I remember my Taekwondo teacher in eigth grade praising me for my pushups - deep stretch, all the way down, all the way up, even at that young age where I was stiff as an iron dog, inflexible, and so forth - and had no-one to learn from. 

I remember him laughing as the splits hurt me - and telling my partner to "hurt me more" (though till an acceptable limit). 

OUCH! I can remember my groin almost ripping apart. Hehe. 

But that was a good thing, that flexibility is something all martial artists need. 

You might think kicking power comes from the quads - you couldn't be more wrong. 

It might contribute to it, but hips, core, transfer of power GRACEFULLY through the core - and so forth - and the HAMSTRINGS are far more important.  

Ditto for punches, while you might be able to power your way through sometimes it really your back, traps and core at play here - and your legs. 

I remember him asking me in ninth grade, when I stopped going to Taekwondo class "some stupid thing at home about concentrate more on studies". 

(while now they say the opposite - can't win for losing, eh. Hehe. 

"Rahul, why don't you come to training!" I still remember him stopping his motorcyle on the road, asking me, smiling ... 

I told him. 

Anyway, we'll get to this later. I'm at the risk of running off topic, but, as I get done with 90 pushups, all in strict form, I want to talk about something els e(the above will tie into it later). 

I've mentioned in 0 Excuses Fitness, Fast and Furious Fitness, Pushup Central, my blog, my writings, my subconscious, my yet to be engraved "tombstone", hehe - that pushups are the one exercise that along with pull-ups, but more pushups - tend to lend themselves to more lousy form than anything else. 

They also attract max number of Bozos and braggarts, ruffians that claim "bouncing up an down " does the trick, and so forth. 

And then the idiots at the gym doing the same thing, jiggling their bloated pecs. 

As if thats real strength - real strength is a PACKED chest - DENSE, strong, tough muscle, now if you have big on top, thats great, but big ain't what adds strength for the most part. 

But anyway - some of the advice I've seen on sites you'd think would know better. 

"Your thighs and chest should touch the floor at the same time!" 

This must take the cake for the most idiotic piece of advice on a site I saw yesterday - ranked highly by Google at that. 

Just when do the thighs touch the floor with pushups? 

Maybe wierd Bozo Schofield "on knees" ass pushups, if there is such a thing, but I cannot recall a single real pushup where this happens. (unless you're slopping your way through reps).

"Do half reps!" 

Apparently doing a half rep after one rep is a pushup and a half. 

What the fuck. 

I can understand WORKING up to a regular pushup that way, but half reps - nah. Not for me!

A better alternative, and one I did NOT mention in Pushup Central, because I still feel it mangles form, or lends itself to so, is pausing the top of the rep, bringing one arm up to your chest while you rest on the other, and then bringing it down again and completing the rep. 

Yet, that is overkill. 

I'd rather the Spiderman pushups or the torquing pushups I mention in the book. 

Those make good form and a ball busting, heart thumping workout far more "doable" than taking limbs away which is a great thing to do if you can do it, I plan on having books out on it in the future, but it dont replace the basics, never. 

I don't know whether Clint Eastward is still doing one arm push ups at age 90 or not (I've never seen him do any) but either way I don't rate the one arm push up as a serious exercise, it's more of a skill demonstration than an exercise in my humble opinion.

that was the great John Walker, who left a great review on Pushup Central. 

And he's right. 

One arm pushups reqire far more skill than "strength and conditioning". 

Although they still require serious strength, as do one arm chin-ups, I'd rather do them on both limbs for most of my workouts. 

The Clint Eastwood comment, of course, was made by me - I've often spoken about Clint before. 

Gotta love the cranky ole keeping it real dude, hehe. 

But anyway - even fitness "gurus" fall prey to this. 

I regard someone like Matt Furey as a legend and inspiration - but even him, some of his videos I've seen, he actually tells you to do pushups "quickly and half reps" - "combat pushups" is what he calls them. 

Now if you can do 'em quickly in proper FORM, then I ain't got no issue with it.

But at the risk of sounding overly anal, which I am about form, period - you cannot compromise form for speed or anything else. Period. 

I can make 10 pushups harder than a 100. Period. 

Its about form over all, period, true, sometimes during long hard workouts form might be a bit compromised, but you work at it so it's not. 

You don't think "I'm still getting a workout in anyway". 

I mean, trust me, the littlest details matter. 

While doing table pushups, if you do it right, you'll feel areas like the BASE of your neck stretch and strengthen beyond belief. 

You might laugh at me for saying it. 

But, DO them in right form, you'll see. 

The arms in that case are just support in a static manner, the body does the work, and the neck "goes along" if you do it right (and you get rid of turkey neck too for those that have it or dumbphone "Hunchback of DumbPhone Dame" syndrone. 

Dumbphone dames, ugh - I have LOST TRACK of the number of times dames have almost bumped into me - so busy are they on their dumbphones. 

Of course, it's Rahul's fault these Bozos and fools can't look away for their phones for a minute. Some men are equally cuplable here (Bozo Schofield being one prime example- nary a minute passes without him trolling some inanity on the phone). (when he has a phone, of course). 

Back to Matt - I highly respect the guy for his accomplishments, and also think when it comes to pushups, he's a stud. 

Or, he was at some point. 

You can tell! 

But you dont have to agree with someone on everything to respect them either. 

And there are some areas I disagree with him, most notably all he says about pull-ups, and the fact you've never actually seen Matt, either back in the day or now do a single pull-up himself- its always Ed Baran who does 'em. 

Thats fine if that works for Matt and his base - hey, its probably why he's putting out videos on pushups like I spoke about above. 

Gotta do what a man's gotta do, gotta eat. Hehe. 

But I truly hope Matt, if he ever reads this takes this as CONSTRUCTIVE criticism from someone that has always admired him and wished him the best mentally. 

Those things transmute, I'm sure he will. 

And hey, he's a legend. I credit him in 0 Excuses Fitness for one for bringing Hindu squats and pushups "to the masses". Credit where it's due. Respect! (amigo)

But writing books like "Primate Power", and chapters like "pullups that make your lats scream with pleasure", then not even doing them himself because he's out of shape, or maybe "too much spread around the midsection" (Furey admitted as much himself in an email, so it ain't me saying that) - not on for me. 

If I write a book, I want to be the one doing the exercies, workouts, period. 

Not saying you cannot teach without doing yourself, you can, but you only impart a quarter of the benefit if even that to the student in that manner. 

My base - and me - demand - and aren't satisfied with anything other and less than me giving it to you straight, brutally frank and honest. I would't tolerate anything less from YOU Either! 

Hehe. 

As Iron Mike said ... 

Ah, but anyway. 

Do pushups right, or don't do them, period. 

Plus, how much do you ever hear from the so called gurus on BREATHING right during the exercise? 

Never. 

Big mistake, you're robbing yourself of most of the benefit of any exercise if you don't focus on your breath. 

Your breath is indeed your power, many an old time strongman has said it. 

I'll quote John again on this one: - 

With regard to numbers, it is not the numbers that are important it is how hard you are working that really counts, yes high numbers are great for the ego but you have to wonder how many of those ultra high numbers are quality reps.

If you've ever seen some of those Navy Seal training films on t. v. you'll soon realise that it doesn't take long for the form to breakdown and the recruits form just goes from bad to worse until the exercise they're supposed to be performing is totally unrecognisable.

From my own personal perspective I only count the reps I know were completed correctly and with good form, this is not to suggest that other people don't but it does give one pause for thought.

I cannot abide watching someone performing a exercise sloppily it makes me want to slap them and tell them to do the thing properly or don't bother doing it at all.

What is the point of performing exercises in a half-arsed manner, you get nothing from it and you open yourself up to injury, the trouble is these days so few people actually know what good form should look like that people just accept that what is being demonstrated is how it's supposed to be performed.

Yes Sir - my point exactly! 

Hey John

Well, you and I are on the same page in terms of doing exercises in proper FORM with the right breathing as well - especially pushups, as that (as you've no doubt read in my books) tends to be the exercise which lends itself most to chest thumpers and braggarts - I hate the way many people do them as well, "bouncing up and down" (I know you know what I mean there). Truth be told, I've been called "anal" by some because I constantly (according to some of my detractors, as you know there are plenty) "carp on form", but Id rather be anal on form and do it right or not at all as opposed to sloppy (but given how lazy the world has become in general "shying away from the tough stuff" it doesn't surprise me, the number of people slopping their way through reps just for the "rep count").

Anyway ............... 

I dont know, but here's something else. 

How often do you see people calling exercise TRAINING - or practice? 

My martial arts teacher back in the day would always use the term "practice", he's right.

That is what makes perfect. 

"I fear not the man who practises 10,000 kicks one time, but I do fear the man that practises ONE kick 10,000 times". 

Bruce Lee!

Amen! 

You TRAIN the body - and the mind to adapt, improve, and overcome through your physical exercises, martial artists, Marines, Navy Seals etc know this better than most. 

You PRACTICE until you get good, damn good at what you do, and you never stop learning ... 

I know. 

I'm anal about all this. 

(And it tiesinto the reason most people call my books "books" - and not "manuals". 

I have spoken about this before. They're manuals with illustrations, and examples - and instructions, both in the written word and pictorially.

They turn you into a beast, a machine. 

Much as you wouldn't call an instruction manual for opening a car engine up "book", same thing for my books that literally "open you up from the inside out"). (no pun intended))

But I will continue to be till the day I die. 

Because I'm RIGHT, and I know it. Hehe. (I got that from my buddy in the Marines once, we were discussing something and he told me something, I said you're right, Vincent, pat came the rejoinder, I KNOW I Am, Rahu!). 

Enough said? 

Back soon!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

I said before today that birds of a feather flock together, and I am ... RIGHT. 

I'm also nothing if not supremely HUMBLE at times, hehe. 

But anyway - doers attract other DOERS. The loser, lame-o's, Bozo's, wackos, and procrastinators and Doubting Thomases and lazy asses attract - well, you got it. More of the same!

Thats why we are indeed the sum of the people we hang out with the most, or those we "let" influence our minds the most! 

And thats why most doers and achievers can count the number of their contacts (close ones) on one hand probably if even that. 

It's often said that opposites attract, but the Laws of the Universe state the reverse i.e LIKE attracts LIKE! 

Anyhow, enough of the esoteric. If I were to ask you about Paul Anderson and Doug Hepburn, two names you're no doubt familiar with (and one I've written about a lot - the other who I haven't mentioned a lot here except in emails) - what would you think first up? 

What would be the first thing that comes to your mind? 

If I were to say "brute strength and size" (and power), I wouldn't be far off, no? 

Right. 

Thought so. 

And thats what comes to my mind as well. 

Now, I've made no secret of the fact that Doug Hepburn by his own admission achieved the levels of prodigous weightlifting strength he did by not just lifting weights - but in his own words - the HANDSTAND PRESS-UP was directly responsible for the strength gains! 

And I understand why he said that. Get on the program - and so will YOU. 

Now, Paul Anderson (known to the Russians of the day (who weren't easy to impress at all for obvious reasons - they had some monsters themselves for sure, though all roid ridden) as "The Wonder of Nature"), the guy who could squat an elephant, you ask? 

Well, HE used this SAME exercise to achieve a 400 lb + MILITARY PRESS!

And last, but not least, Taekwondo Masters? 

I cannot for the life of me remember who, but it was a very well known Taekwondo Guru that once said the following. 

"You live to lift heavy stuff over his head". 

He was talking not just about the military press, but the handstand pushup. 

And if you Google, I'm sure you'll find out who - I couldn't be bothered to look it up now (but I'll tell you the instant it pops into my mind - which it will - as Claude Bristol rightly said in the Magic of Beliving, nothing is ever "forgotten"). 

Now, build wise, martial artists are usually the steel and whale "8 pack types"  -lean, mean, fighting machines - the sort of look yours truly has and prefers as opposed to the bulky look I had before when lifting weights (And the bulky look the Jim addicts all seem to want). 

Certainly different from Paul Anderson and Doug Hepburn, though their weight was REAL strength, which is fine to have - it wasn't roid built boobies on the benching station. 

But think about it. 

The ONE exercise all doers have in common, and it wasn't necessarily the pull-up either! 

It was the mighty HANDSTAND pushup!

Nothing, my friend, will blow those shoulders up quite like handstand pushups. 

That don't mean pull-ups won't. They will. 

But for you "bigger" (truly big, not fat) - concentrating on handstands and handstand pushups might work wonders my friend. 

Give it a shot today. And let me know how it goes down the road!

And that, my friend is that. Bet you didn't know what I was talkin about in the title, hehe. 

Best, 

Rahul Mookerjee

PS - Still can't remember the name,  but my own Taekwondo teacher always praised my pushups (not so much my stretching ability where he literally made me "yowl" so hard did he push me) - but pushups? I was by far naturally the guy that enjoyed them, and therefore did 'em the best, chest to the floor on each rep! 

He did handstand pushups too, but we did regular pushups - sets of 10 - and even THAT will get the average "Blow Joe" into GREAT, GREAT shape if done right with a balance workout program. 

The pushup is truly the most versatile movement out there, and will make you a beast if you train it right as it has millions of other folks. 

Start training the pushup the right way and I teach you right her e- Pushup Central. Be sure and check out the reviews for this one as well! 

Do y'all remember the tale of the Korean dude (I dont know if I said he was Korean or not) that back in the day my college buddy and me talked about? 

I DID mention the time I was knocking out pushups, and my buddy showed up an hour or so early to drink, saw me working out - grinned - and then we got together at the original appointed time? 

His look of approval said it ALL, hehe. 

And I mentioned how he thought doing 50 pushups at one shot was great - but anyone that can do 50 pull-ups at one shot - now that - is - SUPER STUD!

He didnt use those terms, but he meant it, and he was right. 

(And to all the idiots out there who claim it's just pushups, well, question for YOU. 

How many can YOU do at one shot - even the simplest pushup? 

How many pull-ups can YOU do? If at all?) 

The answer to the above, my friend, will say it ALL. 

But then we spoke about Korean dude, heavily into martial artists, and doing them on his fingertips - 50 at one go. 

Now thats good going! 

I can do 'em - that many, yes. Perhaps more. 

And as the great Charles Mitchell once said, this course is great because it kicks BOOTY. 

He hates workouts that dont challenge him. 

And he's right to do so! 

Too many of the books out there give you mamsy pamsy flimsy "this that"progressions, and cater to the whiners and moaners. 

I dont. 

I get straight to the REAL DEAL (which Charles said I was, and he's damn right). 

But anyway, last I spoke to him, he was still working hard on some of the fingertip pushups in Pushup Central - variations you do NOT see in my other books (for a good reason) - and said they were "almost impossible to do". 

He's right, hehe. 

But anyway, cement ... 

I've seen people do pushups on CEMENT Blocks. 

I dont know if was the Spetsnaz I saw, or just fitness people in general, I can't recall. 

But there it is, dude pounding out pushups - on fingertips - on cement blocks. 

Let me tell you, that HURTS. 

And will make a MAN - a REAL MAN out of you. 

It's hard enough doing 'em on a paved cement floor, so for you guys - i'd advocate a carpet or perhaps mat, or grass (so long as it isn't WET - nasty injury waiting to happen!!) 

There is a reason though that martial artists do these all the time. 

two reasons. 

One, well, see the "chair pushup" I mention in Pushup Central. 

An oldie, but goldie. 

Too easy? 

DO it first - and then YAP, bro. 

And second, because the fingertip pushup is one of the keys to super strength and a rock solid CRUSHING grip. 

APE like grip. 

I mention this as a secret in Gorilla Grip,and all the courses on pull-ups. 

While yeah, pull-ups work the grip like there's no tomorrow, for the ultimate, you simply MUST mix them in with fingertip pushups!! 

And as for the idiots that don't believe me? 

Well, there was a lengthy blue flame review left ont he Amazon UK page for Gorilla Grip in 2017, and I've mentioned that enough times, but part of it I'll do so again here. 

"I did pull-ups and chin-ups for years, but it did not give me a grip like steel and fingers like iron pliers". 

RM - Don't know what style of pull-up or chin up this Bozo was doing. . . 

"Something that particularly annoyed me was he (yours truly) seems to link his workout with the cachet of the Marines. He says his grip got better and stronger without doing a single pull-up for months but he doesn't mention what he did!" 

RM - This idiot apparently never read the first (opening) part of the book where BOTH things are mentioned and explained.

"He mentions Bert Asserati and the one arm handstand, but there's no proof! Maybe it's only strong people - naturally strong people ..." 

RM - Amazingly enough this nutjob never offered any proof for HIS assertion. 

And I've gone in depth ENOUGH on this genetics and "naturally strong" crap. 

No-one is naturally this or that, my friend. 

Those of us that want it work for it - fight for it - and get it. 

And have been doing so all our lives, some more so than others in all regards. 

Enough with the idiot though ... 

Last, but not least, done RIGHT - fingertip pushups won't hurt your fingers. 

They'lld o the opposite. 

Think building up your fingers to the point you can thrust them through BLOCKS of cements. 

Think the MOTION with which these experts do it. 

Think crushing cans of Coke with your bare (bear) hands - or like Dan Hodge did at 80 plus, crush APPLES!

THAT, my friend, is what fingertip pushups can and will do for you. 

Move over bozos, I'd say to anyone that complains about 'em! 

And thats it. Back soon!

Best, 

Rahul Mookerjee

PS - Lots of you haven't gotten Pushup Central as yet - do so NOW. Truly a must have and masterpiece, along with Animal Kingdom Workouts!

PS #2 - The idiot also said this. 

"The author has written a lot of other books, most even more expensive (remember, at the time, Gorilla Grip on Amazon was priced at a throwaway price ) making similar claims. I have a feeling he gives out minimum information for maximum gain". 

Emphasis on the "expensive" part and what I said about "blue flame central". 

And that, my friend says it all, hehe. 

(Not to mention what this jackass says about minimum info. Clearly he hasn't DONE any of the workouts I've mentioned, more comprehensive than anything else out there in that regard). 

But he, of course is nothing compared to the one and only Bozo Schofield, who reviews Animal Kingdom Workouts by saying "I have so much money to burn, so I keep coming back to Rahul's work!" 

Sage, in terms of incompetence, and sheer "idiocy" (not to mention BROKE as a you know what) shining through. LOL. 

Anyway, enough on the jackasses and moron-jobs. Back soon!

In Pushup Central, an "innocent sounding but in reality a MAGNUM opus on the worlds (possibly) oldest, most effective (in my opinion) and DIVERSE" exercise (the opinion part is mine, but the rest are words from a customer I mentioned yesterday "John Walker" from the UK - a great guy and a DOER PAR EXCELLENCE!) ...I give you no less than 55 different ways to do pushups and give you workouts that will last you a lifetime - and get you in shape right quick. 

REAL quick, I might add, if you just do. 

The Bozo fools (Schofield Blowfield of course, who else, hehe) trolled the book by saying "Really! A book on just pishups! ...Boring!" 

I dont know about you, but this sort of comment is so stupid it makes me want to laugh out loud rather than get angry. 

Bozo is trying to make it sound like it's a fiction book (boring??). 

Just pushups? 

Hey, Schofield, if you'd even do ONE of the exercises I'ved mentioned in them, you'd be flat on your stomach with no energy left for the tongue workouts you so diligently engage in 

Come to think of it, thats perhaps the goal anyway for you (to the Bozo that is). 

Ugh. 

But anyway, getting back to it ... 

55 different ways. 

Truth is, and trust me bro - I could put out 555 different ways to do pushups and I still wouldn't scratch the surface of this great exercise. 

Ok, thats a bit of an exagerration perhaps, but you get the point. 

Take the FIRST style of pushup in the book, for instance. 

The humble ole "regular grip" pushup which most people think when they think pushups. 

Right off the top of my head, right NOW, and I'm not even fully awake (the bear takes a while to wake up, hehe) ..I can think of no less than TEN different ways to do just THIS pushup - with the SAME hand and foot positioning. 

Thats right. 

At least 10 different ways, and 10 different workouts. 

So, 550 different ways wouldn't be a stretch, and neither would 555 ... 

The key, my friend, lies in changing the mental pictures you have of this great exercise. 

Most people think of pull-ups as being the champ of fitness. 

True. 

The pull-up IS one of the toughest exercises out there, and it makes you feel like a SUPERHERO - or SUPER STUD (along with the handstand pushup, of course). 

But getting back to pushups - I've often touted them as being the big dog of fitness, and rightfully so. 

When all you have is a floor - and we all have that - and a wall - guess what. 

You can get the workout of your LIFE (see 0 Excuses Fitness - I've made mention of pull-ups in there, but you do NOT need 'em - or I should say, yes, you should do 'em - but again - pushups, squats and bridging will get you int he best shape of your life - and that sort of routine is what pro boxers, wrasslers, and champ athletes follow all over the world). 

Dont get me wrong. 

Pull-ups are damn important too. 

But pushups my friend - the mental picture most people have is style #1 that I mention in the book, and hence the "pah! JUst pushups!" 

(I am not referring to Bozo Blowfield here, as he's clearly trolling - I'm referring to people in general). 

And here's the thing. 

"Just pushups". 

Well, if it's just pushups, can YOU give me 100 of them NOW? 

Or 50? 

Or even 10 slow proper ones? 

If it's most people we're talking about, includin Muscle Maniacs, th answer would probably be NO. 

So my point is this. 

Don't be lazy. 

Work these exercises HARD, hard, HARD. 

And change the mental picture you have of pushups FIRST. 

And of course, get the course right HERE. 

No fancy shmancy marketing on this one, sorry. Just a brutally effective "get it", and thereeth endeth this email. 

Back soon!

Best, 

Rahul Mookerjee

PS - Remember to pick up the Jaguar of Fitness Training and Jump Rope Mania! as well - especially the latter course - they BOTH go great with pushups!

Actually, he DID. 

He understood it better than most, probably! 

And he was spiritual without knowing it too ... 

Of course, those were the hey days in the PRC, and this friend is none other than Major General Michael, him of the FAMOUS "You are both FIRED as SITE ADMINS and MAJOR GENERAL. Public posting to follow shortly". 

It never did, hehe. 

That was Michael, Rahul and Uncle Bob (and a late addition Ziv Glikman whose now the only remaining solider in that battle, and a bonafide STUD in terms of "whos who" in Dongguan and a great guy despite our spats in the "early days" for which I was responsible for the most part, hehe). 

WILDDDDDD!

Thats always been me. 

And I was that then x 10000. 

I still am, hehe. 

But doing the right thing, thats always been key for me. 

So it was for Major General Michael, as when it came time to hand over Dongguan Expat FULLY to me, he did so despite me saying initially "I didnt want to buy it". 

Folks were CLAMORING to get the site. 

But he didnt give in. 

He called me one fine night (when yours truly was about to set off on one of his truly infamous bordello jaunts as Michael put it "on the streets of Dongguan", hehe - STREET TOUGH!!! Thats been me always. I remember a friend Aaron back in the day telling me "So what if he's bigger than you. You're a damn STREET FIGHTER!") and said the following which was repeated on email the next day. 

And as I am hit with an outpouting of emotion recalling Sunny Deol in Ghayal, and as I keep getting hit with these great reviews for the course DEAR or DEAREST to my HEART - Pushup Central, I gotta say it. 

"Rahul, lets do this now! I want to do it now!" 

Hey, I feel him. 

When I want to do something, it has be done now. 

The TIME IS NOW!

As Napoleon Hill says, when you get the urge - DO IT!

DO NOT STOP TO PONDER and think "what if"! 

Else, it might well be FATAL to your success. 

Now, anyway - when  Igot back, the site was there for me. 

Teh next day, he said this on email. 

"No-one contributed MORE to Dongguan Expat than you, Rahul. I created it, WE WORKED on it, but YOU were the biggest contributor". 

Fair's fair, bro. 

And the General was a fair man, and still is! 

I'd love to meet him TODAY and chill and drink a few cold ones with me like we both did back in the day, getting in each others FACES, REAL MAN STYLE!

Thankfully we're (if I may borrow a great guy John Walker's expression" "far more civilzed now". 

But the BEAST lurks! 

Anyway, down the line, I think I mentioned this before (yes, I did!) - I put a Tsingtao beer gal as an opening splash page on the site for no other reason than I love Tsingtao, and the dame was hot - looked DAMN GOOD!

Kinda like the girls I drank with so often back in the day. 

Michael asked me the following. 

"Great splash page! But ... is TsingTao giving you credit for all the publicity??" 

He was right. 

And Iremoved the page later after pissing a few uppity morons off (and Nazi feminists, how dare I put the image of a sexy hot woman on there, hehe. "I dont want to see that!") ... but it probably got a lot of eyeballs. 

He said it in jest. 

But here's the point. 

I dont SHY AWAY from giving CREDIT where it's due bro. 

Customers? 

I'll talk all day long about how great they are!

Bozo Schofields? 

Well, you know that story too. Hehe. 

exercise? 

I'll talk all day long about it and give it credit!!

People that inspired me? 

I dont just give them credit here - FREE credit - and no, I dont expect nothing in return - they deserve it - and then some! And I give them credit in my BOOKS TOO!

That is how the Universe works - I wrote in a NON - FITNESS related book about an English expat coming "home" to his Indian "dream gal' - and how "life always brings things full circle". 

I gave you the example of - well, in THAT book of Stallone in Rambo being asked by Colonel Trautman. 

"When are you going to come full ciricle, John?" 

And Michael ... (which Michael? I'm Michael too, hehe - not just in China, but on ANOTHER site too!). 

There is a reason I chose the name. 

The man inspired me, and still does! 

(and it pissed off a lot of people that I liked him, but hey. So be it!)

"We all get on the roundabout , Rahul ... " 

Sage!

And as I come full circle, you do so TOO bro. 

With the OLDEST exercise known to man out there (no, Bozo Schofield, not "that exercise"). 

No you know what fist pumps with old you know what's. 

PUSHUPS!

Come full circle, bro. 

JOIN ME IN CELEBRATING!!

Best, 

Rahul Mookerjee

PS - I love pushups. Cannot overstate how important they are to fitness, and if you haven't seen it yet - well - the Rolls Royce of Fitness explains it very well too along with videos. Grab both of these NOW. 

*exhale8

I've made no secret of the fact that Pushup Central is a book that is dear to me for reasons specified in emails before. 

Pushups, that exercise I've been doing since I was a kid - that I've been doing well with poor genetics etc, and NO training on how to do it except some movie montages - and one that always made me feel like a MAN. 

A real MAN!

Pushups, which my Tae-kwondo instructor praised me on ... 

And pushups, my friend, an exercise that virtually ALL great athletes and DOERS throughout the ages have gotten good at - and done - and continue to do - is what I bring to you in Pushup Central. 

I haven't said this as yet, but I literally had "tears and smiles" in my eyes as I wrote that book last year! 

And I bring it to you not just because of what pushups have done for me - but what they can - and will - do - for YOU!

And the proof, my friend is in the pudding. 

In the 0 Excuses Fitness System, I tell you that pushups are the BIG DOG of training. 

(I did 100 yesterday outdoors with 100 pull-ups - ALL Floor pushups, all as done in Pushup Central, and let me tell you, I'm feeling it!). 

And there is a damned good reason for me saying that, and curiously enough, just as I was thinking of pushups and my "sore" muscles - which I WILL hit hard and heavy again today? 

Another great review from a DOER - and without further ado, here is what he says. 

Brutally Effective!!!

The Bodyweight Guru has done it again, 55 ways to bring on the pain, a magnum opus on how to really use what is possibly the world's oldest and "most diverse" exercise.

If you're like me, you live for that pain, the feeling of your muscles as they stretch and contract and how your body screams at you to stop but your mind will not allow you to quit, you have that target in your mind and you cannot stop until you hit that target, yes my friends this is training "brutally effective" training.

Buy this book and take up the challenge of Push Up Central.

The Bodyweight Guru is waiting for you, let him show you how with this (innocently sounding) book you can become more than you could ever have imagined, this is hard training at it's absolute best.

Now a word about the previous review, Glyn Scofield is a total moron and his reviews suck almost as much as he does, Glyn, if by chance you ever read this, do yourself a favour and just stop, nobody cares what you think.

And that, my frend, says it all - right down to what he says about the Bozo, hehe. 

Especially the part about his sh-views for books he never bothered to read in the first place, which of course is nigh obvious. 

Anyway, Bozo Blowfield aside, get this book NOW, my friend. 

It truly WILL make a CHAMP - out of you!

Best, 

Rahul Mookerjee

PS - Another book along the same lines, except dealing with sprints is this one - Advanced Hill Training. Jump on this now too. 

My almighty - not - computer crashed while typing out the last post, so lets see if we can do this again. 

Message from the Spiritual that?? 

Anyway, when John Walker, a great customer from the UK once told me that getting Pushup Central would probably be worth his while if just for the amount of criticism the Bozos and morons gave it, he was right. 

But I found it interesting. 

Though YES, I had highly recommended the course to him (along with Jump Rope Mania!) - another course that doesn't get it's dues - I do that to everyone. 

I hadn't really said a lot on Pushup Central specifically to him, not that I recall. 

Vibes travel! 

And these did. 

But anyway, the pushup. 

The almighty Pushup that the Bozos diss, and the morons that think adding "weight upon weight to the bench press and "add oil!!!"" is what it's about diss and say its too simple because they can't do it, the pushup that turned Bruce Lee, Mike Tyson, Herschel Walker, the Gama, and countless others not mentioned here and not necessarily in that order into BRUTISH freaks of nature NOT TO BE TRIFLED WITH ... 

Mr Handstand Pushup and Pullup Champ Papa can do many exercises, and does. 

The hill - - and pull-ups are and will always remain dear to my HEART! (Charles the "friend", if you're reading the HEART part - take NOTE!). 

But pushups . . . 

I dont know why, but when I came out with Pushup Central I KNEW it was going to be a hit, and sure enough, it was. 

"My best course" ever was what I thought (which is what a lot of folks have said about Animal Kingdom Workouts). 

Pushup Central and it's 55 ways to do pushups . . . 

Animal Kingdom Workouts has 68. 

13 being the difference. 

Yes, I know what they say about 13 being unlucky, but it's about belief, and much like seeing a magpie does NOT bring bad luck - - ah, but I digress!

I LOVE pushups - always have! 

Maybe my subconscious never forgot the training montages in Ghayal I wrote about - starring no less than Sunny "Pa Ji" Deol, the Lion of Punjab (one of 'em, at any rate!). 

He of the "2.5 kg hand". 

Maybe it's good thing my computer crashed the first time, because I forgot to mention the first time - Sunny was reputed to have done 500 pushups daily in his prime while eating "butter from his farmhouse". 

Much like the Gama's numbers, I've no way of knowing if this is true or reliable, but I would not be surprised to know it is! 

Yours truly did them too at a certain point, even when "fat". 

And that training montage in the 1990's blockbuster Ghayal makes it all worth it, so worth it! 

It's 2 minutes - but that 2 minutes was seared into my subconscious forever. 

OUr initial memories do make us! 

(those we focus upon). 

Sunny was in prison. He chopped wood all day long as the music BEAT AND PULSATED!

Raw, primal ENERGY! 

At night, the rest of the convicts slept. 

He did pushups! 

Then they show him eating by himself. Alone. 

Then he's doing pull-ups in the rain! 

Any of this strike BELLS with anyone that's purchased "16 Inspirational Fitness Recollections" - - - I BET! 

Ghayal 2 was a disaster in my opinion, but the first was a classic, and Sunny was real in both, which I appreciate - much respect! 

Not like certain other idiots in Bollywood who do "what the situation or politicans demand". 

Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt (and a few others) were and will always be THEMSELVES and REAL, and thats what it's all about. 

But anyway, Sunny doing pushups, chest to the floor on each rep! 

I remember myself picturing MYSELF doing them - replacing Sunny with me (when I was real young). 

And that visual probably led to my Taekwondo teacher, a man known for solid criticism WHEN WARRANTED - and equal praise WHEN WARRANTED always praising me for my pushups which I enjoyed doing - unlike the other kids - and unlike my stretching, which was atrocious (I still remember him ignoring my pain as another kid pried my legs wide open!) - pushups always came naturally to me. 

Visualization, anyone? 

Sounds, anyone? 

But anyway, the Taekwondo instructor I had knew when to praise, and didnt just criticize, which is KEY. 

Anyway, thats enough of an eulogy on the book, hehe. 

If you're not convinced by now to GRAB it - NOW - you never will be! 

BEst, 

Rahul Mookerjee

PS - Remember to grab Jump Rope Mania too while you're at it!

I wonder what the ole Trumpinator would think of this, hehe.

Probably doesn’t care either way, but hey, he’d probably LIKE this email here - - and NOT for the reasons you might expect! ?

Anyway, I still remember the boobybuilder at the swimming pool, back in 2010 I think it was . . . Maybe 2009. Not sure.

Guy that was big as heck. Had all the puffed up bloated muscles, the massive chest and pelican legs . . . and very little back development to boot.

And of course the beachball biceps and so forth . . . which unfortunately weren’t helping him in the pool.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this dude. I was doing my laps swiftly, and he was watching me, and I still remember him coming up to me and talking to me.

“That’s good, man! You can really swim!”

“I’m getting there”, I grinned back (which is true;  I love to swim and can do it pretty well, but there’s always room for improvement!).

And then he told me the entire tale that I’ve detailed on the Shoulders Like Boulders page.

While he didn’t quite drop dead of a heart attack when he lifted his arms up to hang a picture, he almost got there.

Two bypasses before the age of 25 I think it was, or maybe 26. I can’t be “arsed” to look right now, but it’s something like that.

And all the so called strength and twelve pack abs couldn’t get him to ONE continuous SLOW . . . BREADTH of the pool.

He was literally resting for 10 minutes between each slow breadth! And this guy could pound out the weights like nobody’s business apparently before he did the smart thing and flat out quit.

Anyway, my last post on mental tip #2 (on the other site) w.r.t high rep workouts caused a bit of flutter for some people it seemed.

One person posted the following on my WeChat account: (one of the crappiest social media sites out there with some of the worst rogue nation tom tommers out there and . . . ah, but lets not get into that!)

“Maximum weight . . . add oil” was the first comment.

I have to confess I don’t know why he made the “add oil” comment. It’s a comment the Chinese often use in their own language. Translates into something like “come on”, or “keep going” or some such thing in English, and to be honest I don’t much care to delve into the specifics.

Much like I prefer calling an apartment complex an apartment complex as opposed to “garden” which a lot of foreigners seem to prefer calling it.

(The Chinese call apartment complexes “gardens” ; even in their own language. Don’t ask, hehe).

Not much of a China sympathizer am I? Well, that much is apparent from my posts, or should be . . .

And then 2 minutes or 3 later . . .

“Keep adding weight on the bench press for 1 rep with no spotter until you just can’t lift it. See how big your balls get when it’s really life or death”.

Anyway, why should that concern you eh.

Well, actually it should but we’ll get to that later.

My response to this dude was …

“Heavy singles are indeed a good method (if you lift weights). The oldtimers did a lot of that”.

And it’s true. Weightlifting done right is GOOD . . . but NOT the way most people do at the gym.

And if there was ever a more retarded exercise than the bench press out there, Id love to see it.

Perhaps the lat pulldown. . . but we’ll get into that later. I was going to talk about this to the dude, but got a bad vibe at the minute I was going to type out my response, so stopped.

No point talking to those that have already made their minds up eh. ?

For now though, here are some reasons right off the top of my head that I’d take pushups over benching any day (and bodyweight exercise OVER weight lifting, especially the puff and buff nonsense, any day of the week.

Pushups are the #1 strength and conditioning (and weight loss) exercise all in one, my friend. Truly the big dog of all exercises.

Don’t believe pushups require strength?

Lets take the 500 lb bench presser, and see how many handstand pushups he can do, or even GET into the position.

Let me tell you one thing – most CAN’T.

And the reverse isn’t true either.

Its far easier to progress into weight lifting if you’re already good at bodyweight stuff, but it doesn’t quite work that way the other way around.

And that brings me to my second point. Conditioning.

High rep bodyweight exercises, or even a set of 50 pushups done in slow, perfect form have a way of making that heart THUMP like NO other weight lifting exercise (especially not one rep, and then “rest”) will.

They have a way of making you breathe like NO other exercise will (except perhaps hill sprints).

And they build the ENTIRE body, my friend. Including the legs and core.

As for bench pressing . . . legs? Core? I don’t think so, my friend.

And I’m not just referring to pelican legs. I’m referring to the exercise itself (and hence the pelican leg syndrome that is so damned common out there - - and pathetic, really, to say the least).

The legs and core – and back are the TRUE seat of power, my friend and hoicking up a massive (or whatever you can) weight while lying prone on your back aint the way to develop any of those areas.

Especially not the way most guys grunt and groan through poor FORM while doing the bench press, an exercise which along with the deadlift is probably responsible for more shot shoulders than ANY other weight lifting exercise I’ve known.

And as for “life or death”.

There have literally been cases where people have died doing exactly what dude suggested i.e. try max reps with no spotter.

Might sound good in theory, but I doubt anyone approaches these with the goal to go out of the gym in a coffin . . .

And with pushups, the worst that can happen is nasty injury.

Circa my sprained thumb (or dislocated, actually), by far the most painful thing ever to happen to me. I’ve detailed what happened before, but basically it was freezing cold and a rainy day, and I got the urge to do fingertip handstands after a long ass workout, and . . . POP!

That thumb popped BACK in, and BACK OUT. And – OUCH!

I was told to rest it to “recover”. Never did. Kept training all throughout it, WITH the pain, and I really do think that helped me recover faster than if I were to just ice it up and “sit” on it, hehe.

Or, perhaps the busted chin (damn near) that happened when some joker let his dog get too close to me when I was doing my patented WIDE grip handstand pushups . . .

But nothing worse than that, really.

And while all of the above should be more than plenty, there are tons of more reasons, but I’ll do up another post (article, actually is what this damn thing is turning into!) on that later.

For now, lets look at what Herschel Walker had to say about bench pressing, pushups and the core. You know who he is, I’m sure!

"Almost everybody wants to look like a body builder and do 500 pounds on the bench. That sounds good, but all of sudden you've got back problems and all these other problems."

“You get the core ready, you can handle anything else”

As for pushups. His workouts (up till 3500 pushups a day) – should be proof enough!

And ANY serious combat athlete, or strongman would tell you the same thing.

Take Iron Mike Tyson, for instance. Bruce Lee. The Great Gama from India. All of them did a TON of pushups, and did NOT lift weights (and in the case of the Gama, he did, but certainly not bench pressing).

Last, but not least, if all of this ticks you off royally, well, that isn’t really the point of me saying it.

If after reading all this you’d prefer to go back to the benching station and see how many you can pump out with the bros cheering you on,  by all means be my guest.

Aint my job to “make the horse drink”, hehe. All I can do is take it to the water . . .

Lifting weights CAN be good –  but doing it the way people do in the gym (bench pressing, deadlifting etc) is usually more harmful than good.

As for what sort of “weight lifting” I am referring to that is good - - I’ve spoken tomes about it before on the list, but if you’re new to my list; well, hang on for a while yet - - I’ll do up another piece on that later!

And those are my thoughts on that.

Whew, that was a longer than usual piece. I’m out for now - - back later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Pick up the best damned course there is on pushups right HERE. There truly IS NO BETTER course than this one, my friend, and that is a FACT.

If there's one upper body (primarily) exercise that's guaranteed to have you huffing, puffing and sweating within a short period of time, it's the good ole pushup.

It doesn't matter how out of shape or in shape you are, there is a type of pushup out there that will make you feel it in the right areas when you perform the movement correctly. It doesn't matter if your just starting out or an experienced trainee. It doesn't matter if you choose to train in the morning or evening - and it doesn't matter if your from Mars or Venus - pushups, when done correctly will get the blood pumping and the heart beating within a short period of time. Good stuff.

A much ignored but extremely effective exercise, especially when done for high reps, this exercise is one of my favorites - not just to get a great upper body workout in a short period of time, but also to "rev the engine up" before embarking on a tougher/longer routine.

What do I mean?

Well, I wasn't feeling the best this morning when I woke up. The weather's changing around here, and I think I might have picked up a tad bit of flu or something - so, I wasn't at my chirpiest to say the least.

Started to get stuck into my normal routine (which today was supposed to be various styles of jumping jacks, rope jumps and a few other associated exercises), but quickly figured out that I  just wasn't being able to "get into the groove" as I normally do. I was sweating, and breathing hard, but something didn't feel quite "right" - in other words, I wasn't as switched on as I should have been, if that makes sense.

So, for a change, I figured I'll pump out 25 slow pushups, and then get back to the set #6 on the rope jumps.

Did that, and then knocked off 5 "table" pushups (slowly) for good measure, followed by 10 finger tip pushups.

By that time I was starting to feel a little something in my triceps, and I was breathing much deeper than I was before for sure.

"Hey, this feels good - that old, familiar feeling of the heart starting to pump HARD, and working up a great sweat while I'm at it".

So, figured I'd do a "few more" pushups before getting back to the rest of my normal routine.

Hit #60. Figured I'd do a "few more".

On to #92. "Ok, a few more".

Another set of 20 slow tricep pushups - followed by fingertip pushups again - and I'm on 120 pushups before I know it.

I finally finished at 155 pushups - and whats more, I was feeling GREAT by the end of it. No more "wooziness" or "slow off the blocks" feelings - I was feeling recharged and ready to ROLL. The blood was pumping, the sweat was pouring, and I was breathing like I'd just run a sprint - all great, great stuff.

Never did finish the 1500 rope jumps I had planned for today, but finished my routine off with 25 pull-ups and timed hangs - and that was that. And this feeling of being "on top of the world" after a good hard set of pushups lasts all day long - I'm still "buzzing" a few hours after my routine, and my triceps literally feel "worked to the bone".

And thats not just a stray observation - pushups always make me feel better. For those of you that do them regularly, you know what I mean - and for those of you that don't do pushups on a regular basis - well, one of the best things you can do for your health is to get cracking on a regular pushup schedule - it'll benefit you far more than you know.

So the next time you need a quick "pick me up", ditch the coffee in favor of 20 pushups done in the right way - the boost you get will be well worth it!

All for today. If you workout today, make sure and make it a winner!

Best Regards,
Rahul

P.S.: - I speak of "table" pushups in this email, and I did a wide variety of pushups today in getting to the 155 mark. To learn more about how I structure my high rep push up routines, push on over HERE: - http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/83-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book

Yes - it sounds like a stupendous idea indeed, doesn't it? Pushups that heavily tax the core of all things - that alone is a hard concept for most to stomach, but LEGS as well?

Pushups are primarily a chest, arm and shoulder exercise as far as most trainees are concerned. And while they do provide a great workout for the chest and arms, they also work the back (including lower back) and core heavily - and as I said, certain types of pushups will work the legs as well. And some pushups are pure CORE exercises - with the rest of the body merely playing a supporting role as it were.

I fitted the core pushup into my workout today - I did this, and another style of pushup as "rest" exercises between my main two upper body exercises, which were pull-ups and handstand pushups. What I mean by "rest" exercises is that I did a set of these exercises while "resting" between the main exercises - not something I usually do, since it cuts down on my ability to focus (and recuperate for) on the next main exercise, but I was feeling unusually peppy today, so figured I'd give it a shot.

One such pushup is the "extended arm pushups", where instead of putting your hands at shoulder level beneath the chest, you extend them all the way out over your head, and THEN do the pushup. The form is hard to explain in an email, but let me just say that chest/arms (while taxed) are NOT the limting factor for this pushup - for those that have never done these before, you'll be finding your lower back/core is what is really being worked on this one - don't be surprised if you end up with sore abs upon doing these!

Another example would be the table pushup, wherein you simply get into the position of a table (on your hands and feet), hold for a bit, and then push back to the starting position. This is a superb tricep builder, but it also works the thighs, butt and hamstrings heavily if done correctly. And so forth.  .  .there are just too many examples to list out here.

Now, does this mean that pushups are ALL you need to do for your entire body? Not really - not by a long shot actually, but the fact stands that you can get a pretty decent overall body workout in less than 15 minutes or so simply by doing different styles of pushups.

And no, these aren't "easy" exercises by a country mile - but I think you'll discover that for yourself when you try them! Thats a GOOD thing though - remember hard work is what brings real results.

OK, I'm outta here for now. Until next time - train hard - and keep me posted on your progress on the workouts you guys have been doing!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: All the different pushup variations that you need to know about can found right HERE: - http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/83-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book - grab your copy ASAP.