Your breath is your POWER

Dear Reader,

I just got done with one of the most intense workouts of my life – and boy am I buzzing. Boy do I feel GOOD!

My routine tonight was a heavy bag routine – – a quick ‘n’ dirty 30 minute routine (20 if you count the first 10 as a warm up, which it was of sorts) – – a workout that got the heart pumping, the sweat FLOWING, and the entire body moving – – and of course got the fat furnace ignited at FULL BLAST.

My shoulders and upper body are torched – – in a different sort of manner than they normally would be – – but before I forget, this email isn’t about that.

I said in the title that “your breath is your power”, and ’tis indeed true.

Those familiar with my writings and teachings KNOW by now the emphasis I place on proper deep breathing and recovering from intense sessions by breathing the right way. I’ve even gone so far on occasion as to say that exercise done without the deep breathing incorporated correctly is kind of pointless – and while that isn’t meant to be taken literally, it’s something you’d do well to bear in mind while training (or simply going about life in general).

The famous old time strongman, wrestler and physical culturist Martin Farmer said it best when he said this “Deep breathing alone has made many a sick man well, and many a weak man strong”.

There is immense wisdom in this saying, as well as what I’ve told you in the paragraph above, and why am I bringing it up in this email?

Because despite being told how important deep breathing is in general, folks either flat out ignore it (fooey! That airy fairy stuff ain’t what I’m looking for!) or skip it as being “less important”.

Or, and this is common amongst serious trainees at times – they UNKNOWINGLY forget to breathe the right way during their routines.

While hitting the heavy bag today I was doing all the right things – except one.

It was an intense, intense session to be sure, and I was throwing punches galore in PROPER form (very important, by the way!) and literally treating the bag as an opponent with all the requisite head movements etc.

While the above might not sound like a lot to the average trainee, let me assure you it IS. My shoulders, traps and upper back have as of late got an immense fillip from this sort of heavy bag training – something that I did before, and something that I’m starting again NOW.

Where I erred today, and where I had to stop and “whack myself one on the side of the head” was here – I was not breathing correctly during the most intense parts of the workout.

That’s right – even I made that mistake today.

Now bear in mind breathing the right way is a matter of habit for me during my normal 0 Excuses workouts.

You could wake me up at 4 in the morning and put me through 500 pushups – – or dunk me in a lake and pull me out – – and get me started on dips and pull-ups – – and I’d likely still be breathing correctly without thinking about it.

But, the heavy bag is something I’ve not been doing for a while, and I was caught “napping” today.

I’ll say it again – bear the deep breathing part in mind while you train, my friend. I don’t care how “experienced” you are or how “familiar” you are with the movements, there are times when ALL of us need a kick up the arse to breathe right.

I’ve mentioned my friend Marc before in these emails – a guy with a variety of technical fighting skills – but unfortunately also someone that’s let himself get way out of shape – and he was constantly forgetting to breathe right when I was training him on pull-ups out in the park one fine afternoon.

So again – – it happens to all of us — key thing is to bear it in mind and make sure you avoid it as far as possible.

The more you practice, the more you’ll stop consciously focusing on your breath and just do it right anyway.

On that note, and before I forget, heavy bag routines can be of IMMENSE value to all of us. I don’t care if you’re looking to lose weight, build muscle, or do a combo  of both — the heavy bag has something for everyone.

Unfortunately, many of us buy a heavy bag, but either don’t have a clue on what to do with it, or use it incorrectly – – and this great, great tool ends up gathering dust in garages or the like.

It’s a pity — and I’m thinking about putting out a short course on this – – so if there is interest, shoot me an email, and I might well do so.

Last, but certainly NOT least, remember that boxing routines are intense and you need to be in good shape to begin with to really reap the benefits of said routines.

Remember too that boxers focus on nothing other than ONE exercise as the mainstay of their bodyweight routines – that being the good ole pushup.

You heard me.

Not pull-ups. Not weights. Not crunches. It’s the good ole pushup they focus upon MOST – and so does the army – or elite forces – or in short, anyone that’s serious about training, and this one exercise forms the mainstay of 0 Excuses Fitness as well, my friend.

So if you haven’t already, grab your copy – – and your smartphone, and start cranking out the reps along with me as I guide you along the path to lifelong health, strength and fitness – – all right there in your living room.

OK – that’s it for now. I’ll be back later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Almost forgot to tell you – – Advanced Hill Training has a secret to recovering quickly from INTENSE cardio sessions – -a secret that I have NOT seen mentioned anywhere else or in any other courses. Even if burning lard off your frame quicker than you can imagine ain’t your thang, you DO owe it to yourself to check out that secret – – and you can do so right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/

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