well, yours truly is probably NOT the guy you call, hehe.
And it's funny despite my outward alpha male "macho" appearance. I didnt know how to change the air con filtere on an A/C split until Marc the African Silverbak Gorilla told me.
He didnt know either.
Despite the brawn.
And this isn't about attraction, or like minds attracting, but rather the Chinese dude who showed us just how EASY it was when he did it (on a paid basis of course, hehe).
Much like opening a lock is if you know how. Again, CHina's taught me a lot in that regard!
Forking out a 100 or so kuai for something youc an do with ... ah, but this isn't about locks, locksmiths, and yours truly forgetting keys when in a rush for workouts (I rarely do it, but it's happened on occasion!).
But anyway ...
It's a lot easier to do all this in China than India.
India, for whatever reason is different in that the craftmanship for just about anything is shoddier.
Nothing is standard. Nuts and bolts don't fit where they should. Parts are "just that much different". And so forth.
China, not so.
Despite China's many faults, MOST factories and us foregin devils doing QC there ensure that parts are, for the most part, of uniform standard and quality in just about anything made there these days with a few exceptoins, but just a few.
Yours trulu even took apart a giant HEATER of all things there, wires and everything, and re-wired it all back together with the help of a video - in Chinese!
HEy I can learn if taught WELL.
But in India?
I doubt I'd be able to even put the damn thing back together, hehe.
Anyway, yours truly has never been technically inclined in that regard.
Curiously enough I'm the guy they call when computers need fixing or taking apart ...
But the "man things around the house"?
For some reason, changing car tyres, or being taught how to do so, or being taught how to BOX and FIGHT ... all those little "guy things" that Dad's often pass on to their kids was never ever there for me.
Perhaps it's the Nazi feminist household in which I grew up.
But I wasn't interested in it either.
But then again, kids are only interested once you TELL 'em.
I teach my little GIRL to box (the best I can, hehe) - and to exercise RIGHT (which I CAN do - very well!).
It's never about gender my friend (curiously enough yours truly was told to take "manly subjects" in schoool when he was more interested in arts and HISTORY rather than boring ass Sciences).
And curiously enough most of my customers are of the same bent of mind, upbringing etc.
Not so much "friends" of whom I have precious few, and PREFER it that way.
Quality, not quantity.
And where am I going with all this, you might ask?
The workout I got.
More to the point, the THUMB workout. Same thumb that popped in and out while doing handstands "Rocky style" is now back at full bore despite me getting NO treatment for it, bearing the pain, and the only thing I Did for it was grip an ice cold Corona tightly the night of the (VERY AND MOST painful I've ever had) injury.
Today, that thumb is rockin and back stronger than ever
Fingertip pushups, my friend, before you ask are the secret.
And despite the MARK on my right thumb from openkng that damn water filter or what not this afternoon, I did it.
Don't know so much about the tech side of it, but the "opening and closing"?
I did it. (no, Bozo Glyn, if you're reading this I ain't referring to the legs you never opened and the asses you always dove headfirst, not the small one either ... ah, but I will stop. LOL).
Fingertip pushups are a secret old timers and wrestlers used to build that CORSUCATING grip strength and are often ignored in favor of fancy grippers and sucgh.
Weight shyt, and what not.
Big mistake my friend.
These will giv eyou the strongest fingers ever, and a grip of STEEL.
Learn how to do 'em right HERE!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS - And remember, along with pull-ups? You'll literally have a grip of steel x 1000. In fact, I believe I gave away one of my TOP grip secrets by saying that, but so be it!
PS #2 - Bozo Schofield sent me a rant saying "Rahul Tyson" when I posted the sales page. Maybe I'll go MANO-A-0MANO with him on that one. Then again, nah. I fight MEN...LOL. Not pansies and girly men. 'nuff said.
(and men that wouldn't last a DAY in the slammer, hence the Bozo on the lam from cops. Long story!)
The “squit” workout and why I hold all my customers in very high regard, especially you REPEAT customers!
Not just because they’re the bread and butter of ANY business which is a fact a lot of so called business men and women do NOT realize as theyre chasing the almighty buckola, which of course runs away as fast from them as they chase it...
But because you guys are guys that GET it.
Anyway, more on this beneath.
But I still remember what a person told me many, many years ago (he was on the list when I first put out rahulmookerjee.com – those were the DAYS!).
“With a father like you your daughter need NEVER worry about getting unfit and eting too much etc”.
(This was in response to an email about how infants and kids instinctively know they have “had enough” and STOP eating, period, regardless of how “delicious” or yummy the food is in front of them (unless its chocloate, hehe)).
As adults, we could learn a LOT from infants - - both w.r.t fitness – and life – and BREATHING
Anyway, he said that in response to that post (which I’ll share to you guys probably one of these days. It’s an all time favorite! Probably second after my hill climbing workout post) ...
And as I sit here writing this to you, typo ridden or what not (and the SQUIT workout as well) .. .I think what he said was right.
Kiddie fitness proves it, for one.
And the term my little girl came up with does too!
She’s the most inventive and ingenius ever. We call her (or at least I did) “Little Einsten”, right down to the messy “lab” of hers. Hehe.
Yours truly hates disorders and chaos, but sometimes there is more function in dysfunction and more ORDER in chaos than is visible to the “naked eye”.
Now, squits.
Is What I did today for a majority of MY workout.
What is it, I still remember asking my daughter when she coined the term.
“Dad, it’s a combo of squat and sit!”
And shes right.
And what it ALSO is a stretch for the AGES, bro.
A stretch that most in the West, and even most modern Asians could NOT get into – or hold – for any length of time.
And a stretch thats functionally one of the most useful ones.
Move over splits etc.
When you gotta take a dump and there ain’t no toilet in the woods, then it’s time for the bear to do what it does eh.
But you can only do it if you can GET into position first, and SPLIT seconds count. Hehe.
(I still remember a bus ride back from Hong Kong where all water I drank was (in Bruce, an old friends terminology) “clamoring to come out”! And th ebus ride took forever, and there was a traffic jam and I was wondering if I’d have to pull out the ole bottle, hehe).
(He didnt say clamoring, but you get the point!)
But anyway ...
One of the most functional stretches ever.
And it’ll give you a workout from hell in a way you have NOT experienced before if you do it right!
And it’s mentioned in my latest book “Isometric and Flexibility Training”.
And another most functional and NIGH USEFUL stretch to get rid of back pain, feel great, and lose WEIGHT – big time – is mentioned in 0 Excuses Fitness.
And the best darn exercise which is and has gotten RAVE reviews is nothing but a solid derivative of this ...
And on yet another note, I’ve been going back and forth with a customer Charles, and he’s “impressed that I hadn’t forgotten or ignored or “dismissed” his requests for new books which he made last year”.
Early last year.
Yours truly does have the memory of an elephant, but he has it even more so for you guys.
Because y’all are what make it worth it!
And thats why I ENCOURAGE people to contact me directly in case of any questions – leave reviews – keep the feedback coming – and so forth!
All for a good cause!
I’m out.
Back soon!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS – Pick up the courses above, and don’t forget Advanced Hill Training – another GEM of a course right there.
The “one exercise a day” or workout routine ...
I’ve done it, and today seems to be yet another one of those days.
Unplanned, and in the flow, and thats how most of my days are. Hehe.
The only planning I do, believe it or not, is before Igo to bed (in bed) where I VISUALIZE.
And right after waking up – writing my dreams down (which no, I dont over analyze. I hardly even look at what I wrote throughout the day).
And yet, my output in every which way (if you’re on the other site, not THAT way hehe, but I’ll write about that as well soon. LOL).
I’m sure I will!
Anyway ...
Ideas beget ideas.
I’m not sure who said it, but it was a “somebody” that once said his books were written in the margins of other books.
Anyhow.
One exercise a day or workout.
IT’s a great idea ... sometimes.
I do not recommend you do this often, but sometimes, it happens.
And I’ve written in 0 Excuses Fitness about how difficult it is to achieve TRUE MASTERY over any exercise, havent I?
Yes, I have!
And these one exercise workouts push you further along that road to mastery which truth be told you’ll never master.
I won’t.
No-one will!
Thats the beauty of exercise. Always new peaks to conquer (if we’re talkin gbodyweight exercise, not bozo like pump, tone, grunt and gruff and the lot at the ole gym shym bim (bo)).
And one exercise routines could be you doing JUST pull-ups and noting else.
Or ONE type of pushups.
Perhaps just handstands throughout the day.
Or, perhaps just climb hills three times a day!
Pick one exercise – and really, really FOCUS On it!
Key to making this work?
Two keys – 1) the same thing that makes ALL my workouts WORK.
KISS.
Not “kiss” the workouts or your partner, even if it’s Jassy, hehe.
Keep it simple. Sweet. Short. Brutally short and effective!
And two?
Do MULTIPLE workouts throughout the day.
Again, I dont recommend doing this type of thing all the tim e- we all know, for instance, what happens when you pound out nothing but pull-ups for ages, and flop on thy FACE when it comes to pushups, hehe.
I do!
But sometimes, it’s worth it.
Try it – let me know!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS – The alter I use for one other site keeps coming to mind. Hmm!
Shake up – from the INSIDE OUT!
Have you ever heard the famous Zig Ziglar saying “you need a check up from the NECK UP?”
Basically thats his way of saying that “the brain is where it’s all at!”
If you’re making less sales – chances are your THINKING is what needs to be changed – first, and quick!
If you’re not performing in bed – same thing!
If you feel “blah” all the time - - same thing!
And while what he was saying was related more to motivation and sales, the fact is that your mind controls pretty much every result and outcome in your life – fitness included.
Enter “shake things up from the inside out” – or “tune up from the inside out”.
My wife’s numerous stomach issues, for instance, have ONE easy solution.
You on this list know what it is, but of course, when she’s told about it, she doesnt listen. Hehe.
How could her husband ever be “right” on “anything” hehe.
But really ...
Tons of doctor visits down the road, bazillions of medicines down the road, a “colonscopy” or something she had done, and plenty of other tests ..the problem never went away.
And recurs all the time.
Indigestion. Stomach pain. Extreme “flatulence”. And so forth.
And the solution is simple – exercise, yes, but exercis ethat SHAKES things up from the inside out.
Lest you think I know nothing about this, think again.
Back in the day yours truly suffered from IBS – irritable bowel syndrome.
My (and this is what a medical report said) “colon was overloaded” most of the time.
I had extreme “gas”. Had to go to the bathroom unexpectedly at places you’d never think. And so forth.
All normal for those of you that are suffering from IBS as my wife is (except she calls it different things) ...
.... and as I report on the Corrugated Core page, I’m glad to report that for years, I’ve been completely free of IBS or any related stomach issues.
This afternoon, my wife made the comment to me about “how could I tolerate so much spice”.
Well, I couldn’t back in the day. Yes, I loved spicy food always, but the aftermath was quite something else.
Now?
Like water off a duck’s back – or tummy.
Anyway, I told my wife this.
“There’s a simple solution, honey. Shake things up”.
“What do you mean”, she asked.
“Well, what happens when you exercise”, I asked. And without waiting for her to answer, I told her. “Your tummy shakes!”
She shook her head.
Indigant!
How dare you, she said. I’m not fat!
“OK, OK”, I said hastily. Even someone with a 12 or 15 pack would feel his “insides” shaking as he exercised.
No reaction.
Enough said, hehe.
But point again is this – workouts like I promote that SHAKE things up ensure two things.
One, better blood flow and increased T – and all the benefits you know about, but with regard to what I’m saying here, #2?
The CORE and all the organs SHAKE.
And it’s THIS “shaking” that really improves the functioning of your internal organs, massaging,s tretching and SQUEEZING them naturally, and getting rid of bloat, IBS, constipation and everything else.
Hindu squats, for example. Impossible to do ‘em and not feel it all “move”!
Jumping rope. A prime, prime shaker and mover!
And that eternal favorite – sprints.
So as you see, this ain’t really an advertisement for Corrugated Core bro.
But those exercises DO work the core the best – and in the privacy of your own living room.
Of course, a lot of the others get the job done.
Take your pick my friend!
Best
Rahul Mookerjee
PS – Oh, how could I forget PUSHUPS? Another great core movement – check out the different types of pushups that will BLAST your core into a NEW one almost right here – Pushup Central.
More...
On having CONTROL over an exercise
In 0 Excuses Fitness, my other writings and I believe (specifically) the book on PUSHUPS ... I wrotte about control.
Sorry, Mastery.
MASTERY of an exercise is something even the greats willr eadily admit to that it’s nigh on impossible to achieve!
Lets take the humble fingertip pushup, by itself an ASS kicker for most people.
Bruce Lee used to pump out hundreds of these on two fingers, and sets of 50 on the thumb all day long.
Whew.
And even HE would tell you there is ALWAYS more!
For instance, what about a legs elevated pushup done that way?
OR a handstand? Not even the pushup, just the handstand!
Or any of the other variants I teach you in Pushup Central.
Same thing for pull-ups, squats, dips, and what not
(Dips being a great exercise I’ve addressed in Shoulders like Boulders, but I might put out a course someday specifically on dips).
(And on ONE arm workouts – Charles – yes – that is on the way!)
Now, CONTROL.
How much CONTROL do you have over your exercises is key to improvement, and the road to mastery or as close as you’ll get – and superior health, strength and fitness.
The exercises in “Isometric Training” (my latest book on it) do a fine, fine job of addressing this!
Let me tell you, if you get up into my favorite “after climb” stretch I mention in the book, you’ll feel them legs QUIVERING.
Your thighs. Back. Sides. Portions of the body you did NOT know existed, hehe.
While throwing the leg up in just that pose, when I started, I’d “bang it up there” and bang it down with a “thud” onthe cement.
This hurt, but it helped me get better.
But really.
REAL control is when you can simply “glide” that leg up effortlessly, and stay in the stretch – and getting out of it, you do so in control, and calmly and loosely!
THIS, my friend is the real key to isometric benefits (or benefits from said training) and the feel great feeling you get from STRETCHING!
No surprise I’v eincluded both in the same book!
And THIS is something most people, despite being great at pull-ups etc need to work upon. I should know – I used to be the same way!
Strong as heck, but inflexible in certain regards ...
When I do this now, I just “do it” . I dont aim for the foot to bang up there, or records.
It just glides up there!
And thats the only reason I’d advocate you to do Tai Chi etc workouts if you know how to do ‘em.
Pretty much useless for cage fights and real world fighting and we’ve covered that before, but its great for FLEXIBILITY, I WILL give you that!
And so it goes.
On another note, I just looked at an old document from school (a certificate of sorts) which claims I “inculcated good moral value and a secular outlook” amongst other interesting garbage.
The second. Yes.
First?
You be the judge, hehe.
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS – Pick up the book on isometric training HERE.
PS #2 – Did also get to check out my old “Taekwondo” certificate back from when I did it. Musty and dusty, but it’s there, hehe. Yours truly was at “green belt” level then (I believe thats one level above rookie, hehe). Pity I didnt continue and had no incentive to do so!
Handstand pushups and the LOWER BACK!
Well, well, well.
Holy Mary as they say.
Holy Moly as came to my mind, hehe.
I realize dthat although I mentioned “lower” back in the last email, I completely forgot to mention anything at all about lower back and anything related in that email!!
Being I already sent it out, here goes in THIS email.
And I will keep the heading short lest I forget again!
So lower back, yes. And muscle memory.
We got into muscle memory in the last post, eh.
But as far as the lower back is concerned, it's a weak, weak area for MANY people - most notably the pumpers and toners at the gym, but also those that “focus mostly on pounding the pavement” - or for those for whom “the bench press is where it's at” - or thos ethat do heavy deadlifts regularly, and so forth.
That deadlift, by the way is responsible for causing more lower back pain in the gym than most other exercises my friend. Because most people just don't do it right, and even if they do, it's a completely unnatural movement the way it's taught and done.
I mean, think about it.
How often do you pick up an object with a grip like that, not to mention “conveniently” shaped like a barbell off the ground in daily life and grunt your way through for reps?
IF it were a beer barrel you were “cleaning”, I'd get it ...
But anyway, point of this.
I've made NO Secret of the fact that the bridge is the best exercise by far both lower back and core strength, and getting rid of lower back and NECK pain quick.
There is a real good reason wrestlers (real ones, not the WWE 'roid monsters) and boxers for one do these all the time, not to mention strongmen (again, real ones) of yore did 'em all the time.
Because the exercise and the way it stretches the entire body is beyond comparison, and the neck and lower back benefits immensely from the bridge and all it's variations.
And being lower back pain is not just “endemic” to most people, but a “pandemic” of sorts I thought I'd say it. Bridging is a course unto itself, but for now, the variations I teach you in 0 Excuses Fitness (from rank beginner no less) are enough to focus upon (and indeed if yiou do it right, it's all you need your entire LIFE).
And handstand pushups are anothe rgreat one for the lower back, though you wouldn't think so would you?
Just like you wouldn't think or believe it's a super, super GRIP exercise until you actually do them and feel them forearms BURNING (and we're not even getting into fingertip handstand pushups, or one handed ones. Hoo boyyyyy!).
And why are handstand pushups so effective at not just building up the entire core and lower back but BANISHING back pain forever?
Well, think about it.
Most niggles and pains are due to weak ligaments and tendons (connective tissues too) - - NOT so much the muscles.
One of the main reasons Hindu squats are so damned effective and a great workout is that they focus on the inside, not the show thigh muscles. They build up the tendons and ligaments from the inside out from whence on the sky, my friend, is literally the limit.
It don't work quite as well the other way around!
Same thing for handstand pushups. In fact just HOLDING yourself in that position, and hell, even getting into it for you overweight folks will noot only get you huffing and puffing nigh quick, but will build overall strength like NOTHING else can.
Not to mention the balance required works the heck out of the tendons etc as well.
Second (or third), another reason for lower back pain is too much fat on the lower abs.
Or “digestive issues”.
Or, “the infamous “bloat”” and let me tell yo uone thing right now.
When you're in an upside down position, all of this and then some disappears QUICK.
Even if you just work on the position for a few seconds.
Thats all it takes for the magic to start working.
And your stomach muscles naturally pull that flabby belly in, and the INTERNAL stomach muscles naturally contract and you'll feel a stretch-cum-contraction all across the lower back in a horizontal manner.
Like someone was “strengthening” the muscle as you did it, literally!
And I felt it today.
Last, but not least, any good core exercise means an AWESOME lower back exercise.
Goes true for leg raises. Holds true for the “vacum” I explain in Corrugated Core. And any other similar exercise.
And that, my friend is that for now. Give these a whirl, and I promise you'll never “go back”!
Best,
Rahul mookerjee
PS – Here is where you can learn how to do handstand pushups the RIGHT way – the way that gets results – real RESULTS – Shoulders like Boulders.
Pull-ups make you feel INVINCIBLE!!
I know, I know. You guys are gonna call me out on this one . . . not so much because what I’m saying is not true/accurate, but because I’ve said it before.
And as I sit here (and indeed this morning when I woke up at the “bright ole hour of 1130 AM”) thinking about myself doing Bourne sprints on hot China afternoons AFTER a great workout and hill climb, most of the time in a deserted park with no-one to bother me . . . I had a thought (while making my puh-er cha).
“Cha” being Chinese for “tea” . . . . (and yes, my hatred and dislike of the CCP doesn’t equate to the same feelings for the country or it’s people!).
Anyway . . . I remember that park often.
Sometimes I wonder if I should have made the life changes I did in 2018 when I left China for a short while (but returned a few months later anyway).
Didn’t do Bourne sprints for whatever reason upon the return though . . .
. . . but I miss that time. Those workouts. That nostalgia. And that was the time I started my second and by now famous website www.0excusesfitness.com . . .
Started to and met some of the greatest people I ever will through my list and website . . .
Revamped books and courses. Drank a bit of beer while I was at it. Hammered out TONS and TONS (20,000 plus words on some days) of writing for my other projects, stuff I’m still selling to THIS date . . .
Now, the feeling I was having while making my tea (or the thought I mentioned up there?)
Well, I’m exhausted.
Rightly so.
And I was wondering about an upcoming workout today, and “if I should do it”.
Actually, not “if”. It was more along the lines of “you’ll feel great afterwards!”
And I’ll get her done, but the thought was this.
“Remember, Rahul! Pull-ups make you feel great. They make you feel nigh on INVINCIBLE!!”
And that they do my friend. That they do.
And that’s how my hill climbs made me feel.
Invincible, after the workout.
That sheer feeling of CONFIDENCE you get after a solid workout which cannot be replaced by ANYTHING else.
Move aside tech world, emails, gadgets and gizmos.
It’s the SIMPLE stuff that works, and as the world goes increasingly bonkers, and global conflict unfortunately looks more of a possibility than ever before, it’s all the more reason to train the way yours truly does (or the 0 Excuses Faithful for that matter).
It’s all the more reason to have that aura of “invincibility” around you.
You never know what might happen.
You never know (literally these days) what is around the corner.
And you better be ready for ANYTHING, my friend.
It’s a pity the CCP has to go down the route that they are, but every so often humans in general make a mess of the planet and Nature herself in all her infinite wisdom settles it all.
And who are we, as mere mortals to question it?
Happened during the World Wars, and it’ll probably happen in some way shape or form NOW as well. Very soon.
And as I sign off on this email, the last thing I want to say is this my friend.
Keep the good memories in mind.
Keep those fires BURNING!
Oh YES, the good times will come again.
Oh YES, they will. If you keep them memories in mind and keep the fires burning, one day, some day you’ll be back at the place where you had your BEST times (wherever that might be for you) and that hope – desire – a burning FLAME within you for SOMETHING that MATTERS – truly matters – is what keeps us going from day to day.
Live for nothing, or die for something.
As simple as that, my friend.
Always keep that HOPE alive!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS – I get nostalgic every time I think about my Bourne sprint times, and the old man I met in China (who I no longer do due to different workout times etc) . . .
PS #2 – And of course, that’s why I shared it with you. Feel free to write back and share what makes YOU that way, and remember – ain’t nothing wrong with us “tough guys” shedding a tear or two every so often. IT’s what makes us ALL human!
PPS – Go HERE to check out the book on pull-ups.
Fueling up before, after, or DURING a workout?
I’ve written a lot on this one before, of course . . .
. . . but as I “saw” (or so it seems, at any rate) my daughter gorging on cornflakes of all things in the middle of the afternoon, no less, I was struck with the idea to write this.
Now I don’t know if she was actually eating them, but she did have a bowl in her hand – minus the milk of course, hehe. If there is one thing my daughter won’t drink it’s milk (unless it’s with loads of gooey, icky, chocolate syrup on it. Eww!!!).
And so since she apparently was, and then she asked me about “should I take this with me to workout Dad (as a snack)”, I am writing to you about it too!
Now, you’re well versed with my opinion on the first two options in the question, of course (or ardent readers of this newsletter probably are, at any rate).
I’ve made no secret of the FACT that it’s far, far better to work out on an empty stomach than on a FULL stomach, or semi full.
Despite what the so called experts say, my best results have come from following a “diet” entirely opposite that of what the “experts” seemingly recommend.
And NOT by eating the meal they consider the most important of the day either . . .
Now, you’ll have to dive into the Simple and Effective Diet (and especially the intro, oh, and by the way, the manual is yours FREE with a purchase of the 0 Excuses Fitness System!) to find out more about this.
But suffice it to say that as far as eating AFTER a workout goes, YES, often times I’ll eat well after a workout.
Not “stuff” myself, although I do that on occasion, but usually, I have a good meal, and that’s that.
Usually an hour or so after working out.
And usually NOT before 530 in the evening, if that makes sense!
Hey. IT works for me, it works for my students, and it works AMAZINGLY and blindingly fast does this “strange” technique of doing things if you only let it! ?
And often times, I’ll eat HOURS after my workout. Not just an hour. Hours.
Often times I’ll stay on an empty stomach the entire day, and have some of my BEST damned workouts that way!
But as for the million dollar question, fueling DURING a workout?
Well, I’d say NO to it personally, even during extreme “ironman” like workouts.
But my goals of working out are different from the average Joe’ of course!
If your goals entail (as many people’s do!) preening and posing in front of the mirrors at the gym, by all means sip latte and “snack” on some rubbish the so called experts advocate. Go for it.
If your goals are “to lose a bit of weight”, but nothing spectacular, go for it.
If your goals are “the usual workout”, and “you feel hungry during your workout”, then if you really must, go for it.
But I’d only personally do it in case the workout was really extreme, and not even probably in that case.
And as for million dollar question #2.
Will it hurt my results?
In most cases, I’d say yes.
But if you’re going through extreme 100 pull-up and 100 handstand pushup workouts, or if you’re going through workouts where you climb steep hills in the middle of the day in blazing heat - - and 5 times per workout at that followed by a 100 pushups and 50 pull-ups, then it might help.
And probably won’t hurt your results any either way.
The key is though, if you’re keeping it that extreme!
And even in that case, I’d say probably NOT.
And as for what I told my daughter, and what she apparently did? Well, you’ll have to wait a bit for that one! ?
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS – The 0 Excuses Fitness System is FULL of (choc-a-BLOC full of) golden nuggets of wisdom such as THIS. Pick up your copy right HERE.