I’ve written about this before. Mastery of any exercise.

ANY exercise, no matter how simple.

And I’ve devoted a whole chapter to this very important topic in 0 Excuses Fitness.

Most skip right past it, but hey, big mistake right there.

Ever hear people say, for instance that “pushups are easy! Pooh!”

Well, my friend, did you know that easy or not, the easiest or toughest or not, MASTERING, truly so, any exercise is an ART UNTO ITSELF?

And something most people do NOT accomplish, no matter how accomplished they are.

Bruce Lee being one.

Despite his obvious physical skills, this man would be the first to tell you the above, as he constantly worked at improving the basics (particularly fingertip pushups in his case).

You may not ever get to the point that Lee did which was popping off sets of ONE finger pushups (50 reps/set) in front of goggling audiences and onlookers.

But do you have to get to those extreme levels?

NO (not unless you want to).

You can gain all th strength, muscle and CONDITIONING you need for your ENTIRE LIFE by mastering, really so, the basics!

Let’s take the basic pushup.

The REAL basic stuff.

Can you, for instance, do ONE pushup that takes you FIVE minutes to do cumulatively up and down, and maintain perfect form while at it?

Or, can you pop off 100 perfect ones in a row?

Or, can you do 10 sets of 10 pushups followed by 10 sets of 10 pull-ups with very little rest?

Or, can you do 1000 pushups daily (many boxers do)?

Or, can you . . .

. . . ah, but you get the drift my friend.

There is always a way to make it harder and more challenging. TRUE MASTERY is something the masters will tell you themselves that is nigh on impossible to get to, because we are always challenging ourselves and improving!!

Even if you answered yes to all the above, guess what.

Can you knock of 100 pushups in a set in perfect form with a minute break at the bottom of each pushup?

And so forth.

You get the point!

And adopting this mentality in your training will not only make you as close a “Master” (or “Mistress” as the case might be! ?) at the exercise as you humanly can be, but will also build WORLD Class levels of strength and conditioning to boot.

Yours truly likes to, as I’ve said before focus on a LIMITED number of main exercises per workout.

And for now, and for a few months now, for me it’s been rope jumping and pull-ups.

Sometimes you have no other option but to do the above, and other times (like now) you DO, but in both cases, focusing on less and really HAMMERING it is better.

In all regards.

Believe me, when your cranking out 2000 plus reps on the weighted jump ropes without a break in record time . . . or even without a break, period, you’ll know what I mean by the above!

Or when Animal kingdom workouts seem like nothing even when you combine them with 100 pull-ups per workout . . .

Or, . . . you get the picture!

Mastery, my friend, is what you should always be aiming for. And while you may never get there, you’ll get pretty damn close if you TRY. That I do guarantee.

And that point, you’ll be saying and writing about the same thing yourself! ?

Best.

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Here is where you can pick up the BEST damn course out there on pushups – Pushup Central. Truly the best, most challenging and most EXHAUSTIVE – I CHALLENGE you to find something better!! ?

So, it’s been an interesting day.

Wacko Glyn (remember, I wrote about him) has apparently been foaming at the mouth about something or the other and is getting his knickers in a twist that I blocked him on social media.

Along with a few other bozos.

And of course, his enablers seem to be at it, but this post isn’t about that. We’ll address that later!

For now, lets look at what Charlene, a reader from (apparently) South Africa had to say to me –

Im pretty sure I would break something if I try any of these but I do advocate strength training:) Glad you arent as clumsy as I am...hope one day I can at least achieve one handstand pushup. Good read!

(This was w.r.t my emails on handstand pushups a while back).

And then, to a recent post about hill sprints and pull-ups - -

Ah, Pushups are my nemesis! Can't even do one properly without my hubby helping me up however my hubby swears by pushups but I don't think he knows about the hill sprints before the actual pushup workout. Thank you, will def let him know or better yet, I will let him read your article:)

(now, I did write the article about doing pull-ups, but hey, pushups work as well . . . )

My responses were as follows:

Get good at regular pushups first, Charlene before moving to these. I'm a pretty clumsy guy btw, so if I can do it - anyone! Hehe. Coming from one whose wife once called him Mr Handstand pushup, hehe. Maybe I'll do a post about that soon!

And to the second . . .

Haha, keep trying Charlene! You'll get there - we all gotta start SOMEPLACE! ;-) And yes - the more you get in shape with hill sprints (but start out SLOW!) - the easier them pushups and pullups get!

Now ,key lessons and takeaways from all this (minus the wacko Schofield part , of course!) –

That one, you don’t necessarily need to be a trapeze artist or a hand balancing expert to do any of what I recommend, and even the handstand pushups.

Lots of people have asked me why I don’t include something on FREESTANDING handstand pushups in my books.

Well, I could – but Idon’t for the same reason I haven’t put out a book on doing one armed work as yet.

Because, for the vast majority of people, the BASIC stuff is what they a) need to get good at first, and b) they don’t necessarily even need anything beyond that.

Believe me, the stuff I teach you in 0 Excuses Fitness and my other BASIC courses are enough to kick even seasoned trainees in the can the first few times they try it, and enough to give you a workout that will kick your BOOTY for the rest of your life, my friend.

Big time.

And if you don’t believe me, well, just TRY some of the stuff first.

But if you really want to go advanced (and even basic handstand pushups are advanced) ?

Well, that’s why I teach you how to do ‘em against the wall, and that’s why I teach you how to do it in a completely different manner than what most of the “experts” recommend!

And second, you gotta start someplace, and with a lot of ladies, pushups are best done on your knees when you first start.

And YES, ladies, you CAN do pushups, and YES, YES, YES, you can do pull-ups – and the latter better than guys in many cases!

I ain’t kidding you my friend. I’ve seen several examples of women that you wouldn’t necessarily consider bionic pump out pull-ups like no tomorrow while the gym bros gawk on in amazement (And the wackos stare and pull their you know what’s).

Hehe.

Believe me – you ladies can do bodyweight stuff out there just as well as guys can, and while pushups may be a bit of an exception to that general rule, you sure CAN do ‘em!

I’ll have more on this in future.

For now, let me end by saying that yours truly was and has often been labeled “Clums” (that’s right, without the “y”) because . . . well, he can be incredibly clumsy at times!

And if he can do handstand pushups, well, so can you – if you work up to it!

And that’s that for now. Back again with more sizzlers – yee haa!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – HERE is the ONE DEFINITIVE course on handstand pushups that will get you from “clumsy zero” status to repping them out like there is NO tomorrow – Shoulders like Boulders.

So, hindsight is always 20/20 eh?

And it is.

I was talking to a friend of mine this afternoon about this, and many memories came flooding back.

A country I fell in love with at the callow age of 17 . . . if just due to the sheer FREEDOM it offered, and the “smell of opportunity”!

A jaunt down to the local U.S. Army recruiting center . . .

China, way back in 2004 when I first showed up there - - and believe it or not, that China was a far, far nicer place to be in than the China of TODAY.

Yes, they were hiding their strengths and biding their time!

But it was still a nicer place to be, and much much more “open” in many regards. The Internet etc wasn’t near as closed as it is now, and in general, it was just a far nicer and “developing” place to be – which again, in turn meant OPPORTUNITY – and there was lots of it back then!

Now?

The polar opposite, and that’s sad, because the Chinese people as a whole didn’t really do much to “Deserve” what is going on now.

Then again, did they not?

As we think, so we are. The great Claude Bristol wrote about this in the Magic of Believing, and he’s RIGHT.

I find it hard to believe that Communist China could have and does keep more than a billion people literally under it’s thumb without those people “tactitly agreeing” to the repression (and worse than that if we’re talking about the Ughurs and other ethnic minorities) . . .

. . . anyway, where am I going with this, you might ask?

Damned good question. Other than the numerous flashbacks pouring in, I’m not quite sure myself!

But the trip to the US Army recruitment center stands out, and I was chatting with my friend about it this morning . .  .

Many other things do as well, but this email is about hindsight. If’s, but’s, maybe, many things!

And while yours truly could certainly have probably joined the Army, or Marines, or perhaps even stayed on long term in the US, it didn’t quite work out that way due to various reasons.

If you read Think and Grow Rich, or “Outwitting the Devil”, or any of the other books by Napoleon Hill, a man roundly ridiculed in his time as a “charlatan”, but revered today as a thought leader and indeed a visionary, you’ll find one common thread.

At least, the thinkers amongst you will.

You’ll see that the guy could have done damn well anything he put his mind to, but for whatever reason, down the years, despite all the many businesses he was “into”, he never really succeeded until he found and STUCK to his main purpose in life (and finding that itself was a journey that took many many years!).

WHAT is it that you were truly brought onto this planet to DO, my friend?

WHAT is the ONE THING that nigh on NO-ONE - - even your worst enemies would even think of criticizing you for?

That ONE THING is the thing you were meant to do and until you find out that thing, and DO it, well, hindsight’s will keep popping up in mind!

And they did for me today, but not for the reason mentioned above.

Yes, sometimes yours truly sits back and reflects upon “what if I had done this”.

What if I had taken a different path. Made a different choice. NOT made all the mistakes I have, and still do.

Had more support.

Was “shown the right direction” (and more importantly in the right WAY, as a professor of mine tried to do once . . .) . . .

And after thinking about all of it, do you know the UNANIMOUS and unflinching decision I always arrive at?

That things always happen for a reason my friend.

And would I change a damn thing about the past, pleasant or not?

Hell no.

I wouldn’t be the person I am today without all those experiences shaping me!

And last, but not least, fitness wise?

Curiously enough, or maybe NOT, much like napoleon Hill, despite my many ups and downs, despite the uncanny similiarity my life thus far bear to Hill’s, there is ONE thing (that much like Hill) I have NEVER compromised upon.

Not for long periods at least.

My fitness.

Back then, I swam, and walked a hell of a lot up and down stairs etc. I wrote about that in the book on 16 Inspirational Fitness Recollections!

In China, I did pushups and found my hill courtesy the very “stern” Miss Lee. Thank you Madam – that is the ONE thing I’ll remember you for, always will!

(A hill right next to my house, right under my nose, and I didn’t even know about it! Haha).

I then moved on to subway sprints during my couple of years in Delhi.

IN the Middle East, it was runs along the beach and hitting the heavy bag.

Back in China, back to my hill, and then . . . finally, well, 0 Excuses Fitness, and well, you know the rest!

Would I change a damn thing?

Hell no.

But fitness wise, this is the point I’m making.

Lots of people look back and say “oh, I COULD do this when I was younger”.

Or, “I wish I had done this . . . “

Well, unlike many other choices my friend, fitness is a choice where you aren’t constrained by much other than your own thinking and BODY.

And there’s always a way, my friend. Always a way if there is a will.

On that note, I’ll leave you be, but before that . . .

It ain’t about “what if” and “but” when it comes to fitness”, or hindsight.

It’s about doing the thing now – and getting to work – NOW!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Here is where you can learn how I got into the best damned shape of my life – The 0 Excuses Fitness System.

Ok, here I go again with sprints, and Bourne sprints at that!

I’ve made NO secret of my liking for the Bourne series. Although the books were ten times better than the movie (aint that always the case my friend), Matt Damon does the role justice in a way only he can.

Truly a legend, and I’ve mentioned before that the “Supremacy” is my favorite installment in the series.

And mostly because of the workout montages, and no, unlike the first, there’s no pull-ups involved.

But there is something arguably even more intense and BRUTAL and a super muscle and strength (and health) builder than that in the movie – something I talk about in Advanced Hill Training.

Sprints!

Done right.

In the movie, you see Bourne sprinting all out at the start as a workout, and in the middle of it, he’s literally doing that and more – to save his life.

And the reason I bring it up is the world we live in today, as well as “no reason in particular”

But the question begets.

Can you run ALL OUT – I mean ALL OUT for more than 30 seconds at a stretch, or even half?

Can part of that be in crazy traffic and uphill/up stairs?

CAN you do what Bourne did which looks spectacular and that which I’ve mentioned before – i.e. jump onto a Metro platform with  a train headed his way full tilt, jump UP AND OUT of the way in JUST The nick of time, and repeat, and then fly off the platform, quite literally!

Or jump off it, but youget the point.

And then do a version of a pulling movment on the underside of a bridge with a fractured knee?

You get my point, my friend!

I’m happy to report most of this is doable for me. Perhaps not 30 seconds all out for me, but 15 – YES.

And perhaps more than that as well.

Uphill?

No problem.

Not sure about the Metro stuff, but I CAN do the jumps themselves (box jumps I believe they’re called) and so should YOU (try to work on it) if you can’t do ‘em – one of the best plyometrics ever (Charles, the book is on it’s way – iteration #2 as it were due to the computer crash, but it’s on it’s way!!).

But anyway, point of me bringing it up is not to brag, but rather add this skill on to that rather long list of things I wrote about once about “every man should be able to do things to save his own life if need be”

Or something to that effect.

And I’m sad to say it, but the vast majority of modern men cannot even BEGIN to do said things.

And as the world goes to bits around us, my friend, the one thing we CAN CONTROL is ourselves, and our fitness.

And if there is one takeaway from this email, ONE MESSAGE that I can and damn well WILL give ya, I t’s this.

Take care of your health and fitness my friend.

The right way.

Not only is it the best damned investment you’ll ever make, but it might just save your life ONE day!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – and here is the System that will put the fundamentals in place for the best damn fitness gains of your entire LIFE. You wouldn’t build a skyscraper without putting in the building blocks, right? Well, the same holds true for fitness!

PS – Serious fitness fanatics only please, or the average Joe that WANTS to get in shape and FAST – and faster than anything else in the world. No lookie lous or time wasters please – waste someone else’s time (or as my daughter likes to say “haunt someone else’s dreams”) if that’s you!

PPS -So says Mr. Fast. ?

I had an idea recently in the shower, and just had to write to you about it.

Not the idea itself, but the “concept” behind it.

And my idea was getting my daughter to do supported handstands while I hold her ankles, and have her walk around in that position.

That’s a FANTASTIC exercise by the way, and the only reason it ain’t included in either Battletank Shoulders or Shoulders like Boulders is because you pretty much need someone to hold on to your legs for that, unless you’re at elite status and can do it on your own.

(And you can, if you work up to it, but most of YOU reading the books wouldn’t be able to at the start, and therefore . . . ?).

Now, that reminded me of a dinner (lunch, actually) I was having with a couple of students of mine once a few years ago.

I gobbled up my food, while they kept picking at it for a while.

And Carol (remember her??) told me a couple of days later about this once.

“You’re Mr. Fast”, she giggled. “You do everything fast!”

“Talk fast, type fast, read fast, EAT fast” (for background, she was an English student first, and fitness student later, so . . . )

(Talk about killing two “birds” with one stone, pun NOT intended) . . .

Anyway, we gave her a nickname as well.

And I’ve been called worse things of course! ?

And there are worse things TO BE than be this way, and as I recently told my daughter.

“Honey, you should be a speed demon at most things!”

Anyway, my wife a couple of years ago saw me doing handstand pushups.

And that night in bed with my daughter they were discussing a name for me.

And while my daughter came up with several hilarious names, my wife hit the nail on the head when she said “nah”.

“He’s Mr. Handstand pushup!”

And so I am my friend.

So I am, and there are WORSE things to be! ?

Has there ever been a name YOU were called and that just “stuck”?

Write back – and let me know!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS: As I wrote about recently, handstand pushups done right are one of the best exercises out there that you can do, and everyone should get damn good at them. But the basics are always key and HERE is the System that will get you firmly ground in the basics (and truth be told, this is a fitness system you could follow your entire life without doing nothing else and still make gains) – https://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

PS #2 – Check out our other products as well while you’re at it!

And pull-ups alone!

I’ll never forget the time when my little girl asked me for help a couple of years back.

I think it was in 2017, but I’m not entirely sure. Anyway, her pencil box had gotten stuck to the table.

“Dad! Someone glued my pencil box to the table, and I can’t get it off, and neither can Mommy!”

(Mommy tried, but couldn’t apparently)

“Well, who glued it”, I asked.

“Not me!!!” she replied, with that look in her eye which said clearly that she HAD, of course! ?

Young kids, hehe.

Anyway, it’s no secret that my daughter has been exercising with me since she was born pretty much. I still remember her when she was a baby, all of six months of age with her little feet on my chest doing monkey bars swings out in the park, or trying to!

And as I looked at the pencil box, yes. It was stuck solid.

“That’s OK, honey”, I told my daughter. “Remember, us gorillas can do it! Pull harder!”

(She did and does pull-ups with me only so she can become a gorilla, for those of you that did not know, hehe).

She pulled, but it didn’t come off. It was solidly stuck.

I tried.

Couldn’t budge it on first try.

Moved the desk around to a different angle, pulled again, and presto.

The thing came off, far easier than I expected.

“Second problem, Dad”, my little girl said. “Now we can’t open the pencil box”.

Apparently she had glued that too.

OK, no problem.

I prised it open with two fingers, positioning my fingers much like I would in a fingertip pushup . . .

And that, my friend, is the sort of strength that PULL-UPS done right on THICK BARS that I keep carping about can give you.

Sure, it’s good to do ‘em on pull-up bars at home.

Sure, it’s GREAT to do ‘em on the regular pull-up stands, but nothing, I repeat, nothing beats the STRENGTH, the sheer, crushing APE like strength you get from pull-ups . . .

. . . and add in fingertip pushups to the mix, and OH MY!

The above TWO are TWO tips I’ve often given people that want to improve their grip strength beyond belief, and sadly, these tips are oft IGNORED.

Oh well.

Can lead a horse to water, but can’t make it drink!

On a side note, years ago, I think in 2004 or something (or maybe later, I don’t know), a massive silverback gorilla was caged in an Orlando Zoo.

And escaped.

How?

The guys that made the enclosure had made the enclosure gorilla proof in that the gorilla had NOTHING to grab onto to hoist himself up and escape.

But they accidentally left one small, TINY crack in the wall of his enclosure.

He found it.

Put one knuckle in it - - and used THAT to hoist his ENTIRE massive body up and over the enclosure!

THAT is real strength my friend. Not sitting down and curling weights, or lying flat on your back and pushing a moronic weight until “you can’t strain no more”.

THAT IS A REAL STORY TOO! Hehe. I said in caps because it deserves to be said in caps.

That’s real strength – animal strength, and if you saw King kong and wondered if it was all make believe – well – the strength part wasn’t!

And that’s why I put out the book on Animal Kingdom Conditioning my friend.

Lots of you can’t do pull-ups in high numbers.

But you CAN do floor exercise to begin with!

And a lot of what I teach you in Animal Kingdom Conditioning is done on the floor and WILL Build that primal, ape like strength – or set a damn good foundation – or both!!

And once you’re done with that, get cranking on pull-ups my friend. Truly one of the best damned exercises you can do!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – Make sure to do ‘em on the THICKEST bars you can find!

PS #2 – In terms of courses, HERE is the first course you need – Pull-ups – from DUD To STUD within a matter of weeks! (and no, the title ain’t just marketing as you can see from the testimonials).

P.P.S – Grab the ADVANCED course as well right HERE – Pull-ups from STUD to SUPER STUD within WEEKS!

P.P.S #1 – Or, for a value added grab, grab the COMPILATION (yes, value for money! ?) right HERE.

I just did up a post on CRUSHING grip strength and was going to post it here. But, as I was going to do so I saw an email from Charles Mitchell, a long term customer that I just HAD to reply to! Hehe.

Here is what he asked –

I own both your books, Shoulders like boulders, and Battle Tank Shoulders.  Would you say that Handstand Pushups are the best bodyweight exercises to develop the traps?

 (for reference, this was in response to an email I sent you a day or so ago about  giving the impression of being much bigger than you normally ARE!).

And here is what my response was :

Hi Charles

Thanks for the email! Yes, if you can do ‘em right and in high reps (I once got to a point where I was pumping out a 100 handstand pushups in proper FORM per workout, but that ain’t easy I’ll tell you! ?) then YES, they are one of the best exercises out there to develop the traps.

Ideally, I’d do them with pull-ups if you can do pull-ups (one exercise helps the other as you know) but to answer your question definitively – YES – they are – but pull-ups are a close, close “trailer” in that regard as well!

Both exercises are super for building the grip and forearms as well (which naturally leads to better performance on exercises, and obviously bigger/stronger trapezius/upper back muscles).

Best,

Rahul

And it’s true, my friend.

Handstand pushups are not only the best exercise to build that “massive upper body” and “barndoor lats/delts” you’ve always wanted, but YES, they ARE probably the best exercise out there for traps as well - - IF, and this is a big IF, you do ‘em right!

Some of the guys I coach one on one have had the same, or similar questions, and I told them the same thing.

Handstand pushups are one of the most difficult exercises you can do my friend, and it takes a while for people to work up to them.

That’s why I have the books out there, of course, but in and as of itself, this one exercise will build a chest that looks like it’s made of granite as well (that “packed chest” look if you get my drift).

And, NO, it isn’t just about looks. Looks to me were but a by product when I worked up to doing 100 HSPU’s (and pull-ups, and hill climbs!) per workout.

The sheer feeling of being “on top of the world” and STRONG - - really STRONG - - from the inside out (yes, they’re a fantastic core movement too my friend!) is really what makes it all worth it.

And last, but not least – remember that pull-ups, as I said, are but a close outlier.

Another solid exercise, and if you do 100 pull-ups and 100 handstand pushups per workout, let me just tell you you’ll be headed to “Strongman” status very soon.

As my friend from the Marines once famously said . . .

“You’re goddamned right!” (when I told him that 100 pull-ups per workout was EASY (for me, at least!) but try doing 100 handstand pushups per workout! ?).

For background on that, check out the 0 Excuses Fitness blog, but the gist is that he was saying 100 pull-ups per workout is tough for anyone.

IS it?

Not if you work up to it the right way!

I’m currently NOT doing handstand pushups as part of my routine, but I’m doing “extra thick” bar pullups.

I mean REALLY thick!

And that’s what I’m going to write to you about in the next email (I was going to send it to you NOW, but this question from Charles deserves more attention), so here goes!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

PS – If you’re interested in building a cast iron grip, then check out the “Evergreen” best seller (along with the 0 Excuses Fitness System) at 0 Excuses Fitness – Gorilla Grip! A course that when I first put out I had NO idea if it would even sell, and now, years later . . . !!!! Amen, as they say! ?

PS #2 – Questions such as these from folks that truly do GET it make my day! Thanks Charles; you truly are an INSPIRATION to everyone out there!

PPS – YES, YOU TOO can send me your questions. My one on one coaching services can be applied for right here if you so choose, but if you have a training related question you’d like answered - - send it my way, and we’ll see what we can do!

I’ve written about it before, havent I?

The sheer meditative effect some of these workouts have, specifically Hindu pushups and pushup workouts . . . if done right, that is.

And today I’ll take it to another level. Or I did, I should say And I can barely STANd at the time of writing this!

(before writing it!)

And what did I do?

Well, the majority of my 2000 jump rope workout today was accomplished with eyes closed today.

I divided it up into two halves.

1000 each, eyes closed for the majority of it.

If you don’t think that’s a big deal (the eyes closed part), well, a) think again and b) TRY it before you say it!

It might not be a bad idea to do this on a padded surface (not cell, hehe). Don’t worry. I’m not implying you’ve become a lunatic or will upon doing this, and I certainly haven’t (not any more than people think I am anyway?).

But believe me, I fell over while doing this. And you will too.

You’ll likely bump into things.

You’ll likely twist towards your dominant side or weaker side. And more . . .

Sayeth the person who today started to “torque” towards whats my naturally (but no longer) weaker side, the right, and then funnily enough during set #2, the opposite.

And sayeth me, who ended up getting a nasty bruise on the chin the first time he did this sets of 10 pull-ups . . .

(granted, that was towards the end of the 100 pull-up workout. But still!)

And I did the first set in 12 minutes. The second in 10.

And for those wondering why I did the second quicker, well, I have this to say.

The FOUR minute break that I took in between was part of the reason, or most of it.

And this four minute break was taken in a sitting position, but not sitting down, at least not what you’d associate with those words.

I sat “down” in a position most people couldn’t get into, and breathed in and out deeply with eyes closed for the count of 120. REAL slow breaths, in and out.

240 seconds. Four minutes in the Asian squat position which most people cannot get into today, let alone HOLD. (and this includes “modern Asians” too!).

I once put out a series of emails on fitness tests, and while the “table” position was it, this wasn’t, I think.

But it should be!

And the benefits of this position?

Well, they go way beyond “active recovery”

Those of you that have trouble “going” (the vast majority reading this I bet) better do this next to a commode. Hehe.

I know I had to go, and I don’t have said problems!

And this position stretches out your hips and joints of the lower body in a way you can’t imagine when held for time. Not to mention you won’t need any calf stretches at all if you hold THIS position, as opposed to the regular one I teach (the Hindu squat on your toes).

And for those of you with tight hamstrings, this will solve that problem too. Believe me!

And while I ain’t prepared to say this position (or squats done in this position ) are better than the good ole Hindu squat I teach, I do ALL my squats this way these days, for a very good reason!

Anyway, can almost hear my daughter “goading” me on.

Come on Dad, you can only do 70! I can do 200!

And she can.

She’s a little champ, not just at this position but at ALL positions and exercises that emanate from this one position, stuff I’ve covered in Animal Kingdom Workouts. If you’ve got even a sliver of fat on your body, these workouts will get rid of it, and fast!

(She isn’t that good at HW, but hey . . . ?).

Anyway, where were we you ask.

I did . .  .

Eyes closed.

Ok.

So, this sort of thing will not only be RELAXING once you start getting into it, but you’ll also build spatial awareness like never before, especially if you do advanced stuff like one arm pushups or jumps. Or squats. Or jump squats.

And I do not recommend doing anything you’re not entirely comfortable with this way.

If you can do 100 pull-ups per workout, give these a shot towards the start and work into it.

Ditto for 2000 jumps. Or 20 pushups. Or 5, if that’s all you can do (as many currently can).

And not only that, you’ll build strength in a way you never thought you could.

And most importantly, you’ll automatically visualizing you and your body moving through space while you’re working out with eyes closed, whether you consciously try or not.

Mental workout x 10, and while you CAN visualize with eyes open, and although I recommend doing so with eyes closed when you start you CAN do ‘em with eyes open – but doing it this way?

Whole different ball game my friend!

Try these sort of workouts, and let me know how you do!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Here is where you can grab the 0 Excuses Fitness System. You’ll see me doing all my exercise barefoot in there, and that by itself is another tip for you – barefoot exercise is a whole different ball of wax I’ll write about soon that WILL give you a better workout!

I recently remembered something a “friend” (I should actually say student of mine) told me once after my nth climb up the hill.

“They’re not really climbing”, she said, pointing to some other folks ascending them steep, steep slopes on a Saturday afternoon in May (and it was HOT my friend. Oh YES!).

It wasn’t just hot. It was one of those hot muggy days where it would occasionally rain for a bit throughout the day.

Hot rain.

It would NOT cool down at all after that.

If anything, it would get even more oppressively hotter, and on an “exposed” mountain like I climb, well, trust me - - you’d feel it.

Especially if you climb five times during the day as my “crazy” ass used to, hehe.

I later reduced this to 4 times a day in the morning, but I still felt it, but anyway . . .

This was one of those times I saw Kelly (her name) climbing when I was on my (I think) fourth slog up the hill.

Being she was only halfway up when I finished round #4 and started #5, I figured I’d climb WITH her.

And as we finally reached the top of that hill, I was almost DEAD.

Almost GONE.

The sweat was pouring off me like nothing before.

I was literally DRIPPING sweat every time I moved  - - a shower of sweat as it were.

PUDDLES were forming under me every time I moved. Quite literally, and my shoes were “squelching”.

I don’t know if I mentioned this in “16 inspirational fitness recollections”, but it certainly IS one of them.

And there are a lot more mentioned in that book . . .

And why do I tell you this?

Well, because THOSE are the sort of workouts (and the sort of commitment) that really get you in TOP shape.

That really get the WAIST whittled down.

And that really BURN fat off you like nothing else.

A close alternative, though not quite the same (but pretty damned good anyway) is the rope sprints I do, closely followed by another movement right after.

And the animal like movement workouts I do, mentioned in my latest book Animal Kingdom Workouts.

And so on and so forth.

It’s about workouts that burn fat, and BLAST that pesky FAT off your body quicker than anything else, and those workouts, my friend are the type of workouts I give you in all my books.

Go get ‘em here!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. -Back from workout #2 (late, late night workout, and I feel GREAT!).

So I must admit it.

I’m confounded.

Can’t figure it out.

Don’t understand just what the heck the leader of India, an Asian giant and an economic powerhouse at that is thinking . . .

You on the list no doubt know about the Chinese aggression (completely unwarranted and brutal at that) that took place in the Galwan Valley between India and China last month, and (unless you’ve been living under a rock) are well aware of the Chinese atrocities committed at home (Ughur Muslims, dissidents, just about anyone that “She the pooh” doesn’t agree with) and the aggression against ALL it’s neighbors.

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking a rogue nation that capsized a Vietnam fishing boat recently. (Perhaps that’s what prompted the Russians to quietly step in into Vietnam’s waters and make sure that the oil rich waters around there aren’t used exclusively by the PRC!).

It doesn’t matter if we’re talking border disputes with all it’s neighbors.

Audacious land grabs in Nepal and Bhutan (two tiny Himalayan states without the muscle to stand up to the big bully). Disputes with Japan and the Phillipines. And of course, the eternal Taiwan issue.

And most recently, the brazenly audacious law passed in HK that pretty much criminalizes even yours truly sitting here writing about it (actually, if any of the reporters that wrote the pieces that you read about all this passed through HK right about now, they’d probably be hauled in too!).

Things are just getting more and more unbelievable in 2020, my friend. Truly the year of the survivor as I predicted way back in March . . .

Anyway, as far as PM Modi is concerned, the most shocking decision was apparently reached by both the Indian and Chinese yesterday (or thereabouts). A decision that (as usual) blatantly favors the rogues and aggressors, and (as usual) leaves India at a massive, glaring, disadvantage.

What the Chinese have been doing for AGES in India is salami slicing territory away based on vague claims that are NOT supported in any way, shape or form (other than the rubbish the PRC pulls out of his ass as “supporting documents”).

They essentially intrude, claim the land they intruded upon, and then (after a lengthy brouhaha) apparently “retreat” - - and then promptly start to claim the land AROUND which they made the initial claim.

And before you know it, in all the round table discussions, and the meaningless Chinese style of discussion that ensures that ALL discussions go round and round in circles with NO meaningful (if any at all) agreements being reached, the land somehow becomes “disputed territory claimed by the Chinese” as opposed to another sovereign country’s territory.

And they advance again. Salami slice again. And so it goes and so it HAS been going for ages with ALL neighbors; not just India.

You’d think they’d be scared of the Russians, but recently an even more audacious claim was made about the Russian city of Vladivostok I believe belonging to them! Not to mention the entire country of Kazakhstan.

I can only thank Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo for being the two world leaders bold enough to take a stance, and come out and say it, since no-one else apparently is!

And that’s pretty much Trump in my opinion is the BEST LEADER the WORLD has ever seen, hands down.

He’s sent into those two big boys into the Taiwan Straits for a reason my friend. Each of them has enough firepower to destroy a small nation, and it is NOT a coincidence that the Chinese FM issued a statement shortly thereafter saying “we were never trying to outdo the US!”

Yeah. Right!

Anyway, back to Modi.

The agreement negotiated this time is apparently that the LAC over which the skirmish occurred remains what it was before the fight broke out, but this time there will be a buffer zone of 1.5 km on BOTH SIDES OF IT, into which neither army can intrude.

This LAC, by the way is a line that has been “pushed inwards” by the Chinese over the years, and India under Modi in years gone by finally took a stance, and started to patrol right along the LAC to ensure no more salami slicing took place.

And now?

The Chinese aren’t losing in any which way. In fact they haven’t even retreated from all the positions that they took over, and have actually fortified themselves along some of them, notably the lake in that area (I forget the name, but it’s a very beautiful lake indeed!).

And the Indians?

They’re being forced to build a buffer zone on their OWN LAND.

And in all this, PM Modi is strangely silent.

You see him doing yoga in the mountains and chanting “Om”. (the chant the yogis used while meditating apparently).

All well and good mi amigo, but when someone’s got a gun to your head, all the yoga in the world ain’t gonna save your ass.

And though the Indian army has apparently been given “carte blanche” to respond to the cHinese, the ground realities do NOT reflect this fact.

Lots of people are angry.

Some claim Modi has sold out.

Some claim Modi is SCARED of China.

Some claim he’s in cahoots with them.

And ludicrious though these Bolton like claims sound, some of it might have some standing knowing how politicians in general are but I aint convinced.

Not by a long shot.

The same Modi that brazenly and RIGHTLY responded to the URI terror attacks with a surgical strike that left the rest of the world in NO doubt about the “new India”.

The same Modi that stood the Chinese down and again, rightly so in 2017 in Doklam (Bhutan) when they were attempting to bully them (of course, they ended up retreating and then grabbing territory right AROUND the “disputed area” anyway, so who was the real winner?)

And the same Modi that ordered air strikes in retaliation for the Pulwana terror attack.

And the same Modi, of course that was wayyyyy back in the day refused a visa by the U.S. for his alleged involvement (actually, it’s “alleged” on paper; the people involved know what actually happened!) in the Gujarat communal riots way back in the day.

Just what the heck is going on?

If he’s sold out - - well, that didn’t seem apparently during 2017. And for some reason, my gut tells me that he hasn’t.

There is more going on than meets the eye here my friend.

The Chinese could not beat the Indians in an all out war, else they would have done so years ago, and while this isn’t a military blog, I’ll be more than happy to tell you WHY if you’re so interested, but for now, that’s the fact for as it stands.

The last battle they fought was with Vietnam which their mini skirt wearing soldiers (sorry Xi, but that was just ludicrious last year during the National Day parade) lost, and how . . .

Economically, the virus the Chinese introduced has weakened the entire planet.

And so maybe, just maybe, Modi is buying time . . . but again, that don’t make sense.

The Chinese have been hit hard too, except they don’t admit it. And their so called giant economy is a house of cards waiting to topple. Believe me, those numbers they put out are SO far away from the truth it ain’t even funny (and hence the actions taken against their own people that CALL Them out for the liars and bullies they are).

So I don’t get it my friend. Especially not now, when the time is ripe, and there has never been a better time to take down the wannabe “Hitler” that is threatening not just country but as Pompeo (I believe) correctly said and as yours truly has been blathering on for ages about, the WHOLE WORLD!

I don’t get it.

IF you do, let me know what is happening! ?

Anyway, this applies to fitness too. And how you ask?

Well, look at what is going on RIGHT NOW.

Around you.

As the lockdowns etc quietly come back into place in many areas, people are sitting at home, scared, and getting FATTER than ever.

Many console themselves by looking at the ever expanding bulge in the mirror and saying “it’s ok. Its just for now. Times are tough! I’ll get fit later…”

Well, guess what my friend.

That weight is salami slicing your V shape off, and much like the territory the Chinese gobble up regularly, it ain’t gonna be easy getting it back.

It’s far easier to halt the fat when it’s piling on as opposed to AFTER it’s piled on.

Can it be done?

Sure.

But it’s a lot easier to do it when the “iron is hot” so to speak, and when the belly fat is in it’s NASCENT Stages.

Ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. It just makes it worse.

Ditto for weak links in your body, my friend. Ignoring them doesn’t make them stronger. It makes them WEAKER.

And that’s precisely why I’ve come out with Animal Kingdom Workouts - - a book that will truly challenge you and take your workouts to the next level, and strengthen EVERY muscle and tendon in your body like never before.

IF you thought what I gave you in Advanced Hill Training was tough, well, you’ll be BLOWN away at what I give you here my friend.

Quite literally so!

And fat on your body will become a thing of the past so quickly that you won’t even know where said fat went.

Or how it piled on in the first place.

Anyway, this piece is getting too long. Double my normal “length”, so I’ll end it here.

But think about everything I’ve said here my friend. YES - - this sort of thing DOES impact us all and the sooner we ALL COLLECTIVELY speak up as the FREE (and HEALTHY! ?)WORLD - - the better!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Here is where you can grab Advanced Hill Training - https://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/

P.S #2 – Kiddie Fitness is another course that has been really getting great reviews. Here is where you can grab this - -  https://0excusesfitness.com/kiddie-fitness/

P.P.S – Xi is often called “Winne the Pooh” in the mainland (albeit quietly, hehe) hence the “She” up there! ?