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