Dear Reader,

Was rifling through some old pictures on my dumbphone, and saw a bunch of old pics that I haven’t come across in ages.

I was actually looking for a few client pics to share on our Instagram account – – pics that I took way, way back in the day when I was starting my fitness biz (well, a few years into it to be accurate) – – and funnily enough these ladies (the clients I’m referring to) did NOT want to lose weight.

Their requirement was actually to gain weight in a healthy manner and keep it on without losing their flexibility. Strange how that works sometimes, eh?!

Anyway, while I was going through these pics I found a bunch of other pictures that for whatever reason caught my attention, and I paused to take a deep breath, and look through this gigantic archive that I’ve seemingly got “locked up” in my dumb phone.

‘Tis a nice, relaxed Monday morning here – and that, my friend, as I’ve said so often in the past is one of the GREAT things about doing your own thang. I’m sitting here “working in my skivvies” as I type this to ya and it don’t get no better than that!

Anyway, so as I looked through the photos, I found a bunch of photos of me “in another life”.

Photos of me in Oman (back when I did a consulting gig for a company).

Photos of me climbing the almighty HILL I refer to so often – – except these photos weren’t from 2004 – – they were from 2010. Pity we didn’t got dem dumb phones back then, hehe (hey, I found at least ONE use for a dumb phone!).

And of course, photos of me teaching – but not fitness – English as a second language in China – which as I’ve written about extensively in the past is something I did before, but never quite liked – and try and avoid for the most part.

But there were certain fun times to be had though, and this particular bunch of ladies I was teaching were a blast to work with! You can see the pictures on our Instagram account – – I haven’t yet gotten around to Twitter etc but look for updates there shortly as well.

Now, why do I bring this up, you might ask?

Well, first off, to point out that though I didn’t really like teaching English back then either, those were “good times” much like now.

And it’s always good to keep good memories in mind – – whether or not those memories are current or not.

As I rifled through the pics I thought about many things.

I thought about the difficulties I had to occasionally overcome, and the obstacles that most people face on a daily basis – – and how I overcame them – – somehow overcame them.

I thought about things I didn’t want to do – – and how I always wanted to do my own thang – – and now here I am, DOING it – – and in that regard I consider myself lucky as well.

Most of all though, the good feelings and vibes that spread through me were so potent that I even considered out reaching out to Cindy and sharing these feelings – – she’s not in this particular picture, but that’s how I initially met her. More on that later though!

Point being this – – we ALL have times in our lives when we’re feeling down. Feeling tired and depressed, frustrated even.

Maybe you’ve had a shit day at work. Maybe you’re having marital issues. Maybe the daughter just doesn’t stop coughing at night and you’ve got several early mornings ahead of you.

Whatever the case might be, happens to all of us.

And one of the best things you can do in such a situation is to take a deep breath, step BACK – and ruminate on the GOOD memories in your life.

Good things that happened to you. Goals you accomplished. Things you “done done in the past” (sorry, I love the South!); things that MEAN something to you – – and if you’ve got visual proof of it next to you, so much the better.

And as you do this, pay heed to the calm and soothing good vibes spreading through ya.

A few minutes later, you’ll be a changed person, and you’ll be ready to deal with the said frustration etc – – and do so in a manner that you wouldn’t have thought possible a few minutes ago!

Anyway, fitness wise, ‘twas interesting to note that though I wasn’t quite as big as I’ve been in the past, I wasn’t the “epitome of fitness” (as a friend recently said) that I seemingly am now.

I wasn’t really banging dem pull-ups out as I should have been and I certainly was NOT on the 0 Excuses Fitness System – – which to be honest was really what was instrumental in getting me down from 120 – 60 kgs (or at that point, a somewhat acceptable 90 kgs to 60). I’m currently at 68 or so, still a few kgs “underweight”, but that’s Ok. I’ll live, hehe.

(BTW – my course on pull-ups has been and IS going like gangbusters right here — http://0excusesfitness.com/pull-ups-from-dud-to-stud-within-a-matter-of-weeks/).

And that brings me to tip #2.

I’ve spoken about visualization before, and how it applies to fitness – – and if you’ve got pics of an “old you” and a “new you” – – one of the very best things you can do for yourself in that regard is to print dem pics out and tape it to the mirror – or bedside table, or somewhere you’ll see ‘em often.

Take note of how far you’ve gone – – how much you’ve accomplished.

Take note of the lard hanging on to you BEFORE – – and the conspicuous absence of said lard NOW.

This process can also work in reverse, of course. If you’re currently at beached whale status but aspire to be “super fit” – – then the first thing to do after grabbing the 0 Excuse Fitness System is to draw a picture of yourself the way you WANT to be – and implement the above.

We think in pictures – – and I should know, my friend. Oh yes, I should know!

Last, but not least, as I’ve written about  before this should NOT be taken as an excuse to “rest upon past laurels”.

Bask in the glow (afterglow) all you like – – but then revert back to living in the present – – with the same vibes emanating from you.

You’ll be amazed at how your day FLOWS!

OK, my friend – – that’s it for now. I’ll be back with more later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – And lest you think the pictures related advice doesn’t work- well – – think AGAIN. Folks have reported it does – – real folks I’ve worked with before, and I’ll share this in future emails as well.

P.S #2 – – And as for the “beached whales” out there – – or the couch potatoes – – or those that “can’t quite lose the flab despite banging out rep after rep at the gym” – – well – – that lard can disappear if you know HOW to make it disappear. And how is detailed right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/.

Grab your copy TODAY – – and watch the pounds fly off!

Dear Reader,

Today I’m gonna share an oldie but goodie with you – a workout system that reaps immense benefits if just for it’s simplicity – and is probably also oft ignored simply due to it’s very simplicity.

What is this?

Well, it’s the (10/10) * 5 System – – and I just got done with a cracker of a workout using THIS very system.

The laws of BODMAS (do you remember those? hehe) would state that the result of such a “workout” would be 5 (divide, multiply) – and funnily enough that is what the workout actually boils down to. Five giant sets, done in multiple sets of medium high to low reps (depending upon).

You can switch the numbers around on this as well. For instance, my actual workout today was (10*15) * 5- because I did more dips per set than pull-ups but as a general rule, what I stated above works great for most people – and is usually too hard for a lot of folks to handle anyway.

The only catch to this system is this – you do HARD exercises – and hard here means what’s tough for you.

So while pull-ups are easy enough for me (the regular pull-ups), they might be extremely hard – or almost impossible to do for some folks.

(Note – My book on pull-ups is a must read if you fall into the above category and it’s available right here – – http://0excusesfitness.com/pull-ups-from-dud-to-stud-within-a-matter-of-weeks/ )

So you do the  ( 10/10 ) *5  workout – meaning 10 pull-ups, 10 dips, and then repeat until you have 5 sets of each.

Mix in warm ups, and other goodies I mention in “Pull-ups- – from Stud to Super STUD within weeks” such as monkey bar swings (a great, great workout unto itself), hamstring stretches, Hindu Squats, or perhaps just pushups as well.

Keep the tempo of the workout QUICK. Move quickly from one set to the other. Don’t dwadle – and don’t stop to smell the roses either.

You’ll find this gives you a CRACKER of a workout if done correctly – and the good part is this – the “abbreviated” nature of the routine means you can impart max effort into each set.

So if dips are hard for you, for instance, then it’s better to do 50 dips in 5 sets of rather than attempting to do all 50 at once.

The latter is Ok as well if you’re doing stuff that’s EASY for you – but we’re talking hard stuff here.

Hard exercises – exercises that make you SWEAT, HURT – and stuff that brings results – real, TANGIBLE results such as what I wrote about this morning.

Anyway, I finished this off with a sprint done at 80% capacity and some work on the heavy bag, and as always, I feel GREAT.

I’m off for the evening now (well, assuming the server doesnt barf again – it’s been acting up for a while now – so if you’re encountering issues while browsing, purchasing etc – let me know and I’ll have it looked into pronto) – – and I’ll be back again later!

Until then – thanks for reading – and if you workout today – make it a great one!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Many more such workouts are mentioned in the 0 Excuses Fitness System. If you haven’t already, grab your copy right HERE.

Dear Reader,

While talking to my wife sometimes during the last couple of days, she made a comment that was telling not just due to “what” she said, but the hidden import behind it.

I was wearing one of my workout vests as usual – that being my preferred means of clothing here ALL day due to the extreme heat — and I was discussing fitness with her, I think.

I was talking about staying in shape despite NOT having access to the hill I used to on a daily basis in China – – and despite NOT having access to some of the other “tools” I used there.

And she turned around, looked at my back and shoulders and said this – – “Your back and shoulders look really nice! They’re filling out even more than they were before, and look really nice!”

At first I couldn’t believe this.

I mean, if anything I’d expect my gains to go down – a little, at least – right?

I’ve got no access to ‘dem tools, and yet I’m getting BETTER with each workout here?

Well, it sure feels like it, and from what my wife said, it sure looks like it as well!

Now, as most of you reading this aware, that “X” shape I’ve written about before is much coveted by most people, and for good reasons.

Even if you’re not interested in pure health and fitness, there is NOTHING that looks better than broad, strong muscular shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist — supported all the way by mountainous traps and ridges of muscle all along your spine and mid-lower back as well.

Muscle that is as DENSE and strong as it looks. Muscle that gives your entire back that “broad” look and when combined with the shoulders – – blends in perfectly for the “X” shape.

And while y’all might think pull-ups are the only key – think again.

Sure, I do pull-ups here – but I do far LESS of them to be honest.

Sure – I do dips – and handstand pushups – and everything I’ve written about before, but I do the same reps on these two exercises.

(BTW – handstand pushups are HIGHLY recommended if you want to build a solid, wide “barn door like” back. Learn how to do them CORRECTLY right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/shoulders-like-boulders/). 

So whats with the “better shape”?

Well, I’ve been going back to the basics for one – – and I’ve been blending it in with the advanced stuff I do on a regular basis.

Going back to the basics is highly recommended, my friend – highly recommended – even if you’re an advanced strength athlete. And in my case this means I’m pounding out WAY more pushups – and reverse pushups – and table pushups – and so forth than I used to normally – and the results are showing.

Along with that, of course, I’m hitting the heavy bag regularly – and if you’ve ever thought about why boxers have such a superb build, well, you’ve got part of the answer right HERE.

So that, my friend – is today’s tip – worth it’s weight in GOLD as well. NEVER ignore the basics – and always emphasize the basics every so often. You’ll find it well worth your while!

The pushups I’m mentioning are all straight out of 0 Excuses Fitness, and can all be found right here — http://0excusesfitness.com/0excusesfitnessystem/

Get cracking!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Don’t forget to stay up-to-date on everything else going on on our social media accounts! Twitter would be a great place to start – – @0xcusesfitness.

Dear Reader,

I just got done with one of the most intense workouts of my life – and boy am I buzzing. Boy do I feel GOOD!

My routine tonight was a heavy bag routine – – a quick ‘n’ dirty 30 minute routine (20 if you count the first 10 as a warm up, which it was of sorts) – – a workout that got the heart pumping, the sweat FLOWING, and the entire body moving – – and of course got the fat furnace ignited at FULL BLAST.

My shoulders and upper body are torched – – in a different sort of manner than they normally would be – – but before I forget, this email isn’t about that.

I said in the title that “your breath is your power”, and ’tis indeed true.

Those familiar with my writings and teachings KNOW by now the emphasis I place on proper deep breathing and recovering from intense sessions by breathing the right way. I’ve even gone so far on occasion as to say that exercise done without the deep breathing incorporated correctly is kind of pointless – and while that isn’t meant to be taken literally, it’s something you’d do well to bear in mind while training (or simply going about life in general).

The famous old time strongman, wrestler and physical culturist Martin Farmer said it best when he said this “Deep breathing alone has made many a sick man well, and many a weak man strong”.

There is immense wisdom in this saying, as well as what I’ve told you in the paragraph above, and why am I bringing it up in this email?

Because despite being told how important deep breathing is in general, folks either flat out ignore it (fooey! That airy fairy stuff ain’t what I’m looking for!) or skip it as being “less important”.

Or, and this is common amongst serious trainees at times – they UNKNOWINGLY forget to breathe the right way during their routines.

While hitting the heavy bag today I was doing all the right things – except one.

It was an intense, intense session to be sure, and I was throwing punches galore in PROPER form (very important, by the way!) and literally treating the bag as an opponent with all the requisite head movements etc.

While the above might not sound like a lot to the average trainee, let me assure you it IS. My shoulders, traps and upper back have as of late got an immense fillip from this sort of heavy bag training – something that I did before, and something that I’m starting again NOW.

Where I erred today, and where I had to stop and “whack myself one on the side of the head” was here – I was not breathing correctly during the most intense parts of the workout.

That’s right – even I made that mistake today.

Now bear in mind breathing the right way is a matter of habit for me during my normal 0 Excuses workouts.

You could wake me up at 4 in the morning and put me through 500 pushups – – or dunk me in a lake and pull me out – – and get me started on dips and pull-ups – – and I’d likely still be breathing correctly without thinking about it.

But, the heavy bag is something I’ve not been doing for a while, and I was caught “napping” today.

I’ll say it again – bear the deep breathing part in mind while you train, my friend. I don’t care how “experienced” you are or how “familiar” you are with the movements, there are times when ALL of us need a kick up the arse to breathe right.

I’ve mentioned my friend Marc before in these emails – a guy with a variety of technical fighting skills – but unfortunately also someone that’s let himself get way out of shape – and he was constantly forgetting to breathe right when I was training him on pull-ups out in the park one fine afternoon.

So again – – it happens to all of us — key thing is to bear it in mind and make sure you avoid it as far as possible.

The more you practice, the more you’ll stop consciously focusing on your breath and just do it right anyway.

On that note, and before I forget, heavy bag routines can be of IMMENSE value to all of us. I don’t care if you’re looking to lose weight, build muscle, or do a combo  of both — the heavy bag has something for everyone.

Unfortunately, many of us buy a heavy bag, but either don’t have a clue on what to do with it, or use it incorrectly – – and this great, great tool ends up gathering dust in garages or the like.

It’s a pity — and I’m thinking about putting out a short course on this – – so if there is interest, shoot me an email, and I might well do so.

Last, but certainly NOT least, remember that boxing routines are intense and you need to be in good shape to begin with to really reap the benefits of said routines.

Remember too that boxers focus on nothing other than ONE exercise as the mainstay of their bodyweight routines – that being the good ole pushup.

You heard me.

Not pull-ups. Not weights. Not crunches. It’s the good ole pushup they focus upon MOST – and so does the army – or elite forces – or in short, anyone that’s serious about training, and this one exercise forms the mainstay of 0 Excuses Fitness as well, my friend.

So if you haven’t already, grab your copy – – and your smartphone, and start cranking out the reps along with me as I guide you along the path to lifelong health, strength and fitness – – all right there in your living room.

OK – that’s it for now. I’ll be back later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Almost forgot to tell you – – Advanced Hill Training has a secret to recovering quickly from INTENSE cardio sessions – -a secret that I have NOT seen mentioned anywhere else or in any other courses. Even if burning lard off your frame quicker than you can imagine ain’t your thang, you DO owe it to yourself to check out that secret – – and you can do so right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/

Dear Reader,

Something that annoys me no end is when I hear something along the lines of “I used to be able to do this … ” (when the person saying it clearly CANNOT do it now) …

Fitness wise, this generally translates into one, or a derivative of the following –

“I used to be able to do more than 25 pull-ups in one workout …”

“I used to be in great shape when I was young, but now … ”

“I used to have a hard abdomen and a six pack …”

And so forth. Funny thing is, I get these comments a lot of time from folks that ask me about my training – – because they’d clearly like to accomplish (or do) what I have – – and are clearly NOT in the physical shape to do it right now — and you’d think they’d take action to remedy this, right?

Well – – if you’re talking the majority of folks out there – – you’d be WRONG.

Most folks just sit back and make an “I used to be able to do … ” comment, and then do precisely squat all to improve their current situation. Apparently the “I used to … ” is balm enough to “cover” the injury of “not being able to do … ”

But remember that bandaid solutions rarely work, my friend.

You can cover up a problem – but you can only solve it by attacking it at it’s CORE.

When I hear something like this from people (especially if it’s fitness related), my answer is always the same.

“OK, but can you do it now?”

Or, … “OK, that’s great – but what can you do NOW?”

Look, my friend, what you “could do” is great – but thats over. Thats FINISHED – and if you’re making statements like this when it comes to fitness, chances are that you aren’t happy with what you see in the mirror daily – and that’s an understatement as well.

Chances are you’ve got an extra layer of fat around your midsection you’d love to lose, but you aren’t being able to do it.

Chances are you’d love to sprint all out, but are in nowhere near the condition to do it.

And so forth.

What separates the “has beens” from the “greats” is this – their willingness to “do NOW”.

A couple of years ago I saw a middle aged man training in China, trying to do pull-ups.

He was doing all the right things — and yet couldn’t get a single pull-up in – – but guess what, and I blogged about this on the other site, I’d rather train a person like HIM than some of the other “whippersnappers” that show up there to preen, pose, prance and generally waste their time and everyone else’s as well.

At least the guy was TRYING.

He didn’t make comments along the lines of “I used to be able to … “, although going by that pair of shoulders he sported, he likely COULD do plenty of pull-ups at one stage in his life.

The same goes for the nearing-70 year old retired Brigadier I wrote about before.

You can tell by looking at him he’s been into serious physical activity all his life (well, I could, at any rate) —  and though he can’t do pull-ups all the way down and up at this point, he doesn’t “talk” about “how” he could do them in his prime.

Nope.

He does it.

He hits it hard – every morning – and keeps trying – and THAT is the sort of man – and person I’d like to both train and be associated with if you get my drift.

True – there ARE some cases in which you currently may not be able to do what you used to be able to for legit reasons – but such cases are few and far in between. Most of the times it’s just people being lazy – or making excuses – and that’s all it really boils down to.

So that’s today’s tip. When someone comes at ya out of left base with the “I used to be able to do it” B.S. , parry it with this – – “Great, but what can you do NOW?”

You might be amazed at the reactions you get – or then again, you might not be. Hehe.

In the meantime, don’t forget that the good news is this – there IS something very powerful you can do for your health and fitness – and you can do it right NOW. You can do it right in your living room – and you’ve got NO room for any excuses.

There IS a way to get AS good – if not BETTER – at pull-ups than you were in your prime.

There IS a way to build those humongous shoulders you’ve always wanted.

And the key to all this starts right here – – stop living in the past.

Cherish past memories all you like – – and DO relive past glories in your mind – – but always remind yourself that it’s the “here and now” that really counts, my friend.

Keep this axiom in mind while you train – and while you go through life – and you’ll be nigh amazed at the benefits you reap.

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – I  spoke about pull-ups above, and with good reason. Most people would love to  bang out dead hang pull-ups by the dozen, but are unfortunately unable to do or attempt even ONE. If that’s you, well, delay no longer, my friend. Click on over right here to rectify what you should have already – – http://0excusesfitness.com/pull-ups-from-dud-to-stud-within-a-matter-of-weeks/

Dear Reader,

A lot of you probably remember my early morning workouts when I first moved to India about a month or so ago (yeah, seems like forever now, doesn’t it??).

You likely also remember the guys coming up to me asking for advice on pull-ups and as I said, I DID help those who were genuinely trying (though sorry – that select group doesn’t include the preeners and posers).

One of the guys in fairly good shape, a badminton player, was watching me and trying to do what I was doing at that time i.e. do sets of 8  pull-ups (strict, proper form, all the way up, all the way down).

He tried several times, but failed, and I gave him a few tips.

The first one was to grip the bar – – not just with his fingers, but the thumb as well. This alone is a mind bender for most folks as we’ve been taught to do pull-ups “hanging on with our fingers” alone as opposed to gripping the bar the way you SHOULD.

Uh … yeah. RIGHT … NOT!

“This feels way, way tougher!” he remarked after doing what I was telling him to do.

“It does, doesn’t it?”, I said. “OK, now let’s have you do pull-ups the RIGHT way as opposed to what you’re doing”.

“Go all the way down, dead hang, and PAUSE – and THEN go up”.

And I proceeded to rattle off some more instructions – – stuff that’s been meticulously covered in my bestselling “Pull-ups – -from DUD to STUD within a matter of WEEKS” – – and he attempted to do what I was saying.

(Note – a lot of what I cover in this BEGINNER level course has been reported to knock serious gym goers on their arses the first time they try it, so it’s well worth a read – or several, for that matter).

Not surprisingly, he failed, but the good news is this – – he TRIED. That’s way more than I can say for the vast majority of people who come to me for help – – and then run away once I give ’em the skinny and the REAL deal on how to do pull-ups.

“They’re damn tough this way”, he remarked”. “Oh yeah, they are!”

And they sure are my friend – but THIS way is what will enable you to ultimately get better at pull-ups – – and develop that lat spread you’ve always wanted.

And lest you think pull-ups stop getting “tougher” after a certain point – – well – – think AGAIN.

I put myself through a patented “Pull-ups – – from STUD to SUPER stud” workout last evening – – and believe you me, I’m FEELING it today.

Oh YEAH – I’m feeling it – it’s that “worked to the bone” feeling you get after a great, great workout the night before. I’ve posted about that on our Twitter account as well, but it bears mentioning here as well.

While the dead hang pull-ups formed the CORE of the routine, there were several other variations I used – – one of them being what I affectionately call the “swami” pull-up – – or perhaps the “Baba” pull-up, hehe, given that I’m in India at this point.

Yet another exercise I did taxed my entire core and upper body with ONE rep – and even holding on beyond that first rep can turn out to be a struggle if done correctly!

All of these movements I did are detailed in the course – – which you can get right HERE – –  http://0excusesfitness.com/pull-ups-stud-to-super-stud-within-weeks/

Dive in — and report back on your workouts!

Well, my friend, that’s it for now. I’m off to partake of some home cooking in a bit – -will be back later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Our Twitter and Instagram handles are as follows – – @0xcusesfitness and @0excusesfitness. Both great great accounts to follow – – I post interesting stuff on a regular basis, so stay tuned!

Dear Reader,

Those of you that are regular readers would have no doubt read the email a few days ago about my daughter sprinting “Bourne style”.

A full all out sprint, arms pumping, legs pounding, heart roaring … done repetitively, and a great, great workout unto itself – – if and only if done RIGHT.

This evening, as I picked her up from her basketball class I asked her what went on in class.

“Papa, I did a lot of running!”

“Did you run fast”, I inquired.

“Yes! I even won the race!”

“Very good!”, I replied, and meant every word. “Can you show me how you did it?”

“Um, ok …… ”

“Papa, why don’t you and I race?”

“Good idea!!” chimed in my wife, who was until now on what she terms “silent mode”. “Let’s see Barbara win the race!”

And off we went, and my little girl (naturally) won the race – sprinting not once – not twice – but THRICE – in the style I’ve described above.

A video really is worth a thousand words and more. I’ve spoken to her a lot about sprinting, but that sprint video I showed up was really what set it all up, along with the thumping music of course.

Anyway, the tip in all this?

Well, first off  – it’s this – when my daughter was running, I noticed a slight aberration in her form.

I had noticed this the first day itself and had corrected her, and did so again today.

“Sweetie, your arms should NOT be tight when you run. They should be loose and limber, and propelling you along – without really trying to!”

“Daddy, what is propelling?”

“Moving – and flying – like the winnnnnnnddddd!”

You see, my daughter was holding her hands tightly while running – and in a curious sort of “downwards” manner that girls seem to have (though certainly not kids this young).

And this was greatly reducing her speed.

Don’t get me wrong. She’s still lightning fast, and will likely be beating me hands down in a couple of years from now – – but the arm movement was off, and the reason I’m telling you is this – – a lot of folks use their arms incorrectly while sprinting as well.

This tip is NOT something I’ve mentioned in Advanced Hill Training or 0 Excuses Fitness. It’s to reward you for being a member of my daily email list, so here it is –

When you sprint – do “pump” your arms once you’re into the sprint, but do NOT do so “consciously”

In other words, your arms should be such that the elbows are by your sides, and the forearms are making a 90 degree angle with your upper arm – and the shoulders are loose and relaxed as opposed to tight and “inflexible”.

The REAL power comes from the legs – – but as you run fast, fast, and faster – – do NOT clench your fists or actively “pump” the arms with the shoulders.

This may make you feel it more in the shoulders – sure – but it’ll end the sprint that much sooner.

The point of the arms is to PROPEL you along – – but the point of the sprint isn’t an intense and isolated shoulder workout. If anything, the shoulders should be loosened up even more after your sprint workouts if you know what I mean!

I’ve covered sprints in Advanced Hill Training, and believe me – what I’ve mentioned above is just the TIP of the iceberg. Crack open the course for several other sprint and workout variants that you’ve likely never tried before – – workouts that will literally have you melting fat off as you move through the routines.

Well, my friend, that’s it for now. I’ll be back later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – In case the part about shoulders has got you interested (and why not – we ALL want them battletank shoulders) – – then THIS course has got workouts that’ll give even the most dedicated of gym rats and bros a SERIOUS, SERIOUS run for their dough – – http://0excusesfitness.com/battletank-shoulders/

Dear Reader,

I just got done with a cracker of a workout. Oh boy – – WHAT a workout this was!

I didn’t step foot outside for this workout. I did not do any pull-ups or sprints (not bipedal ones, at any rate). No, this was a living room workout EL SUPREMO – – much like the 250 pushup workout I show in 0 Excuses Fitness, except with a few major twists here and there.

And while you might be thinking the next thing I’m gonna write about it WHAT I did – not really.

That’s important – but whats more important is how I felt both DURING – – and AFTER the workout!

I feel like a billion bucks right now. It’s bout 8:00 P.M. here in Delhi – – a time where “happy hour” and “commiseration time” starts for the vast majority of folks, and yet, here I am, after a 25 minute blast that’s left me feeling so invigorated that I’m wondering if I suddenly stepped into a different time zone altogether.

My workout was of the same cadence as I mention in 0 Excuses Fitness and all my  other courses, and though I’ve been doing this stuff for ages, it’s different EVERY time, my friend.

I was literally DRIPPING with sweat within around 9-10 minutes or so — and my workout vest right now is “soiling” the laundry – – puddles of sweat dripping from it AFTER my routine.

And get this – this was during the late evening – – when its a lot, lot cooler than during the day — and indoors as well!

Best part is this – – I could have gotten done in 9 minutes or so if I wanted – – but I went longer, because I wanted to – – and COULD.

Despite the obvious heart pounding, health inducing benefits of such workouts, the myths of “long ardous workouts” persists galore.

Personal trainers out there for the most part STILL have their clients get on the treadmill or “pound the pavement” for hours to “get their heart rates in the target zone; which is supposedly 70% of your max and keep it there”.

Guess what – I did this type of thing myself back in the day – and though I did burn a few cals while at it, this type of workout left me with the exact  OPPOSITE kind of feeling that I’m experiencing now.

I felt run down and depleted at the end of a hour long “slow-moderate pace” run – – and that was including warm-ups and other nonsense. Ah, how I wish I knew how to train the way I do today – – I’d have saved a LOT of time!

Good news tho is this – – more people are catching on to the “quick’n’ intense” workout benefits – and jumping on to the bandwagon.

My buddy Marc who I mentioned a couple of days ago, a man with the build of a male African silverback gorilla and the punch of a charging rhinoceros did something similar a while ago.

He’s an avid weightlifter and does those long sessions at the gym – -but he did a 20 min “quickie” spinning workout yesterday morning, and he felt GREAT and ready to go after the short workout.

“I feel great! I’m exhausted though – I need to push myself more – I don’t remember feeling this physically exhausted for a while – – but – – I still feel GREAT!” were his very words as he was heading out to lunch.

So true, my friend. So true.

And while there are plenty of ways you can get in such workouts – – a few of note being splitting wood (another great one), hitting the heavy bag (super), or even “spinning” – the fact remains that 0 Excuses Fitness has the ONE up on all of them and guess why?

Because you require nothing for it except your own body.

You don’t need no wood to chop. You don’t need no rigs to spin on. You don’t need a heavy bag either – – although I greatly recommend investing in one if you so choose – – the benefits are manifold.

Just you, your own body – – and ball busters of workouts that leave you dripping with sweat in less than 10 minutes flat – – and that have you burning oodles of fat for HOURS later.

A no brainer, me thinks!

Ok, I’m off for now. I’ll be back again tomorrow!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – In case you’ve been following our Twitter account, you’ve probably seen the “ongoing battle” with the phone company. It still hasn’t been resolved. It boggles the mind how companies can provide such poor service in this day and age! Ah well …

P.S #2 – – Yet another great and MUST grab tool in your fat blasting arsenal is right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/

Dear Reader,

Something that my wife and me have been trying to impress upon our four (soon to be 5) year old daughter is this – – create a morning ROUTINE.

Right now she’s on summer break, and there appears to be no routine whatsoever, which of course is NOT good for her.

She wakes up in the morning, and is free all day – with nothing to do – which isn’t a bad thing, but creating a routine even in “holiday times” is always a good thing.

And certain basic things should be incorporated into all routines – – holidays, travel, or otherwise.

So for my daughter it might look like – – “wake up, drink water (something I’ve been trying to get her to do) – and a LOT of it, brush teeth, take shower, etc etc”.

What occurs after that may or may not change depending upon whether she’s got school or not, but you get the drift.

For the typical adult, it might look like this – “wake up, check smartphone, drink bazillions of coffee to “wake up”, slumber on to the shower, turn on the “boob tube”, gobble down an extra large breakfast and feel even more lethargic after that … and so forth …”

But this isn’t so much about WHAT the routine incorporates – as it is the importance of having one itself.

Show me any successful person, and I’ll show you something that they did everyday – so regularly that the routine became a HABIT – a habit very hard to break indeed.

When I basically “uprooted” my  life in China and moved on to India, I had to change many of my own routines – and believe me, though the change was for the BETTER, it wasn’t easy at all.

Oh no it wasn’t – – and the toughest of all this was eating before a workout. I’ve always gotten my workouts done on an empty stomach, but I’m reversing that trend now – -and am doing just as well.

Why – well, there are time constraints and reasons behind that – – and I’m not getting into the why’s in this email, but point being – – it’s important to have a daily routine – – and especially a morning routine.

Having allows you to jump out of bed with a clear “purpose” or “goal” – – and your day starts to flow from there on in.

This doesn’t mean your day needs to be “rigidly” structured, of course. There’s nothing wrong with living in the flow occasionally – or most of the time for that  matter.

This DOES however mean though that are certain things that you do EVERYDAY – at the SAME time – and you do ’em WITHOUT fail – thereby putting yourself on the path to a better YOU.

And in terms of fitness, this means that you have a fitness routine  you follow EVERYDAY – without fail.

You  might go light one day, and heavy the other day – but you do something daily.

You might require an occasional break from 0 Excuses Fitness – and move on to Advanced Hill Training, for instance, but you don’t let go of the exercise routine itself – you just do something else.

You might move your workout from the early afternoon to the evenings (yours truly) – but you don’t skip it. And so forth.

I know for a fact I personally feel a heck of a lot better when I set and follow my morning routines – – as well as DAILY routines — and so will you if you do what I’m saying.

So that’s today’s tip. I’ll be back again later! In the meantime, don’t forget to pound out your pushups, pull-ups and squats — all done fast and furious, 0 Excuses style!

Best,

Rahul

P.S. – Almost forgot to wish all the Father’s out there a very happy Father’s day, hehe. And for those of you that have forgotten to grab your Father’s day gifts – – well – – here is where you can go to give the old man a surprise — http://0excusesfitness.com/products/

 

Dear Reader,

Had the most interesting experience last night as I was sitting with my daughter at the end of a long, ardous and somewhat frustrating day.

After I got done tackling the issues I was (one of which is quite prominently placed on our Twitter account, if just for the brazen and callous nature with which the issue was initially handled), I “switched off”, and it was “father – daughter” time again.

I think it started out with her building a fort out of blankets on the bed – and me “squishing” it-  – and then from nowhere she produced a pair of grippers.

“Huh?? Barbara where did you get that?”, I asked.

And then I remembered. It was a pair of grippers I bought a long, long time ago back in the day – way, way before I did any 0 Excuses stuff or even put out the initial Gorilla Grip.

Did it work? To an extent, but …

“Daddy, what do you do with this?”

“Sweetie, you use it for your grip. Here, let me show you how”

And I proceeded to crank out a few reps with the admittedly “easy” gripper – which of course is anything but easy for a four year old, but trying telling that to MY 4 year old!

“I can’t grip it like this Daddy!” she squealed, as her tiny little palm attempted to “crush” the gripper – – along with the ever present “Gorillllllaaaaa grip” shriek …

“But I can do it like this”

And then she improvised on the spot and proceeded to close it so that it was making a “V” against her little chest – – and managed it more than a few times as well, hehe.

“Gorillaaaaaaaaa Gripp ……” was the war cry that went around the room later, but what is the reason for me mentioning this?

Well, first off, because I’ve always been interested in grip training, and of course, gyms and grippers were the things that I found on the Internet when I first started looking for info on grip training – – info that actually WORKED.

And while gyms have always been a no-no for me for obvious reasons, did the grippers I bought “work”?

Well – yes – and no.

Yes because I did seem to get degree of grip work out of the grippers, but no – because they did NOT strengthen my grip any more than they already were from doing what I was at the time.

My grip strength truly only skyrocketed – – and did so to SCARY levels once I started to implement what I teach in my grip courses (Gorilla Grip, and Gorilla Grip – Advanced) but all the grippers I used, and reps I did with ’em didn’t really build my grip to the levels I’ve always wanted to build it to.

One of the keys, of course was to use THICK bars – something I mention repeatedly in all my courses.

When you train, do so with thick bars. I don’t care if you’re lifting weights, or hoicking kettebells, or doing 0 Excuses Fitness pull-ups – – do so with THICK bars, and grip that sucka like your life depended upon it.

This ONE tip alone is worth it’s weight in gold, and it’s amazing how many people read it – – but then blithely go about ignoring it.

Other tips are mentioned in the grip course – – and if you’re interested, well, here is where you can pick up a copy of course #1 (one that’s gotten rave reviews all over the world) – –

Last, but not least, are grippers absolutely useless?

No – certainly not – like everything else they’ve got their uses – but are they REQUIRED?

Heck no they ain’t. You can build a cast iron gorilla grip WITHOUT anything but your own body – – and if you still don’t believe me, well, ask my four year old, hehe.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back later!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Plenty more interesting stuff is available right HERE – – http://0excusesfitness.com/products/