Warning: Undefined array key "inject_bottom_color" in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 143

Warning: Undefined array key "inject_bottom_color" in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 159

Warning: Undefined array key "" in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 159

Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 160

Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in /home/0excusesfitness/public_html/wp-content/plugins/newsletter-leads/plugin.php on line 161

Dear Reader,

Got a couple of interesting things to share with you today, after a great, great morning workout – and as the sun streams in through the windows here in New Delhi, I feel like a billion bucks.

So there was this young laddie trying to do pull-ups with me today in the local park. For whatever reason, the park was crowded to the brim today with folks – walking, stretching, yoga – much of the same thing as I mentioned yesterday, but in greater numbers today.

And that’s a good thing. India is one of the Asian countries where obesity is at an all time high (as I wrote about yesterday) and though a lot of the stuff these folks are doing does NOT really move them along to their eventual “goals”, something is better than nothing.

So this guy came up to the monkey bars.

Big, strong lad – huge shoulders, and a wide expanse of back that looked like the Sahara desert from a certain angle if you get my drift.

He looked young.

This guy should be able to do plenty of pull-ups, I noted with interest, stepping back, letting him have a go.

But what followed shocked me – or should I say did NOT shock me based upon what I’ve gotten used to seeing.

The guy hung on feebly to the bars for a bit – in the “parallel grip” position, btw, which is way easier than the regular pull-up position and attempted a rep.

Though those gigantic shoulders moved up and down a bit, the body didn’t – and he could barely budge an inch or two before flopping back down to the ground.

He then noticed me, and we shook hands. And as expected, his grip was WEAK – REAL weak considering his size.

“They’re tough, aren’t they?” he asked.

“No they’re not” I responded. “They can be if you’re overweight – but if you get your weight down and KNOW how to do ’em – and more importantly, PRACTICE – then they’re easy as heck after a certain point”.

I then gave him the once over.

“You go the gym, don’t you?” I asked. And I knew he did even before he responded in the affirmative – if just due to his general body shape, weak grip, and complete inability to knock out even a single half-rep pull-ups despite his considerable “bulk”.

“Yes, I do”, he responded in a shy sort of manner. “I’ve been going since I was 14. Thus my shoulders, and … ”

“How old are you now?”

“I’m 18. I could do pull-ups when I was 15 or so …”

“Well, I’m 37, son”, I responded crisply. “And if I can do ’em – so can you!”

“37??? You’re 37?” he goggled at me, and I nodded.

“Yes, I am”.

I then gave this guy a few other tips – one being NOT to kip. The second being to get his weight down – and BOTH of these tips, my friend are covered (along with other useful tips) in my course on pull-ups that has literally gotten people from a big fat ZERO on pull-ups to 10 – 20 – 50 – and over a 100 as well.

“When can I kip?” he asked me.

“Preferably NEVER. But if you do, only after you can get 20 or so reps in GOOD, slow, letter perfect form!”

Anyway, I don’t know if he’ll implement what I’ve told him. I hope he does, for his sake, but we’ll see.

On other fronts, a group of guys trying to swing themselves across the monkey bars noticed me doing it for reps.

“Isme jaan lagti hai” (this takes a lot of strength) one of them noted to his pals in a musing sort of  manner.

The other lad then walked up to me, looking at me as if wonderstruck.

“Can you do muscle-ups?”, he asked, as I got done with yet another set of pull-ups.

“Huh?”

“Muscle ups”, he repeated.

“Oh, I’m sorry”, I responded. I was busy recovering and the question didn’t make sense initially, but it did after he asked again.

“Yes I can do ’em”, I said, and proceeded to do one. “But I don’t do ’em these days. I’m focusing upon other things”.

And so I am, my friend. So I am. Though muscle ups are an excellent exercise, my “toughies” currently include handstand pushups – – done in a variety of different ways as I explain in Shoulders like Boulders – – along with the pull-ups and my other 0 Excuses Fitness pushups.

On that note though, other customers have asked me about muscle ups as well.

Charles, a long time reader on this list recently sent me an inquiry about muscle ups as well, asking me if I was going to put out a course on it.

Well, I might – but that depends upon how much interest there is in it. So far I’ve received a few inquiries, but nothing overwhelming – but if it’s something you’re interested in – shoot me an email, and I’ll see what I can do.

For now though, I’ve got plenty to take care of – so it’s adios for the “nonce”, hehe.

Thanks for reading – and if you workout today – make it a great, great one!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – It’s all good to want to do pull-ups and handstand pushups for reps as I do, but the FACT is that I didn’t start off doing these. The FACT is that  you DO need to work up to them – and get into the sort of shape that’ll allow you to crank out these super demanding exercises with ease. And the exercise that’ll get you in that sort of shape are available in the System – right HERE – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/