I’ll never forget an instance in China where we (my buddy from the Marines and myself) were discussing a hypothetical scenario of “what if they come to get us” (enough said on that one, please dont ask me why. Much like the discussion on whether the lion is stronger and a better fighter than the TIGER, hehe, it just came out of nowhere.

I dont know if Vincent is reading this. Probably not.

But I still stick, and always will to my assertion the TIGER kicks ass, and the lion is a pale imitation – and does NOT deserve the moniker King of the Jungle – Savannah, maybe, not a king though (he doesnt even hunt, I guess thats why he’s called the King?) – NOT the jungle definitely.

And you, my brother will stick to your version ie the lion.

We’ll hopefully meet up for some cold ones soon and discuss this further).

Anyway ……..

And then I asked him “what if they try and stop me” (we were discussing security in some form, ie stop me, “Twiggy” as out of shape panting Bozos like to call me or “in superb shape” as Marc the African Silverback Gorilla once called me, or my buddy from the Marines – take your pick) …

… “I ain’t a battletank like you, brother”, I remember saying.

Looking at him, even an Abrams tank would make way. Hehe.

I’m not THAT big, I remember him saying. Hehe. Great guy!!

Anyway, his response was one of the ages.

“YOU????” he literally exploded.

“STOP YOU????”

“Have you seen you?? I mean, look at you!”

They’re not going to even try and stop you!

And thats all he said. And that was enough said on a question I already knew the answer too.

LOL. But he said it in such a sage, from the heart manner I had to mention it!

Marc the African silverback Gorilla was less prosaic, and more direct as he always is .

He made a gesture of walking out, with arms spread, as if you’re carrying heavy items.

“Just walk out of there, heavy ass suitcase in each hand!”

Sage, hehe.

Reminds me of my friend Jay who once looked at a photo of mine (he hadn’t seen me for years) and then exclaimed –

“I train, but not like you! I go to the gym, but not like YOU, MACHO MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

OR, a guy I know Ricky “tune body to badi solid bana rakhai hai!”

(translation – you’ve built a pretty solid body there!)

Anyway again …

Growing up these guys like a certain Vivian Richards, for one.

All 6’4″ four inch of this gum chewing monster carrying a bat heavy as a club probably and wielding it like one too, striding on to the cricket field menacingly, GUM CHEWING SWAGGER, legs PUMPING – core STRONG AND TONED – STARING the bowlers, no slouches back then with that heavy ass leather ball in their hands, NOT wearing a helmet, refusing to – and going at it tonkity tonk.

MACHO MAN!

Swash bucking machisom, I remember thinking, PIRATE!!! (truly from the Carribean. Hehe).

Or, Big Matt the Bat from Australia, Matthew Hayden mentioned on the Battletank Shoulders! page – big, huge burly with a chest that looked literally armor plated and made him look 3x as broad as everyone else, with another club x 10 for a cricket bat …

STARING THE FAST BOWLERS IN THE EYE, WALKING DOWN THE TRACK TO DISPATCH ’em OVER THEIR HEADS!

“Now thats a big boy!” I remember an ex exclaiming once (she was American, knew nothing about cricket).

Bully boy was his cricket persona (off the field, the reverse, so it should be).

You dont necessarily have to be big either, my friend

You have to “have it though”. Its something internal, you cannot fake it, it SHOWS.

Ricky Ponting, Aussie cricket great (batter) had it.

Tiny enough guy, slim, sleek, strong forearms, but not big by ANY standard – had it.

You could feel it every time he walked onto that field, that STEELY gaze that he gave opponents, the UNWAVERING THOUSAND YARD stare – and his RESULTS!!!!

And the smackdowns he handed bowlers routinely all over the world, hehe.

Growing up, I’ve always admired those sort of guys.

From a young age when I was trying to lift heavy items when moving, even my family, and I’m certainly not on the closest of terms with them, has called me that “macho man”. (to an extreme, admittedly, but so be it).

I still remember SMARTING When told to lift a briefcase instead of a heavy item at the age of six.

MEMORIES!

Anyway …

Jean Claude Van Damme once rightly made the comment about “The entire world loves to see two men FIGHT”.

Why – well, THIS email will tell you …

I’ll tell you this, if you’re a real man, that feeling of innate machismo, that UNDERSTATED swagger – cannot be beat.

Its what every real man wants deep down at the core my friend.

And training like a real man will get you there.

If you’re with me thus far, and want to develop “it” – that quality that will SET YOU APART from the rest – well, the two courses I’d recommend NOW are the following –

The 0 Excuses Fitness System

Animal Kingdom Workouts

Once you get damn good at these, report back, and I’ll advise more.

I sort of think at that point though you’ll be rushing to get ’em yourself…

And thats that.

Back soon.

Best

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – We’re currently having a pre-order special on what promises to be another brutal training course – Squat 101, it’s a must have if you’re in any way, I repeat ANY WAY serious about your physical and mental, for that matter, training. Check it out NOW, and place your pre-order NOW.

REAL STRENGTH, you gotta KNOW what it FEELS LIKE FIRST!

LEG RIPPLING SWAGGER!

Without you even trying, my friend.

I dont know if you know what I’m talking about, but maybe you do …

In 2002, I went to China for the first time – at the age of 23, supposedly my “best time” when I was supposed to be in the “best shape of my life”.

Yet, for me, it’s been the opposite most of my life.

When young, I was never in good shape – though I wanted to be – and got ridiculous advice from all and sundry in terms of training such as “lift pink 10 kg dumbbells” for half an a hour day, thats how the big guys build muscle!

Or, the “he thinks he’s so strong” comments made by family members who did not know any better that tore me down mentally.

This isn’t me castigating family here. This is me being brutally honest with you about my LIFE and fitness – and ME – in general as I always am, and telling you a story as I always end up doing – all true, hehe.

REAL LIFE! Perhaps no other book fits the “real” (keeping it real) category better than THIS one, the words BE flying out of my mouth as I speak – phew!

Deep breath.

But anyway, so I went to China, climbing the stairs to my fourth floor apartment left me dizzy (almost) and breathing hard, when I had to lug suitcases up there? My! It was like I had to climb Everest!

And dont get me wrong.

I did other things back then – I was a weight lifter – I lifted real weights, not 10 kg dumbbells!

People in the office would squeeze my forearms and say “he’s STRONG!”

I still remember my mother, who once made the “he thinks he’s so strong” comment when I was young say the reverse when she saw me lug their suitcases up – heavy ass 25 kg suitcases, one hand at a time up to my apartment.

“I’ll never forget how you did that”, she exclaimed.

But even with all that, a lot was missing.

I was strong, but not anywhere NEAR fit.

And I could use my strength ONCE – but nowhere near what it needed to be ie. “repetitively”.

It was really in the September of 2003 or I believe 2004 (I Think I first went to China in 2003, not 2002 as I said up there) that my life changed …

Anyway, I’ll get the dates clear later.

… when I met a certain Ann Lee!

The first time I dated her in the park – right smack next to my house, with a huge mountain in it I could SEE from my apartment, yet for some odd reason I ignored this free fitness tool right in front of me (we often do that!) … the date was her idea, the park? I didnt even know it was there! – and we climbed the mountain, I remember what a MESS I felt like when doing it!

I remember STRUGGLING up that damn hill like it was Everest (right now I can slink up it easy peasy five times a day, and it ain’t an easy hill to hike, trust me!) … I remember how out of breath I was, I remember my legs turning to jelly – my lower back wonking out – and calves burning … and all along, I remember a PUMP, a massive PUMP in my forearms of all things I had NEVER felt with anything else!

I still remember the girls there giggling in that cute Chinese way and pointing at the fat lao wai (foreign devil, or “wai guo ren” – old man from from foreign land) climbing the hell ….

Or was it hill. Hehe. It felt like the former!

I remember thinking “when will this damn torture end”. Hehe. That hill felt interminable!

Up “she” goes – yet again, hehe. As Uncle Bob once told me “thats what God invented fourth gear for”. I’d say SECOND gear on hills, hehe. And my two gears are all I ever needed!

I was going to put the picture from Advanced Hill Training here too, maybe someday.

For now – back to it –

THAT, as a certain Kelly was to say “years later” – is REAL TRAINING!

REAL HILL climbing!

I had experienced it before when climbing the Indian Himalayas, so steep that when I asked my father to do it again once after a day the very vehment “NO WAY!” was all the answer I needed Hehe.

Anyway – where was I.

Swashbuckling thighs, eh.

The hill caused a revolution in my life, fitness wise, most of it is here for you to see!

It CHANGED my life – till this day, I credit Ann Lee for doing this.

If she had not come into my life, none of this would have happened.

Of course, I credit my work on a certain Dongguan Expat website as well for that, but thats another story!

Anyway, I quickly got in better shape climbing that hill on the weekend, then after Ann Lee kicked my rumpus again (I was making excuses about not climbing after work “it’s too late” or something) – I started doing it daily, and a fitness machine emerged.

The lower back that had felt so wonky for DAYS after that first climb – became STRONG.

The legs – thighs especially turned into rippling pillars of STEEL from that climb.

My upper body fat disappeared, my strength improved, my PULL-ups shot through the roof, most of all, I was seeing my GRIP strength improve by leaps and bounds which amazed me!

An idiot once wrote back on Gorilla Grip saying “he claims he’s improved his grip by NOT doing a single pull-up for months, but he doesnt say how he’s done it!”.

Actually, I did say.

He was just too dumb to read between the lines.

My core strength increased x 10, my digestive issues went away, but all of that is different, another story, what I’m going to tell you about is one night I was walking to the bank to get some cash for a trip out of China, and the way I was walking, with my thighs bulging out naturally – well, I dont know if you guys have ever experienced that, but it makes you feel like a BILLION BUCKS!

I repeat, a billion bucks, untouchable, confidence like nothing else, and it usually comes with a toned swagger to your CORE too, strength you will NEVER lose!

I’ve often tried to replicate this “without having it”, and it showed. People told me “dont splay your legs out like that!”

But when you have it naturally, it shows too!

In the movie Get Carter, Sly Stallone walks into see the owner of the pub where his brother Richie died – now, he’s dressed in a full suit, typical “mob enforcer”, calm, menacing, quiet, viper ready to strike if need be … goateed to a T, and so forth, as my friend Lily once said, “looking like a bad ass!”

He was.

But that walk to the desk, much like my walk to the ATM that night, the way the thighs rippled, that understated SWAGGER that comes from being in SUPER SHAPE – I’ll never forget that!

You have to FEEL IT to UNDERSTAND!

And squats, my friend, are the ONE exercise that will give you this x 10000!

Sure, you can climb stairs, you can hike hills – all of that is great.

But like I’ve said above, nothing replaces squats.

You that can hike hills for hours might be amazed when you first get on some of the squats in my program, you might not be able do more than 25, and you might not be able to walk for days after wards either.

Trust me on this one!

Squats do what NO other exercise does, my friend, and back to swashbuckling SWAGGER, and machismo, and feeling great… well, thats the icing on the cake, but also the reason you should be DOING these in the first place!

On one last note – some of you might ask though, “why do I need squats” (given what I’ve said about other forms of training).

You might as well ask me “why do you need to breathe – or train – or live in the first place”, it’s that obvious.

Look, like I’ve said before, nothing beats the up and down motion your body makes, and the internal changes that go on your body, the strength it builds, the functional strength it builds throughout the whole body that you simply cannot get from any other movement.

When you wrestle, for one, what sort of positions do you have to constantly fight your way out of ?

I dont think you’re climbing a hill or stairs in that motion, are you?

Squats have a CIRCULAR sort of motion, my friend, not just Hindus, all squats, that ensure you return back to where you started, “full circle”, a motion used in EVERYDAY life, fighting, walking, all of it, and again, you have to squat first to truly understand it.

Sure, the other methods I’ve mentioned work, but they dont work nearly as well as squats, and NOT in the same manner.

Does that mean you dont do them?

Of course not.

You do BOTH. You have ALL the fitness tools you need in your fitness toolkit, not just one, but you dont neglect the most basic and important one as most people DO.

Squats build EVERYDAY strength and functional fitness – and I’m talking BODYWEIGHT squats in a way nothing else can, that is the most simple and concise answer I can give you. There is a reason the old timers did these daily without fail and in high reps, and if even that isn’t enough for you, you’re at the wrong page, and probably better off pumping and humping the leg press at the Jim.

And to find out more about how YOU too can develop this sort of swaggering machismo and strength in your entire body like NO other exercise can give you, go to the Squat 101 page NOW.

And reserve your copy of the book pronto, this is worth it’s weight in gold.

And thats that.

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

Period.

Yes, period.

I dont care what the lazy asses say about step-ups being an equivalent, I dont care what fitness gurus , myself included , tell you about OTHER forms of equally brutal (in some ways, not all) leg training like climbing hills and such – those work big time, hell yes, they do – but nothing, and I’ve said this before tons of times, replaces the squat.

Nothing at all, that up and down motion you get from squats CANNOT be replicated by any other exercise, my friend.

Now, for a long time – well, a few months I’ve been thinking about this one book “Squat 101“, which with all else going on, and there is just so much happening right now, has been put on the backburner, along with a lot of other great books in the offing.

And today, I put EVERYTHING to the side.

I even almost closed my door “not to be disturbed”, curiously enough, I wasn’t anyway. when you’re damned and determined to do something, the Universe makes sure you do just that, the seas part, the WORLD makes way for you!

And I made more progress on Squat 101, including getting the sales page – the book is almost done, I just need to get the pictures taken and put the workouts in (which the first part will take longer, if you can believe that. I’m terrible at taking photos and videos, I dislike them, but we all do what we dont like sometimes! Hehe).

I like the WRITING part, as you might imagine, I love it, that part is DONE already.

Anyway …

I’ve spoken tomes before about why nothing replaces the squat, my friend.

If you ain’t on board as yet, you probably either are new here or shouldn’t be here – or have not been paying attention, NO exceptions.

The comment linked in the title of this email, post, what have you – semantics, ugh – is MINE.

And many a great writer has said it before in different terminology.

In the great bodyweight training Dinsoaur Bodyweight Training, Brooks Kubik talks about how you should do bodyweight squats, and do them your entire life.

In Combat conditioning, another classic book, Matt Furey says “if you aren’t doing Hindu squats, you’re not really doing Combat conditioning”.

And so forth.

In my book 0 Excuses Fitness, which has been very widely acclaimed as “the very best in bodyweight fitness out there, there is nothing that comes EVEN CLOSE” – I devote a attention to squats yes, but not nearly ENOUGH. (in my opinion, at least, although I have not heard anyone else say it!).

all along, I had this niggling feeling I wasn’t devoting “enough attention to squats”.

I did to pushups, yes.

But even then I came out with Pushup Central – another classic manual with 55 different ways on how to perform “the world’s oldest exercise” and that was both very well received and very warranted (and a classic example of DOING the thing first even though “no-one asked for it”).

Sometimes you gotta DO first.

The customer – YOU – sometimes has to be SHOWN the final product – FIRST.

And back to squats, for some reason, a lot of the great books on bodyweight training culture don’t talk a lot about ‘em. Or if they do, they dont talk a LOT on them.

This exercise is worth its weight in gold, and deserves a book unto itself, or several.

I mean that!

EVERY serious fitness enthusiast and trainee MUST have this book sitting on their mantelpiece along with 0 Excuses Fitness, Gorilla Grip and Pushup Central (for starters).

It’s been in the offing for ages, and I feel like a bit of a fool for not getting to this one earlier, hehe. (but all happens when it’s supposed to happen, livin in the FLOW as it were).

And you’d be a fool TOO, my friend not to reserve it now – while we’re having a pre-order special for it, and the prices are as low as you’ll ever see on this one, my friend.

If you claim you’re into fitness, but don’t want this book, if you claim “you like brutal and intense training” but shy away from squats in all their forms, shape and guises, if you say you’re in top shape but cannot do 100 squats without pausing for breath, if you don’t do squats damn near daily, you ain’t training my friend, and neither are you really serious about your fitness regimen.

That’s the brutal honest hard truth – I hate to break it to you – but it’s true.

This book is simply a MUST have, period, I’m not EVEN going to hype it any more than that, the BOOK, the EXERCISE, speaks for itself.

Jump on this – NOW, and HERE is where you go to do so- Squat 101.

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – As ole Steve Austin once said “I dont care what else you do, if you train, you’ll grow!”

and if a wrestler on the road, all banged up most of the time with a 100 niggles and injuries and so forth says that, an ass kicker (bonafide if there ever was one) says so, if the Great Gama who swore by this one great exercise amongst others said so and DID so, if countless others have said so and done so and achieved greatness, then you can be sure this book will help YOU TOO, my friend.

Again, HERE is the link to place that pre-order.

DO so.

NOW!

You know who I’m talking about, and the competitions dont you??

Those puffed monster with muscles so puffy that you wonder if they’re even human, those bloated fools with peckers the size of 1 inch you know what and shrinking by the hour – those nuts who cannot live without their capsules, pills, and constant worry about “muscles not being pumped” – those unnatural looking bodies with muscles pumping everywhere … just, UGH!

I believe I have a photo on the Animal Kingdom Workouts page?

I believe I talked to one of the wannabes for that competition, curiously enough although the health of the contestants is the polar opposite of anywhere near healthy, the tourney is marketed as being “the epitome of health” and people fall for it … mentioned on the Shoulders like Boulders! page.

I’ve often wondered whats the point of “building” – I use that term sparingly – yourself up or DOWN to the point you can barely squat to take a dump or lift your arms up to put a shirt on (no, I aint kidding on the examples, there are MORE extreme examples)??

I mean, a 12 pack may look “good” (ugh!!) but when it can’t do a damn thing, when you could punch a hole in it with your breath almost, whats the bloody point???

Yet, it continues for ages, still does, tells you what society has been slowly turning into for ages, a bunch of wusses and NOT real folks, a bunch of sissy boys and whimpering Mama’s boys for the most part that all want the easy way out that leads to nowhereville.

whew.

Rant and a half, but then again, here is what I heard back from a great customer (again, carrying on from HERE) …

Hello Rahul

I was also referring to the mass monsters being just too heavy/massive to do pull-ups.

Most if not all of the old time/old school bodybuilders from the “golden age” either used bodyweight exercise extensively or at a minimum included exercises like Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups, Handstand Push-Ups and Dips regularly in their workouts.

Since the late 1980’s there has been an emphasis on becoming as massive as humanly possible, it is since then that there has been the inclusion of human growth hormone and insulin on top of the massive amounts of testosterone and anabolic steroids these bodybuilders take.

These people may be able to Squat 3 times their bodyweight with a bar but ask them to crank out Hindu Squats and they fail miserably, their strength to weight ratio is also out of whack, it is not just fat people who struggle to complete even the most basic of bodyweight exercises.

Pulling yourself up over a bar is “training for survival” it can be likened to pulling yourself over a high wall/fence if you’re being pursued by some enemy soldiers (for when China overthrows India) and you want to evade capture.

The term “functional strength” should not exist, this should be the norm for all but the sickest/oldest of our society but with every passing year the masses get sicker and weaker to the extent that they struggle to do even the simplest of tasks.

Anyway got go for now, take care my friend.

I would have left out the politics (what people call politics, what I call reality) OUT of this, yet, in the sort of mood I am NOW, I aint either.

If my response offends, so be it. If you can find a proper counter to it logically, I’m all fucking ears, but please dont come back to me whining about how politically incorrect t is to say what I am, because it’s TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!

Completely agree – that is what I meant by people having a “different definition of strength” these days i.e. they may bench the house once or twice, but ask them to do 25 proper pushups, chances are they wont get past three if even that. Hehe.

Sometimes I wonder what is the purpose of competitions like Mr Olympia which they fool the masses into thinking “thats the epitome of health”, when those bloated muscles and the mess those guys are internally are the polar opposite, but that is what society has become these days, fake and “wusses” in general. Ugh. Nothing real anymore, been that way for years – and therefore, thanks for being one of the few ones remaining “the survivors” that DO keep it real, and always will! hehe (but I mean that my friend).

I’ve known people personally that take HGH and stuff, personally, I cannot understand why people do it – you can get all the T boost and what not you want from high intensity workouts, and they dont necessarily have to be bodyweight only either, I really think its the lure of “the easy way out” and “muscles sprouting” bullshit the modern day muscle media so popularizes.

Spot on w.r.t pull-ups! As for China overthrowing India, unfortunately you’re right, unless things change, that is precisely what will end up happening – – the masses here dont believe it, but those “in the know” do. . . (I just did a post with India in it “why I can’t stand beggars” – sadly, India is a bloody mess, considering it was truly a jewel in the crown back in the day, well, it’s just sad, a country with so much potential, except the public just dont give a shit about anything other than pissing and moaning in general, and doing F all to fix the problems they claim they hate, and there are so damn many, whats sad is these days theyre rationalizing it by saying “it happens everywhere” – no jt dont either. REALITY FUCKING CHECK! Ugh).

Anyway, along with the “she’s arisen from her pit” term you once used which I truly LOVE – the pictures that evokes , lol, SO TRUE! – what you said about functional strength and the term “should not be there”, and the reason for it not being there?

We should frame that and put it on people’s walls. Hehe. You’re so right – strength should be functional – period!

Tell people these days that, you might as well just “sometimes it’s easier to just give up” as I once saw a little boy (caricature) pissing out the words on the desk of a senior manager in China in 2002.

Ah, the memories of them days at the factory! At least life was somewhat normal back then, even if they had those massive rats running around lunch room at the factory while people ate if you can believe that. LOL – and UGH!

cheers

Rahul

and then.

PS – Now in terms of “big guys” – look at ole Doug Hepburn. Bodyweight of over 250 kgs I believe, with all the genetic defects the man was born with – became a champ to the point he was doing handstand pushups on DIPPING BARS OF ALL THINGS! I still remember the SHOCKED LOOK my buddy from the Marines, all 6’1″ of him gave me on that one – dont blame him!

Or, Bert Asserati the old time English wrestler and his one arm handstands… list goes on and on – THAT is real STRONGMAN STUFF!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

And there it is, my friend.

And thats what I base my entire business on.

REAL WORDS, real STUFF, REAL TRAINING – that really works.

Brutal, bare bones, in the trench, REAL STUFF.

Get you some NOW if you so choose!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

I dont know how I got onto this subject.

Ugh.

But I’ve lost it SO many times in the subcontinent – to a lesser extent in China as well,  but a much, much lesser extent – with these goddamned BEGGARS!

The problem is particularly pernicious in the subcontinent where the begging mafia basically does all it can to … ah, but let me start with a PICTURE.

You’re standing there on the road – or driving a car, minding your own damn business

Some beggar, usually a woman with a sickly kid in tow (usually one she carries in her arms) which show up begging for money with tons of sob stories, and an appearance that if you didnt know better youd fall for “oh, POOR lady!” some would think.

And hand over the cash.

These fuckers though, both male and female for the most part – you wont believe it, but come nighttime they shed their outer skin and don fancy clothes and drive, as they say in India “long cars” all night long partying.

Quite literally – Google if you dont believe me.

And they harass bystanders for cash during the day.

Growing up, I never understood why my father wouldn’t give these idiots money – when I grew up a little more, I did.

You know whats really sad though?

The kids in India, and the subcontinent that are FORCED into a life of begging – at least while they’re young – often maimed by the mafia, and by and large, no-one really cares…

This same mafia of course does all it can to prey on kids, and loot people in other manners too.

And while not ALL beggars are part of the mafia, when you see an able bodied man or woman (and dont get me wrong, it applies equally, but the women these days take undue advantage of the feminism movement and … yes, it applies even to begging! I remember a guy telling me sardonically the problem is worse – she’s a woman, you can’t even say anything beyond a certain point!) begging for alms, you feel like whipping his or her ass, and telling him or her, as my wife once told a beggar “earn yourself, eat yourself”.

And so forth.

Ive been doing my damndest to teach my daugher to stay far the fuck away from this sort.

In China, they have high tech beggars with QR codes, but thankfully the problem is mostly gone along with a host of other social evils very much present in the subcontinent (and tolerated) such as child labor, for one – or the domestic help abuse – and much more.

Those in the subcontinent (my wife being one example) believe it happens in China or “everywhere” too because of the isolated cases you read about, but believe me, China despite all its faults is light years of India (China and the far East in general) and the subcontinent on all this (while knowing deep down inside I’m right – its just a way to justify her, and those who think that way “current reality”) – and I suspect you guys reading this deep down inside know it, even though it aint the politically correct thing to say.

Anyway, I’ve lost it on occasion in China too as you know, because I hate being PESTERED for no reason, and me being a lao wai in China, working out, the nuts coming up wanting to take selfies, wechat’s, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Anyway ………….

Applies to life too.

We all need HELP once in a while or more than it, thats fine.

But HANDOUTS and those constantly wanting them are different, you can spot that sort from a country mile away, and I personally do all I can to keep them away from THIS here business.

Because that ain’t the just do it spirit.

It aint the buckle down to bare bones, brass tacks and get her DONE thang.

And thats that from me.

Ugh.

Back soon!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Why people claim “they hate all of this” but do exactly F all to fix things other than blame the government (curiously enough formed by the PEOPLE) is beyond me. Maybe someone from or in India can tell me!

In the meantime, ANCIENT India, now THAT was a gem! Pity things are what they are now, but ancient India was where it all came from – fitness included.

Yes, those fancy shmancy Chinese tai Chi moves you see were originally Indian, my friend – fact, like it or not …

And the three exercises, and more that will get you in superhuman shape – well, who better than yours truly to teach them to you in the 0 Excuses Fitness System.

Been used for ages by wrestlers and boxers all over the world, a system that gets the lay person fitter than a fiddle in a nonce, and gets Ironmen panting as soon as they begin, hehe.

Get it NOW.

Dont believe me?

I understand, my friend.

I was going to title this email “my workout this morning”, but then I chanced upon this title I had in mind and am writing to you about it.

This morning, there was a lot of BS going on I dont want to talk about – I prefer my mornings “undisturbed” (reminds me of a certain “ball and chain arising from her pit” -John, that was the BEST thing you ever wrote – I still cackle about it, hehe – the sheer IMAGERY those words evoke, and they’re so true, at least for me!) … and they weren’t, but thats fine, I did my mental training as I always do before doing anything else.

I’ve mentioned what it is, but since it seems to fly over most people’s heads, and some dont believe in it (which is fine) – I wont talk too much about it, but it literally works miracles in my life my friend. Miracles.

Anyway – after that – my tea, emails, pruning lists of dead weight, idiots that wont buy, idiots that complain about prices then after being blocked try to resign up and so forth …

… and pruning in general.

But this email isn’t about removing what you dont want in your life to attract what you DO WANT.

It’s about this – I was feeling “off”.

yesterday was a light workout by my standards, and I dont know, this morning when I woke up, just feeling “off”.

Maybe I’m not fully recovered I thought (from the flu).

I  probably am not.

While waiting for my tea I pumped out a 100 squats on the spur of the moment.

I felt amazingly fluid while doing these!

I broke a light sweat. Did NOT jump right into the shower…

(Yes, 100 squats will make YOU sweat if you do ’em right, my friend. These were bodyweight squats, but the same thing applies to Hindus, same thing applies to fitness gurus and couch potatoes, this exercise will kick EVERYONE’s ass if you do it in proper form and full speed.

You might think for me that would be “easy” – and it is – but I still break a light sweat when doing them non stop, so it should be, or the exercise would be “worthless” if it didnt make me huff and puff and “feel it” even at my level!).

Then I did some dead hangs on the pull bar while the tea was brewing.

I like it strong!

I did ’em with thick grips as I always do.

10 pull-ups later, and about an hour or so later, I’m feeling so refreshed I’m wondering why I didnt do more (I will, hehe).

That workout took me a sum total of probably four minutes minus the dead hangs which took 1.5 minutes more (30 second hold each time from different angles).

And it’s given me nigh triple the productivity I would have had otherwise within less than an hour!

I’ve written about this before of course. I’ve written about how mini workouts get you in top shape – about how I was talking about them for years, and the world is only “now” starting to pick up on it – about how if you work out between the power hours of 11AM – 1PM – you truly get even more BOOST for your bang – or bang for your BUCK, hehe – ditto for late night workouts, but even if you do it at a time of your choosing as I did today, mini workouts just … there’s nothing that beats them.

You just feel awesome afterwards!!

Pity more people don’t do ’em, you’d not only get in better shape, but there’d be a lot less vipers clambering out of pits for one if this was done. Hehe.

anyway …

That s that for now. Some lady’s been hankering after me to chat about something for days, I best go see what it is before … ah, but you know what I’m saying there! ?

Back soon!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – This “little workout” of 100 squats and 10 pull-ups is more than what the average Joe can conceptualize these days, let alone DO. We’ve truly turned into a society of wusses over the past 20 years or so, especially the last few years.

(if I said do 500 squats a day in sets of 5, people will be clamoring for my head. literally. hehe).

And if you think it wont get in you super shape my friend – oh yeah it will.

DO – and you shall the power.

And learn how to do them thigh shakingly SUPERB workouts right here.

It is strength that makes all other metrics possible, strength equals survival, nothing can survive without it.

Nature has the answer to the lack of strength to survive, it’s called extinction and human beings are still subject to the laws of nature in spite of all their technology and looking at the world today it could be argued that human extinction has already begun.

I’m quoting the interesting part of his email first i.e. interesting w.r.t the title of this email!

Or, the subject of the email, and the title of the post. Hehe.

There was more – and it was in response to THIS email I sent out recently . . . (sent out again, I should say, as it’s more than two years old is the initial draft!).

We’ll get to training shortly, but thats an interesting point he made!

Survival of the fittest – something I KEEP talking about or indirectly referring to in ALL my emails (for those who care enough to notice, and a lot of you do, which is great!).

Mental strength and physical strength both build upon each other and add compound interest to the “will to survive” which I’d argue would be weak and incomplete without the first two.

And needless to say, in the JUNGLE – in Nature, you either have it or you dont, and humans in general have completely lost it in general – especially over the past 20 years or thereabouts.

As for what he says about extinction, remember the four cycles I was referring to yesterday, and me telling the daughter about how we’re well and truly into the fourth and final (before rebirth) cycle?

Anyway – other than this there isn’t much in this communication you guys dont already know – but it never hurts to repeat the basics. Here goes!

(And thanks for writing in John!)

Rahul

Whilst the below list is relevant it is limited, you have not included the number one reason people either struggle to do many pull-ups or fail to complete any, is because they “weigh way too much” their strength to weight ratio is out of whack.

I put it to you that no amount of supplementary push-ups will negate that fact.

People who train to “look good naked” need to realise that mass in and of itself does not guarantee strength, in my experience there is too much emphasis on building size for size’s sake, train for strength, keep your diet in check and leave the aesthetics to the pretty boys who don’t know any better.

It is strength that makes all other metrics possible, strength equals survival, nothing can survive without it.

Nature has the answer to the lack of strength to survive, it’s called extinction and human beings are still subject to the laws of nature in spite of all their technology and looking at the world today it could be argued that human extinction has already begun.

Take care my friend

Yours truly –

Hi John,

Thanks for the email on this one! Yeah, I agree – limited indeed, but I’ve written SO much about the main reason people cannot do pull-ups i.e. excess FLAB around the midsection and the fact that “big” does not mean “fat”, and “fat” certainly doesnt equate to “big” either that I figured I’d share a few other reasons, but you’re damn right in what you did NOT say, hehe – that the reason just mentioned “cannot be shared enough”. Hehe.

Strength to weight ratio is a great way to put it as well, but some may argue “we measure strength differently” (i.e some guy may be fat and still be able to do some sort of heavy one time lift). . . of course, that is akin to fat people saying we aren’t fat, we are “big” – so that doesnt hold any water in the world of LOGIC (and real training incorporates plenty of that!).

And you know my thoughts already on the pretty boys puffing and buffing in the gym, hehe – as well as the bodybuilders with muscles increasingly more bloated and massive, and a pecker equally “tinier” by the day (ok, I know, I shouldnt be saying that, but I couldnt resist, plus its true, hehe) that can’t really do much outside puffing and preening outside the gym (just ask some of their ilk to pick up a massive sofa and move it up a flight of stairs, and watch them collapse like flies even before starting – hell, I’ve heard of bodybuilders literally collapsing before the age of 25 simply to raise their arms up to hang a picture! Extreme example I know, but the guy on the “Shoulders like Boulders!” page https://0excusesfitness.com/shoulders-like-boulders  that I mention (scroll down to the center I believe) was one of their ilk until … well, you’ll read why. Hehe. At least he learnt in time, a lot dont or refuse to even with the right knowledge at their fingertips “can’t lead a horse to water”).

I agree, you’re really seeing survival of the fittest play out now, and it’s just starting (although as I keep “prattling” on about the signs have been there for years, but people prefer to stick their heads in the sand as I believe I said in one of my communications today and ignore the bloody obvious) …

Now pushups do help improve your pull-ups in terms of strengthening a lot of the muscles needed to do ’em, but you’re right, no amount of pushups will remedy that issue of having too much fat around the midsection,  or not DOING pull-ups regularly for that matter. Pushups do build strength (I dont need to tell you that, hehe) in the core and entire body (upper included) but if someone has too much fat around the ole waistline, chances are their pushup form will be pretty lousy too as will their rep counts etc, so it all goes together really.

Functional strength is what it’s all about, I think that is what you mean when you say “It is strength that makes all other metrics possible, strength equals survival, nothing can survive without it.” . . . (and in life, mental strength obviously too – though again – lots of overlap there, and rightfully so!).

And there it is, my friend.

There it is!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

Friend,

I dont know what prompted me to “finally” write about this today – although it’s not the first time I’ve written about something like this – indeed, all my emails contain a very, as Charles Mitchell once said “strong spiritual content” (for those that can spot it!) … I’ve never written about it directly.

I could have named this email “Form is temporary, but CLASS – is PERMANENT – it always is!”.

I almost did, then thought of this title.

So be it.

But anyway, I believe it was yesterday I was having one of those very rare “conversations” (you know, people actually TALKING politely to each other in a cordial manner instead of coming to blows either literally or figuratively, not that literally would ever happen with her, I’d take off the hills at the slightest hint of that, hehe) … with the wife about (she’s a headhunter) how people that used to accept “10 lakhs per annum” (she’s talking India, thats about 12.5 K USD if I got the Math right in my head) are now working for less than 4.5 or so. (do the math yourself on that one).

This isn’t the first time she’s brought it up either.

Which of course, I’ve been seeing for years and I would have said it, but I restrained myself, if just to keep the conversation going.

Hey, my wife and me actually talking is about as rare as men landing on the moon . . .

It happens, but only so often!

So anyway, she was talking about how the used car industry is also now going down the commode (she’s working in that vertical apparently) and everything related, and I kept grinning like a Cheshire Cat as I often do.

“The heavy hand of justice is slowly descending isnt it”, I remember saying to no-one in particular.

The daughter piped up with her usual cute little “what do you mean”.

So I explained the four cycles to her, told her we’re almost at the rebirth phase and so forth. . .

Always fun explaining something to someone who GETS IT, even at her age!

But anyway, what does this have to do with the topic?

Certainly it ain’t about playing the long game – the topic that is, something I’ve done consciously and even unconsciously since I was born and keep doing MORE of as I keep “ascending” in terms of years.

The long game, my friend, solves all – period – or at least I’ve never seen it NOT solve a problem – or issue – or obstacle. Like water, Father Time and patience usually wears ALL, even the most stubborn of obstacles down.

Oddly enough, or maybe not although that is precisely what people need to be doing NOW – they aren’t – even less of them are than they would normally. GO figure.

Anyway ……… this isn’t about that. Maybe some day I’ll write about that, but for now?

Lets switch tacks a bit, lets talk about sports – cricket.

A lot of talk has been circulating about the Indian (once) captain Virat Kohli – who is a legend of the game – to such an extent that even if he doesnt pick up a bat again he’ll be regarded as of the best, if not THE best in many regards – to ever step foot on a cricket field.

True, the sport has evolved and become easier over the years, and so comparing a modern day great like him to say Don Bradman, the REAL great might not be on – but then again, Kohli’s record cannot be ignored even keeping that in mind – his feats on the field have just been spectacular and superhuman, that sheer weight of runs SPEAKS.

He was untouchable at one point.

Everything he touched – for years – turned to gold in terms of results, and so did the Indian cricket team’s with him.

Then, one fine day he slipped out of form.

No-one cared.

“It’ll come back”, people said.

It didnt.

A year passed.

The murmurs grew louder. Then two. Then three. I dont know the exact time frame, but I think it’s the third year now where he’s had such a lean patch that his record (again, I’m not a records guy, I’m an intuition guy) over those three years could probably be compared to someone with less than 10% of his cricketing class.

And his lack of form doesnt seem to be dissipating anytime soon either.

I read another introspective piece by a certain Mr Chopra whose pieces I often read on cricinfo, but lots of people have missed the point, or aren’t saying it.

Ricky Pointing, another great of the game – similar thing.

For years, he was nigh untouchable, then a Pakistani fast bowler got him on the wrist with a searing bouncer – when he came back – he was never the same (despite having all the weaponry in his armor to dispatch the fastest of fast bowlers back over their heads).

Now, you might think lack of confidence, you might think lack of focus, vision, or even “self doubt” – but the truly great know how to battle all that, and it usually doesnt apply to them as much as it would the average Joe.

You might think .. well in Kohli’s case, as Mickey told Rocky in Rocky III “you got civilized! Before, you had that LOOK in your eye!

Then you got married, you got civilized!”

You guys reading this will likely remember that email.

But it happens to the best of people – men are often BEASTS before getting married – once that happens, they get tamed. Hehe.

Hey, it happened to me for a period too!

But looking at Kohlis training (physically) and his fitness levels, which are superhuman even now – looking at how hard he trains, even now probably one of the hardest working people in the Indian team despite all his success – that dont apply.

Much like it didnt to Ponting, who even in his twilight, and indeed even now was “as fit as a greyhound” (the greyhounds Punter so loved punting on, hehe).

Then people talk about Kohli’s slight technical deficiencies.

Apparently when you’re on top you can paper those over, when you’re not, it shows.

I dont quite buy into that either, for a legend of the game with that many runs behind him, if it was just form, he would have worked it out.

The answer my friend, is this.

At least according to me.

“He who goes up, up, up MUST fall , fall, fall”.

And the fall is often painful.

Yin and yang, ups and downs, for most people they never really rise that high so when they fall, no-one, them includes really notices it.

But when people that were once flying HIGH – such a high profile computer programmer I know back in Jersey who today is almost homeless if you can believe that! – are down (and in sports it’s public) during the darkest of their dark times, their most precipitous falls – then people notice, if just for the contrast.

And hey.

It happens to EVERYONE.

No escaping that Universal Law, what goes down, of course, must also sometime come back up!

The key here lies, in my opinion in how you react to the DOWN Times – not so much how you act when times are good – but when times are ROUGH – rougher than you’ve even known, when you’re literally being thrown into new and unchartered waters daily, when you’re literally “you against the world” and so forth.

Sure, introspect, if your business is faltering then take logical steps to improve what needs to be, if your game (if youre a sportsman) is not where it needs to be then do what you have to, but remember – ultimately – Father Time is a great, great leveler.

And sometimes you cannot prepare for it.

Indeed and this is not talked about a lot, you hardly ever “see it coming” in that regard.

And why do I say this now?

Well, a lot of people need to hear it (not necessarily Kohli – I just used him as a very public example and a sage one indeed) . . . whether or not they will listen is another story.

“Yeah, you’re listening, but you didnt HEAR ME!”

Hehe – Alonzo Harris again!

Anyway, if you look around you, what is happening today in the world, maybe this email will make perfect sense.

Maybe it wont.

So be it (either way).

Fitness wise, same thing my friend.

Those tough periods you have when you simply can’t get past sticking points.

Those long years where you slog to get the weight off, seemingly nothing happens, or it does, then it stops for a while, and so forth …

Those 50-70 pushup workouts that never hit a 100 . . .

And so forth.

The answer as always is persistence, Father Time, and of course, the long game – which if you think about it are all one and the same thing really.

And in terms of form, class, and what not – well, remember – DESIRE is permanent.

OBSTACLES, no matter how many, no matter real or imagined in your MIND – are temporary.

If you truly want it, you’ll find a way to get it . . .

So says Lucky Singh, hehe.

Dont EVEN ask me where that one came from, lips sealed!

And thats that, my friend.

Back soon!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – If you TRULY want the 0 Excuses Fitness System, if you’re truly interested in learning about hidden fitness secrets NO-ONE will tell you except me, if you’re TRULY interested in just how the course gets such RAVE reviews, then you’ll find a way to get it, my friend. It’s that simple.

All yours truly can do is point you to the link – here it is – 0 Excuses Fitness.

The rest, I now leave up to YOU.

Let me start this one off a little differently – or maybe not.

In the movie Bloodsport -and there are tons of movies I could use here – Rocky I perhaps too – you see Van Damme’s character “Dukes” being relentlessly – and clumsily – and hilariously pursued by the FBI’s finest (I believe) through Hong Kong in the 1980’s. (which brings back memories in itself, not the pursuit personally, but the CITY — the walled city – – how it all used to be…) …

… its nothing short of hilarious, the way they run after Dukes, and how he literally toys with them pursuing him – yet, that is exactly how it works when fat phocks with no inkling of what real fitness is pursue someone with jack rabbit like speed, or a martial artist in general (a real one) . . .

But that isn’t what I’m talking about here.

End of the movie, they fail to capture him – and the old man in charge figures “if I can’t beat him, I’ll join him”. Grudgingly, these guys are literally forced to show up for the very fight that they were pursuing Dukes halfway around the world for (to stop him fighting “because Uncle Sam has invested too much in you”).

And through the final two fights you see them worried – and then HAPPY – and then exhilarated.

In typical movie style, van damme triumphs ultimately – and all those AGAINST him – are now vociferously FOR HIM.

Thats how it works in life, my friend.

The world loves to kick a man when he is down, and takes great pleasure in doing so, or not supporting him, or whatever form that takes, and if you try your best, yet you lose – guess what.

I wont quite say what Sean Connery did in the Rock i.e. “losers whine about trying their best, winners go home and fuck the PROM QUEEN!” – but I will say that if you truly try your best at something, whatever that something might be, if you’re cut out for it, and if you keep at it, chances are you will succeed big ultimately no matter what else happens.

But if you “try your best and lose” or “try and whine”, or whatever, your effort?

The world wont remember it, my friend.

The world likes to remember WINNERS, my friend – the feel good portion of things.

The world likes end results, and good ones.

The world in general doesnt particularly care about WHAT you did to achieve said result.

So, my question to YOU.

You could be an office workers, business man, retired person, or just an average Joe, or a fitness expert, or an Ironman, or what not.

But my question.

Here it is – have YOU ever been the BEST at something you do – done something that few other, or any people have?

Have YOU ever really pushed yourself – come out on top?

Have YOU succeeded at those hidden goals and desires we all have – if not – have you really tried?

The answers to these questions in my opinion separates the winners in life – and fitness -and everything – from the LOSERS.

And perhaps I should rephrase – these are questions you should ask “looking back”.

If you’re 40, perhaps thats a good time to start introspecting, but really speaking, when you’re 80 years old, when you look back – regrets – or none?

Be honest when you answer that question, my friend.

The only way to live life, my friend is go the whole humpty at everything.

To be the BEST, the very best at what you DO – what you promote – your work – whatever you do, to “execute excellently” if I might borrow the term from Bret Hart . . . (or whoever in the WWF/E coined it!).

Fitness wise, how does this apply you might ask.

It does, bro.

HAVE you ever accomplished those goals in terms of pull-ups?

HAVE you ever got up to 500 squats without stopping (no, simply saying I did it doesnt mean you did either!) ?

HAVE you managed those stretches you’ve always wanted to do?

HAVE you ever done 500 pushups per workout for a while?

Those are just some common goals a lot of people have, and never get to – mostly due to lack of trying.

Trust me, if someone like me who was genetically disadvantaged from the get go, and had a host of other so called disadvantages did it – and did it in STYLE, so can YOU, my friend.

But, the will has to be there – I cannot place that in you for you!

I can INSPIRE you to do, yes, but there are a lot who won’t be inspired to do no matter what. Hehe.

And thats fine.

I’m here for the select bunch of doers who understand that “second sucks”.

I’m here for those of you that understand life is about WINNING – without a “h” and one less “n”. Hehe.

And for those of you that have the desire to DO fitness wise, but haven’t done as yet – well, if you truly desire ultimate levels of fitness that will leave the average Shmoe gaping as you “pass by” – that will reduce goals to DUST as you pass one after the other – that will get you in the best damned shape of your life at ages you never thought you’d get close, if ever, and so forth … well, start building the foundation right now.

Via the 0 Excuses Fitness System – YES, truly the BEST for the BEST.

I’ll see you onboard!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Life wise, Zero to Hero! And Gumption Galore are great reads. Not to mention my Fitness Central series too, all so inspiring you’ll never ever want to put these books down!

I dont know why but I’ve always, ever since I can remember, especially post 23 – had this “military style” walk – BRISK, shoulders back, chest OUT – and so forth – head held high – and most of all, a BRISK pace.

It isn’t necessarily because I’m in a hurry either. Most of the time I’m not, yet I prefer walking briskly no matter what.

I dont know, but it’s always been a habit – except when I was younger and PHAT – I remember calling others “The Energizer Bunny” when they ran around trying to complete tasks while I was far more “relaxed” – hehe – although those guys (and gals) sometimes took it to an extreme…

… but its been with me, that walk!

When my daughter first started to walk, I had to literally retrain myself to walk slowly – even that walk would mean she “jogged along” – something she says till this day “your walking is like my running, Dad”!

I wouldn’t say Running, but yes, jogging …

Right NOW?

Most adults seem to struggle to keep up with me and then say “I’ve lost too much weight”. Hehe.

I remember Marc the African Silverback Gorilla once turning around and looking at me – or actually, “hailing me” as I strode ahead of me while going to boxing practice with him as the coach.

“Walk with me, calm down! I’m not your bitch!”

LOL.

He sure wasn’t, I wouldn’t have such a butch bitch anyway!

Hehe.

Great guy Marc … anyway, the ONLY other person I’ve known whose that solid and keeps up with me?

My buddy from the Marines, all 6’1″ inches of him …

He’s the only one that strides “stride in stride with me” as we keep GOING. Hehe.

And thats the message here.

Fitness should be a lifelong thing, my friend.

Much like a professor we had in college “Dr Seyfarth” whose name I’d claim to have an accent  and pronouce as “Say Fart” just because I could, lol …

… but you saw the dude walking back from work (and at a time where NO-ONE would ditch their cars even for a five minute walk) – and you’d be seeing something.

SHOULDERS BACK – CHEST OUT – military stride – no wonder ole Ray was in prime shape, probably still is.

Now, walking is one of the BEST ways to lose weight, my friend, if done right.

Most people dont do it right.

And walking uphill, well … we all know about the benefits there, eh.

Those LONG climbs in China, they got me down to the point where people called me, wife included “13 year old”. Hehe.

Right NOW?

My mom was asking the other day about some trousers she had which might or might not fit me.

Waist size 36, she said.

36?

I’m at 30 right now, I told her, laughing. And in 2016 I was literally at waist size 26 – and feeling the BEST I ever had in my life!

I still do!

She was asking if I dont eat much at all these days.

I laughed.

I was going to mention Herschel Walker who till this day eats salad and bread after pounding out 3000 pushups daily, training MMA (when he did it) -and a host of other activities that would leave the average strongman in the DUST.

TRUE DOER!

And thats that.

Anyway, to learn how to lose weight by WALKING, and then running – and then sprints – and then sprints on all fours?

Advanced Hill Training is the TICKET, my friend.

Get it NOW!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee