Exercises (160)
Brute upper body strength
Back when I was a kid in high school, I was one of the skinniest guys around. I wasn't much of an exercise fanatic back then - but something I've always wanted to have was a huge upper body. At that time, I had no idea about how to train the body, or what parts of the body are the most important to train - or anything like that, but all I knew is I wanted a huge, barrel chest along with arms to match. And mostly for the "look" - it's sad, but true, that most kids at their age don't have an inkling of what REAL strength can do for you.
When I first got into training, I started doing pushups on a regular basis. These didn't quite give me the results I wanted, but then I found out I wasn't doing them right - so I started doing them right, and started to see results. Fast forward a few years, and I'm doing like 250 pushups per workout - on a daily basis - which is not a bad number to be cracking off daily. And I got more than the results I wanted from this routine - but, I still wasn't quite growing out of my shirts like I'd have liked to. I had a flat stomach, a strong chest - but my shoulders, while not under developed by any means, weren't bursing out of my shirts.
But, there was ONE thing lacking in my routine - and that was doing pushups from a handstand position; in other words, handstand pushups.
Ever since I started doing this amazing exercise, I've never looked back. My upper body strength has skyrocketed - and my chest and shoulders have grown broader than ever before. I think I wrote to you a while back about having difficulty shopping for shirts? Well, that problem persists - we're never quite sure whether the shirt I buy today will fit me in a couple of month's time. Also, remember that I'm 31 years of age, and not exactly a spring chicken any longer. - but, I have a far stronger upper body than I've ever had before in my life.
And folks keep asking me if I go to the gym and lift weights - and my answer is always, NO. It's an honest answer - I don't lift weights, but remember that bodyweight exercises done correctly will give you even more "bang for the buck", and the example I've just given you is a case in point.
Remember that while handstand pushups are one of the best exercises you can do for the upper body, they are NOT for everyone. If you have wrist problems - work into these with caution, strengthen your wrists, or use pushup bars to do them. If you are currently unable to do more than 10 regular pushups in a row - then your probably NOT ready to start banging out handstand pushups. Trust me on this - I developed a nasty bone "spur" from doing these when I wasn't quite ready for it - which took a while to heal - so don't make the same mistake yourself.
I cover handstand pushups and other related exercises in Fast and Furious Fitness - you can get your copy here.
And last, but not least, remember that a BALANCED exercise routine is of utmost importance. You can do handstand pushups all day long, but you'd be well advised to mix in other things into your routine for best results. More on that later.
Ok, that's it for today. Have a great weekend, and if your training this weekend - make it a super one!
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: If you have kids, make sure that they know that while academics is of utmost importance, physical exercise is equally important for overall development. Make sure they have access to the RIGHT training information - not the nonsense being pushed around in the bodybuilding magazines - most of that is as applicable to normal folks as a piegon landing on Mars. Fast and Furious Fitness would be a great place to start.
One of the keys to improving your pull-ups
Pull-ups are a fantastic exercise to build strength throughout the entire upper body. This one exercise, as I've said many times before, is worth it's weight in gold, but is sadly ignored by the majority of people these days - believe it or not, 90+% of folks today cannot do a single pull-up in good form. And out of those that DO them - you'll find that the enthusiasm for sticking to the exercise quickly tapers off as they learn how hard the exercise is, and consequently struggle to progress. Not good.
And today, I'm going to share with you one tip that will help you improve your pull-up performance, or get past a "sticking point" (if you are at one) on this exercise. This tip works for all levels; it will help you if you cannot do a single pull-ups, and it will help you do more if you can currently bang off 10 in a row.
And this tip is NOT what most people would think about doing - in fact, most folks will likely not believe me when I mention it. It is NOT doing more pull-ups. It is NOT working on the grip - though that helps as well. And it is NOT doing lat pull downs - or lifting weights - none of that.
So, what IS it then Mookerjee, you might ask? What the heck is this mysterious secret that will help me improve on pull-ups? Well, its not a secret at all - at least not to me it ain't. And it is - doing PUSHUPS.
That's right - doing pushups - all sorts of pushups - WILL help your pull-ups. There are some kinds of pushups that lend themselves better to pull-up performance than others, but rest assured that pushups in general will help you do that first pull-up - or do more if your stuck at a certain number. And the reasons behind this is that pushups, contrary to what most folks think, build ALL the muscles used in pull-ups, specifically and most importantly, the grip, forearms, shoulders, entire back, and biceps as well - yes, biceps as well.
Additonally, the pushup complements the pull-up perfectly. I wrote a post about exercises that complement one another a while back - if you missed it, go HERE. And pushups are easier to do for most people than pull-ups (remember I said easier than pull-ups, not just "easy"), so progressing on them and consequently building more strength through this exercise is easier - and all this leads to better performance on pull-ups.
Still don't believe me? Well, for those of you that are currently spending hours trying to bang out that first pull-up, do this. Do NOT do any pull-ups for the next two weeks - but concentrate on banging out 100 pushups daily in letter perfect form. Don't dwadle while doing these; make sure you bang them out as fast as you can - but - and this is IMPORTANT - maintain correct form while doing so (never compromise on form for speed). Do regular pushups, or any type of pushup you prefer - there are many different combinations of pushups you can do - see Fast and Furious Fitness for more on this.
And at the end of the those two weeks (or however long it takes you to get 100 pushups in a row), try your pull-ups again - I'll bet you'll be surprised.
This ONE tip is so valuable that I could probably devote an entire chapter to it in Fast and Furious Fitness, but I figured I'd send it out in my daily newsletter for maximal benefit to all. in fact, I'm going to add it to the articles section of the website as well - it is THAT important. Of course, if your looking for more great tips on improving your pull-ups, and general levels of fitness, then grab a copy of the book pronto.
So for those of you that find pull-ups to be tough - or even if you've been doing them a while - give this a try, and let me know how it works!
Best regards,
Rahul
I'm having a deuce of a time shopping for shirts
I'm having a REAL tough time shopping for shirts these days. And it's not just me saying this - my wife's been complaining as well. She often tells me that it's next to impossible to shop for shirts for me without having me there in person as well. She says that she can buy the right size, the right colors, make, everything - but more often than not, if I'm not actually trying the shirt out before I buy it, I'll complain that it's too tight, and won't be able to wear it.
And by "too tight", I mean that it fits a bit too snugly around the shoulders - so I feel like I'm about to rip the shirt apart when I raise my arms up. That same logic applies for coats and jackets as well. My wife tells me I've gained some mass around the shoulders recently, and I can believe it given the exercises I've been practicing.
Funny thing is, a while back I used to wear size XL shirts - but as of late, I've started to find some of those to be "too tight" as well. Problem is, the next size up fits OK around the shoulders, but ends up looking a bit baggier than it should around the waist - but thats what I have to live with if I choose to buy "off the rack" clothing.
And why am I telling you this?
Well, pretty much to warn you that YOU too may have difficulty purchasing shirts that fit right once you start following an exercise routine similar to what I do. Remember that ALL I do is the exercises I teach you in Fast and Furious Fitness. I do NOT lift weights, play sports professionally or do manual labor - these are all activities you'd associate with broad and powerful shoulders, but I'm not doing any of them.
So I'll warn you in advance - if you're the type that shops once a year and expects your clothes to fit you correctly the entire year, then you probably don't want to mess around with the exercises that I advocate. If your worried that a constantly expanding shoulder size, or broad, powerful back muscles will make it tougher for you to shop for clothes, well, you've been warned ahead of time.
Of course, if your the rare breed that doesn't mind having a set of broad shoulders that are every bit as strong as they look - and continue to get stronger as you keep training - then you'd be well advised to grab a copy of Fast and Furious Fitness TODAY. But if you do so, expect to have to keep buying new shirts on a regular basis. Yes, the exercises contained within ARE that powerful - do them as I tell you to - and you'll be building muscle on your entire body like you never have before, while also melting off fat at a record rate.
On another note, we did end up buying an "off the rack" coat which seems to fit ok for the time being. The function's still a few months away though - so all bets on the coat fitting right at that point are off. You could also look upon it as a sort of "goal" to achieve; increase your shoulder width so much that you have to buy new shirts every so often.
Now that's an interesting goal to aim for - aim to outgrow your shirts! My wife doesn't think much of it, but then again, she's the one shopping for me (and the one who gets to have me try on each and everything before she buys; NOT the easiest of tasks) - so I can't say I blame her.
So, thats the wisdom (or warning) for the day. Be back tomorrow with more!
Best regards,
Rahul
How to achieve the seemingly impossible
I've been training hard over the last week or so on a few exercises that I consider to be tough - and that I'm not proficient at. I exercise on a daily basis and take maybe one day off in a week - two if I need it, but I haven't taken ANY days off this last week.
Now, just so you know, as far as my training goes, my "week" began last Thursday since last Wednesday was a rest day for me. I've been hitting it hard (or fast and furious) since then, and have been working hard on variations of exercises that are currently not easy for me to do - at least not if I do them at the level I would like to do them at.
And today was a red letter day for me in many ways. After five hard days of regular training, I've done what I previously thought was impossible for me to do in terms of these exercises and can see myself progressing further than I ever thought I would. Note that until yesterday, my training was just "normal"; but the results of the hard work suddenly showed up TODAY, and I'm well on the path to getting to that "elite" level on those particular exercises.
So, WHAT are those exercises, you might ask? Well, it doesn't really matter - one of them is a variation of a handstand pushup that I couldn't even BEGIN to do, but can do a few reps of now (still not in perfect form, but I am getting there). Another is a version of a leg raise - there are many - but the point of telling you this is that daily practice, without failure, is one of the keys to achieving super success in your training.
And this goes for everything in life - if you want to get better at something, practice daily, multiple, quadruple times a day if you have to - but practice without fail, and practice as if your life depended on it.
I emphasize this point repeatedly in Fast and Furious Fitness - be sure and grab a copy if you haven't already.
Now, I realize that some people reading this may take this to mean training to failure daily, not taking any days off, etc etc.And no - the above does NOT mean you should hammer your body to the point of no-recovery - that is actually taking a step, or several steps backwards instead of forward. Train sensibly, and LISTEN to your body - and judge how to proceed. I wrote another post on this here; be sure and read that for more on listening to your body.
And only YOU can judge how you feel and what to do. I can guide you on doing pushups, but I cannot tell you how often to practice - only YOU know how your body feels, and what your current fitness levels are. I can guide - but I cannot make the decision for you - only YOU can.
What I CAN tell you is this is that if you practice daily and do so sensibly - your gains will skyrocket, and you'll soon be on the path to doing what was previously impossible for me, and this goes for anything in life.
And on another note, I remember a visit to New Orleans a couple of years ago, where I saw a guy performing in front of a large crowd. This guy was doing handstands and handstand pushups - something you might not think is that big of a deal. But get this - that was just the start. What he did after that was to walk up a flight of stairs on his HANDS alone - and walk back DOWN that flight of stairs, again on his HANDS alone! And if you think that was tough, well, you'd me mistaken. He then did five pushups while still on his hands, and then "walked" back up the flight of stairs again.
Now, I don't know about you, but I know I'm nowhere near that level right now. And I KNOW I'll have to practice hard daily - for years - in order to GET to that level.
That skill is a fantastic one, and a great goal to work towards. But, I've got some goals to accomplish already, so that one will have to wait.
Now, what about YOU?
What goal are YOU going to set for yourself today? What effort are you willing to put into achieving that goal? Will you stick to it?
Answer the questions above, and act accordingly - and you'll be on the road to success in no time.
Best regards,
Rahul
Exercises that complement one another
Woke up this morning feeling a bit grumpy and tired. Got to bed real late last night, plus had a host of other engagements the day before - not what you'd term an ideal weekend - which was probably the reason for me feeling a bit down. Woke up, drank some green tea, and then plunged into my workout. And an hour later, I'm soaked in sweat and am feeling on TOP Of the world. In fact, I'm literally buzzing with energy - so you know I got a GREAT workout in!
And thats pretty much how YOU can expect to feel as well when you work out the way I teach you in Fast and Furious Fitness. Short, hard workouts that get the heart pumping and the muscles working - and thats all you really need.
Back on topic though - In my workout today, I did exercises that complement each other. And doing so is one of the keys to getting a superb overall workout in. One simple example of exercises that complement each other would be doing pull-ups and push-ups together - you do a set of pull-ups, bang out some push-ups right after, and keep repeating until you can't do any more. This is a very simple, yet often forgotten "secret" combination for most folks - and you'd be amazed at the benefits you reap from working on just this combo three times a week.
And while what I just told you is a powerful combination that will get you STRONG, there are many other routines that work just as well - and are even tougher. And you'll get to know what these are upon reading Fast and Furious Fitness, where I give you some sample workouts that'll have you huffing and puffing like a locomotive in no time at all.
And finally - note that though I did NOT do any pull-ups (or pulling movements, for that matter) in my workout today, my forearms feel like they've been put through a wringer, and my back muscles are starting to talk to me as well. You may not think that's possible, but it IS. And the routine I followed is actually very simple - think about it, and let me know if you figured out what I did!
OK, thats it for today. Time to get down to business now. . .
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: If you haven't signed up for my diet newsletter as yet at the other site, your missing out on some great stuff, and I strongly recommend you to sign up. Click HERE, and sign up NOW.
Pushups vs dips - which is better?
One easy way for me to answer this would be to tell you to simply do the exercise, so you can find out on your own. As in, DO the thing, and you'll find out what is better - or, more importantly, what works better for you. And that would be a perfectly legitimate answer - actually DOING the exercises yourself, and figuring out what works best will actually give you far more insightful answers that I (or anyone else) ever could.
I talk more about doing what works best for you in Fast and Furious Fitness, but for today, I'll delve into the topic myself and share MY feelings with you. And if I were asked this question, my answer would be a combination of "to each his own" and "both have their place".
Now, why do I feel this way?
First, training correctly rarely falls into the "black and white category", where everything is either RIGHT, or WRONG. No, that's not it - much like life, training questions, complications and everything associated with it is a "grey area", in that one usually has to find a middle path (while keeping certain basics in mind) - there is no absolute RIGHT or WRONG.
Second, both exercises are great for upper body development. Both develop a deep, powerful chest, a strong upper back - and also develop the shoulder muscles in their entirety. Both require very little equipment (pushups require NONE), and both can be used to craft together workouts that will have you huffing and puffing in no time flat.
But, both have their unique benefits. Pushups can give you far more of a cardiovascular workout than dips do, and involve the legs and lower back as well - as opposed to dips, which mostly use the upper body musculature. Dips, on the other hand are much harder to do correctly for most people, and can be used to get an excellent strength workout, while also getting cardiovascular benefits. Pushups have far more variations than dips do (that I know of), but modify the regular bodyweight dip a little, and you have a whole new exercise that will tax you far more than most pushup variations will.
And both have their place as well - those with shoulder issues may want to avoid dips and start off with pushups. Those who are already at a certain level of strength and fitness may want to start off with an advanced variation of the dip, and concentrate more on that. As I said - DO the exercise, and you'll find out.
So in closing - both are excellent exercises that have their own place, and their own benefits. Do the exercise, find out what works best for you, and thats pretty much all that you need to do (and that little bit applies to ALL of your training as well).
Long answer to a pretty short question, but that's MY take on it. Write in, and let me know YOUR take on it!
Best regards,
Rahul
PS: You can read more on pushups and dips HERE.
PS#2: For even greater detail, Fast and Furious Fitness is what you need to be reading.