So goes the saying in many of the major subway stations in the world - including the subway in the city I live in.

I had to travel to a different city today for work - a city that, while falling under a different administration is connected to the main city (mine) via an above ground(in most places) subway. It wasn't a scheduled workout day for me, and yet I got a pretty decent workout in simply by using the subway, and - yes, you guessed it - taking the STAIRS instead of the escalators.

The average height of the above ground parts of the subway here is between 15-19 meters above ground, which is a pretty decent climb, especially if done repeatedly, and especially if one takes the stairs from underground all the way to the top. Trust me, a few rounds of this and you WILL feel it, regardless of the shape your currently in. YOW!

Those who follow my emails regularly know that I used to climb a hill daily in China a few years back - and that one routine was enough to get me in the VERY BEST shape of my life. There are no hills here where I live, and the subway stairs are the closest thing I have to hills, so I make full use of them.

And I sure did that well today - I had to change three trains to get to where I was going, and ditto for the way back - which meant four solid climbs in all - not bad at all. These climbs weren't quite the hill climbs I used to partake of on a daily basis in China, but they still got the heart pumping, blood flowing and sweat pouring like nothing else.

Nothing quite beats the feeling of "sore and tired" muscles and "overall fatigue" (in a good way!) after climbing a hill and the same can probably be said of climbing steep stairs repeatedly. Nothing, I repeat, nothing compares to the "wobbly" feeling in one's thighs after a particularly hard climb. I'm even feeling it in my upper back and shoulders as I type this - and it's a great, great, feeling to have.

What's really amazing is most folks ignore this simple and effective "tool" that's staring them right in the face daily, and that requires absolute no extra expense to use. I saw rows and rows of tired looking, bent over, exhausted "professionals" with their laptops slouching along on the escalators as I took the steps two at a time - and these, my friend are the very people that carp on and on about not having the time to get fit, requiring the latest fancy machines to exercises on, gym memberships, and so forth.

All nonsense - just think of how good these people would actually FEEL if they simply took the time to climb some stairs on a daily basis - and think of the benefits this would have on their overall fitness levels.

Anyway, yours truly showed up soaked in sweat for his meeting today, which was on the third floor of a building. The elevator was the first thing that stared me in the face here, but needless to say I ignored it, and made a beeline for the stairs.

Might sound strange to the general majority out there - but I wouldn't trade this "strange behavior" for anything in the world!

Anyway, moral of the story is - use the stairs regularly, and stay fit. And if you can find a long, steep hill to climb daily - that's even better! It's a simple and time-tested theory - that has, most importantly, been proven to WORK - and it will work for YOU as well!

Best Regards,
Rahul

PS: For more such simple tips that you can use in your daily training, grab a copy of Fast and Furious Fitness here: - http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/83-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book

Woke up bright and early today around 10:30AM, hehe, and dove straight into some emails that were waiting for me. Took care of some business related stuff, and then plunged into my workout for the day.

And as you might imagine from the subject, it was a short, sweet and brutally effective routine - consisting of ONLY three exercises - three exercises which gave me a solid overall body workout.

So, what DID I do today?

Jumping jacks, handstand pushups and pull-ups - all within a 40 minute time frame and that was IT.

No "special" movements for the core (certainly no crunches, which I despise).

No routines to "bomb" the pectorals.

Nothing to "pump up" the forearms.

No sets of 100X5 on a leg extension machine to "blitz" the lower legs (and yes, I've actually seen such routines advertised in magazines!)

None of that silliness.

Just 350 jumping jacks, 30 handstand pushups and 20 pullups - and I was FRIED by the end of it.

I made sure to do the handstand pushups in sets of 5, but that got tougher around rep#15 - my 5 second pause at end of each handstand pushups was probably to "blame". Nothing quite recruits the "inner" muscle fibers of the chest and shoulders quite as well as doing this!

(Note: These pauses are advanced movements - so do NOT attempt to do these unless you've gotten proficient at the actual exercises - you'll only fall over and hurt yourself - or worse. It's a great goal to shoot for, though!)
 
For the pull-ups, I tried pulling myself up so that my lower chest touched the bar a.k.a "sternum" pull-ups. I don't do these quite often, so they were HARD - needless to say I was dripping sweat by the end of it all.

Threw in a few dips to finish my routine off, and that, my friend, was THAT. Came home, stretched a little, and I'm writing to you now - and I feel on top of the world and ready for the rest of my day.

And thats how workouts should be. Short, sweet, but brutally effective. You don't need much at all in the way of equipment to "git 'er done" as you can see - all you really need is a will power, and discipline in heaping measures - and you're good to go!

Sure beats sitting on the couch feeling bloated and hungover after that Sunday night bash. . .!

All for now!

Best Regards,
Rahul

PS: My new course Shoulders like Boulders teaches you how to go from ZERO handstand pushups to many, many more - along with pauses - click on over to reserve your copy PRONTO: - http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/products/87-shoulders-like-boulders 

Woke up early this morning, and jumped straight into a Fast and Furious exercise routine that I'd been planning to do. It wasn't a core-specific routine, but an hour or so later, I'm feeling "wobbly" in the abdominal region - as if my stomach muscles had been pulverized by a few thousand bricks - some of you likely know the sort of feeling I'm referring to!

Anyway, jumped straight into a tough "warm up" routine that would have the average person flat on his/her back within no time - this so called "warm up" consisted of jumping jacks, a standing version of the "knees to chest" I teach in Fast and Furious Fitness, and another sort of similar exercise that I don't teach in the book - but plan on incorporating in future versions. And no, they weren't the usual namby pamby sets of 10 - more like sets of 70-100 a piece, done FAST.

Fast and Furious Fitness: -  http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/83-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book

Got through that little whirlwind routine in 10 minutes, was interrupted by the phone buzzing. I normally keep my phone switched off during my workout

- but my wife had gone to the doctor this morning, so today was an exception.

So that was the brief interruption - no problemo. Got straight back into another routine which involved (yet) another version of the knees to chest movement, lying leg raises and 50 pushups.

I did the following pushups today: Regular pushups, table pushups, extended arm pushups, finger tip pushups and of course my favorite: handstand pushups. Knocked about 60 of these in 10 minutes or so. Some of these exercises might sound somewhat cryptic to the average Joe (or Jane) - but not if your a Fast and Furious Fitness convert.

Then it was off to the park to finish things off with 30 pull-ups, a few dips, and timed holds - and now, my forearms aren't the only part of my body that is "tingling" and singing a tune to me, hehe, my abdominal region is pretty much doing the same thing.

Now, you might wonder what on earth got my abs shaking like an earthquake hit 'em - and you'd be within your rights to do so - and you'd be equally justified in to think I'm flat out nuts if I said "pushups and other basic stuff got the job done".

Huh?

Plain ole pushups for the core?

Those "sissifed" movements like jumping jacks? And exercise while lying down on your back? Nah, the weight machines, crunch boards and pec decks are what is required!

And this is what most people would think - but remember, and just to make ONE point out of many that I couldn't be bothered to get into right now - jumping jacks and pushups are BOTH done by the US military - and the jumping jacks I did take things a step further. Now, I don't know about you - but if some of the toughest folks in the world do these exercises, how much would the average gym goer, bloated by years of protein shakes and unnecessary amounts of food (and in some cases, steriods) benefit?

I bet the answer to that is A LOT - and the same holds true for you, my friend.

You don't need a ton of yoga (though yoga's great) to work your core to the "bone".

You don't need expensive equipment sold on late night TV to get a great core workout.

You don't need a fancy gym, and you most certainly don't need any trainers telling you that crunches are the best core exercise, bar none.

Nah - some simple exercises are all you need - and I teach you most of these in Fast and Furious Fitness. And if you haven't yet done so, get yer mitts on this baby - and watch your core literally turn into STEEL within the matter of a few workouts.

Well, my friend, that's it for today. Tips APLENTY in today's email - see if you can find 'em!

Best Regards,

Rahul

It is a well known fact that intense exercise for as little as FIFTEEN minutes a day has the potential to boost your productivity and energy levels for as much as 2 hours a day, if not more - and this couldn't be more true.

I know that when I workout, it's a take no prisoners workout come what may - rain, sleet, snow or hail (and I've actually gotten hill climbing workouts done in the rain as well - more on that another day though!). You'll see me sweating, puffing, and literally forcing myself through a tough workout - especially on a hot day, and while it's hard, hard work - the feeling I get at the end of an intense and tough workout just cannot be replicated (and this is regardless of the duration of the workout).

And what's more, at the end of it all, I feel buzzed, and ready to ZOOM through my day - and the tasks piled up on my plate just keep getting done without any apparent effort. I'm in the "zone" - and this without much mental effort to put myself into it.

So, given this fact it's a wonder more people don't make time to fit exercise into their daily routines. I mean, think about it - around 30 minutes of a daily HARD, take no prisoners routine, and you not only drop unwanted pounds, build muscle and improve your overall strength and fitness levels, but you also get increased productivity and OFF THE CHART energy levels THROUGHOUT the day - which in turn help you get tasks done quicker.

Now, I don't know about you, my friend, but I'll take that any day over a coffee boost (lasts for 15 minutes max), or a "snack" break (good to do once in a while, but again, the effect wears off fairly quickly). Whatever your "pick up of choice" might be, I'll bet it ain't nowhere near as effective as the natural HIGH you get from natural exercises done the right way, and that, my friend is a fact.

And whats amazing is you don't need to follow "conventional" wisdom to reap the benefits of said practice either.

For instance, I woke up at 11:30 AM today - not exactly early in the morning. Had a late night last night, so needed the rest. Woke up, brushed my teeth, and dove straight into some Fast and Furious routines interspersed with some tough cardio exercises (no equipment required on those BTW, not even a jump rope) - and finished off with 30 assorted pull-ups in the local park.

I was soaked in sweat by the time it was over. Had a late lunch, and got down to business around 4 or so. Took a short nap around 5'ish, woke up around 6 - and it's 8PM here at the moment - and I'm STILL FEELING ON TOP OF THE WORLD! Not to mention that I've got MOST of my tasks accomplished within 2 hours - as compared to the sloth like feeling I experience if I don't exercise, where it literally takes me hours to accomplish what feels like very little.

You'd think the natural endorphin rush would have worn off by now, but it clearly hasn't - and I'm sitting here writing to you, updating my sites, and doing other things as well - at a time where most people slip into their jammies and plop down in front of the "tube" to end the day.

And this experience isn't a one-off - it's the norm for me.

So, for those of you that are still dithering about starting to get back in shape, or perhaps find it hard to commit to a regular routine - or just plain don't want to start to exercise - well, all I can say is - you are MISSING OUT, big time!

So thats today's tip - let me know the RESULTS you achieve if you do choose to incorporate it into your life!

Best Regards,
Rahul

PS: While committing to a daily exercise routine is great, you still need to know the RIGHT exercises to do, or you might as well be banging your head against a brick wall wondering where that energy will come from. It's NOT about joining the latest gym. It's NOT about lifting weights heavier than the Titanic. And it's certainly NOT about hours of boring cardio that lead nowhere. Here is a link where you can find out all about the right exercises to do to get in phenomenal shape - FAST - while getting a boost that will literally fly you through your day: - http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/83-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book 

Well, today I'll get to an oft discussed issue when it comes to dips (one of my favorite exercises, as those who have been following this blog will know) - that being "Are dips bad for the shoulders"?

I'm sure you've seen a lot of discussion on this one, be it in the gym or the internet - and a lot of popular opinion seems to gravitate towards the "yes, they hurt the shoulders" category, while those who do them regularly seem to swear by them.

And as you can tell, I fall into the latter category, so my answer probably won't come as a surprise, but before you dismiss what I'm saying outright, take a minute to read through what I have to say, and then make your decision.

First off, as with any other tough exercise, dips are meant to be done in GOOD form - and good form is often what we do NOT see when we see folks performing dips. And as with any other exercise, you run the very real risk of hurting yourself on any exercise done with poor form, and dips are no different. That however doesn't mean they are bad for the shoulders - quite the contrary - in fact dips are one of the BEST chest/shoulder exercises you can do, period.

Second, like I said, dips are TOUGH - and TOUGH exercises seem to get a bad rap for no reason. Ever heard folks complaining about the bench press being too tough, or the pec-deck being bad for the body? I bet not - but funnily enough both of those activities are not normal for the body, and are nowhere near as beneficial to your overall strength and conditioning as dips are. Think about it - pressing a bar up while laying down as opposed to pushing your ENTIRE bodyweight through space for reps - which one is tougher?

Third, and most importantly, you progress in the dip as you would any other exercise. You do NOT try and bang out 20 reps per set the first time you do these and then get a severe case of shoulder pain and stop doing altogether. It's amazing, but there's still a plethora of folks out there who think bodyweight exercises are somehow "easy" because they are plain bodyweight exercises, and they over-do things accordingly. Big, big mistake.

So, long answer short - no, dips are not bad for you, per se - in fact, they are one of the best upper body strength builders out there. I've personally had great gains in my shoulder/upper body strength while doing this exercise, and I bet you will too. And no, this exercise is NOT "just for skinny people" - much like other exercises involving your entire bodyweight (handstands, pull-ups etc), this one can be performed just as well by a bigger individual as a small one.

Now, does this mean everyone should do dips, period - and not worry about hurting themselves? Well, no, not really - if you've had prior shoulder issues, or if you don't do too well in the dipping position due to a dodgy joint, well, then you probably shouldn't be doing a lot of these. But, the exercise is FINE to do for the vast majority of folks out there - and the comments I've recieved on the book vouch for that.

As for form, see Fast and Furious Fitness - I give you detailed instructions along with pictures on how to perform this challenging bodyweight movement. Get started TODAY - and let me know how you do!

And that's that for today. If you work today - make sure you make it a GREAT one!!

Best regards,

Rahul

Well, the summer rolls on here in this part of the globe - and let me tell ya, it's gotten HOT and REAL humid here as of late. As in, so humid that one sweats simply sitting on a chair doing nothing (without A/C). As in, so HOT that you feel like you stepped into a furnace the moment you step out of the house. As in, I'm soaking wet after my workouts these days - I can literally wring sweat out of my clothing after my routine. And so forth. I could go on and on, but you get the idea here.

Boy am I glad I left the Middle East when I did - I don't EVEN want to think about what the weather is like this now in this part of the year. YIKES!

Anyway, getting back on topic - there's literally no respite from the heat and humidity these days - and that in turn means one has to figure out a way to work out effectively despite the oppressive weather conditions. And while it's important not to fall prey to the "Oh, it's too hot to train" syndrome, it's equally, if not more important to know how to train SAFELY during extreme weather conditions. And so, I thought I'd throw a few tips out there in this regard - mostly basic things, nothing fancy, but you'd be amazed as to how often these basic things are ignored. . .

1. Keep yourself well hydrated! This goes without saying, and is applicable to all weather conditions really, but it becomes more important in hot (and especially humid) conditions. Err on the side of caution or even a bit of excess here - there's nothing more frustrating than feeling weak in the middle of the workout due to extreme dehydration (and I've been there myself, so I know how it feels).

As for how to keep oneself hydrated, I prefer WATER to be the best drink when it comes to keeping yourself well hydrated. This is a personal choice really -nothing wrong with sports drinks and such, but at the end of the day, I've found nothing recharges my batteries during and after a tough workout as a drink of cold WATER.

2. Pick the best time of the day to train - preferably the evenings or mornings, when the sun is either going down or about to rise, as you'll do better than if you were training outside in the sun. And while the more extreme of you might enjoy the feeling of "breathing in fire" while climbing a steep hill or doing roadwork in the sun, it's not always the best thing to do for your body. Again, I've been there and done that - for more on this, see Fast and Furious Fitness.

3. Less is MORE when it comes to training in this type of weather. Now, this doesnt mean that you drastically reduce your workload or don't train progressively - what it means is that you do enough - but you don't over do it. And this is especially applicable to those of you that train with high rep bodyweight movements (like I do). So, I might shoot for a goal of 50 dips and 40 pull-ups every time I workout - but I tailor this number according to how I feel, how hard I've worked, and what kind of weather I'm training in. As a general rule, you'll probably do slightly less in real humid weather than you would in better weather - and rest assured, this is fine.

4. If your training outdoors, and doing movements that require a strong grip, you'll likely have trouble with your hands "slipping" off the bar while you exercise. This can be real frustrating (not to mention dangerous) - especially when sweat on your hands is the limiting factor as opposed to grip strength. Chalking the hands up helps with this, but you'll likely require a towel as well to wipe your forearms after each set. Wrist bands are good too - I personally don't use them, but I've heard they do a good job of absorbing the sweat on the forearms.

5. Dress for the weather - this one is obvious. Again, less is more when it comes to hot and humid conditions - I can't help but shake my head when I see folks out in thick sweatpants in the local park in this weather. . .

And that's really all there is to it - all simple and easy things that you likely already knew, but you'd be amazed at how many people neglect one or more of these points.

And with that endeth today's note. Back again soon with more!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: For more motivation on getting outside and training in oppressive weather conditions, read Fast and Furious Fitness - I guarantee it won't disappoint!

I've been laid up over the last week or so with a NASTY, NASTY ankle injury. Not quite sure how I managed to strain it, but long story short - I woke up last Tuesday morning with a throbbing pain in my left ankle (not quite unmanageable, but pretty painful in certain spots), and a right ankle that hurt somewhat if I put pressure on it. 

Big deal, huh. I've been doing a lot of boxing style roadwork these days, so it's probably just tiredness, sore ankles, right? Best to just get on with things and "tough it out"?

WRONG - let's just say I went for my workout Wednesday, and returned home with a right ankle that was almost impossible to walk upon - and which later got so painful I'd literally howl in agony if someone even lightly TOUCHED the area. That's right - just a gentle TOUCH was that painful.

And being the genius that I can be sometimes, I ended up trying to tough that out as well - and went for a gentle walk the next day. Long story short, BOTH my ankles were shot after that - I spent most of last week in severe pain and hobbling about, mostly in bed. I've had sprained ankles and injuries before -  but nothing quite compared to THIS pain. YOW!

Anyhow, there's a lesson for you that I keep talking about, and sometimes don't follow myself - that being, the body is giving us signals all the time, and sometimes we pay no heed to them - and thus reap what we sow. I did get back to my usual workout today after a week's lay off, but boy was that a painful reminder of what I should have done, which was to lay off both feet immediately the moment I felt serious pain.

The other thing I'd like to mention is that we hear a lot about the R.I.C.E method of treating a sprained/injured ankle, which is basically rest, ice, compression and elevation. The rest, compression and elevation worked great for me, but for some reason soaking my foot in a hot water solution of epsom salt/water worked better for me than the ice treatment. Not knocking the ice at all, but for those of you that don't seem to respond well to ice treatment, there's another alternative there.

And now, on to the other point - that being, what NOT to do while doing the hanging leg raise.

First, eliminate ANY and ALL momentum during the movement. I cannot stress the importance of this enough - an extremely tough bodyweight exercise for the entire core is reduced to a mere "swinging" exercise on the bar if you allow momentum to do the work. "Kipping" reps may be great to show off, but the slow, steady and controlled reps are what get the job done, and the hurting going in the abdominal region - which is a GOOD thing!

Second, know that there are many ways of skinning a cat, especially if your starting out in this advanced movement. While touching your toes to the bar is great, you may not be at a point where you can do that. Heck, even getting to a 90 degree hold might be tough for you - so do what you can, and progress from there. What you don't want to do though is "swing" your way up to a position you couldn't get up to normally - you'll only end up injuring yourself.

Third, and last - this movement can be tough on the shoulders, so warm up thoroughly and make sure your shoulders/grip can take the load before you jump into it.

And thats about it for that one - it's a great exercise - and produces great results, but only if trained ever so correctly.

And so it goes at Fast and Furious HQ, feeling GOOD after my workout today. Here's to many more!!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: For more on the hanging leg raise, and other core blasters, check out Fast and Furious Fitness. 

One of the most common reasons for failure in any exercise routine is that folks simply fail to "stick" to their routine. They do a good job of mapping their goals out, figuring out which exercises to do, and how often - but when it comes to actually putting in the hours, a lot of folks find that they're just not able to dedicate themselves to their routines as much as they should be. 

And often times, the reason for not sticking to the workouts isn't purely lack of motivation, or even lack of discipline (though that does apply to a lot of folks) - it's mostly people not (or not being able to) making time to fit their exercises into their daily routine.

Now, given that as little as 10 minutes of intense exercise (the right kind) can literally turbo-charge your entire day, you'd think that exercise should be a priority on everyone's list - but amazingly enough, it's not - and the exercises more often that not end up getting the rap rather than the person. So Jane 50lbsoverweight complains that her running program is "worthless" because she "isn't accomplishing anything at all" on the program, when in reality the program simply isn't being used as it should be. And so forth.

But the truth is, it's ridiculously simple to fit exercise into your daily routine - its amazingly easy, if you just open your mind to all the possibilities there are around you in your daily life. I was real busy yesterday, and spent most of the day running around from point A to point B like a chicken with it's head cut off, but still managed to get some decent workouts in - and how?

Well, simple - I was traveling by subway - so I simply used (read ran) the stairs instead of the escalators provided. Sure, I got some curious looks from the legions of tired, hunchbacked office workers patiently queing up on the escalators to get to "terra firma", but I also managed to get some great stair sprints in every couple of hours - and believe you me, combine that with a lot of walking and carrying stuff around - and it gets HARD - real quickly. I can still feel the soreness in my quads today, which points to the effectiveness of the workout.

It's amazing how many people ignore that one,simple basic tool staring them right in the face - and which fits straight into their commute - the stairs. Imagine how much fitter the average office goer would be if he/she made it a point to use the stairs every time instead of the lift/escalator? And making that commitment wouldn't take any time at all - a few minutes MAX - but those few minutes are enough to get the blood pumping, the heartbeat racing and the sweat trickling down one's brow - all good things!

Anyway, thats just ONE thing you can do to fit your workout into your daily routine. There are dozens of other techniques, so you'll have to find the one that works best for YOU. And remember this - its always better to do SOMETHING rather than nothing - and even a 30 second hard sprint up some steep stairs can work better wonders than a long, ponderous jog around the local park (not that there's anything wrong with that if you prefer it, but I'm just saying. . .)

Anyway, gotta go for now - more later. If you train today, make it a super one - and let me know how it went! 

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: The bug in the ordering system has now been ironed out, so run on over here to place your orders for Fast and Furious Fitness: -  http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/products

There is an old Chinese saying "Ren lao xian lao tui". Loosely translated into English, this means that the legs are the first to go when a person starts to "age". And I don't mean simply getting on in years - I mean "age", as in starting to wither away, suffer ill health, etc etc. 

This saying has been around for a while, and with good reason. Weak legs are a sure sign of not just being unfit - but also that a person is not in the best of health - perhaps older than his age otherwise might indicate. The day you start to have trouble climbing a flight of stairs, or walking a mile or so to the nearby store (and back) is the day you might want to sit back and take a good, long look at your health and overall fitness levels.

And, whats sad is that the majority of the people today don't train their legs with near enough seriousness as they should. This holds true for most gym goers as well - most folks in the gym are upper body crazy, but when it comes to train their legs, they're suddenly nowhere to be seen.

Not good - both from a health standpoint as well as aesthetic.

Look, if your a serious trainee (and that includes you guys that lift weights), then you simply MUST train your legs! Along with the neck and back (especially lower back) region, legs are an absolute MUST to train. In fact, a good leg and back workout is often better than hours of "focusing on the pectorals with the pec deck", or doing exercises for the "show muscles" (such as biceps). The reasons behind this are many, too many to list here, but the first is simply to keep your entire body young - as the Chinese say, keep the legs young, and the body follows suit.

Another reason is that working the legs HARD is one of the hidden (though it shouldn't be) keys to REAL strength, health and fitness levels. The legs of the muscles are the largest in the body, and working the legs hard results in a release of growth hormones all throughout the body - as well as ramps up your all important caridovascular system.

The result? Huge increases in overall strength, and less overall fat levels - can't beat that, me thinks.

And it's not as hard to train the legs as you might think. Walking is a fantastic, but overlooked exercise for the legs - and one you need to include in your daily routine somehow. And if you have hills in your area, walk the heck out of them - thats a workout all by itself!

Jumping rope is another excellent, but often ignored leg exercise. Part of the reasons combat athletes such as boxers have such high stamina levels is their jump rope routines, which often consist of thousands of reps daily. And we don't see many fat boxers around at a professional level, do we?

Leg training is the first chapter in the exercises part of Fast and Furious Fitness, and rightfully so. I speak about leg training in detail there, and also give you a REAL LIFE example of what happened when I started to include hill training into my daily routine in China - be sure and grab your copy NOW to read all about that.

So, moral of the story? Work the legs regularly, and work them hard - the hard work required is well worth it at the end of the day!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: Yes, leg workouts can literally tax the entire body like it's never been taxed before. To learn how, click on over to Fast and Furious Fitness NOW.

Does training daily mean you are “over training” – and thus making your workouts counter-productive to what they should be? This is an oft-asked question, and an even more misunderstood topic, so I’ll provide my views on this today.

There’s two ways to answer this one – a long way – and a short way. In short, the answer is NO. And as for the long version of it. . .

First of all, training daily is not a bad thing and in itself certainly doesn’t equate to overtraining. You don’t HAVE to exercise every day, but on the other hand, you don’t want to go days without getting a single workout in either. I personally believe that doing something daily is of immense use and way better than not getting in any sort of physical activity at all (and no, typing on the keyboard doesn’t count!) – even five minutes of exercise is better than none at all as far as I’m concerned.

Second, it’s important to note that this overtraining concept has been blown way out of proportion. YES – it IS possible to over-train, but the majority of people out there don’t even come close to it – more like “under-training”. And most folks that perform physical activity as part of their daily job do so for eight hours or more daily. Athletes, laborers, those in the Army, etc etc . . .when was the last time you heard an Army recruit complain of being over trained with daily running/callisthenic sessions?

Now, it’s important to note that erring on the side of caution is good – but only if one does so in a sensible manner. Doing 50 pushups daily is NOT overtraining. On the other hand, if your doing marathon three to four running sessions at the gym daily, well, then you might need to ease back a little – and your body will likely be telling you that too.

Third, it’s not that easy to over train with natural movements a.k.a bodyweight exercises such as the ones I teach. These are all natural movements – remember – it’s NOT weight training, and provided you don’t work yourself to silly extremes, your far better off doing them daily than doing them only once in a while or not at all. Take walking for instance – a much overlooked, yet beneficial exercises. Human beings used to walk for miles daily before we invented transport. They were, on average, FAR fitter than most folks today are – did they “over train”? Does an ape (that is far stronger than a human could ever hope to be) in the wild complain about having to pull his weight up a tree daily? Sure, I’m not saying we have to become a Neanderthal, or an ape – but the point stands regardless.

This doesn’t mean it’s IMPOSSIBLE to over-train with bodyweight exercises . Many new trainees jump enthusiastically into their programs, attempt to do too much too often, and often end up right back where they started or worse. That’s not what I recommend. Moderation is key – but abstinence probably isn’t in this case. Note the difference.

Personally, I train daily - but I don’t go all out in each session. I also don’t make each workout ultra long and super tough; I’ll usually work on a few exercises hard for the day, and then call it quits. I also try changing things up every so often; I either add in new exercises, or change the order up on my existing exercises – it all depends.

As for when I take off, I let my body talk to me. These are days when I’m just too tired to train – can’t explain HOW my body lets me know that I’m on the other side of that very fine line, but let me know it does, and I usually heed it’s advice. And for those of you that train regularly, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

I also know that I feel way better and have a LOT more energy throughout the day when I train, as opposed to if I don’t – even if I’m feeling a bit exhausted BEFORE I start, and not really in the mood to train. In fact, some of my BEST training sessions have taken place when I was not in the mood to train in the first place – try that one on for size!

Anyway, that’s the long answer to the question. There’s a couple of other valuable tips thrown in there as well; see if you can find ‘em!

Best regards,

Rahul

PS: You'll never worry about over-training once you get started on some of the routines I teach you in Fast and Furious Fitness. . .