I saw the following (and fantastic!) quote from Mark Twain this evening.

The two most important days of your life are . . .

. . . the day you’re born, and the day you figure out WHY you’re born!

This rang true the minute I read it, and here I am now, writing to YOU about it.

Napoleon Hill often spoke about having a central purpose in life, the #1 thing you want to do ABOVE all!

Something you really, really want to do. Were meant to do. Are so good at that NOT even your most ardent detractors have criticized you while you’re doing it . ..

. . . your true purpose in life, as it were!

Napoleon Hill speaks of this a lot in “Outwitting the Devil” when he details the trials and tribulations he went through in life, all because (as the “voice” told him!) “he was neglecting his major purpose in life”.

And for me that would seem to be writing.

And, working out!

As Cindy once famously told me, you’re a writer, and a FIGHTER.

And as my buddy from the Marines once told me in 2018 I believe it was . . . “That’s all you do! Working out is your LIFE!”

And being that I was writing 0 Excuses Fitness and certain other books at the time, yes, it was!

The diet was pure, and the workouts were intense and then some.

And I understood what Stallone for one meant when he got into the sort of awesome shape you saw him in 1980’s (not to say he’s not in good shape NOW! Stallone is a living legend bar NONE) when he said “after a certain point, my body started to eat away it’s own fat”.

Might sound horrible, but it’s a good thing in SOME ways (not all - - Stallone’s routine then was extremely unhealthy, but not mine).

Anyway, point of all this is to ask you, my friend, if YOU have found your true purpose in life.

I don’t mean the job you’re working at, or the two cars you own, or any other material possession.

Speaking of which, I remember a meme I once posted on Wechat, which went something like - -

I can measure a man’s true character by how he stands up when he is stripped of his house, car, college degrees . . . (and a host of other things that “don’t really count in the grand scheme of things”).

What were YOU put on this earth to do, my friend?

Only YOU can answer that question, but I’ll tell you this much – when you find the answer, you’ll be one satisfied customer at the end of the day!

And on that note, I’m out. Back soon!!

Best

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Got into it again in the park today with some bozos hell bent on interrupting my workout. Ugh!

PS #2 – I’ve always loved doing pushups, and ‘twas but a matter of time before I just HAD to put out the best damn course there is on pushups (I challenge you to find a better one out there! ?) – Pushup Central.

A ways back in 2018, I believe it was, I wrote about a sprained thumb which was painful as heck.

In case you faithful on this list have forgotten, it was when I was (foolishly) attempting to do fingertip handstand pushups not before, but AFTER a mammoth workout (more pushups and pull-ups), a hill climb, and in the freezing rain at that.

The ground was slick as heck.

But I cleared that away but still.

As I did the exercise, or got into position . . . . CRACK!

I heard the thumb “pop in and out” and I screamed out loud in agony.

It was a serious, serious injury or it would have been for most people

I was advised to rest it, splint it, ice it and more. And all probably NOT bad suggestions.

And yet, other than the Corona beer I held in my hand a couple of hours after the injury (ice cold, of course!) I did NONE of the above.

Was back at it the next day, doing fingertip pushups no less!

My buddy from the Marines told me that sort of injury never really goes away, and he DOES know a thing or two about what he’s saying, and yet, a couple of years down the line it’s like the injury never happened.

Except for the memory of course!

It took a while to heal fully, sure, but I did NOT stop working out while the injury was there, and I believe that not only NOT excaberated the injury (I did things RIGHT, of course in that regard and avoided direct movements in a manner it’s hard to explain here, but still, fingertip pushups are fingertip pushups, period!) but also aided the healing.

In a way that made the thumb stronger than before, hence th e2 finger pushups you see me doing in Pushup Central!

Yesterday, I wrote about my latest injury on the other blog, and how I fully expected to bounce back the next day (a few hours post injury actually) as if it were NOTHING.

And I did.

I wrote about having a great workout (in advance).

And I did!

I actually did MORE pull-ups today if that makes any sense, and the same time for rope jumps etc.

Point being is this.

Sometimes, its better to get some blood flowing to the area, and not “gently” either as it were!

No excuses, my friend, and this is yet another reason I laugh at people who say my products are expensive.

Compared to doctor visits, or lifelong injuries? Somehow I doubt it!

Compared to a weak body or a weak LINK in the chain? Again, I doubt it!

It’s always good to be prepared, my friend, and my workouts will make – and keep you that way!

Anyway, that’s the report for now. Back soon!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Pick up the DEFINITIVE course on handstand pushups right here. And if you’re into advanced, go HERE! We truly DO got something for everyone, my friend.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love the “Bourne series” – the book more than the movie(s) - - a lot, lot more!

I’m a huge Robert Ludlum fan, but while most movie adaptations of books fall woefully short of (my) standards (Jurassic Park being one prime example), the Bourne series didn’t.

At least, not in my own opinion . . .

Especially not the first three installments.

The Bourne Identity.

The Bourne Supremacy.

The Bourne Ultimatum.

They messed up a bit with the Legacy (#4) in my opinion, but despite it’s somewhat lukewarm box office response, Jason Bourne (2016) was a great, great movie, and Damon kicked ass.

And HE is the reason (the main reason) I love those movies.

I don’t know why, but Matt Damon makes the perfect “spy”, especially considering the functionally fit physique he has in the movie.

You see him hanging off ledges and doing fingertip crawl downs (spiderman!) down walls of embassies in the first movie.

You see him ALL out sprinting in the second (and doing pull-ups in the first).

And more . . .

And my personal favorite movie in the series is #2.

I watched it again last night, and much as I wrote about in 2018, I cannot get enough of the sprint sequence right at the start, which most people “miss”.

Bourne is showing running in Goa India. A fast run to begin with which (along with the right visuals and music) quickly builds up to a semi-sprint, then a sprint, and then the CRESECNDO – an all out sprint, arms pumping furiously, legs flying . . . with the music to boot.

And it brought back memories

Of me in 2018! When I did exactly those workouts in the park after my climb . . .

. . . ‘twas afternoon (or early evening) workouts then.

And you’d see me climbing the hill ONCE (after I did my pushups and pull-ups I believe) and AFTER the animal like movements.

I’d start off with a run, and finish off with several sprints, and I still remember the FEELING, the sheer feeling of exhilaration I got while doing ‘em, a feeling even HILL sprints (these were land sprints) cannot and will not give you (NOTHING compares to an all out land sprint in terms of duration, for one!).

Don’t get me wrong.

Hill sprints are fabulous, and that’s why I’ve got Advanced Hill Training out there, but flat land sprints allow you to really amp things up and really build up them hamstrings as well (so do hill sprints though).

Anyway . . .

This afternoon, I went out for a pull-up workout.

50 pull-ups, 50 pushups, and 50 dips.

And it was Damon inspired.

That physique he’s got in the movie came from THREE Things (and remember, this dude LOVES to eat, so he sure did make sacrficies for the movie!).

Pullups. At one point “Bourne” was doing them in sets of 30!

Heavy bag work (a lot of it. And it shows in the shoulders!).

And probably other stuff too, but most of all, that CHISELED, ripped physique you see?

LOTS and LOTS Of . . . running . . .

. . . on mountains! For hours a day.

Bourne hated it (by his own admission). But he did it, with his trainer, and the results are there for all to see.

And while I never hated my squats or sprints, or anything, I never did them for “hours!”. I DID climb hills for hours, but I DID want to quit on occasion, but I never did – and the results are there for all to see!

And I’m feeling great, and on top of the world, and wanted to tell you about it!

Now that I have, it’s adios. See y’all around!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Here is where you can pick up a book on pull-ups that will get you cranking them out effortlessly - - https://0excusesfitness.com/pull-ups-from-dud-to-stud-within-a-matter-of-weeks/

PS #2 – I wrote about “moonlight sprints” before too, and those are great too! Anyway, to get to Bourne level at pull-ups, here are the exercises that will get ya there - https://0excusesfitness.com/pull-ups-stud-to-super-stud-within-weeks/

So I got through a workout today. An old style workout. A fantastic one!

And why do I say this i.e what makes it different?

Well . . .

. . . because it’s a workout from BACK in the day.

From BACK when I wrote all those books on pull-ups, and when it was my primary means of exercise (the pull-up, that is).

And it fits in nicely with what I said in the last email as well, or at least the ending. If you missed it, go on ahead and check out the blog!

And the workout was . . . pushups, and pull-ups.

More specifically, fingertip pushups and pull-ups, and while the REASON for my doing the workout today (this particular one) was not necessarily to go down memory lane, ended up that way, and that’s what ended up happening.

But, the REAL reason behind the workout was something else, which I will talk about in the next email.

For now, bear in mind that that is how life is when you live in the flow, and so are workouts.

(Comes with caveats, of course. I’m currently nursing a split callus big time – something that has resisted TWO band-aids thus far . . . and looks ready to resist far more. Good news is the scab is already forming, and better news is, again, the MEMORIES it brought back).

I’ve often shown up back home with bleeding palms and BURNING skin (from rubbing a split callus on thick bars for tons of pull-ups).

And I’ve felt GREAT afterwards. And the callus usually heals within a couple of days, and the skin toughens, and . . . bingo. Problem solved. I’ve never been one to let “little things like that” bother me.

But you don’t have to go through that if you don’t want to, and that ain’t why I’m telling you this.

It’s because of two reasons.

One, this workout was done OPPOSITE of the manner in which I normally do my workout. See the next email for more on this, and this was actually the reason I did it in the manner I did.

And two . . .

If there EVER was a better grip workout combo than with the above two exercises (and if you add in hanging leg raises, it amps the effect) I am yet to see it.

The two books on pull-ups, and the THREE Books on grip have MORE than plenty in terms of this, of course.

But the fact is (oh, and add in monkey bars as well) that there are FEW, if any tips I can give you at getting better at and increasing pull-ups than doing and getting very good indeed at fingertip pushups.

My workout today was 50 pull-ups and a 100 fingertip pushups.

Blazing!

And not all at one go. 5 sets of 10 pull-ups, and 5 sets of the pushups.

Maybe I’ll switch the numbers around in the next workout to make it fun!

But for now, I’m toasted. So is my grip.

And so it’s adios for now, with one of the most powerful workout related tips I could ever, ever give you!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – These two exercises form the BACKBONE of many of the routines in the ADVANCED courses on pull-ups and building them “battletank shoulders”. Get on BOTH these courses now, my friend.

I’ve written about this before!

Well, the X taper and V shape, at any rate. Hehe.

And while I haven’t spoken about the wall chair in a while, Ill do so NOW. An excellent, excellent exercise indeed and one I’ll include in the book on isometrics once I get it out.

Speaking of which, I had about 23 exercises penciled in on that one already.

Unfortunately, I don’t appear to have it backed up, and given the recent Windows crash . . . well, let me just say it’s history.

I wrote about Shantaram in the last email.

And his book was actually written (mostly) while he was in a jail in Germany (after his Indian escapades). And the jailers tore that mammoth manuscript up for some vague reason not once, but twice, and I think AFTER he was halfway into the book both times!

Quite different from a certain Adolf hitler who got the royal treatment at a Bavarian prison, complete with beer and sundry while he penning “Mein Kampf”.

Makes you think does it? (and also the fact that Germany is the one European nation that won’t come out and say anything against the modern day Chinazis) . . .

Anyway, he wrote it – again.

For the third time.

And as far as the book on isometrics goes, I’m gonna have to dig deep down inside and do the same thing myself! ?

Anyway, the wall chair.

Was getting the daughter to do it this afternoon, and amidst all the other sage advice this lovely almost-7 year old fitness guru gives me, there was this.

“Dad! Do you know something?”

(said as my legs were quivering!).

“Eat more mangoes! It’ll build your legs!”

Hmm! Hadn’t quite heard that one, but my daughter’s just too adorable at times!

Anyway, the wall chair is an excellent exercise my friend and a highly underrated one at that.

I mention it in Fast and Furious Fitness, but for some reason, did NOT put it in 0 Excuses Fitness. The latter book doesn’t have rope jumping either. And the former doesn’t have the plethora of pushups and pull-ups the latter does . . .

Get both, would be my advice! Hehe.

Anyway, as I leaned against the wall for support, an outline formed.

My back, waist and hips.

I was sweating up a storm, so the “why” is easy to understanding given a white background (the cemented wall).

And when the outline “came about”, it looked like the below.

A broad upper back, with plenty of “meat” towards the center and traps area.

Progressively tapering down to a narrow waist, barely even visible, and then expanding out again somewhat into hips.

And I just had to notice that my friend. I’ve written about it many a times, but I had to notice it and bring it up here again.

And while this one exercise alone won’t get you the shape I refer to here, the exercises laid out in the 0 Excuses Fitness System certainly will my friend.

Oh yes, they will, and a quick look though the other blog (for proof on what I said) will be more than plenty, hehe.

OK, that’s it for now.

HERE is where you can grab the System – https://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

It sucks, doesn’t it?

Going to bed at night . . . and  . . . NOT being able to sleep, despite hours of “trying to”.

I see it all the time.

People complaining of insomnia, and “welcome to my world!” comments when another person refers to having insomnia.

As if staying up until the wee hours of the morning (when you do NOT want to) and then not being able to sleep was a badge of honor and the most normal thing in the world.

Anyway, just so you know, I’ve been there. Used to be, way back in the day I could barely get to bed (sleep) without a solid “heft” of liqor in me, and then some.

Or, without the conditions being “perfectly right” for me to sleep.

And so forth.

And often times, I STILL couldn’t sleep.

Tossing and turning until 4 AM, “wishing” that I’d finally fall asleep, and when I did, it was with the “dread” that the alarm clock “Stood ready” to toll an hour or so later anyway . . .

It’s a shitty feeling, and a most annoying one at that.

Of course, if I knew what I do now, this wouldn’t happen at all. And if it did, I’d do what I do on the VERY rare occasions that it happens NOW . .. that being to hammer out some work while I’m up and unable to sleep.

Or, and this works like a charm, a quick 100 squat workout. Isn’t a lot for me, but works like a charm anyway when it comes to insomnia . . .

Anyway, my wife was telling my daughter something about this the other day.

My daughter (when she doesn’t exercise, and being it’s “lockdown time” these days, that happens quite a lot) is anything BUT sleepy at night, and she usually hollers for a good hour or so before going to bed.

(this is unless she’s done a solid Kiddie Fitness or park workout with me earlier on in the day, of course, but that happens quite often for whatever reason)

And my wife was telling her this.

“When I was young, they used to ask me if I died when I slept, so soundly did I sleep, moving nary a limb!”

(this is me translating the Hindi version into English for y’all) . . .

And for whatever reason, my daughter found that hilarious.

But the point stands.

My wife (when she was young) used to wake up at 530 AM and go to “exercise” in a field with her Dad.

You wouldn’t believe it by looking at her now (no she is NOT fat, but she’s hardly the “six pack” owner you’d expect her to be from following the routines she did, and yet, she’s fitter than the average gym bro – and can outdo ME TOO in some of the exercises we do together, if you can believe me!).

It truly “stays with you” if you start ‘em young . . . which is another reason I make it a point to do as much  Kiddie Fitness with my daughter as I can. Yours truly, as you know, had the exact opposite upbringing, and those tight hamstrings are STILL an issue for me!

Anyway. 530-730 of running around in a field, often times with mud up to your ankles.

Helping around the house.

A half an hour or so bike ride to school and back.

And then 3-4 hours of solid sports in the evening.

My my my.

Is it any wonder she slept like a a log and then some?

And lest you think you too have to follow this sort of regimen in order to fall asleep instantly, think again.

You CAN if you want to (think back to the times I hiked hills for hours daily in the sweltering HEAT).

But you don’t have to.

A quick 30-40 minute blast, TOPS (most people don’t even need that much) is literally all you need my friend.

A 100 pushups is MORE than enough for most people to be exhausted for not just that one day, but DAYS afterwards.

Ditto for some of the other exercises I teach.

Believe me my friend. There IS a way to get rid of the annoyance, and it’s easier than you think!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Here is where you can get the BEST damn course on pushups my friend: (and YES, the workouts therein WILL banish insomnia so quickly you’ll wonder if you ever had it in the first place! ?)  https://0excusesfitness.com/pushup-central/

What a workout it was this afternoon!

I’ve written about being in a state of “near collapse” towards the end of some of my most recent workouts, but today was something else altogether.

Not only was it that state of “almost collapse” today but I could barely walk once done.

And despite the A/C on full blast – I was sweating buckets a full half an hour AFTER my workout – after a shower at that!

Yes, ‘twas that intense, and what did I do different today?

Well, basically two out of the three exercises I have included in 0 Excuses Fitness – three exercises that are (I believe) at the end of the section of pushups, and three exercises that are ROUNDLY and routinely ignored.

Big mistake, my friend.

And probably a big mistake on my end too to NOT devote an entire book simply to these incredible movements.

(NB – Advanced Hill Training is a book on these movements, but again, that’s a different course, and NOT one devoted purely to that type of movement).

And I implemented this sort of thing into my training today for a change, and . . .

. . . more importantly, you’ll have to read what I said about not wearing masks etc on the other site, and how my daughter (all of 6 years of age) is starting to develop the tiniest hint of a “pot belly”.

And how kids her age are getting downright FAT these days as is, and these inane lockdowns everywhere ain’t helping either.

I mean, you KNOW it’s bad – terrible – pathetic – and so forth that folks are starting to say “it’s OK, no problem” to what I described above but talk about stepping out of the house for a quick walk and they act like one is committing hara kiri.

All because some people nearby have apparently “got the COVID”. I wrote about this before. Yes, just suspicion, no confirmation, and that was nigh enough to set the cat amongst the proverbial piegons.

Anyway, ya’ll know how hard it is to get young kids to buckle down and do something, and if I said “let’s exercise”, I’d have heard crickets or perhaps worse, hehe.

So I didn’t.

I got down with my daughter, and did the thing, and half way through the routine as my daughter was “cheating” her way through a set of duck waddles and I was doing my damndest to make the damn exercise HARDER, I could literally hear myself wheeze and pant with each step.

And my heart was fixing to pop out of it’s casing, or so it felt like!

And THAT is what you can expect from the Advanced Hill Training routines my friend – the perfect accessory, along with the 0 Excuses Fitness System if you’re currently in lockdown or limited travel mode or if you’re just a “homebody”.

And back to day – the simplest things are indeed the best, and while I will detail specifics of the movements later, let me just say it’s things that most adults pooh pooh at – and most adults CANNOT even BEGIN to do.

And these exercises will get you in great, great shape my friend – both from a trim and toned perspective – as well as HEART – and internal HEALTH.

Give these sort of workouts a whirl, my friend. You truly WILL Enjoy ‘em!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Oh, we did the bear crawl and duck waddle – straight out of the 0 Excuses Fitness System today, but there are more my friend. Oh yes, there ARE – and I’ll be putting out a course onthat as well – stay tuned !

P.S #2 – Kiddie Fitness details not 10, not 20, not 25 – but FIFTY ONE ways to get your kid (and probably you the ADULT reading this too) in RIP – ROARING shape with the sort of workouts my daughter and myself did today, and “animal workouts” is only PART of the offering, my friend. Believe me now and trust me later, there is a lot, lot more to this. Check out the course right here - - https://0excusesfitness.com/kiddie-fitness/

As I sit here hours after my workout this afternoon (yes, you read that right – afternoon! Hehe) . . . I’m still exhausted, but in a GOOD way.

My body feels worked to the bone, and for those that don’t know, and I’ve written about this on one of the sites (either this one or the other) – I’ve been on a NEW routine for the past week.

A routine so powerful and difficult that it would probably kick most advanced trainees and triathletes in the can – not just for the EXERCISES themselves, but also the conditions in which it’s done.

You 0 Excuses Faithful will recall the video I shot in the 0 Excuses Fitness System (the workout video) where you can see my sweating full tilt . . . as the air conditioning was on, FULL BLAST!

The videos and pictures show that for all to see, and while the A/C was on then mostly for Cindy who was shooting the videos (didn’t want HER to sweat buckets, hehe) - - these days, it certainly isn’t while I do my home workouts.

And I almost – literally – COLLAPSED from exhaustion towards the end of my 25 minute blast today, a routine so intense that I literally felt my heart thud, pound and hammer for probably more than 23 of those 25 minutes!

I’ve posted details on the other site as to what the exact workout was, but for now, two things.

First, why do I work out in extreme heat?

Charles, a friend of mine often wondered “how I could undertake my hill climbs – often times multiple climbs – in extreme heat and humidity with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Centigrade in China”.

And probably rightfully so, hehe.

And my wife often asks me as well. And she often tells our daughter to “work out with the A/C or fan  on”.

And again, understandable to a degree, but to me, it’s about getting back to bare bones.

Often times, when climbing the mountain, I’ll see Chinese (mostly girls) with these little bitty pink mini fans they use to fan themselves (and truth be told, a lot of them that collapse on the way up probably do need it to an extenet!) and I always shake my head internally.

To me, it’s about braving the elements, and then some.

If you want extreme fitness, and to get fit quick – you must pay the price!

It’s the same as with anything else, my friend – success in any area. As Napelon Hill famously once wrote, Nature will only give up the object of your desires once you have paid the price. Nature cannot be tricked or cheated!

And so it is with fitness, and as for losing weight, though all the pundits claim the answer to that question is “no”, and it’s about calories burnt or other such nonsense . . . I beg to differ.

To me, it’s about how you feel and how hard your body is WORKING!

Running sprints all out in extreme heat on FLAT land can often be a far more exhausting workout in many regards than doing uphill sprints in cool weather (don’t get me wrong – the latter is tough, but still . . . ).

Doing pushups after extreme jumping sessions (an example I quoted on the other site today) is different from just doing 50 of them in your living room and then calling it a day (again, great thing to do the latter, but that’s not my point!).

And so forth.

If you’ve felt the sweat pour, and the HEART POUND during tropical conditions outdoors as you undertake extreme workouts (or what others call extreme or military grade workouts), well, you won’t be asking me this question any more!

Personally, I’ve always done better overall after hot, hot workouts and then coming home to a nice COLD air-conditioned environment (and perhaps even a few frosty cold ones later on during the day, hehe).

Anywya, the second thing you ask ?

Well, it’s my ROUTINES these days.

If you’d say jumping rope is the main part of it, you may be right.

But it ain’t the hardest part by far.

The hardest part involve two things – one, jumps without ropes, and two jump-squats of a nature I have NOT detailed in ANY of my writings.

Combine the two with what I’ve written above, and Oh MY.

The fat will FLY off you within the space of a few workouts, and how . . .

Advanced stuff of course, and I’ll detail more later, but for now, if you’re looking for solid fat burning workouts that you can get started on – HERE IS where you can go – https://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Grab it today, my friend. It truly IS the best darn fitness system on the planet and by far the best fitness investment you’ll ever make!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – By the way, we’ve got a ton of goodies for ya’ll to choose from as you  stay “locked in” due to this blasted COVID. Check ‘em out HERE - https://0excusesfitness.com/products/

Well, it's been a long time since my last update - - and for that I apologize (yeah, I know, again!) - - this last month has been a virtual whirlwind of activity. Running hither, traveling thither, apparently a thousand things to get done and only 24 (sometimes less) hours to get it done - - you know how it goes at times!

Anyway, I was puffing my way my favorite hill yesterday on a HOT and BALMY (and I mean it - - it's so humid and muggy out here these days that you literally start to "drip" sweat as soon as you step outside) Tuesday morning. Step by step (or double step, for those of you that know me!) and finally I was up at the top - whew!

Now, for those that have been following my newsletters/site, you know that the climb is only part one (albeit the most important) part of my daily workout, and bodyweight exercises follow shortly thereafter. I generally do a combination of stretches and pushups at the top of the hill and then some intense grip work/pulling exercises at the bottom - - but today was to be different, as a long forgotten (for whatever odd reason) exercise suddenly slipped into mind.

And before I knew it, the hands made their way down to the cemented section at the top of the hill, and I found a wall to "lean" against - - and I turned myself upside down - - and yes, you guessed RIGHT - - for some reason, I haven't been doing handstands or handstand pushups for a couple of months now - - but jumped straight back into them yesterday morning.

Now, handstands and handstand pushups are a fantastic, fantastic exercise to build the upper body, and I've written many times about this in all my manuals, so you might ask why I stopped doing this exercise for a while.

Fair enough question...And one that I don't really have a ready made answer to, as it was one of those things that just "happened". You know how it goes, you try a new exercise, or focus on another one, and one of the old ones suddenly slips into the background - - until you remember it - - and then you're back at it with a vengeance.

In my case, "new" would certainly be true, now that I think about it. I've been focusing on many new stretches that I've experimented with - - as well as "extra wide grip" pushups (don't ask, hehe) - - as well as building my grip - - and this last one (grip) takes up a lot of my time and energy (though the results have been WELL worth it).

And I've also been focusing on my pull-ups, perfecting my form, no swinging, kipping, etc (not that I did that to start with, but one can always improve regardless).

Anyway, the first handstand left me teetering unsteadily on  my hands, and I felt a "new" (yet familiar) feeling through my entire core as I turned myself upside down.

Oh yeah. THAT feeling ... THAT feeling of your insides literally being "tightened" as you struggle to mantain focus and balance.

The second one was easier, but not by a  lot.

And the third was a bit easier, but again, not by a lot.

But the important thing is I was able to DO the actual handstand - - call it muscle memory, or call it what you will, but my shoulders didn't pop out of my body the moment I balanced my bodyweight on them, and this despite me not having done a single handstand, or handstand pushup for ages now.

And as I struggled my way through sets of 2, then 3, then 2 handstand pushups (will take me a few days to work back up to 5-7), I knew I was going to be sore tomorrow in my chest and tricep area - - not to mention my forearms, which I thought were getting a good ole "beating".

Anyway, I completed the rest of my workout as usual, and then had a good lunch, a nap, and then was off to get some work done in the evening. Decent enough dinner, a little sore around the lats, and then off to bed...

Did I say a "little sore"?

Well, I did - - but that's nothing compared to what I felt like THIS morning. I woke up, and tried stretching my arms over my head as I normally do upon waking up - - and - - OH BOY.

My upper back, but especially my lats (the muscle group around the armpits) seemed to be literally "pulsating" with a life of their own every time I raised my arms above shoulder level. Sort of as if I'd hammered them with endless sets of pull-ups, but in reality, the handstand pushups were what caused the soreness - - and funnily enough, my forearms feel absolutely normal (probably due to all the grip work I do).

OUCH! As I flexed and stretched, trying to get the blood flowing, I also noticed a new soreness around the shoulder area - - sort of the "front" part of the shoulder - - a "deep" sort of soreness, sort of like someone had beaten that part of the shoulder muscle to pulp - - but without the associated "bad pain", if you get my drift.

My own fault for neglecting my "upside down" exercises for days on end, hehe.

Anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is because all of us (myself included) tend to "forget the basics" every once in a while (or if not forget, not focus upon) and we all need that good old fashioned "kick up the backside" in order to get back to them.

That kick can come in various forms - - sore lats - - a bulging stomach (for those of you that haven't exercised in a while) - - admonitions - - or just about anyway, really - - but the fact of the matter is simple - - don't forget the basics, or they'll come back to hit ya - - HARD!

And I'm also telling you this so you know that one of the BEST, bar none, workouts for your upper body can be centered around two main exercises.

That's right - - just two - - those being handstand pushups and pull-ups (and it doens't matter which level you're at  - - even TRYING these exercises will cause some serious strength to develop!).

I've mentioned this combo repeatedly in my courses, but for some reason it gets ignored a lot of times - - and so I'm putting it out there again - - this time with a personal experience to share as well, hehe.

Anyway, that's it for now. Gotta grab some lunch, and recuperate a bit more before the evening session. Be back soon with more - - if you work out today -- make it a great one - - and remember to focus on the BASICS!

Best Regards,
Rahul Mookerjee

We've all heard it - - the magic number, that is. 500.

500 pushups. 500 reps. 500 squats. The number 500 has somehow assumed "mythical" (if I might use the term) proportions in training "lore" - - and with good reason - - doing 500 reps of a certain exercise is anything BUT easy. And if we're talking pushups, 500 pushups WILL give you a HECK of a workout - - see http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/blog/item/47-500-pushups-a-day and http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/component/k2/item/87-more-on-doing-500-pushups-a-day for more on this!

Anyway, today's (second) note is not about pushups - - it's about WALKING.

Yes, that's right - - walking - - that oft ignored, simple, yet amazingly effective exercise that we can ALL (provided we have a pair of intact legs!) do on a regular basis.

And though walking might seem like no big deal to some, have you ever stopped to wonder about how many steps you can walk without stopping?

That's right - - not "reps" - - steps - - or "paces" for our friends from the U.K. - - can  you walk 300 paces without halting? Or 400? Or 500 - - or more?

Well, I don't know about you, but I counted my steps today as I moseyed up the hill - - I was going up one of the paths without stairs - - a path I use on the days I don't go up the route with stairs (though the lack of stairs certainly does NOT make it any easier to puff up the slope).

I thought I'd do 300 at a time for fun.

100...200...300... - - the magic number (for me) just came and went before I knew it.

And soon enough, I was at THE magic number - - 500. But I didn't stop there.

No, siree...

I managed a total of NINE HUNDRED steps - - UPHILL, at a steady pace before I finally stopped to catch  my breath - -and give my aching calves and legs a much needed break.

From that point on, the route joined the "regular" route with stairs until the top - - probably another 400 or so. I didn't count, but that's a rough estimate.

And at the top of my hill I checked my watch, slick with sweat - - and - - YES! I had done it - - I had surpassed my previous best of 13 minutes - - ended up with a 12 minute climb today.

Now that's something to feel good about - - or at least, I feel good about it. And those of you that exercise on a regular basis will know the feeling of exhilaration that accompanies a PR - - be that any form of PR (weight lifted, or seconds shaved off your run/climb, et al).

And why do I mention this along with the "500 steps at a time" topic?

Well, simply because walking can sometimes get to be so "easy" for some that you actually end up slacking - - and missing out on some of the benefits this exercise has to offer (multiplied manifold, of course, if you're walking up hill).

Oh, thats just a simple walk. Pff!

Oh, walking! Hmph! How can that  possibly help me!

Sound familiar??

On the other hand, TIME your walks - - and COUNT your steps - - and you might just find you get a way better workout than you do if you're "just walking".

And that, my friend, is a tip I thought I'd share with you (and one I've used myself many a times as well).

All for now!

Best regards,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S.: - I speak about the many benefits of walking in Fast and Furious Fitness - - walk on over HERE to reserve your copy: - http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/4-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book