Dear reader,

Headsup! This is gonna be a short one – and this is gonna be me asking YOU a question, my friend.

To cut to the chase – – I’ve been toying with the idea of doing up a monthly newsletter for a while now for those who subscribe to it. This will be different from my daily emails in that it will be a much larger “monthly” fitness volume of sorts – and I’ll cover all sorts of fitness topics in these newsletters – as well as tips on life in general which I tend to cover in my daily emails too.

How did I get this idea?

Well – I receive emails from readers on a fairly regular basis, and while I address a lot of them in my daily emails (or the ones that I feel “appeal” to the entire list, anyway) – I’m not able to address ALL of them in depth as I’d like to.

Simply not enough hours in the day – – but this can be addressed by putting out a monthly “bulletin” wherein not only is most of the reader feedback addressed – – but I have the chance to put out MORE – and DETAILED  – tips on health and fitness that I simply don’t have the time to do in a regular email/post.

So if this sounds appealing – – let me know – – and I’ll get the subscription package ready etc. I gotta have a fair number of subscribers before I invest the time and effort required to create these on a monthly basis – – so if you’re amongst those that have already invested in my products – – and want MORE (as “Mark” recently asked me) – – well, now is your chance.

Grab the bull by the horns as it were, and let me know. We’ll go from there.

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – If you’re not on the “0 Excuses Crew” as well, what you’re waiting for? Make a start right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/products/

Dear reader,

Hark back to 2009 when I was writing a rather lengthy email to “Uncle” Bob – one of my friends at the time – a guy I met way, way back in the day in China (in 2004 if memory serves correct).

And what was I telling him about?

Well, I was actually in India at that time, and about to get married to my “now” wife – and I was telling my friend about a somewhat recent instance that occurred – and made the headlines as well, although it wouldn’t even have merited a by-note if my wife and myself hadn’t taken the actions we did (against much opposition).

Briefly speaking, the police scammed my wife and myself out of money in the most ludicrous and unimaginable manner possible – and if what I have to say now makes you spit up your coffee – or goggle wide eyed at the screen a.k. a “how the heck is that even POSSIBLE” – well – I don’t blame ya.

I’m not going to get into specifics here, as that would necessitate a tome rather than an e-mail, but my wife and myself had got married a few days ago and were sitting outside a courthouse in New Delhi waiting to get our paperwork etc done.

‘Twas a nice day. The birds were chirping, the sun was out – and yours truly was on top of the world – as you might imagine.

We were doing all the normal things a couple does. Necking. Cuddling. Holding hands etc. Nothing strange or out of the ordinary as you might expect.

And all of a sudden some cops pulled up beside us and decided to “hook us and book us” for – what – you might ask?

“Kissing in public” was what they say, although incredibly enough we hadn’t even done that – though it wouldn’t have mattered if we had would it?

Anyway, long story short – we were scammed out of some money during the process – and despite all the “pleas” from friends etc to the contrary – my wife and I pursued the entire matter in court, and so ludicrous were the allegations made by the cops and so utterly unbelievable that not only did the entire matter get thrown out – it also made page #2 of the Times of India – two huge feature articles if I recall correctly.

And lest you think I’m kidding, think again. We received a letter of apology from the Police Department as well – but guess what – none of this would happened if we would have done what the vast majority of folks suggested which was to “take it and do nothing”.

As I wrote in the last email, being one of the “sheeple” never really works, my friends. Say it like it is – and say so with courage and without fear – and you’ll reap just rewards in due time.

Anyway, all this prompted Uncle Bob to make the aforementioned comment, and I can’t say I blame him, hehe. Hell, who knows – I may even write a book about the entire story (quite an ordeal at the time) sometime in the future – then again, maybe not. Who knows.

Fast forward to now, and I’ve got mental movies of myself going through  my head all the time – but NOT Bollywood style.

I mentally run a movie of myself working out – sprinting – running – doing pushups – pull-ups – whatever it might be BEFORE I do the actual workout – and guess what. It not only gets me through my workout like it was nothing – but it also never fails to deliver BETTER results each and every time, my friend.

I was doing handstand pushups to the nose today instead of the top of my head, and to make it harder I paused just that bit longer in the “down” position, something that I previously wasn’t too good at.

(Note – this is NOT something I recommend for beginners. As I’ve said in Shoulders like Boulders – you need to first get good at the handstand holds before even attempting a handstand pushup – let alone a HSPU to your nose as opposed to the top of your head.

Do NOT make the mistake of thinking you don’t need to work into this – you DO.)

And yet, today, after I visualized myself doing so – it was like that – BAM! It was like nothing – and just happened without any apparent conscious effort as well – much like the sales visualization techniques I’ve spoken about before in previous emails.

Another movie I often re-run in my own mental theater is of me doing “Bourne Sprints” before I do the actual sprints – and believe me, my performance improves each and every time.

You TOO, my friend would be well served by running mental movies in your head BEFORE you start out on any goal.

Run the mental movie of yourself DOING IT – and ACCOMPLISHING said goal – and THEN begin actually doing it.

Report back on your results – I’ll bet they’re out of this world!

Well, my friend – that’s it for now. I’ll be back again with more.

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – “Bourne sprints” are covered in Advanced Hill Training, although I don’t refer to that by that name in the manual. So are several other sprints – done in the quadruped position that’ll fry fat off your entire body in record time, my friend. You CAN literally eat more and weigh less – almost on a daily basis. Get your paws on this truly mindblowing and superlative course right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/

Dear reader,

Back in a previous life when I used to work a full time “9-5” job – or several, for that matter, and I hated each and every one of them – something I heard ad infinitum – and something that annoyed the bejezus out of me – was that I was “too direct”.

“You’re too direct!”

“Rahul needs to tone it down”

“He’s too brutally honest” (this last one all the time)

And so on and so forth. Funny part was, while I WAS – and very unreservedly and unabashedly still AM – ALL OF THE ABOVE – those same people that criticized me “in front of others” for saying it like it was and being true to myself would actually go back “behind closed doors” and “ponder what I said”.

Often times I’d hear back from those very people (in private) and these people would tell me what I was saying was right.

“Well, why didn’t you say it upfront then”, would be my response.

And I’d get a litany of responses all similar in nature – ranging from the usual “Oh, I can’t say that in front of others” to “I’m worried what they might think” or something along those lines.

Fast forward to NOW – a good 10 – or 12 years later, and have I changed?

Not one bit apparently – not from when I was “paddled” in the fourth grade for not reporting a teacher complaint (that I had kicked another lad in the shins – hey – but what I can say – he deserved it – kicked him so hard that he apparently ended up in the school clinic to “treat a bruise”) to my parents on time.

The “bruising” I received then for “not being honest” is something that has stuck with  me my entire life, although to be fair the reason my fourth grade self didn’t tell my parents about the complaint was they wouldn’t listen to me anyway (they’re the “the other person is always right” sort – to an extreme).

What do I  mean by the “other person is always right” – well, what I mean is this – there have been plenty of times when the other person is WRONG – and yet it was somehow “acceptable”. Case in point being when I personally once put a bruising – so much so that my fingers left marks on  the dude’s neck – on a ass clown in 8th grade that was calling me every name under the sun and deserved every bit of what he got.

And lest you think I was a stud in school, think AGAIN. I was probably one of the skinniest and smallest kids around – and did definitely get the heck “smacked” out of me plenty of times – including a table to the forehead WWE style once – which curiously enough didn’t seem to register with the school authorities at that time – at least not as much as the “death grip” (Gorilla style, hehe) on the neck did.

While I’ve not been on speaking terms with my parents for a long time now (for a barrage of reasons) – that ONE lesson stuck with me my entire life – and I’m damn glad it did.

Little did “Daddy dearest” know that “little Rahul” would grow up to so brutally honest that “Daddy Dearest” would be despairingly telling an adult Rahul to “play office politics” (or some nonsense of that nature) in order to avoid incurring a boss’s wrath. If he did, he might well have reconsidered his approach to handling said situation at that time, hehe.

A friend of mine recently told me much the same thing here in China. Apparently Chinese – and Asian in general – cultures are not that brutally honest  – and one should “tone it down” if one were to successfully do biz with them (I was engaged in a biz dealing at that time).

Fooey on all that, I say. Fiddlesticks. I’ve been known for saying it like it is for a long, long time – and if that causes biz deals to go south – or “Facebook” friends to whine about my direct nature, then so be it. I could care less.

True, there ARE times when we’d all be best served keeping our yaps shut – but such times are few and far in between, my friend.

Though I do NOT take much interest in politics, and what’s going on in the White House, and whose sending texts to who – I DO greatly admire the man that is in charge of the White House now – Donald Trump a man after my own heart.

Not purely because he’s got the nation’s best interests at heart – but because it’s WYSIWYG with them – much like me. Trump could care less what folks think of him – and this honest and brutally frank style is something I greatly admire.

I once said to one of my best friends here, an ex-Marine – “If there’s ONE person on the face of this planet that’s more brutally direct than me – it’s Trump”.

My friend laughed.

“We don’t know that, Rahul. It isn’t a foregone conclusion by any means!”

Anyway, that’s how I’ve always been – was – am – and WILL continue to be for the rest of my life my friends. Saying it like it is – and being HONEST – is what I prefer, and this style shines through in all my products as well.

Gorilla Grip and Gorilla Grip (Advanced) tell you that you can not only develop a cast iron grip – but an “unnatural” (or kung fu style) pull to your grip with the exercises there in – and it’s ALL TRUE.

Shoulders like Boulders tells you that you can develop MASSIVE injury proof shoulders from doing just ONE exercises (and a few other supplementary movements mentioned) – and it’s NOT an exaggeration, my friend. Not one damn bit.

And so on and so forth.

Moral of today’s story – or rant – or email – which have you?

Well – it’s this. Be yourself – and be DIRECT – and say it like it is – WITHOUT fear of “what others might think”.

True, this may not win you any popularity contests up front – but at the end of the day, you’ll be a better person for it – and feel far more confident in your own skin than the vast majority of the “politically correct” folks do.

Last, but not least, those of you that are in sales or marketing might think this approach leads to lost customers – and if you do – well – think again, my friend.

In fact, think several times. In the 10 Commandments of Successful Sales I talk about the success I had at the company being referred to – and EACH AND EVERY ONE of those sales was made in the same brutally direct honest manner – and far from repelling sales, it seemed to attract new customers – and new sales – like bits of steel to a magnet.

Rise UP – and be YOURSELF, my friend – WITHOUT reservation. It really IS the only way to live.

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – When I tell you the 0 Excuses Fitness System is the BEST darn fitness system on the planet, you’d better believe it NOW, my friend. Here is where you can grab a copy for yourself – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Dear reader,

Whew! I just got an EARFUL – or should I say heapings of earfuls, hehe.

Just got off the phone with my wife – and suffice it to say she was NOT happy, hehe.

Why? Well, there’s a whole litany of reasons behind this which would take up an entire book to tell you – but it condenses down into this – distance is often very very hard on a relationship – especially more so when you’ve got young kids to deal with as well.

Sure, we’ve got Facetime – Wechat – and all the other nonsense on the smartphones that ostensibly allows us to stay in touch 24/7 – and yet – NOTHING can compare to real in person time spent with one’s kids – or spouse, for that matter.

One of the most poignant memories I have of my daughter Barbara is when she was but a day old. Looking at the little helpless bundle of joy peacefully sleeping in my arms (my wife was unable to move at that time) gave me such a feeling of inner contentment and peace that I cannot even begin to tell you how good it feels.

Especially when she mistook Papa’s “breast” for Mommy’s, hehe – one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

Ditto for my wife. Nothing really compares to in person time spent with one’s spouse. A hug. A kiss. Or a simple “I love you” – said in PERSON – NOT on the dumb-phone, hehe.

As y’all know I’ve been in China for quite a while now, and over the past few months I’ve come to a decision.

While China has been good – or should I say GREAT – to me in many regards, it’s time to move on, my friend. Move on to greener pastures as it were – and move on WITH  my family rather than without.

Again, don’t get me wrong. China’s been GREAT – it’s been here where I’ve created most of my products, and it’s here that the foreign devil really “embarked” upon his fitness journey way, way  back in 2004 (courtesy a certain “Ann” who I’ve spoken about in prior emails, hehe).

But it’s time to move on – and curiously enough, I’ll be moving on to a country which is responsible for giving us all the wonderous exercises that I teach in the 0 Excuses Fitness System.

That country being India – the birthplace of the great Gama. The birthplace of  Hindu squats – Hindu pushups – and a whole slew of other exercises – including, but not limited to reverse pushups, “table” pushups, and a lot, lot more.

One of the interesting parts about this is that I might not have access to a hill when I’m in India – except for when I’m traveling in the Himalayas, of course. I’ll keep y’all posted on that, but for the most part, I’ll be doing exactly what I’ve told  YOU to do many times – which is to port the routines in “Advanced Hill Training” over to flat ground – and believe me, they work just as well on flat ground as on hills.

By the way, did you know that contrary to popular opinion – and thought – sprints done on flat land can actually end up being MORE taxing than hill sprints?

I bet not – and I’ll cover that as well in future posts.

For now though, it’s off to India in a few weeks. We’ll see what happens after that, but I – and my family – for one are looking forward to the new adventures in store for us – and I’ll certainly keep you posted on how it all goes down!

OK, my dear reader – that’s it for now. My ears be a ringing from the dressing down I just got, and I’m off for a 250 pushup workout now. Join me if you can!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – I mentioned Advanced Hill Training above, but forgot to include the link – here it is now – http://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/. Don’t forget the special FREEEEEEEBEEEEEE mentioned at the bottom of the sales page – grab it while the offer LASTS.

P.S #2 – I’ll be training my daughter on handstands as well – she’s already shown a keen interest in them – and this WITHOUT me telling her even ONCE. As they say, kids do what their parents do. So if you’ve got kids, set a good example for them, my friend. Don’t be a sloth bear – or couch  potato – or “buffet molester”. Instead, train daily – and train with VIM, VIGOR and GUSTO – and do so with exercises that your kids will be following along in no time at all – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Dear reader,

Was having a discussion this morning with one of my good buddies here about the classic “lion vs tiger” match up i.e. who would win a fight between these two magnificent beasts.

My buddy, as many people like to believe,  is firmly of the opinion that the lion is indeed the “king of the jungle”, and reigns supreme over all other big cats (although he doesn’t say that the other big cats are by any means less admirable).

I beg to differ, and as usual have a different opinion from what the vast majority of folks have, hehe.

To me, and based upon the research I’ve done – and based upon what I’ve SEEN – the TRUE king of the jungle should be the tiger – namely, the Bengal tiger. All other things being equal there is no other big cat that matches the tiger in terms of ferocity, flexibility, speed  – not to mention even more of an inbuilt instinct of “going for the jugular” more so than other big cats have.

There have been documented fights (unfortunately) between tigers and lions, and the tigers came out tops the vast majority of the time.

The “mane” is what gives the lion that imposing look – but in reality, it slows the lion down and … ah, but I don’t want this to be a documentary on “cat vs cat”, so I’ll end it here – but the point of me saying all this?

Well, first off, to say that big cats are some of the amazing creatures we have on this planet, my friend. Take a look at the tiger for one – or, the jaguar – another one of my favorite big cats after the tiger.

The jaguar is known as the “reluctant” warrior. Jaguars tend to avoid conflict – but hem in that jaguar – push him into a corner, and you’ll never seen a more ferocious and bloody “to the death” fightback. Whew!

I’ve seen videos of tigers and leopards killing full grown salt water crocs and – get this – carrying them up in their JAWS up trees!

I’ve also seen videos of tigers routinely hunt “gaur” (the largest species of cattle in the world) – and haul ’em off across long swathes of forest with impunity, dragging the carcass along as they go like it weighed nothing. Talk about neck and jaw strength, eh?

Anyway, what do these cats do all day in terms of movement?

They certainly don’t “run at a slow pace” or “pound the forest” all day long. They don’t do 50 x 500 x 3.5 tiger crawls all day long. In fact, the vast majority of the big cats spend most of their time RESTING – either on terra firm, or on trees, etc.

But when it’s time to get the job done – BAM – can they move – and can they move EXPLOSIVELY!

I’ve seen a video where an angry tigress attacks a woman on an elephant – leaps over the elephant (full grown elephant) – and takes two of it’s fingers off in the same leap and – all in one breath – bounds back into the jungle. Took less than 2 seconds perhaps.

Now that’s SPEED, don’t you think?

You too, my friend, can benefit from following this sort of exercise routine, and I state that unabashedly, unreservedly, and “unapologetically”, hehe on the 0 Excuses Fitness System page.

Big cats stretch forwards – and backwards several times a day – akin to the stretch you get from the Hindu (wrestler) pushups mentioned in the 0 Excuses Fitness System. These alone will give you explosive upper body strength and shoulder muscles like you’ve never experienced before – and the kind of deep, “barrel” chest you cannot get from other sorts of exercises.

The deep breathing techniques in the System will give you energy – that lasts during the day – and that doesn’t quit on ya when you need it the most.

Big cats rest for the most of the day – but when it’s time to get the job done, what do they do?

They don’t move in “slo mo”. No – it’s a full fledged SPRINT – an all out sprint – and the closest human equivalent to that would be the “Bourne sprints” I do on a regular basis, hehe.

A big cat doesn’t exercise all day long. In fact, less than a few minutes of intense activity is probably all it gets in during the day – but the benefits reaped from those few minutes – is – to put it in one way – immeasurable.

So if you’re looking to be the KING of the workout jungle – develop insane “cat like” flexibility – real world strength that doesn’t quit – and LASTS – as well as boundless levels of energy and stamina that don’t let you down when you need it the most – well – start exercising the way of the animal, my friend. Start doing so right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Well, my friend, that’s it for now. My buddy’s back at it with another “counter” as to why a lion is indeed the king of the jungle, and I can’t let that one go past without a swipe or two, hehe.

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – If you know about sprints, but are not sure how to work them into your system – well – not to worry. My “Advanced Hill Training” course has plenty of workouts that covers all bases – and the best thing? These workouts can just as easily be ported over to flat land as on hills. Grab yourself a copy right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/

Dear reader,

I believe I mentioned in an earlier post about teaching “Miss Mao’s” students English last summer, eh?

Well, I believe I also wrote that I’m NOT a huge fan of how the ESL (English as a second language) industry conducts itself in China and teaching, therefore, is NOT something I enjoy doing here – unless it’s for good people and folks that I know well enough to do it for.

Anyway, one of the most amazing things about this industry in China (I don’t know about other countries, so I’ll stick to ESL in China here) is the sheer brazenness and “pomp” with which the (ostensibly) students try and “educate” the instructors.

I cannot even begin to count the number of times I’ve received utterly useless advice from students or local English teachers – a lot of it perhaps well intentioned, but ignorant nonetheless – and advice that does NOT push the students along to achieving what it was that they set out to do – and paid money for  – i.e. learning English.

Often times, it’ll be students (usually adult females) that’ll be instructing me “how to teach” when they can barely pronounce the words I’ve mentioned above. ‘Tis hilarious if you look at it in a certain way – kind of like shooting oneself in the foot – and gladly at that.

While there are many reasons behind this, one of the reasons is that ESL in China could hardly be considered teaching for the most part. An inside joke (or perhaps not) is that it’s basically a dancing bear gig – and the “fairer” the bear, the better, if you get my drift, hehe.

There are other reasons, but that’s one main reason. Might not sound nice and certainly doesn’t sound politically correct, but find me anyone with half a brain that analyzes the reality of what I said above and doesn’t agree, and I’ll be a monkey’s uncle and pig’s nephew.

Anyway, how does any of that relate to fitness, you might ask?

Well, simple.

Way too many people (NOT just in China, by the way) are too quick to “question” what the “instructor” tells them to do without actually either doing them – or doing them and THEN thinking about them.

Too many people are way too quick to jump on Internet forums and look for “advice” other than what they paid for – and then proceed to “try” to “dissect” that advice.

100 squats? Oh, that can’t possibly build my thighs and knees! Rahul, how can you tell me do 100 squats daily? The bubbas at the gym claim it’s bad for the knees, and I believe there have been studies done proving they are! (no there haven’t).

Pushups! Pah! How they could they ever build any sort of muscle? The muscle mags tell me to pound 10 kgs of creatine daily, gulp down energy bars from Mars, eat about 50 raw eggs with every meal, and pound heavy weights for at least three hours a day while posing and preening in the mirror. Oh, those pushups – they can’t possibly …

All of this, my friend, is an ultimately USELESS endeavor and doesn’t get you to any closer to your goals.

Sure, it’s one thing to think and make a decision – but it’s quite another to “dissect” that decision and waste time debating on useless topics when you’d be best served by DOING the thing – and finding out for YOURSELF.

When we learn how to swim – or ride a bike – we don’t question the instructor – do we?

No – not unless we want a gulpful of water – or fall flat on our arses.

The same thing, my friend, applies to fitness.

Question less – do more.

Don’t argue about “so and so told me the squats are bad”. Do the doggone squats and find out for yourself.

Don’t waste time worrying about “Bodybuilder XXX told me pull-ups should not be done at full extension”. Do ’em – feel the stretch in your BACK and spinal erectors – and THEN come back and tell me.

And so on and so forth.

Do – rather than question endlessly – and you’ll see yourself beginning to reap the results quicker than you ever thought possible.

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – Don’t question the next statement, my friend. If you’ve got fitness goals that you’re looking to achieve, the VERY FIRST THING to do – WITHOUT question is to grab the world famous 0 Excuses Fitness System right here – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Dear reader,

It’s amazing how many people take life – and things/occurrences in life – for GRANTED, not doing much to change it even when these occurrences are somewhat, or quite unpalatable.

I met up with my friend a couple of weeks ago for a few “brewskies”, something I don’t generally do, but something that was way overdue in that case.

Being he hadn’t eaten all day and had a rough day to boot, we ordered a pizza, and I suggested a newly opened pizza joint nearby that I had gone to earlier on in the month with another close friend.

I messaged the guy, and asked him if he could deliver the pizza.

“OK, no problem!” was the response, and I then thanked him and asked him to hold on for a while until I figured out when my friend would get here – so I didn’t end up ordering a “stone cold” pizza if you get my drift, hehe.

He nodded (remember, we’re messaging back and forth) and then asked me to send my address over to his wife who apparently handles deliveries. I said I would, and then asked him about a few additional toppings as well as garlic butter sauce “to go” with it.

Nothing doing on the garlic sauce. Apparently it “solidifies” on the way, which in itself was somewhat strange given it’s a pizza delivery service, but whatever. No problemo, amigo!

I asked him about a few additional toppings, and asked him to wait for my final confirmation before he did anything.

A few minutes later, I receive a text from his wife asking for my address.

“Hang on”, I said. “Let me figure out when my friend gets here”.

And then on an impulse, I texted my address over. I had made my request pretty clear – – or so I thought …

My friend shows up around 15 minutes later, and after a bit of discussion, we figured out the toppings we want on the pizza, which I then texted over to the lady and her husband.

No problem, you’d think, right?

Wrong.

She texts me back saying “Sorry, the pizza is already on it’s way”.

“Huh?? But we asked you to wait a while …”

No real acknowledgement ensued. Ah well.

“Well, I’m assuming it’ll be here with the toppings we asked for, at any rate”, I said cheerfully enough.

Wrong. These guys ended up giving us a topping of THEIR choice – despite being explicitly told what WE wanted – and more so, expected us to “smile and accept what was being given”.

This did NOT go down well with me at all, as you might imagine, but when I told my friend about this, he shrugged it off.

“Thats how it is, Rahul. There’s nothing we can do! He makes the best pizza here!”

“Oh YES, there is buddy”, I retorted. “We take our biz elsewhere! Granted, the guy’s pizza is good – but … ”

“Nah, it won’t change anything. That’s just how it is”.

Anyway, I forgot about this – until later at night when I texted the guy to say thanks anyway. Forget and forgive, I thought.

He texted back with … what? Well, amazingly enough – or not – no apologies for messing up the order – but a “sales pitch” to sell sunglasses (which apparently is also something the guy’s involved in).

I then asked him an unrelated question, expecting an answer (after all, I’d been there twice already) – and guess what. No response at all.

The whole episode left a bad taste in my mouth, but why do I bring it up here?

Well, amazingly enough although there are other options for said food in this “here neck of the woods”, my buddy is happy enough doing biz with this guy – and even more amazingly enough, after being ripped off on the price the next time he ordered from him!

I spoke about this with another friend. “It is what is it”, is the response I got.

And that (finally) brings me to the central tent of today’s email – or diatribe – or scroll, hehe.

It’s NOT. That’s NOT how it is!

It’s amazing how in this day and age a start up company (that is struggling by the way – no wonder why huh??) can not only flat out IGNORE customer requests – but “hustle” them into accepting orders NOT to their liking or taste, and be brazen about it as well!

Other hand, given the number of people that seem content to accept the status quo, it’s a wonder these companies struggle at all. Hmmmm….

Anyway, in terms of fitness, one of the most commonly heard excuses we hear is “I have no time to get fit” , despite the fact that there is ALWAYS time to get fit.

I had a busy, busy day last Thursday. Woke up – took care of biz – got a workout in – then got some roadwork – then it was off to the Kong (plenty of walking, and climbing subway stairs) – and a long, long walk back home – and yet – none of that meant I didn’t “find time” to hit it hard the next day.

Yet another excuses we hear often is this “I’ll never be able to do this”, or “Oh! Those are too simple! Too boring! They won’t work!”.

And in ALL the above cases, said person then slumps back into his/her routine – or the ole couch, as it were, and the status quo of being – and remaining – perennially unfit continues.

‘Tis a shame, especially when you can RISE – above that, my friend. There is ALWAYS a way to CHALLENGE what might seem like a “status quo” to you, and in most cases it’s NOT.

“I can’t get fit without gyms. Expensive equipment. But I don’t have time to to go the gym”. Burp.

And so forth.

If you can identify with the last part of this – well – you’re NOT alone, my friend. The vast majority of the populace today seems happy enough making excuses and then of course accepting the status quo that ensues.

If you’re content to be one of those people, then of course – no problemo, amigo. Hehe.

But if you’re one that wants to RISE up – GRAB life – and your fitness goals – by the THROAT – and CHANGE the status quo, well, I’m right here for you, my friend. And I’ve got just the fitness program that’ll do it – in the most unconventional way you’d imagine possible, but BOY – does it work?!!

Of course it does. And it’ll work for YOU too. Grab a copy right here – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Last, but not least, remember too that accepting the status quo is often times the “easy” thing to do. Never easy when most or all your friends look at you like you’re fit for the looney tune bin upon challenging said status quo.

But is it the more fulfilling thing to do? Is it what really helps you GROW?

Not a chance, my friend. Not a chance!

Well, my brothers and sisters, I’m out for now. Got a few tasks to take care of … but I’ll be back again later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – I’ve always been a rabble rouser el supermo as you can tell – NEVER willing to accept the status quo – and neither should YOU. Throw all the ideas about gyms and equipment required to get fit, my friend. It’s all a bunch of hocus pocus with the sole target of making your wallet slimmer rather than YOU. Instead, get your paws on the best fitness program there is on the planet – a ONE time investment that will reap dividends forever – with NO equipment required – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Dear Reader,

I  headed out to the local park this morning to pound out some dips, pull-ups and handstand pushups.

The park is normally pretty deserted at the time of the morning (or sometimes afternoon) when I train, which is a GOOD thing, hehe – I’m not much of a fan of having selfies taken when I train or gabbing nineteen to the dozen and generally being aimless in terms of actually getting a good workout in.

But there were more people there today than there usually are. All good though – perhaps because of the weekend? Not very sure, but either way – a crowd gathered around pretty quickly to watch the foreign devil train, none more so than when he was doing his dips.

As I progressed on to the third set of 15 reps, a voice piped up in the background – a vaguely familiar voice I felt, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“You train here, huh?”

“Uh huh”, I responded politely, not really in the mood for chit-chat, but in a GOOD mood nonetheless. I smiled at the guy, and turned around, but something was amiss …

BAM! It hit me – as those flashes often do and I whirled around.

“I’ve seen you somewhere. Yes … I have … Oh! You’re Money!”

“Ha Ha, indeed I am!”

Now, strange as it might sound, his name – or his English name at any rate, is indeed “Money”. His real (Chinese name) is “Qian” (which is Mandarin Chinese for money) – hence the English name.

Funny part is, the first thing he said when I met him last year at one of the numerous language centers “rife” in mainland China was “But I have no money….”.

Such as it goes, but anyway, I did some work for them – NOT fitness related though – last summer. When I say “them”, I mean “Miss Mao” (his wife) and him. They run an English learning center somewhere around “yonder”, and were in need of an English teacher last summer to teach some of the neighborhood kids – and though I do NOT teach English in China as a general rule of thumb – I made an exception for these guys.

Tried my best to convince the kids to call the lady “Mrs Mao” instead of “Miss Mao”, but nothing doing. A few giggles and glances were all I got in that regard – apparently foreign devils can only be given so much latitude, hehe. Ah well. Can’t win ’em all!

Anyway, as I did my dips, I noticed a couple of little girls milling around “Money” and a lady that had accompanied him.

“Oh, Money. I thought you had one daughter – but seems like two now?”

“No, that’s not my daughter”, he said, pointing to the tinier one. “This is my sister in law”, he said, pointing at the lady next to him.

“Okey doke”

And back it was to doing dips. But as I did ’em, I saw the older girl (probably around 3 years of age) do something that really caught my attention so much so that I stopped my workout for a while just to observe her.

This girl is just 3, mind you, so she can barely reach the dipping bars with arms outstretched over her head. But, boy, did she TRY!

She jumped up and down – over and over again – over and over again to do pull-ups like the “wai guo ren” (foreigner – yours truly) was doing before he did the dips.

Jump. Fail. Jump. Fail. Jump. Fall down on to the sandy area. Back up. Repeat.

Her aunt finally picked her up and lifted her on to the bars where she did her best to do pull-ups. She tugged. Pulled with all her “mite”. And so forth.

This girl, my friend, didn’t know the meaning of QUIT. She quite literally kept falling down and getting back to accomplish what for her is seemingly impossible due to size etc – but just didn’t give up – so much so that she had to be finally physically coaxed away by Daddy for lunch or something.

Compare that with two other cases.

A couple of fat Brazilian ladies were walking by while I was “monkeying” around on the monkey bars and attempted to “ape” me.

Great thing to do btw – getting good at the monkey bars is one of the VERY BEST things you can do in general for your upper body, and yet these ladies tried – failed – and gave up after the first try giggling in a self conscious manner.

Then there was this older Chinese lady who was doing her version of stretching nearby – but ended up banging her head on something the first time she attempted it.

Ok, no problemo, I thought – and I smiled at her to encourage her, but yet – she smiled back in a self conscious manner as if to say “I don’t want to look silly”, and bailed shortly thereafter.

And that brings me to the moral of this story – or the point of me telling you all this for that matter.

WE as adults have a LOT to learn from Miss Mao’s daughter – and kids in general.

My daughter was already doing assisted headstand “flip overs” on the bed by the age of 1.5. In fact, the first thing she’d do after a shower was clamber on to the bed and place her tiny little cute head on the mattress, getting in position just waiting for me to flip her over – which I did – and back in position she was again.

Kids don’t know the meaning of giving up, my friend. Kids don’t know what it means to QUIT – until they reach a certain age. Kids know none of that – and look at what they accomplish.

In terms of fitness, compare that with the average adult who starts out on a fitness program with good intentions.

The first time he tries some of the exercises he might fall flat on his/her duff – and others might “stare” at him for doing something out of the ordinary.

He / She blushes, and retreats back to the safety and privacy of his own home where he does these again.

He tries to make progress – quickly – and though he’s MAKING progress daily just by trying hard – he doesn’t realize it. Before long, he gets frustrated.

“I’ll never reach a 100 reps”. “I’ll never get to 250 squats in a row”. And so forth.

Pretty soon he/she throws in the towel – and its back to square one.

When I first started doing handstand pushups – I could barely get into the handstand position, let alone hold the position for time.

And reps?? Forgeddddd about it….

And now – well …

Key here, my friend, to remember that life is not a sprint – it’s a marathon – and its never over until it’s over!

You try – try – try HARDER – and eventually you WILL get there. Trust me. There’s no other way.

To encapsulate then here are the key takeaways from today’s rather long note –

a) You have to start SOMEPLACE – remember that. Don’t be shy about taking that first step. Stop worrying about what the “gym bros” will think of you for having adoped a bodyweight regimen. Just take that first step – and do so right HERE – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

b) Train – and do so daily – and REMEMBER that it’s NEVER over until it’s over. You may not get to 10 handstand pushups in a set in a week – or month – or even two – but you WILL get there provided you keep hammering them out daily. Ditto for everything else I teach.

Train the way of the kid, my friend – and adopt a similar “never say die” – or “it’s never over until it’s over” attitude – NOT just in terms of training, but in terms of life as well.

Watch yourself SOAR to giddy heights you previously thought unimaginable.

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Another course that’s a must grab is my course on pull-ups. Let’s face it, we all want to be the guy that knocks out 75-100 pull-ups per workout, don’t we? And if you can’t do a single pull-up at this stage, or can barely hold on to the bar – not to worry. I’ve got you covered right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/pull-ups-from-dud-to-stud-within-a-matter-of-weeks/

Dear reader,

I often talk training with one of my buddies – an avid, avid weightlifter – albeit NOT the style of weightlifting I’d recommend (if at all – I’d recommend bodyweight training to ALL regardless).

He loves the gym – – makes fairly regular and frequent visits to it, and loves training on the machines as well.

Loves using straps as well to help his grip – – which is a weak point (this despite my advice to him on many occasions to NOT use straps for the grip).

All good though. To each his own – I can but point ya in the right direction, my friend. The same direction old time strongmen went in – and the same direction in which elite athletes, swimmers, special forces around the world – and anyone whose REALLY fit (functionally fit and STRONG to boot) goes in.

And handstand pushups have always been a topic of debate for us.

He’s of the firm opinion that handstand pushups are an unnatural movement, and that “machines” are far better.

Now, being he’s my friend I didn’t do much other than give him a gentle “counter opinion”, but I shake my head internally every time I say that.

My buddy’s overweight – big time. Not only that, he’s got a grip that’s way, way out of proportion to the humungous arms he’s built in the gym – – with straps, mind you though so he can hoick and hoist max poundages.

He’s got lower back and knee problems. And of course, a LOAD of fat all over the back, and so forth … and so, is it any wonder that handstand pushups are currently an impossibility for him?

We tend to vilify that which we cannot do or are not willing to “be open enough to do” (despite there being NO concrete evidence in terms of said exercise being “harmful”).

Anyway, with all this in mind, let’s take a look at an email from Charles, a regular reader of this newsletter.

Is there any truth to what this guy is saying?  I just bought your boulders for shoulders book.  Now I’m a little nervous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvZ4oA4UxOQ

(Note – I included the Youtube link so you can click through yourself and view the “booby builder” in all his natural (not) glory, hehe).

My response beneath: –

Hi Charles

Dang, it’s been a BUSY day thus far. Just got the chance to sit down and view the video – – and – – long story SHORT – – there is ABSOLUTELY NO reason to be nervous in terms of “if you made the right choice or not”. You did!

First off, the guy claims he’s a natural bodybuilder – – but that doesn’t appear to be the case upon first glance. His muscles have that unnatural look to them and are certainly NOT the sort of muscles you develop from hard, functional REAL bodyweight training. Not to mention he’s got a bit of a case of the “Belly of Budda” growing, hehe.

Take a look at this picture right here on the Shoulders like Boulders page – – http://0excusesfitness.com/shoulders-like-boulders/. You’ll see Doug Hepburn somewhere down there – – old time and world famous Canadian strongman that was reputed to have done these all day long on the beach (while working as a lifeguard) as part of his regimen. Doesn’t seem like he suffered from any shoulder problems – – not to mention he’s got the “real strength” look that this guy does NOT.

Ditto for other old time strongmen. The handstand pushup has ALWAYS been a staple of old time strongman training – – and anyone who claims they are dangerous is either too overweight to do ‘em – – or too lazy to attempt ‘em  – – or (and this is the case with a lot of the “boobybuilders”) don’t have the ligament/joint strength to support the movement (make no mistake; it IS an advanced movement).

I have not heard of anyone with shoulder problems after doing handstand pushups the right way – – if anything, the exercise HELPS the shoulders. Sure, if you do’em in improper form then they can harm ya, but that’s the case with any exercise, doncha think, hehe. What DOES harm the shoulders – – and I’ve got PLENTY of people that have told me that (read the part about what a bodybuilder told me on the sales page here http://0excusesfitness.com/shoulders-like-boulders/) as well – – is the “almighty” (NOT) bench press.

Key thing to remember is that you need to work up to these. I’m not sure if you’ve already gotten fairly good at what is mentioned in the 0 Excuses Fitness System, but if not, that would be a good start to build your ligaments, tendons and MUSCLES up to the point where you can do these. A few of those exercises are mentioned in the “supplementary exercises” section of the book, but you’d be weel advised to start off with the 0 Excuses Fitness System already- – if you haven’t thus far, that is!

So – again, and long story short – – I wouldn’t pay much heed to what the dude is saying. Sounds to me like he’s trying to sell the gym to his viewers – – but I wouldn’t let it bother me to be honest.

Best, and I appreciate you being on my list – – as well as for being part of the “0 Excuses Fitness” crew!

Rahul

P.S.  I’ll cover this in one of my future blog posts as well. Stay tuned – – I’ll also cover not ONE, but TWO additional tips in that email that I have NOT covered in prior posts.

Hmm. I think that about covers it, eh?

Oh wait – the two additional tips, huh?

Well, the first tip is this – when you do handstand pushups extend your arms ALL the way up! Do NOT stop short of full extension as most “schmexperts” advocate – – this, if anything is poor form and WILL end up a) impeding your progress in this great, great exercise and b) giving you shoulder problems down the road as you’re not strengthening the ligament fully.

Second, get comfortable with handstand HOLDS at first. I mention this in the book as well – but it’s important to mention here as well. In other words, don’t sprint before you can run – or even jog.

Third, pay attention to form (again), and the right way to breathe. You breathe IN going down and OUT going up – – much the same as I’ve mentioned repeatedly in the 0 Excuses Fitness System. It’s NOT the same as weightlifting, my friend – not even close.

Last, but not least, pay special attention to the “supplementary exercises” section in the manual as well. These can – and SHOULD – be practiced along with handstand pushups (or your workout in general) for max benefit.

Well, my friend, that’s it for now.

Whew! Just typing all that has pumped me up so much that I think I’ll go do some handstand pushups now. Join me if you can!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – After you’re done watching the boobybuilder YouTube video, do NOT forget to read a REAL – and BLOW by BLOW – account of what a former bodybuilder gave me while I was out on a swim one fine morning. Two heart attacks, and more … NOT the kind of results I’d want, me thinks?? Here is where you can get the full scoop – – http://0excusesfitness.com/shoulders-like-boulders/

 

Dear reader,

As I was pounding out pull-ups the other day in the park a thought suddenly flashed through  my mind during rep #10 of my fifth set of pull-ups.

I didn’t think much of it at the time – but today – after I wrote that last email to you, I figured I WOULD after all get in some roadwork, and being that part of that was a brisk jaunt up a hill – the same thought flashed through  my mind when I heard some huffing, puffing, panting, wheezing going on behind me.

‘Twas a Chinese gentleman – NOT fat – not outwardly out of shape – wheezing up the hill like an old geezer on his last legs – and panting much like a parched dog would in the hot humid summer.

Whew! And BAM – that thought struck me again and I’ll share it with you now.

Many moons ago, it would have been an absolutely preposterous notion if I were to have told myself “Hey Rahul, a 100 pull-ups in one workout is not only EASY – but no problem whatsoever”.

I’d laughed at myself and said I was nuts. If I had told myself the ball buster which is the climb up the hill I referred to would one day be so easy I would barely feel it, I’d look at you and ask you what you were on.

The same thing for a lot of the pushups I teach, including “Hindu” (wrestler) pushups, reverse pushups, and of course handstand pushups. Banging out handstand pushups for reps in a set wasn’t even something that seemed possible to me back in the day – let alone doable.

And yet, here I am today, doing all the above with NO PROBLEM whatsoever, my friend. None at all and getting better each and every time I do ’em!

The same thing applies to life as well. In my book “The 10 Commandments of Successful Sales“, I give you a REAL life example of how I quite literally joined a startup company (at the time) and sales started to BOOM – and then ROAR – within the space of a few days – and this with no staff at all except two others.

Curiously enough, this same guy – yours truly – didn’t do so well at the last Company where his job was the same. And he did even worse in the NEXT company – so much so that the owner of that company cocked his head quizzically at “him” and asked “him” “Whatever happened to the guy that took <insert name> company from Zero to HERO?”

Good question – and that is covered in Zero to Hero in depth, but for now, suffice it to say that the key to making things happen the way you want (well, one of them, but a most important one) is to “let go out of the outcome”.

Give it your best shot – do so daily – but don’t “worry” or “fret” or otherwise get frustrated over the outcome. It’ll happen. The Universe will make sure it does, provided you’re giving it your all with an open heart and HONEST intentions.

What does this “got to do with fitness”, you may ask.

Good question.

When you’re first starting out on your fitness journey, or even if you’re at the stage where you haven’t worked out in years – doing a 100 pushups in one workout – or even 50 – might sound like a daunting task – let alone breeze through 250 like I show you in the workout video.

Does that mean 250 isn’t a great goal to have?

No.

But what the vast majority of people do is this – they make that goal – then the next morning sign and utter thoughts along the lines of “I’ll never be able to get there”. Or, “It’s too difficult for me. I can’t even do one!”.

And they sink back into the couch – or their old routines – back to square zero. Mission accomplished? NOT.

Some folks DO try – but get frustrated. For instance, I once had a friend of mine get frustrated that his dips weren’t shooting through the roof quick enough.

Despite loads of advice, this guy got frustrated – and despite having made a start (the most important thing) – he ended up giving up and is – like the above group of folks – back at square ZERO rather than HERO.

The key thing to remember here, folks is this – you give it your best shot – and you do so daily without fail – but you LET GO of the “outcome”.

A 100 pushups in one set? A 1000 squats in  a workout? Great goals – and they’ll come in due time – if you LET ’em.

And lest you think yours truly does not fall prey to “trying to force outcomes” once in a while, think again. I’m human like the rest of y’all and need a kick up the ole rumpus once in a while as well.

This was amply evidenced by a biz deal I was engaged in a short while ago – where I WAS literally trying to “push” the eventual result closer and guess what. It never happened.

Sure, part of that was down to the other guy not being entirely professional enough, but still – upon a through analysis of the situation I came to the conclusion that I too, was guilty of trying to perhaps “quicken the process” just that bit more.

So that’s today’s tip, my friend. In short – “Don’t worreeeeeeee …. Be happeeeeeeeee” (as the old saying – or is it a song?? hehe – goes).

Give it your all – and then don’t worry. Relax. Stay in the flow and let things happen.

Implement this philosophy into your life today. Watch wondrous things start to happen.

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – “Relaxing” and “letting go” does NOT equate to procrastination, my friend. There are few greater sins than procrastination. As they say – do NOT put off until tomorrow what you CAN and SHOULD be doing today. And if you haven’t already gotten off your duff and made the sprint to starting the fitness journey of your LIFE – do so right now – and right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/