Bring out the champion in you this year

With the Kolkata Kettlebell Meet 2014 just a few days away, I cannot help but feel excited at the thought of spending a day with all the kettlebell and fitness enthusiasts that will be present on the day. Even though I will not be competing, and will be there as an organizer and as a judge, I can still feel as if I myself will be there as a competitor. There is something about competitions that gets everyone present super excited!

When Ranadeep Moitra and myself were discussing about organizing competitions like the Kolkata Kettlebell Meet and Strong & Fit in 2013, the big goal that we had in mind was that we wanted to create a platform for the everyday gym trainees to come forward and showcase their skills. We wanted to bring out the athlete in those who are not professional athletes, but still love training just like a pro. And to our pleasure we got a positive response with many participants coming forward and giving it their best. Of course, in the future we will do our best to get more people involved to create a greater interest in strength and fitness in the general population.

Must read posts to help you excel in 2014

Even though new year resolutions have a terrible record in terms of success, there is still something about the new year's time that fills us up with optimism and makes us feel that "this time" all will go as per plan! And why not, a fresh start is one of the best things that can happen when the current situation is not going the way you want it to go. Sure, nothing in reality actually changes with the new year, and it is ultimately a matter of one's mental perception, however most great changes begin with the change in one's thought process. So do not be embarrassed or ashamed if you have not been able to keep your new year's resolution in the last 10 years. Atleast you are still trying to make something happen each time, when many others have given up hope.

5 strength training videos to motivate you (28.10.2024)

Its amazing how watching someone do something that we would otherwise consider impossible, can inspire us to push beyond our self made restrictions! While you may not match the numbers of the other person, you can definitely set new PR's for yourself. So with that hope, here are some videos that I saw recently, and feel that can motivate you to do better in the gym next time:

452 lb / 205 kg Strict Overhead Press (seated) - Igor Pedan

3 simple steps to mentally prepare for a great workout

A champion athlete is not a champion simply due to his/her physical capabilities, but also due to their mental strength and preparedness. While some of us may use the slightest of excuse to skip a workout, a champion athlete ignores any distraction that may take him/her away from their workout. They are also great at getting in the workout mindset, much before they even step foot in the gym. Even before they have started their warm up, they have already gone through the entire workout in their mind, on the way to the gym. This mental preparedness gives them a big edge.

On the other hand, I have seen individuals who enter the gym with no sense of readiness, talking on the phone while warming up, and often making calls between sets too. Now, I do understand that some people are very busy individuals, and have very stressful jobs. However, when you workout, you workout, period! If you are short on time, then go for short workouts like 20-30 minutes, but being distracted will take you nowhere, and no one makes real improvements when their attention is divided.

Cut the hate, spread the love

Beginners, they are everyone's favorite punching bag. Beginners with online videos, they are an even bigger, and softer targets for the trigger happy critics out there. New kid on the block puts up a video on Youtube of him doing his first ever set of barbell squats, and bam, you have people leaving comments like "dude, your form sucks", "that was a pathetic set", "you are setup for an injury", etc, etc.  Oh, its so much fun being a critic.

Needless to say that this type of criticism deters many who are starting out to share their progress with others online, or in some cases they end up discontinuing the activity itself. And when someone's comments makes a person quit something, then it is definitely not constructive criticism. To give you an idea of negative and positive criticism, here is an example from a recent Youtube video where a person shared his first ever set of double kettlebell jerks with 16 kgs. Please note that the lifter had trained the jerks for just 3 days prior to this video, and did a 10 minute set with such little practice. Here is how a negative comment went:

10 keys for better health

First of all let me take this opportunity to wish you a very happy and successful new year, and I hope that you enjoy every moment of 2013. Its amazing how quickly time flies by, I mean it just feels like a few weeks back that I wrote my first post for 2012 on this blog, and now I am again starting with the first post of 2013. And for me 2013 is a significant year, as it is in this year that I reach a significant milestone in my life, that is turning 30! Yep, I will soon be that old, and my 20's will be gone, sigh! Now to be honest, at 30 I wont be exactly old, but I think it is around this age that most of us realize two things that we have always heard and known, but somehow never quite realized how true it is. The first, is that youth never lasts forever, and second, that good health can never be taken for granted, and is something that you need to continuously work on.

About a decade back, for me good health like most people my age meant either being able to perform a certain exercise like bench press, running, etc for a certain number or reps, weight or distance, and having a certain body shape and composition. Sure, these are helpful markers of good health, but if you really want to assess your health, then you need to look at your overall health, which would mean mental, emotional and physical health. You can have a six pack, and be able to run 25k and bench press 1.5 times your bodyweight, but that still does not mean that your emotional and mental health is in order. For eg there are many sportsmen and women who have/had  their battles with depression. Good examples being athletes like Jeret Peterson, Marcus Trescothick, Terry Bradshaw, etc. These athletes exercised and ate correctly all time, as it was part of their job, and were definitely in very good shape. However, when it came to mental and emotional health, there was a lot to work on for them.

10 Strength videos to motivate you (27.03.2024)

2012 is almost 25% or 1/4th over! If you have put in the time and effort, then you should by now be looking and feeling much better than what you were on 1st January 2012. If not then you need to seriously get to work and chase your physical goals. As always watching others perform feats of strength that amaze you is a great way to get motivated to go after your goals. So here are 10 random strength training videos that I hope will inspire you to push harder in the gym.

5 pro wrestler's training videos to motivate you

Back when I was a teenager, WWE wrestlers used to be my biggest heroes. In those days MMA was not that big, and it was one of the only sport/sports entertainment show in which you could see a 270 pound big guy displaying great athleticism. I mean in those days you either had a 270 pound bodybuilder who had almost zero athleticism or you had those scrawny 150 pound martial artists who had no real muscular size. Thus to watch a 260 pounds HHH jump and kick was a real motivation for a well rounded training program. Of course now you have big MMA guys who are very athletic too.

Will you make big leaps in this leap year?

2012 has begun. And if you have any plans to be successful in improving your health and fitness, then you should be on your way to achieve it. Last month I shared 2 posts which would help you to get started with 2 important goals. One talked about fat loss and the other talked about muscle gaining. So if any of those 2 are your goals then you have no excuses.

3 famous quotes from Bruce Lee applied to strength and fitness training

Bruce Lee touched the lives of millions around the world, and it was not restricted to only those who practice martial arts. As someone who was always breaking away from traditional ways of doing things, he was often used to starting out all alone and with little support. Then as people started to understand his approach, he started to gain followers. No wonder then that he still continues to be an inspiration even to this day to many around the world.

Yesterday (27^th November) was his 71^st birthday and I thought it was time that I shared some valuable lessons that he taught and how they can be applied to strength and fitness training. If you want to know more about Lee’s training then you can read my article on it and how you can adapt it to your own training, or hear this interview to learn more. So here are three classic quotes and teachings from the grandmaster Bruce Lee and how they can be applied to strength and fitness training:

Tips to fight workout blues

Are you feeling down and do not feel like working out at all? If you do then that is normal, as all of us go through it at some point of time or the other. However if you want great results then you need to fight it. In a recent post in the Times of India website, I had the chance to share some tips to combat lack of motivation.


Click here to read the post

5 strength training videos to motivate you

Its weekend time, and going into the weekend I took some time to enjoy some strength training videos. Yep, thats one of my favorite pastimes. So thought of sharing some of the good ones for you to watch, so that you can return with more motivation to hit the weights harder next week. Enjoy!

600 pound Front Squat RAW 272.5 kg

Flavours of India

A very happy 64th Independence day to all my fellow Indians, and lots of love to all my international friends. It was 1947, that we got our independence and became a part of the free world. Of course today's India is a far more developed nation than that of 1947, but we still have miles to go before we join the ranks of the first world countries. So on this special occasion I chose 5 videos which display the physical culture in India.

The videos that I chose are what I believe will be enjoyed and inspirational to people of all nations and not restricted only to Indians. After all the human spirit is universal. In particular I found the first video featuring Aditya "Romeo" Dev to be very inspirational. This 21 year old guy who weighs only 20 pounds is a champion who has not let nature ruin his self belief.

3 suggestions to make working out alone at home a success

Not everyone has the option to go to a gym to workout. The reason could be personal like feeling shy to workout infront of others or due to situational reasons like lack of time, too much distance from the gym, etc. Of course working out in a gym can offer certain advantages like providing motivation to work out harder since one becomes conscious of people watching them Similarly a trainer or a partner at the gym offers motivation by pushing you harder and helping to keep your form in check. However there are some advantages that working out alone at home has to offer too. For starters one does not have to wait in a line to use the equipment, plus sometimes the socializing in public gyms make it too distracting to concentrate on the workout, which is not acceptable when you are trying to go hard and intense. And yes, also at times it is hard to find a partner who can workout at the same time like you, and personal trainers offered by gyms are not always affordable for everyone.  

10 boxing training videos to motivate you

Whether you are a fan of boxing or not, you will probably agree that before the arrival of MMA, boxers were probably the most conditioned athletes in the world of professional sports. Their training regimens were stuff of legends and in some cases people were more scared of the training than the possibility of the punches landing across their faces. Needless to say then that if one were looking for inspiration for some conditioning training then boxers would be the ideal people for it. So here are 10 videos that I believe will charge you up for your next conditioning session, beginning with the great Ali. And yes, such training is also likely to “punch” out the fat from your body!

Muhammad ALI Training HD

10 Strength videos to motivate you (12.07.2024)

Marius Pudzianowski Overhead Presses

10 old school strength training and lifting videos to motivate you

Hard to believe that even though we are in the year 2011 A.D., and that we have a zillion equipments at our disposal today to get stronger, the human race on an average is much weaker than say what it was even till only 25 years ago! Clearly we have become too spoiled thanks to the million choices that we have and have allowed man made comforts to make us weak, unlike what mother nature intended for us to be.

I think its high time that we get our butts off the sofa and chairs and do some strength training everyday.  We have enough opportunities to do so, and using weights is the best way to do it. No, you do not need the latest techno-cool lifting machine to do so. Old fashioned barbells, dumbbells are still the best way to go. So to motivate you I have compiled 10 old school strength training and lifting videos, that will show you how in the olden days guys got stronger. You will notice in the videos how all these guys not just are strong, but display radiant health too. That is what strength training and good, clean, stress free living can do for you. So without further delay go ahead and enjoy the following videos, and then go lift something heavy!

Rare Doug Hepburn footage

The perfect time to start is now!

Too often many individuals wait for the prefect start. They try to get everything in order before they begin their journey of a fitter and stronger life. Or they will simply procrastinate mindlessly for no real reason. Here are 5 popular reasons to delay the start of a workout program:

Be a winner with Jenny

Life is full of challenges! How you face them is upto you. You can let them beat you, or you can beat them. In the case of Jenny Farber it was the latter. A dancer since childhood, she was forced to end her performing career due to an unfortunate ankle injury. Not one to back down, Jenny took this opportunity to start a whole new career in the fitness industry.

Today she is a much sought after trainer, who uses her lifelong experience of healthy living along with her knowledge gained from various certifications to help her clients achieve the best shape and conditioning possible. So let us try to learn from this winner how to win over our fitness problems.