My thighs are a ‘screaming, BROTHER!

Dear reader,

Oh boy. So they are, and my thighs be a’singing, as the saying goes.

Zinging. Singing. Breathing.  PULSING – pulsating with LIFE of their own as it were.  And THAT is EXACTLY whats gonna happen to YOU, my friend, when you finish 400 odd squats in 11:38 minutes FLAT.

250 pushups, and 400 squats ALONG with assorted stretches after the squats, and the END – and that took me – how long?

Not an hour as it takes most people to even “warm up and drive” to the gym.

Not fifteen minutes as it generally takes most people to “decide to procrastinate” and “put off for tomorrow what really should be done today – and NOW, as it were”.

Not two hours or more as it takes the “bodybuilders” to get through their lengthy, elongated routines and yet NOT get the BUZZ that I routinely get after my workouts.

Certainly not a two hours marathon spent “pounding the pavement” either.

50 minutes FLAT. Thats right. 50 minutes is ALL it took for the BEST workout of my life, right HERE in my living room, my friend.

And as an aside, my forearms BE so sore that I can barely type, hehe.

Move aside excuses. Move aside the gym. Heck, move aside just about anything at this point.

The buzz I’m getting right now is the best darn buzz anyone including YOU can get – and if you can show me a better one – well, I’m all ears.

Otherwise, you know what to do, my friend.

Do NOT put off your health until tomorrow.

Get down on the floor and JOIN me in some pushups – and do ’em until “them darn arms” fall off.

You’ll be all the better off for it – that I do guarantee – and if Rahul Mookerjee GUARAN-damn-TEES something, you better be sure he MEANS every word.

All for now!

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – The book has plenty of pushup variations that WILL make even “advanced” trainees literally SCREAM “Uncle” if done right! Here you go: –

The Book

And as for the best darn exercise, and a workout based SOLELY upon that – here ya go – Reverse pushups – the BOOK!

Onward! Man, man, oh MAN!

Workout – and be INSPIRED!

Dear reader,

One of the central facts I emphasize throughout all my writings is vibration – and the very central role vibrating CORRECTLY – and POSITIVELY plays in all areas of your life, not just fitness.

You literally ARE what you vibrate and think, and that, while it sounds rather “airy fairy” is actually a scientifically proven concept that is anything but.

And it’s a concept so astoundingly SIMPLE (once you “get it” – and you can only get it once you open your mind up fully and BELIEVE as opposed to “be skeptical”) that you’ll wonder why on earth you didnt think of it before.

I cover this in detail in some of my self help books, but for now, let’s delve into the “think” part.

Its a well known fact that we think best when we FEEL the best – and part of feeling the best, is quite literally – keeping ourselves in the BEST SHAPE possible and doing ALL THE RIGHT things for our body.

Poor health isn’t necessarily an indicator of an underachiever, but mark  my words – one in poor health (or who makes conscious choices to STAY in poor health due to whatever reason) can never, ever rise to the TOP of whatever field he or she chooses to be in – and STAY there.

Believe me – been there, done that.

Anyway, I generally feel the best when I’m pumping out my writing, but thats obviously not a time to think about anything else other than my writing.

So – when is this other time? Well, most of the time it’s when working out – and regular followers of this blog will know that I’ll always keep a pen and paper handy by me when I workout so as to jot down ideas that often pop up in my mind while exercising, and believe me, there are plenty – and they are ALL useful ideas in one way or the other.

And if you don’t write it down and figure you’ll “commit” it to memory – well, believe me, my friend. You run a very realistic chance of LOSING some of the best ideas that you can get.

Today was literally one of those days. I was pondering a business related issue for a while before my workout, and finally figured I’d call it a day in that regard for the nonce, and started my workout.

And presto – halfway through the first set of squats came idea #1 one, and on the back of it came several other ideas, so many of them “pouring in” that I had to, quite literally, pause at rep #50 and scribble ’em all down.

The same thing applies to ideas that you get “out of the blue” or “in a flash” for that matter.

THESE are the ideas that count, and THESE are the ideas you need to write down – and believe you me, you only get them when your in the RIGHT MENTAL STATE.

Anyway, ’twas a great workout, and so BUZZED was I after the routine that I set about my ideas as soon as I was done, and hence the slight delay in the blog post.

Not to worry though – here it is NOW!

And on that note, I’m off to do some bridging. See ya around!

Best,

Rahul

It just feels WONDERFUL!

Dear Reader,

Yes, it did! That’s the overriding feeling I had ALL throughout my workout today; that is felt NIGH wonderful.

Felt wonderful. Felt great. Superb. Excellent. Insert descriptor of choice, but that is how it FELT, my friend.

That’s how it FELT, and there is a reason I capitalize the word. And those that have been following the blog and/or my books know why!

For the rest of you, well, get on the stick right NOW! It’s all about feeling my friend. Sheer FEELING, white hot PASSION, RED hot desire – desire to achieve.

Desire to do better. Desire to stick to doing whatever it takes to achieve a certain goal, and if your goal or one of them is to do something every day in terms of a workout (as it should be, and mine is), then you DO what it takes daily without fail!

No excuses, bar none, and that’s what the book(s) tell you as well.

Got through about 400 squats, 251 pushups and assorted squats, and believe you me, when you have a mantra along those lines of “it feels great” all throughout your workout; not to mention your actual WORK (which seems like fun most of the time to me!), well, then your well and truly in the ZONE and on the way to SUCCESS, my friend.

Problems just melt away. Things just happen. Good things, at that. And they happen without even consciously making any effort to make them happen.

Get in the zone; get in the FLOW  – and watch your OWN life flow, my friend.

Yes; ‘tis really that simple!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Do the exercise mentioned HERE – and you’ll feel wonderful on a regular basis too!

Reverse pushups – the BOOK!

Put more “oomph” into it

Dear reader,

Yes, you’ve heard the above saying a lot of times, I’m sure, and it holds true not just for … well, not just in the bedroom as it were, to put it in a “PG” rated manner, hehe, although I’m anything BUT PG (and those that know will happily attest to this).

I tend to be very brutally honest and don’t mince my words, and if that means a few “F Bombs” or other such “superlatives” flow forth, so be it. Key thing be I stick to the facts and state things for what they are, and if that offends people so be it.

Always been that way, and probably always will be!

Anyway, back to the “oomph” part. What that translates into in terms of exercise and life in general, for that matter, is to put more FEELING – more ENERGY – into what your doing at THAT PARTICULAR time.

Ever seen someone go through a set of 25 or 50 pushups in a “ho-hum” sort of manner? They’ll be holding their breath while doing the exercise, or breathing in an ultra shallow manner or – and here’s what annoys me the most – not even “bothering” to give it their all.

Hey, pushups are easy, right? Who needs to apply effort?

These same people then end up in the local gym and pay big bucks to use the “spanking new machines” and treadmills, Swiss balls, medicine balls, big jugs, and what not (ok, ignore the “big jugs” part, but I think you get the drift, hehe).

And guess what – they get the same, if not LESS results there as well, as that same mentality carries over to the gym, or yoga class (which appears to be a recent fad in quite a few countries), or swimming pool or what not.

Swimming, for one is a fantastic exercise, but again, IF YOU DO IT right – AND IF you really PUSH yourself. Swimming a few leisurely laps in the pool might be relaxing, but it ain’t-a-gonna whittle that darn fat off like you expect it to. Trust me on this one.

(If you really, really want to get a workout in – swim in an ocean (with all the right safety measures, of course) – and try get in a couple of “leisurely laps” in – and then come back and tell me).

And there’s nothing at all wrong with yoga if – and only  if – DONE RIGHT – and believe me, most people do NOT do it correctly (and a lot of the teachers out there “claiming” to teach yoga are teaching a “watered down” modern version of it that is pretty much useless and even detrimental to your health in some cases).

That said, what I’m teaching you will get you in better shape – and FAST – but again – if you do it RIGHT).

You see a pattern beginning to develop, my friend?

While I do very stridently claim that what my program has to offer is better than the majority of stuff out there, I do also say that there is nothing wrong with alternate means and methods of exercise – – but if, and only if, DONE RIGHT.

And done right means if you apply  yourself.

Focus on what your doing. Block out everything else, including the darn smart phones, tablets, TV’s, and so forth.

REALLY, REALLY apply yourself – and push yourself to your limits and beyond – and DON’T be lazy about it.

Keep at it – and you’ll soon see the results start to appear before your very eyes.

Yes – put more OOMPH into it, and this goes for LIFE as well, my friend.

All for now!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

 

Would you believe it?

Dear user,

I just got done with one of the best workouts of my LIFE – I kid you not, and while that might sound hard to believe given I say (and very rightfully so) that I get in GREAT, great workouts daily, today was special.

Believe it or not, and what I’m about to tell you now might just sound like it’s part of the “Ripley’s believe it or not” list, or even more outrageous.

So be it.

I should actually say “Ripley’s (or Rahul’s) believe it or NOT list for bodyweight squats”, since thats what today’s post is about.

Without further ado here goes.

Would you believe it that other than what I talk about in my book, there are other KEYS to improving your bodyweight squat beyond recognition (reps and RESULTS)?

Would you believe it if …

  • I told you that ARM movement is one of the hidden keys to great success at bodyweight squats?
  • Yes, arm movement …
    • Would you BELIEVE it if I told you – get this – that CLENCHING the fists is yet another, but way more powerful KEY here?
  • I told you that visualization is yet another key – and NO, you do NOT directly visualize doing squats or anything like it!
  • I told you that deep breathing is the #1 key to not just success at squats – but any exercise, and EVERYTHING you do in life – to achieve EVERY goal you set for yourself in life?
    • You better believe that one, given I post about it DAILY, but most folks still won’t believe it, and will “pooh pooh” it off. So be it. ‘Taint my job to convince those who “refuse to drink despite being led to the water”.
  • I told you that an isometric contraction was yet another key to success at bodyweight squats?

Well, I could go on and on, but being I did 500 squats and 252 pushups today, I think 5 is plenty on the “believe it or not” list for today.

If you want more, scan the blog … and you’ll find ’em!

Of course, there are those that’ll understand EXACTLY what I mean. Those that have been getting on the stick as it were, and those that are willing to be taught. For the rest of y’all, well …

Most people think all this is bunkum, hocus pocus, and airy fairy nonsense.

And if your one of those – well – I have THIS to say – the truth couldn’t be farther from reality, my friend.

More to the point, results speak – and you can’t argue with mine, CAN you?

Lots of folks ask me about my secret. They read the book, and ask me “how I got so fit”.

“How are you in such a great shape despite, this, that … et al”.

And yet, when I show them the results and tell them how I did it (and the book to be honest tells you, my friend), they either “brush” it off as “Oh, thats something he’s just saying. He didnt do it”.

Or, “Thats not going to work. It’s just bodyweight”.

Or, and here’s the biggest bunch of baloney “He is genetically gifted”  – and believe me, my friend – I ain’t genetically gifted whatsoever.

I’ll say it again. I’m NOT genetically gifted; if anything it’s been the exact opposite most of my life.

And so forth.

Yet, these people are usually the ones that spend big bucks on gyms, USELESS machines, treadmills, yoga classes, what have you, and yet don’t achieve their desired results, and in most cases, nothing close to it.

And yet, they refuse to be “led” despite all the reasons, evidence and proof being CLEARLY laid out in front of them.

So be it. I’m too STOKED right now to say any more, but … if your one of the few that’s willing to DO – after being shown HOW and WHY – then here it is, my friend – The Book

Conceive – BELIEVE – ACHIEVE! 

Best,

Rahul

“Hindu” (wrestler) pushups

Dear reader,

One of the most misunderstood and underrated exercises there is out there is also one that has been done for centuries to build strength and stay fit from all angles  (cardio, strength, flexibility, all-in-one as it were), and is key to improving your vitality and levels of FOCUS.

And done in high repetitions, and in all it’s various shapes, guises and forms, this ONE exercise alone has the potential to transform your body beyond recognition if you do it right.

There are literally so many variations on this ONE exercise that you can weave entire workouts around this ONE exercise, and STILL have more variations left over. Thats how “versatile” this one exercise is, and to master it fully is probably something NO-ONE has even achieved.

The Gama likely came close, very close most likely, but other than that I know of NOT ONE SINGLE person that has even come REMOTELY close to mastering ONE variant of this super-tough and (when done right) yet so “relaxing” exercise.

The wrestler pushups, or “dand” as it’s called in India has been around for ages, and builds the entire body without exception from head to toe.

Much as the other exercises I teach in Zero Excuses Fitness do, but THIS ONE exercise is likely the most misunderstood out there.

Folks claim it leads to shoulder problems. Folks claim it “doesnt build strength in the core region, and that “regular pushups work the core better””. And so forth. There’s so many myths floating about on this one out there, and most of them are NOT true.

Look, my friend, this ONE exercise DONE RIGHT has an incredibly rejuvenating and REHABILITATING effect not only on the entire shoulder region, but the body as a whole.

Key being to DO THEM RIGHT, and do them the way they’re supposed to be done, and have been done for centuries.

Most folks don’t do them the right way to begin with. You will see people not stretch back fully on each repetition, and you’ll also see folks not “arch” like they should, or arch too early, or “complete the movement in a jerky sort of manner” if that makes sense.

Any exercise done incorrectly is an open invitation to some form of injury, and (especially given the “overall body” nature of this one movement, and how brutal it can be), the wrestler pushup is NOT an exception.

Done right though, you’ll feel better after this one exercise than you have in AGES, my friend.

Again, key being “done right”. Done right all you really need to do is do these in sets of 25 or so to get a super workout in. Although you can and should attempt for max reps at times, there is no need to focus on mega-high repetitions each and every time you do these, and this of course holds true for all the other exercises I teach.

Do something – anything. It does NOT have to be a record breaking workout every time – but the key is to do something EVERYDAY WITHOUT FAIL as I said yesterday, and keep that up in some way, shape or form regardless of anything else.

As for Hindu pushups, form is key, and the book goes into great detail on how to do them, along with associated pictures as well. If you haven’t gotten it yet, GRAB it NOW – The Book. 

And that, my dear reader, is that for today. I’m off for workout # 2 shortly …

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – Along with another highly under-rated exercise (no, it’s not bridging), the Hindu pushup is key to increasing neck size and strength as well IF DONE right.

Can you guess the other one?

Money in the bank

Dear reader,

Something I often say in my books, writings and talks is that exercise is, and should be approached with the mindset of “putting something in the bank” daily.

Money in the bank as it were, and that base slowly, but steadily BUILDS – and it’s the same in terms of your health, strength, and fitness.  Do something everyday, and that “base” will build – and last you a lifetime.

As I say  in my books, it does NOT have to be a max rep workout daily. Neither does it have to take forever. In fact, you can get great results for 25-30 minute workouts done daily, or, if you so prefer, working out TWICE daily – and no – it doesnt need to be a ball buster the second time around!

Most people don’t think twice about going to work on Monday morning, do they?

And yet, people seem to find all sorts of excuses “not to workout because … (insert excuse of choice)”; and the results are there for all to see. Obesity, health issues, liver issues, and so forth – they are ALL on the rise, and yet, it’s so EASY to take care of your body with MINIMAL investment that anyone can do it.

Anyone that doesnt make excuses, that is.

Anyway, ’twas a bit of a “rough” night for me last night if you get my drift.

Yet, I still made time for my workout this evening.

“I’ll do something”, I thought. “May not be a max rep workout, or then again – who knows? Maybe it will be!”

“The main thing to remember is to focus upon BREATHING”. (and yes, I already know this, but I say it to myself anyway before EACH AND EVERY workout).

Here is what my squatting routine looked like – 100, 50, 100, 100 – until I got to rep #351.

Hardly a “small” workout in itself, and this alone is enough to give most “everyday” folks the pounding of their lives in terms of getting a great, great workout in.

Key thing was though that I didnt start with the number 350 in mind, or any number for that matter.

All I did have in mind was what I mentioned above, and as I breathed in and out, in and out, IN AND OUT, slowly, and DEEPLY, the rep count seemed to take care of itself. Ended with a few stretches and 200 pushups, and that, my dear reader was THAT.

Moral of the “story” here?

Do something – anything – and you’ll soon see how that turns into a LOT MORE. Key thing being to “get off your duff” and START!

And thats it for today.

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – If you’re amongst those that have already “got off yer duff”, hats off to YOU!

P.S. #2 – If you happen to fall into the latter category, well, here is your chance to LEAP FROG straight into the former category NOW – The Book

P.S. #3 –  And yes, it’s that important. The rewards in life go to the DOERS – not the fence sitters!

Man, what a TREMENDOUS workout it was!

Dear reader,

Yes, tremendous it was indeed – and it was a 250 squat, 250 pushup workout – in short, that is.

The “long” of it (no pun intended here, hehe) is plenty of stretches thrown in DURING the workout, the same as yesterday – plus stretches at the end – plus bridging thrown in the middle of the workout … PLUS the above.

Man, what a buzz indeed!

I normally bridge at night during workout #2 and those that have been following the blog for a while now already know this, but for those of you that don’t, well, there it is. I find that the “dynamic – cum – static” stretching and deep breathing puts me in a relaxed frame of mind before I go to bed (or, and as I often do, gives me the energy to work late into the night – or early into the morning hours, whichever you prefer, hehe).

75, 25, 40, 30, 30, 50 went the squats. Toughies mixed in as well.

Then I did a SLOW – yes – your ready – SLOW, SLOW, SLOW bridging routine for about 10 minutes.

Finished off with 250 pushups in no particular order, and again – man – what a buzz!

Took about 58:04 minutes in all – a long workout by my standards, and yet beneath an hour.

Way less than what most people spend at the gym and about half an hour more than the time people spend to make excuses as to “why we should give our workout a miss today”.

Well, if your one of those folks, no problemo, my friend. All I can do is point the way – and if someone doesnt follow the way after being literally “guided”, well, then, all I can say  is – good luck to ya!

For the rest of you, you know the path to follow, and it’s right HERE: – http://0excusesfitness.com/the-book/.

A mere $25.99, and it’s YOURS. Grab it NOW!

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – And always, my thighs are FEELING IT!

Stretching – before, or AFTER?

Dear reader,

An oft asked question as it were, and it goes thus – When should I stretch? Before, or after?

Commonly held “wisdom” (and believe you me, there is a reason I use quotes around that word) is that you should stretch “before” starting to workout. The reason and logic being given that “tight” muscles and “tense” muscles need to be stretched before engaging in vigorous activity else you risk injury.

Fair enough from a certain standpoint, and yet I don’t fully agree. Stretching the way most “experts” recommend it is NOT the right way, and what folks do NOT recommend is “working into said stretch” as it were.

I mean, think about it. Tight and tense muscles risk injury if you workout without stretching them, and yet, if you stretch them to their “limits” when they are not fully warmed up, said injury won’t occur?

Me think not, and this is but ONE reason that I advocate stretching not before, but AFTER – yes, AFTER your workout.

This is ideal, not just to stretch and relax tense muscles (that if you do right should be worked to the very BONE by now) – but also “stretch” the lactic acid right out of them, minimizing soreness the next day.

And believe me, folks, it works far better in terms of preventing injuries as well in the long term as opposed to the first way, which in my opinion is NOT the right way.

And yet – what I did today was neither one of these two. I stretched – get this – DURING my workout – and yes, if you do it right, you CAN stretch during your workout, and get a tremendous – I repeat – TREMENDOUS ball buster in while you do so!

‘Twas a 250 pushup and 125 squat day, and the only thing constant in the pushups was that I did them in blocks of 50, and the only thing constant THERE was that I did 20 “wrestler” pushups or (“Hindu” pushups as they are commonly called) in EACH of those “blocks”. I won’t call them sets – but you could call them “super sets”, as I did the pushups with no rest between the exercises.

Bang, bang, bang, and I feel great – and the stretches?

Well, I breathed deeply during the wrestler pushups – and HELD the positions – BOTH the “up” position and the “down” position for time, REALLY, REALLY feeling the stretch in EVERY REP!

I dont mean just a second – I mean a few seconds each way on each rep – and believe you me, if you do it right and push harder enough, 20 is about all you need to really start to “shake in the right areas” if you get my drift, hehe.

And though I don’t do this variation everyday, there are plenty more you CAN do, simply in terms of this one exercise that will give you a great stretch during your workout.

I’ll cover more of these later in future blog posts, or perhaps future books. For now, though it’s onto the shower and then I gotta head out soon.

In the meantime – if you haven’t gotten it already – do so now – here it IS – the KEY to your overall health, fitness, strength and flexibility – and it requires ZERO equipment – and most importantly – ZERO EXCUSES.

That’s right.

ZERO EXCUSES Fitness.

NO EXCUSES, bar none – so stop making excuses in terms of why you don’t need the book. There ain’t none, my friend.

The Book

I’m out.

Best,

Rahul

 

Squat for 10, push for 30!

Dear reader,

I’m writing this a few hours after my last workout, and boy are my thighs SORE!

The subject line of this e-mail reads “squat for 10, push for 30”. Add about 8 letters to the numbers, and that about sums up my workout (#1) this morning.

Those letters being “minutes”.

Yes, you read that right and I’m sure it sounds strange to you. After all, squats recruit larger muscles, right? It would make sense to work them for a LONGER period of time?

Not really … not if your doing bodyweight squats the right way – the way they are SUPPOSED to be done!

I finished my squats in about 8:10, and then walked around for another minute or so before starting the pushups.

Got done with 200 TOUGHIES in about 30 minutes, including stretches after I finished and that was my workout for the day.

What a buzz – I feel alive, alive, ALIVE – and this is a few hours after the workout, and a few hours preceding workout #2 which will be a quick 15 minute routine, but will make me feel like a billion bucks after I’m done regardless.

And that, my dear reader, is how YOUR workouts should be. Short, sweet, intense, and TO THE POINT – the point being to work your muscles differently each time and yet get a great, great “cardio” workout in while you do so.

And YES, YOU – CAN – do it! Achieving high reps in exercises that look seemingly impossible may sound improbable to those of you that can barely pound out 10 regular pushups in PERFECT form right now, but believe you me, it’s very very doable indeed – if you know the right way.

That’s that for today. I’m back to my writing for now …

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – What  is the “right way”? Well, it’s detailed right HERE – all the detail you’ll ever need in terms of a fitness manual – The Book

 

P.S #2 – My thighs feel PULVERIZED – the stair runs I did later on as a “mini-workout” of sorts didnt help either!