Fast and Furious Fitness

As the saying goes, the tough get going. I say yes, that’s true, but I’d end it this way “get on with it, and get the job done”.

Now, the point of the post is not to prove how tough I am (or not). . .What I AM trying to do though is explain what I do when things get tough, and how to dig deep down, and find the motivation you need to move ahead. I’ve written about this one many a times before, but I always seem to be able to write more about it. Which makes sense if you think about it - no two days are exactly the same in terms of how you feel, perform, etc, so it stands to reason that there are any different things one can do to keep motivated.

Anyway, today definitely started out as one of the “slow” days for me in all ways (both work wise and in terms of exercise). The weather’s been gloomy here over the last couple of months, and much like anywhere else in the Northern hemisphere, there have been record low temperatures here as well. Add into the mix the fact that I wasn’t feeling the best today (overly tired, slight cold, etc etc), and you have the perfect recipe for feeling down, cancelling one’s workout, and continuing to feel down.

But, my discipline does not allow me to take a day off unless I REALLY need it, so off I went to start my routine after a few cups of green tea. I’m goal-oriented, and don’t usually back off when I set a target for myself (which in this case is 500 skips with the rope EVERY workout), so off to the races with me it was.

Started off with a few stretches to get the blood flowing, then picked up the rope and gave it a few twirls. Did some warm up skips, then started off with sets of 100. Today being a tough day, these sets seemed harder than they normally are, but what I did was congratulate myself after every set (I told myself, CONGRATS! Your moving towards the goal, slowly, but steadily). Now on “good” days, I rarely need to do this; I usually just knock the sets off without even bothering to think about them, but today wasn’t one of them.

Anyhow, my routine went thus: Around 40 “warmup” skips, 2 sets of 100, 30, 30, 2 sets of 100, and then 4 sets of 20 to end things off. Total of 540 skips if you count the ones after the warmups, and nearing 600 in total if one counts all of them. That number also includes 400 done in 4 sets, which ain’t a bad combination of figures either. Thus, I ended up with MORE skips than I normally do. Granted, I took more time over them today, but hey, the important thing is I got them done, no matter what. And THAT is what I am trying to point out - do what it takes, but get the job done as it should be. This principle doesn’t just apply to exercise; it applies to each and every facet of your life.

After the skips, I finished off with some tough yoga stretches, which I’m getting better at daily. Got up, toweled off (you know you’ve had a decent workout when your sweating hard at this time of the year), and now here I am, writing to you.

At the end of the day, I got a pretty good workout in anyway, despite the fact that I wasn’t feeling like a billion bucks, or even close to it when I started. Not feeling the best right now either, but I’m satisfied I got the job done. More importantly, I’m glad though that I did not skip my routine today - it is of utmost importance to stick to one’s routine without fail as far as possible, as that will increase the number of overall good days you have.

So, try congratulating yourself (literally) after each set, or each rep on your bad days, and keep moving towards the finish line; you might find you actually turn a bad day into a good one. If congratulating yourself doesn’t rock the boat for you, do what it takes - but get the job done.

When the going gets tough, do what it takes - but get the job done. I think that one sounds the best amongst the three options we’ve outlined.

And that, my friends, is that for today. As always, train well, and get fit - FAST!

Rahul

Yup, I know I’ve been remiss in updating this blog - once again. To be honest, this has been in my mind for a while, but unfortunately, and as was the case a while back, I just haven’t had time to post as regularly as I should be. We’ve been dealing with a host of issues here - mutiple moves between apartments (I think I’ve moved a total of three times in six months); starting a business, taking a break from that and doing other things, then getting back to it and finding out it wasn’t all it’s touted to be, and of course the big dark cloud of “recession” which, while not sinking any lower, doesn’t seem to be departing from the horizon anytime soon. Ah, the fun of it all. . .

So for those loyal readers who’ve stuck by me, and kept faith (you know who you are!), a huge THANK YOU. I promise to update more regularly now, and also add in more features to the site as I have said I would be doing.

With that out of the way, on to exercise. Yeah, I might not have updated this thing in months, but I’ve been working out regularly for sure. I’ve modified my fast and furious routine a bit though - those that have been following this blog will know that my workout routine (as I wrote about here) was pretty much modeled on a wrestler’s routine, only in lesser time. Well, thats’s great, but I’ve added in a new dimension to this, and am doing some new things - which are all working wonderfully well for me. Something that I’ve really been getting into these days is doing workouts like boxers do - primarily rope skipping and pushups (look for posts on rope skipping in future - thats something EVERY serious traineed should be doing), combined with some other exercises and yoga.

(Yeah, yoga doesn’t fit into the “fast and furious” mould, but it sure does stretch the muscles well and improve one’s flexibility beyond belief when done right - look for more posts on that in the future as well!!)

Anyway, that’s enough for now - it’ll be back to exercise now in all future posts. For all of you out there, have a very merry Christmas, be safe - and be sure to ring in the New Year on an optimistic note!

On to 2010,

Rahul

Well, I know I’ve been pretty lax on updating the blog the last couple of weeks or so - and I apologize for this. I’ve been dealing with a myriad variety of personal issues as of late that have left me with little or no time to even check my emails, let alone update the blog. . .and on top of that, I’m coming off a nasty stomach bug that I picked up due to a combination of heat, over exercising (hint, hint!), too much running around, and other things. Eventful week, maybe not pleasant all the time, but things seem to be working out as they should. . .

Anyway, as you might imagine, it’s become a bit tough to mix in working out (at my regular pace) with all this going on. I’m still getting my workouts in - but I’m back to 10 - 20 minutes of intense exercise, as compared to 40-45 earlier. Works just as well, and plus all the running around means a ton of walking in the heat, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but adds up over time. Especially when it’s humid - the humidity takes a toll on one’s body faster than you would think.

And this brings me to an oft overlooked exercises - WALKING!!

Walking can be a great exercise, if done correctly, and with the proper breathing. It works the entire body as a unit, only without the added stress on the joints that running brings. Here are just some of the benefits I’ve noticed while walking: -

- Solid workout for the calves; especially when power walking.
- Aids in chest expansion; especially when done “army style” i.e. chest out, back straight, and regular deep inhales with each stride.
- Provides an excellent warm up for the ENTIRE body - no real need for warm ups after a brisk walk.
- Improves digestion, as well as overall stamina.

Morning walks are excellent, as the weather’s cooler in the mornings (at least in the summers), but if you can’t manage a walk in the mornings, work it into your routine at night. Walk briskly, power walk if you would - but make sure you BREATHE correctly (inhale through the nose with every stride, exhale out through the mouth afterwards). And, you’ll soon feel the benefits through your entire body. I’ve often even felt my forearms tingling after a good solid walk through the park - the exercise can be that effective.

It’s even better if you can walk uphill - but if you don’t have any hills around you, you can substitute stairs. Either which way, work it in your schedule - you’ll be glad you did.

Walking is generally done for a longer period, due to the “relatively” easy nature of the exercise (i.e. it’s easier to walk briskly for an hour than do Sumo squats for 15 minutes straight) - but, combine your regular exercises with walking (preferably after your walk) and you’ll feel it for sure. Don’t be fooled into thinking the exercise is “easy” - in fact, I’ve noticed my numbers going down on some of the exercises after a walk - and I don’t need any further proof on that one.

And that’s just another example of a seemingly simple exercise, which can be used to great effect.

All for today. As always - get fit - FAST!

Rahul

Ok, the last post made reference to the facts that a) I was suffering from a slight injury and b) I haven’t been training legs full bore this week. Add on point c) which is that I’ve been suffering from a combination of the flu, mild fever (gone now) and a nasty cold/sore throat, and you can say the week’s been less than ideal for me in many regards. . .some not mentioned here as well.

Be that as it may, I woke up this morning without feeling much of the “slight twinge” that I referred to in my last post. Did some hamstring stretches, touched my toes about 15 times in perfect form, stayed in the “downward dog” position a while, all good thus far. Then attempted a squat or two, and then five - and when I didn’t feel too much in the area mentioned in my last post (except some slight residual twinges), I knew it was time to get back to my leg work. And truth be told, I was damn happy about it - training without training legs just don’t “cut the mustard” for me if you get my drift.

Anyhow, so now came the question - do I go full bore, start off with the toughies, etc etc? I decided not - too much too soon, and I’d be back saddled with the same injury issue as before. I figured I’d do about 10 minutes of leg work, 10 minutes of pushups, and throw in some stretches, the back/front bridge, and pull ups for good measure.

So, a total of 40 minutes today - and I feel GREAT now! The cold/sore throat is still there, but the deep breathing which naturally accompanies leg work has cleared my sinuses up a lot it seems - and my entire body feels hammered in a good way. It’s that feeling you just can’t get without training legs - the way leg training hits the entire body is unlike any other. You can do pushups all day long, or weighted pull ups, but nothing really cuts it like training legs HARD and intense.

I did ONE set each of Hindu squats, sumo squats, jumpers, and some miscallaneous leg work, and boy was it worth it. Normally do about two sets of each, but like I said, one needs to ease back into the groove rather than push back into it.

So - moral of the post? If your coming off an injury, illness, whatever - start off with training that involves some deep breathing, and overall body work - and “ease back” into your tougher exercises/higher reps. Before you know it, you’ll be back in the swing of things in no time!

And of course - don’t skip the leg work - make it the #1 priority in your routine, if it isn’t already.

All for now - be back again soon.

Get fit - FAST!

Rahul

All,

Injuries/annoying little “niggles” are a part and parcel of life for those that train regularly. Minor niggles are so frequent that they don’t even bear mentioning, but sometimes the injuries are a bit more serious. The question then begets - should one give the workouts a break till the injury heals fully? Should one train with the injury, braving the pain as far as possible? Or should one train “around” the injury if possible?

Keep in mind that I’m assuming the injury is not something as serious as a torn hamstring, broken arm, or something as major - in that case, you really have no option other than to rest up, and let the injured body part heal. I’m referring to relatively “minor” injuries i.e. say a muscle sprain, maybe a bruised ligament in the knee joint, and so forth.

The best answer in my opinion would be #3 i.e. train “around” the injury. Not training at all is obviously not the answer, and neither is training “with” the injury, as that might aggravate the problem to the point where it might become “serious” and necessitate taking a break altogether. No, the right thing to do then is to train “around” the injury. How, you ask?

Well, it’s easy, really - especially if your following a program such as I am, which emphasizes full body participation (direct or indirect) during the exercises. I’m currently suffering from a minor injury to the glute muscles - my left glute, to be exact - it’s either a sprained muscle, or perhaps a pulled muscle. Whatever it is, it’s not so painful that I can’t squat at all, but I definitely feel it everytime I’m trying to do a squatting exercises that taxes the glutes (Hindu squats, Sumo squats), etc.

Therefore, what I did today was omit leg training from my routine (something I never do) and concentrate on the rest of my workout (pushups, pullups, and bridging). Now, a lot of those tax the glutes as well, but “indirectly”, so the actual muscle hurt is not being taxed as heavily during the movement. But, I still got in a pretty good workout - and there was plenty of blood flow to the injured muscle, which will aid speedy recovery.

Keep in mind also that it’s easy to want to train the injured area anyway - I know this is the case with me - my leg exercises are something I can’t do without, and the “buzz” (as well as overall body workout) I get from training legs is second to NONE - therefore, it was hard for me not to train legs today. But, thats what I had to do to ensure that I a) got a good workout in regardless and b) didn’t strain the injured area more than I need to, so thats what I did.

That goes for all body parts, by the way. So if your suffering from an injury to the traps, you might want to hit the squats extra harder - they’ll give the traps plenty of “indirect” work, but won’t directly tax the affected area and impede recovery.

And that, my friend, is today’s tip.

Get fit - FAST!

Rahul

Dear Reader,

The summer’s well and truly upon us (and it’s just begun!) in terms of rising temperatures, and heat waves for many of us. And today’s post is going to be about training in the heat (which most serious trainees will be doing), and how it affects your body, and consequently, the results you achieve from your routine.

Now, before I get into this - I’d like to preface my statements by saying weather (clement or not) is NOT a reason to skip training (or to start training, for that matter). Sure, you may change things up a bit i.e. you might choose to train at a cooler time of the day in summer, or you might choose to add more indoor work in in place of climbing a hill if it’s stormy weather outside - but the bottom line still is, and remains, train no matter what.

On to the subject matter of today’s post - I’ve always said training in the heat makes one tougher, and gives one greater “focus”. The very act of not quitting when the sweat is dripping off you, and your heart is pounding like a sledgehammer makes you mentally tougher, and the focus developed thus benefits you in all aspects of life, physical or non-physical.

That said, the heat does take a toll on one’s body, and makes some of the tough exercises even tougher. So for instance a set of Sumo squats (a toughie) may take longer to complete in a hotter environment than a cooler one - and even longer if it’s really hot AND humid where your training. Same goes for all other physically taxing activities - and this in turn takes a toll on your body, demanding a) more recovery time and b) more energy to be spent during the workout. Also, most of us are not training “full-time” i.e. we have jobs to keep, lives to lead, and we need all the energy we can get for those endavors as well.

So if it’s real hot where your training, you might want to consider training during a cooler time of the day, if just to conserve energy for workouts to come, and (more importantly) your entire day ahead. Also, it is easier to improve in some of the tougher exercises in a cooler environment than a hotter one. . . purely because the heat and humidity saps you quicker than any exercise will.

The “pro” to the heat though is that if you do well when it’s hot - then you’ll do EVEN better when it’s cooler weather! Trust me, if you can bang out a record number of pushups in the heat, you will be banging way more out in pleasant weather - simply because your body has adapted to doing pushups in a tough environment, making the second instance (doing them in an easier environment) a cinch.

Of course, if you enjoy training in the heat, then by all means do so - but if you find yourself getting fatigued after your workout (more so than normal), then you may want to consider either working out at a different time of the day, or perhaps choose a cooler environment.

So, pros and cons to both - but end of the day, one thing remains constant - and that is - TO TRAIN, no matter what!

Bottom line - do what works for you, and produces results - and you’ll be all the better off for doing so.

All for now!

Rahul

All,

Even the simplest of exercises can be used to give you a superior workout, and this is a truism that cannot be emphasized enough.

These days, we see many people going in for the “latest” treadmills, machines, or just about any gizmo that is the “in thing” to use to get in shape. Many of these folks spend big bucks on these machines, and that is fine - if that is what you want to do, no problems at all from my end. Some folks prefer to go the gym to spend hours on the machines there - and that is fine by me as well. Hey, you have the right to workout as you choose to, right? But, what I am saying here (and what I prefer personally) is to get fit - fast - and with a minimum of fuss/expense, and even the simplest of exercises will aid to that end.

Here are a few “simple” ones that may leave you gasping for breath: -

1. Touching your toes - Yeah, I said that. Believe it or not, this simple routine is tough for many people (slim, overweight, or even those that may be quite “fit” in some regards), due to lack of flexibility in the hips/hamstrings. Do this exercise the strict way i.e. legs straight as a road throughout the movement (no bending of the legs allowed here!!) - and touch your fingers to the floor. Back up again, and make sure you get a full stretch throughout your body while going back up. And, that’s one rep. Go for about 25 reps non-stop.

Breathing is exhale down, inhale up. And if THAT is too easy for you, try touching your palms to the floor while maintaining perfect form - and then talk to me.

2. The “chair” exercise - imagine you were sitting in a straight backed chair with your arms folded across your chest. Only, there’s no chair here, so you get to make the position - exactly the same position - and hold for time. Shoot for about 20 seconds to start with, and work up to 2 or 3 minutes.

If this gets to be easy (I doubt it though), stretch your arms out to the side and hold something while your maintaining that position. Trust me now, and question me later, this one will FRY your entire core and upper back if done correctly!

3. The “front bridge”. Concentrate on your legs and back of your neck while holding the position, as well as your hamstrings. Do this AFTER the back bridge, and shoot for about 2 minutes or so to start with. To make this one tougher, bring your arms behind you (straight behind you) so that your palms are facing the ceiling at an angle. Again, trust me - this minor detail makes the exercise that much tougher to perform correctly!

(Side note: - that’s paradoxical, but true - the front bridge taxes the back of your neck more, while the back bridge taxes the front portion of the neck more)

Those are just three exercises - and there are plenty more as well. “Simple exercises” - can be done by themselves, or can be incorporated into your regular routine for extra work (try any of these in between the “tough” ones i.e. let’s say Sumos followed by the “chair” - WHAM!). Some of them work great for a warm up as well (I generally don’t do the static holds for a warm up), so feel free to mix things up, and work these exercises as you see fit to.

Ok, thats it for today. As always, get fit -FAST!

Rahul

And, I should add “why” on to the end of that question. . .

It’s an often asked question, and a pretty good one, so thats what I’m going to cover today. And without further ado, here’s my answer (or answers, as it were): Yes. Maybe. . . maybe not. No. And, believe it or not, all those are correct answers to this particular question.

First off, let me give you an example from my own life. A few months back, I used to sprint stairs daily while going to work. These were stairs in the subway station - where I’m at, most of the subway runs ABOVE ground, at a height of approximately a three to four story building in most parts, and two stories in the others. A section of it does run underground, so that makes for plenty of stairs, and some interesting workouts if one chooses to use whats “readily available”. I used to sprint these stairs daily, and it became pretty easy to do after a while. Anyway, that’s a different story and one I’ll cover at a later date.

I haven’t been sprinting these stairs for a while now (my “work” life has changed drastically, perhaps for the better, and it does not involve subways en route), but tried doing so yesterday, when I needed to use the subway. And, the results were interesting - I was more “out of breath” than I used to be earlier while doing it, but on the other hand, my legs weren’t aching at all from the sprint.

So, what to make of it? Does my squatting, lunging and miscallaneous leg routine actually transfer over into better performance for sprints?

Yes, and no. To get better at something, one has to do that “something”. So if you want to get better at squats, then squat. If you want to lop off a few seconds off your sprint, then sprint. It’s really that simple.

But, whats important (and this applies to anything) is to build a SOLID BASE. Think of it as a skyscraper - once you build that base, you can literally go as high as you want, without fear of the whole building collapsing. And that theory applies to training as well. Squats of any form build strong, solid legs - and the muscle built therein can be utilized whether one is trying to squat a weight, play soccer, or run up stairs. Pushups strengthen the tendons all over the upper body, and the strength developed thus helps in all activities, from carrying groceries up stairs to wrestling on a mat.

So in that regard, YES, my training DID help while sprinting - in that I didn’t tear a muscle, didn’t strain something in my groins/hamstrings, had the required amount of strength in the muscle to perform the sprint, etc etc.

Now, did it help in the actual “speed” part of the exercise? No, and that is because I haven’t been sprinting as of late. And to get better at anything, end of the day, one has to do that “something”. It bears repeating, as many people tend to skip past this important principle.

So, build a strong base - that will help you in various activities. Once you build that base, improvement in the other activities is only a matter of time - given regular practice and execution of that other activity.

And that, my friends, is today’s post. As always, write in with your thoughts!

Get fit - FAST!

Rahul

Okay, I’ve been talking a lot as of late about changing things up, making the routine a bit longer, perhaps a bit shorter. . . Stuff like that. But, today’s post is about a slight change in my eating routine, rather than a training routine - which has worked GREAT for me!

Some of you loyal readers (you know who you are ) might recall that I had posted something along the lines of “when to train” a while back. In that post, I had said that I personally train after breakfast (a simple enough breakfast of milk and bananas), but that there’s nothing wrong with training on an empty stomach if that works better for you, or the other way around for that matter (so long as there is some gap between the time of eating, and the exercises themselves).

So, back then, it was winter here and I used to eat breakfast after my green tea (look for a post on that as well sometime in the near future!) - and THEN workout after a while. Continued this routine until recently but I’ve been feeling a bit “heavy” in the stomach (while working out) as of late, which in turn makes the exercises a bit harder to go through. I still get through them just fine, but it makes progress that little bit harder - this applies more to bodyweight exercises than weight training BTW, since almost all the bodyweight exercises I train with recruit the core as well.

I think what it is that the breakfast is “sitting” in my stomach these days - not sure why that is, but perhaps it’s the fact that I work (at my computer) for a couple of hours after breakfast without doing much physical activity. Maybe it’s the fact that the heat just gets worse and worse as the day wears on, so the mornings are the best time to train (or late nights, for those of you that enjoy that). Or maybe it’s just that the same amount of food seems to go further in the summertime!

Theories apart, I figured I’d change things up a bit - so today I worked out before breakfast. And, it worked like a charm. I’m back to feeling perfectly normal while working out, and can hit the exercises with vigor - without feeling too full or bloated. And, consequently improve further.

Another advantage of training before breakfast is that it’s obviously a lot earlier in the day, and the heat levels are lower at that time. Which always helps, especially when going through a strenous workout.

So, even the most minor of things can make a difference to your routine. And end of the day - it all depends on how you feel training a certain way, and how your body reacts to it.

That’s it for today’s post - be back again soon!

Rahul

So, today was another “long” workout. Not really long by the typical gym trainee standards - but, it lasted about an hour, and I was hammered at the end of it all. Sweat was dripping off me, and the summer’s just beginning here in all honesty. Each body part was worked throughly, and to the max.

And, I feel GREAT - not worn down or exhausted.

I worked every thing today - as I usually do. What made it better today is that I slowed it down just that extra bit, to enable me to focus and recover on form/execution of ALL the exercises.

And while doing so, I discovered another trick to the Sumo Squat. Without further do, here it is: - While coming down on the squat, really “bang” your foot down i.e. “stomp” while bringing your leg back from the extended “up” position. You’ll find this gives you a better workout in terms of breathing, and also in terms of muscle being worked.

Slowing it down just a little bit also gave me an opportunity to focus on something else which is of paramount importance - but, I’ll let you figure that one out. (Not so subtle) hint: It involves O2.

So, all in all, nothing really new - but, yet another great workout for the books. Which is going to be followed by another one.

And that, dear reader, is exactly how it should be. String together one great workout after the other, and you’ll be holding the keys to - and entering - a whole different world altogether.

I’ll end on that note. Oh, and I’ve been recieving a ton of comments (or should I say pingbacks) from sites - which I really do appreciate - but what is happening is that the comments don’t contain anything meaningful - its more like “xysayzkf http://sss.xxysa.” or “rock stars here - http:// . . . “. Please, by all means, visit the blog, and leave comments - but make sure they at least look like a human being wrote it.

Okay, enough for now. As always - get fit - FAST!

Rahul