A few questions from Stella Chen.
- Life does indeed come full circle!

Well, well, well.

The Stella Artois of Fitness who admittedly LOVES the beer too (the “wife beater” beer which it’s very unfairly called, hehe) – and speakin of which, Ricky, my friend if you’re reading this – NO whiskey please.

He keeps urging me to sip on “Teacher’s Whisky” or Chivas Regal.

All well and good, but I’m a beer guy – always have been, always will be!

In one of my books (on the other site) I wrote about how life always comes full circle, to start the book I paraphrased Steve Jobs who once famously and RIGHTLY said “you can only connect the dots looking backwards, so you have to TRUST that it will work out”.

Sage, what most people do NOT do.

And I mentioned the tale of Rambo in Rambo III where the Colonel asks him in response to his reluctance to fight “when are you going to come full circle, John!”.

The war out there might be over, but the one within you isnt!

You can try, but youll never get away from what you REALLY are.

“And what do you think I am!” replies John.

A full blooded combat soldier. We didnt make you this fighting machine John, he goes on does Trautman (Richard Crenna – one of my favorites! RIP I believe now) …

(along with ole Mickey in the Rocky series!)

…. we simply chipped away the rough edges. (while telling John a tale about how a sculptor found a block of stone, created a work of art from it, when others asked, he said “I never created anything, I just chipped away the rough edges!”).

I never tire of telling this story. I musta said it a thousand times already either in writing or word, ain’t no kidding – much like the story of Ann Lee and the mighty HILL!

Life always comes full circle, it’s TRUE.

If you really want something, you’ll get that something on auto pilot whether its good or bad -without even consciously trying. Life does indeed OPEN up to what you want – YOU are the Master of your ship, not the other way around.

I realize most dont believe this, which is fine, bu tit’s true.

Anyway …………………..

My Chinese translator “Stella Chen”, a stellar lady by the looks of it – wrote in with some questions.

Here they are – I’m including them because my thoughts might be useful to all – not just from a translation perspective.

Her original email –

Dear Mr. Rahul Mookerjee

I am the translator who is translating your book Advanced, PROFOUND Isometric and Flexibility Training. There are few parts I am not so sure about the meaning. May I ask you a favor to help me to understand them?
1.
Back to the physical, PUSHUPS. They just feel – each rep feels DIFFERENT internally, as I feel my heart and cardio system not even getting out of breath, but when it does, oh boy.
What “when it does” refer to?
2. 
So I thought 36.5 hours into the fast (at the time of writing this bit, it’s almost 44).

Does it mean you thought that the fast of at least 36.5 hours is a must?

3.
Not what the neighsayers kept telling me for years about complete fasts i.e. NOTHING at all eaten for > 24 hours, the only thing I did make an allowance for was black tea – with no milk, obviously – but thats only because the idea for the fast never came to me until about 14 hours into it anyway.
Does “until about 14 hours into it” mean you started the fast just 14 hours ago?
4.
(although most first time climbers like yours truly with Ann Lee in 2004 – yes, you’ll feel like a Mack truck ran over youthe next day).
Does Ann Lee mean the movie director?
5.
If I put that in the book, idiots have coronaries, yet, here we have one of the world’s best wrestlers period, swearing by this, and several other training methods I teach.
What does the sentence “ here we have one of the world’s best wrestlers period ” refer to?
Looking forward to you reply!
Thank you in advance!
Best regards,
Stella Chen

 

And my response –

Hi Stella

Thanks a lot for your email and for sending these questions over – it shows you care!

With regard to what you asked – I will reply inline – please see below –

Dear Mr. Rahul Mookerjee

I am the translator who is translating your book Advanced, PROFOUND Isometric and Flexibility Training. There are few parts I am not so sure about the meaning. May I ask you a favor to help me to understand them?

– Most definitely Stella! Please keep asking if you have any doubts, I highly not just appreciate but encourage this. The two languages (Chinese and English) are different enough as it is, so there must be no room for “misunderstandings or confusion” if you get my drift (as far as possible, that is).

1.
Back to the physical, PUSHUPS. They just feel – each rep feels DIFFERENT internally, as I feel my heart and cardio system not even getting out of breath, but when it does, oh boy.

What “when it does” refer to?

– – It refers to “when I finally get out of breath” doing the exercise the way I mention, which is different from regular pushups.

2.
So I thought 36.5 hours into the fast (at the time of writing this bit, it’s almost 44).

Does it mean you thought that the fast of at least 36.5 hours is a must?

– Not at all! It just means I never a) planned for the fast (it happened on the spur of the moment – which is how I live life “in the flow” as it were) – – and it also means that I dont think any “time frame” is a must.

I’d recommend at least 12-15 hours for most people, what I’ve done is gone for DAYS without “food” – and you’d be surprised to know the INCREASE in overall energy and strength (and sense of general well being I felt) the longer I went. Obviously this cannot last forever, but we human beings are way too much of a slave to “mainstream mental conditioning” – and to food in general than we really need.

Look at animals in the wild, Mr Tiger for one goes 3-4 days a a minimum without food, do we see the tiger “lose strength” or feel tired?

I didnt think so.

When that tiger eats though – it EATS like a King – and then sleeps like one too. Hehe. Pretty much what I’ve done all my life, pretty much what works if you do it RIGHT – pretty much what most people’s bodies need is more of a BREAK From food than more stuffed down the gullet if you get my drift!

So back to your question – no, the time frame I mention is NOT a must – it simply means I thought of what I wrote at that point in the book/text around 36.5 hours into the fast.

Let me know if that makes sense, if not, I’ll explain further.

3.
Not what the neighsayers kept telling me for years about complete fasts i.e. NOTHING at all eaten for > 24 hours, the only thing I did make an allowance for was black tea – with no milk, obviously – but thats only because the idea for the fast never came to me until about 14 hours into it anyway.

Does “until about 14 hours into it” mean you started the fast just 14 hours ago?

– Yes Ma’am! (approximately 14 hours ago)

4.
(although most first time climbers like yours truly with Ann Lee in 2004 – yes, you’ll feel like a Mack truck ran over youthe next day).

Does Ann Lee mean the movie director?

Ann Lee is an ex girlfriend, not a movie director, not that I know of anyway, haha. She was the one that first introduced me to the mightly HILL which I refer to so often in my books and courses – which is Qi Feng mountain in Dongguan.

Yes, Dongguan and China have plenty of more “tougher” climbs, but Qi Feng is no joke if done right either – and it will always have a special place in my heart, if just for the fact that that is where my fitness journey really started in earnest. Sure, I worked out before that too, but nothing compares to (fitness wise) my life AFTER the hill, as opposed to before it.

It was Ann Lee that gave me the kick up the ass (figuratively and literally both, hehe) to start climbing not just on the weekends, but DAILY.

I’ll never forget the time she looked me in the eye when she was replying to a question I asked “but I get home too late from work, can I do it then too”.

“YUS!!!!!!!!!!”

And that word, the way she said, the VIBE I write so much about! – and the look in the eyes said it all.

I never looked back, and I’ll be forever grateful to her for introducing me to this hill (amongst other things). I have no idea where she is now or if she is directing movies, but she sure did play a huge part, albeit unknowingly perhaps in terms of directing the movie of my life fitness wise – so thank you, Ann – always – super – appreciated!

5.
If I put that in the book, idiots have coronaries, yet, here we have one of the world’s best wrestlers period, swearing by this, and several other training methods I teach.

What does the sentence “ here we have one of the world’s best wrestlers period ” refer to?

– – It means one of the world’s best wrestlers (the Great Gama from India in this case) swearing by simple isometrics. I get plenty of comments from idiots globally saying some of this is too simple – to which I always say “well, DO the thing first”, dont just talk!

The simplest and most basic things are what work the best, and are what you should concentrate on for the rest of your life – PERIOD.

Life wise, business wise, fitness wise – the above axoim holds true, ask anyone that has ever actually done something in their lives other than prattle while being an arm chair theorist, you’ll see what I mean. (and you’ll see for yourself its true).

Looking forward to you reply!
Thank you in advance!

Best regards,
Stella Chen

– No problem, Stella – please keep asking these questions! Like I said, much appreciated – and if you want, put these questions in the Chinese version of the book too (or just include them with the text where you translate it).

Much appreciated again – keep me posted in case of other questions!

Best,
Rahul Mookerjee

Whew.

Today seems to be a day for long notes, hehe.

Honestly though I love translators getting back to me with these questions – it shows they CARE – truly care – much like Daniela on the other site who even asked me what I meant by a term “tugga” I used in a book (NAh, I wasn’t referring to the great Steve Waugh either, hehe).

Anyway ………..

Enough for now.

Back soon!

And get the books above, the best ever!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – I once wrote a book, very well acclaimed with the main protagonist being a certin Miss Chen. More on that later, hehe, but Miss Chen did send me some lovely flower tea years later in 2019 – enough said on that one (and pun too for those in the know). Hehe.

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