Exercises (171)
How to achieve the seemingly impossible
I've been training hard over the last week or so on a few exercises that I consider to be tough - and that I'm not proficient at. I exercise on a daily basis and take maybe one day off in a week - two if I need it, but I haven't taken ANY days off this last week.
Now, just so you know, as far as my training goes, my "week" began last Thursday since last Wednesday was a rest day for me. I've been hitting it hard (or fast and furious) since then, and have been working hard on variations of exercises that are currently not easy for me to do - at least not if I do them at the level I would like to do them at.
And today was a red letter day for me in many ways. After five hard days of regular training, I've done what I previously thought was impossible for me to do in terms of these exercises and can see myself progressing further than I ever thought I would. Note that until yesterday, my training was just "normal"; but the results of the hard work suddenly showed up TODAY, and I'm well on the path to getting to that "elite" level on those particular exercises.
So, WHAT are those exercises, you might ask? Well, it doesn't really matter - one of them is a variation of a handstand pushup that I couldn't even BEGIN to do, but can do a few reps of now (still not in perfect form, but I am getting there). Another is a version of a leg raise - there are many - but the point of telling you this is that daily practice, without failure, is one of the keys to achieving super success in your training.
And this goes for everything in life - if you want to get better at something, practice daily, multiple, quadruple times a day if you have to - but practice without fail, and practice as if your life depended on it.
I emphasize this point repeatedly in Fast and Furious Fitness - be sure and grab a copy if you haven't already.
Now, I realize that some people reading this may take this to mean training to failure daily, not taking any days off, etc etc.And no - the above does NOT mean you should hammer your body to the point of no-recovery - that is actually taking a step, or several steps backwards instead of forward. Train sensibly, and LISTEN to your body - and judge how to proceed. I wrote another post on this here; be sure and read that for more on listening to your body.
And only YOU can judge how you feel and what to do. I can guide you on doing pushups, but I cannot tell you how often to practice - only YOU know how your body feels, and what your current fitness levels are. I can guide - but I cannot make the decision for you - only YOU can.
What I CAN tell you is this is that if you practice daily and do so sensibly - your gains will skyrocket, and you'll soon be on the path to doing what was previously impossible for me, and this goes for anything in life.
And on another note, I remember a visit to New Orleans a couple of years ago, where I saw a guy performing in front of a large crowd. This guy was doing handstands and handstand pushups - something you might not think is that big of a deal. But get this - that was just the start. What he did after that was to walk up a flight of stairs on his HANDS alone - and walk back DOWN that flight of stairs, again on his HANDS alone! And if you think that was tough, well, you'd me mistaken. He then did five pushups while still on his hands, and then "walked" back up the flight of stairs again.
Now, I don't know about you, but I know I'm nowhere near that level right now. And I KNOW I'll have to practice hard daily - for years - in order to GET to that level.
That skill is a fantastic one, and a great goal to work towards. But, I've got some goals to accomplish already, so that one will have to wait.
Now, what about YOU?
What goal are YOU going to set for yourself today? What effort are you willing to put into achieving that goal? Will you stick to it?
Answer the questions above, and act accordingly - and you'll be on the road to success in no time.
Best regards,
Rahul
Exercises that complement one another
Woke up this morning feeling a bit grumpy and tired. Got to bed real late last night, plus had a host of other engagements the day before - not what you'd term an ideal weekend - which was probably the reason for me feeling a bit down. Woke up, drank some green tea, and then plunged into my workout. And an hour later, I'm soaked in sweat and am feeling on TOP Of the world. In fact, I'm literally buzzing with energy - so you know I got a GREAT workout in!
And thats pretty much how YOU can expect to feel as well when you work out the way I teach you in Fast and Furious Fitness. Short, hard workouts that get the heart pumping and the muscles working - and thats all you really need.
Back on topic though - In my workout today, I did exercises that complement each other. And doing so is one of the keys to getting a superb overall workout in. One simple example of exercises that complement each other would be doing pull-ups and push-ups together - you do a set of pull-ups, bang out some push-ups right after, and keep repeating until you can't do any more. This is a very simple, yet often forgotten "secret" combination for most folks - and you'd be amazed at the benefits you reap from working on just this combo three times a week.
And while what I just told you is a powerful combination that will get you STRONG, there are many other routines that work just as well - and are even tougher. And you'll get to know what these are upon reading Fast and Furious Fitness, where I give you some sample workouts that'll have you huffing and puffing like a locomotive in no time at all.
And finally - note that though I did NOT do any pull-ups (or pulling movements, for that matter) in my workout today, my forearms feel like they've been put through a wringer, and my back muscles are starting to talk to me as well. You may not think that's possible, but it IS. And the routine I followed is actually very simple - think about it, and let me know if you figured out what I did!
OK, thats it for today. Time to get down to business now. . .
Best regards,
Rahul
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Pushups vs dips - which is better?
One easy way for me to answer this would be to tell you to simply do the exercise, so you can find out on your own. As in, DO the thing, and you'll find out what is better - or, more importantly, what works better for you. And that would be a perfectly legitimate answer - actually DOING the exercises yourself, and figuring out what works best will actually give you far more insightful answers that I (or anyone else) ever could.
I talk more about doing what works best for you in Fast and Furious Fitness, but for today, I'll delve into the topic myself and share MY feelings with you. And if I were asked this question, my answer would be a combination of "to each his own" and "both have their place".
Now, why do I feel this way?
First, training correctly rarely falls into the "black and white category", where everything is either RIGHT, or WRONG. No, that's not it - much like life, training questions, complications and everything associated with it is a "grey area", in that one usually has to find a middle path (while keeping certain basics in mind) - there is no absolute RIGHT or WRONG.
Second, both exercises are great for upper body development. Both develop a deep, powerful chest, a strong upper back - and also develop the shoulder muscles in their entirety. Both require very little equipment (pushups require NONE), and both can be used to craft together workouts that will have you huffing and puffing in no time flat.
But, both have their unique benefits. Pushups can give you far more of a cardiovascular workout than dips do, and involve the legs and lower back as well - as opposed to dips, which mostly use the upper body musculature. Dips, on the other hand are much harder to do correctly for most people, and can be used to get an excellent strength workout, while also getting cardiovascular benefits. Pushups have far more variations than dips do (that I know of), but modify the regular bodyweight dip a little, and you have a whole new exercise that will tax you far more than most pushup variations will.
And both have their place as well - those with shoulder issues may want to avoid dips and start off with pushups. Those who are already at a certain level of strength and fitness may want to start off with an advanced variation of the dip, and concentrate more on that. As I said - DO the exercise, and you'll find out.
So in closing - both are excellent exercises that have their own place, and their own benefits. Do the exercise, find out what works best for you, and thats pretty much all that you need to do (and that little bit applies to ALL of your training as well).
Long answer to a pretty short question, but that's MY take on it. Write in, and let me know YOUR take on it!
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: You can read more on pushups and dips HERE.
PS#2: For even greater detail, Fast and Furious Fitness is what you need to be reading.