Plyometrics - Jump Based Strengthening workouts

It seems just like a few days ago but its already been over a year since the first post on this blog. I hope this journey has been enjoyable to you as it has been for me. I assure you that it is only getting better with a couple of new strengthening techniques and workout routines we have adopted. Lets get right down to the brass tacks

Plyometrics - what n why?

Plyometrics are simply jump based, high intense workouts that were designed but the Russians to help their athletes gain an edge in terms of strength, speed and endurance. How does this help us? In my perspective and experience, when you do workouts that are jump based, the legs gain more strength which in turn means that normal things like running, playing a sport etc will become much easier.

Another reason for the why part of the question is, many of us have not been runners from a very early age. If we were, our bodies would have been got used to it. For people like me who have adopted to running in their thirties or late twenties, running on hard trails could (could) give knee pain, occasionally. And if we resort to running as the only form of workout, these niggles could play spoil sport. With plyometrics, we can strengthen our legs and run better. By no way I am inclined to saying plyometrics are replacements for running or any other workout, both go hand in hand. Plyometrics help us run better, workout better, play a sport better and LONGER.

Plyometric based Workouts

Just about any workout can be plyometric with just a few small tweeks. That said, I designed my routine of workouts based on a very simple fact.

Simplicity n Basic - To me if workouts are tough to do, by tough I mean if my body does not oblige to get into a certain position etc, then whats the point. So the workouts that I have designed are easy for everyone to do. But these are still plyometric based and are as intense as they are supposed to be.

Below are some of the workouts that are part of my routine.

1) Jumping Jacks - Start by standing upright with your hands by your body, pointing down. Jump to a position with your legs spread out and your hands touching each other above the head. Then come back to the start position, repeat the same at good pace.

2) Jump Squats - Start in a normal standing position, with your legs in line with your shoulders (not too wide apart nor too close to each other). Squat half way with the hands raised up then jump up as much as possible (hands raised) then squat again. Make sure the legs maintain the same position always. Repeat the same at good pace.

3) Jump Push ups  (Burpees) - This is a very Popular workout, Start in a normal standing position, with your legs in line with your shoulders (not too wide apart nor too close to each other). Jump up with your hands raised, once you land, put your hands down on the floor, push your legs back together and get into a push up position and take a push up. Now bring legs back close to your hands, stand up and then jump again and repeat.

4) Push ups n swing legs - Start in a normal push up position, make sure you breath out, tuck your tummy in, keep your hands firm and just swing our legs together to the left and then to right of your body.

5) Push ups n leg tucks - Start in a normal push up position, make sure you breath out, tuck your tummy in, keep your hands firm, now take 10 push ups. Then tuck both your feet close to your hands and push them back 10 times. This is like touching your hands with your knees while you are maintaining the push position.

6) Leg tucks : Leg Tucks are mere jumps, but here, when we jump we tuck our legs and try to touch our chest with our knees. If we can touch great, if not just trying our best is good enough too.

7) Jumping Prisoner Squats - With Hands Behind the head Jump with one leg while trying to reach the opposite elbow with the other knee.

8) Running Kicks - This is a seamless kick routine, kick as high as possible with each leg alternatively and do them as quick as possible. Below are some more workouts that can be a part of this routine.
Jump Lunges, 10 sec run 1 push up (3 reps).

Now the Routine
The first 4 weeks, we picked 4 of these work outs, did them for 30 sec each followed by a 30 second break. Repeated the same 4 times. Then we introduced a 5th workout for 15 secs. Continued the same for 2 weeks then made all 5 workouts 30 secs each.

In a matter of 3 months we started doing 6 workouts for 30 secs each and then a 30 sec break for 4 reps. This makes it a total of less than 15 minutes for the entire workout. Trust me, 15 minutes of intense and satisfying workouts.

Weeks 1 - 4 (Workout 1 - 30 sec, workout 2 - 30 sec, workout 3 - 30 sec, workout 4 - 30 sec, 30 sec break) Do this 4 times in one go.

Weeks 5 - 6 (Workout 1 - 30 sec, workout 2 - 30 sec, workout 3 - 15 sec, workout 4 - 30 sec,  Workout 5 - 30 sec, 30 sec break) Do this 4 times in one go.

Weeks 7 - 8 (Workout 1 - 30 sec, workout 2 - 30 sec, workout 3 - 50 sec, workout 4 - 30 sec,  Workout 5 - 30 sec, 30 sec break) Do this 4 times in one go.

Weeks 9 - 10 Weeks 7 - 8 (Workout 1 - 30 sec, workout 2 - 15 sec, workout 3 - 30 sec, workout 4 - 15 sec,  Workout 5 - 30 sec, Workout 6 - 30 secs. 30 sec break) Do this 4 times in one go.

Weeks 9 - 10 Weeks 7 - 8 (Workout 1 - 30 sec, workout 2 - 30 sec, workout 3 - 50 sec, workout 4 - 30 sec,  Workout 5 - 30 sec, Workout 6 - 30 secs. 30 sec break) Do this 4 times in one go.

People who were unable to eve hold a proper push up position, were able to do 20 - 30 proper push ups at the end of 3 months.

How the Routine Works Normally workouts routines tend to start slowly, gain intensity in a bit, then slow down and gradually get done. But here the intensity levels are up all they way through the first rep and they drop during the 30 second break. Before the body starts to cool down completely the 2nd rep starts and so on. By this the body tends to burn a lot of carbs which are hard to burn and so help gain strength faster.

People were happy that they were able to do these workouts right in their living rooms with just their boxers on :) It just cannot get any simple, no more excuses lets start jumping.

Different but NO Different

I am not sentimental at all but thought I would dedicate this little poem and the time I spent to write it, to my Father who's thoughts helped me complete a real mental workout few weeks back.

Different but no different

A 10 mile run, under the burning hot sun
Strapped 3 pounds not one, to add to the fun
Few miles seemed like a ton, just half way n I felt I was done
Your thoughts came down like none, you let my mind compare you and your son.
Little I knew the battle was half won,  n that fun had just begun !!!
You live vegetarian but I am no barbarian
cos animals I eat are mostly vegetarian
Family is first to you, I am self obsessed in my view
Gardening, you say is workout, I doubt its worth being a cop out
Optimist in you never said No, The Realist in me tries to run my show
Birthdays and people, you remember em off the hook,
I am glad there's this thing called the face book
You care so try to make it easy for us!!!
I care and let my kids fight their battles to success !!!
You had faith in GOD and worked really hard,
I too work very hard but Nature is my only GOD.
Movies from Hollywood, we still love to watch Clint East Wood
Both love to drive and that's not gonna change as long as we are alive
Riding different waves we may,  but even our thoughts don't slay
Thinking of all this along the way, Pain started to sway away
And thus I completed my run,
Glad that we are Different, but NO DIFFERENT just ONE !!!

Thank you Appa, Have a great day !!!

Myths and Misconceptions that walk the workout world

Interestingly, there have always been a lot of misconceptions about working out like there is about anything and everything. This post has the potential of being a blog of its own but I am gonna talk about a few interesting ones that still walk the workout world..

Here goes my list of the most interesteing Myths and Misconceptions about working out

Myth 1 - I don't need to lose weight, so I don't need to workout.

Let me get straight to the point. Working out is not about losing weight (PERIOD). Its about getting fit. In the process of getting fit we could end up shedding unwanted carbs, fats and sugars and there by lose some weight but that is not the only reason to workout. The benefits of working out are 50 % physical and 50 % mental. Yes working out makes us active, makes us physically fit etc but it also gives us a lot of confidence, self belief, freedom, mental stability and a great attitude. These can be realized only when we workout.

Myth 2 - I am skinny so I am fit.

When I hear people say this I just feel like cussing but I am not going to right now. Being skinny like being fat is just a body type. It does not have anything to do with being fit. I have seen a lot of skinny people who are unable to even support their own weights with their legs and keep tripping down as they take a couple of strides to run. Skinny obese (Skinny Fat) is as critical may be more critical than being Big  and obese. The reason is skinny people assume that they are fit and healthy and do not care about sugar levels, fats etc. So health and fitness have nothing to do with your body type. Working out is universal.


Myth 3 - Morning is the best time to work out.

No time is bad time to workout. Infact anytime you workout you have a great time. So enough of these talks to keep ourselves from working out. The only time we really should not workout is right after a meal. That too only if the meal is too heavy. I also recommend not to workout right after an intense work out. Wait a little before going at it one more time, I am very serious here ;)


Myth 4 - Women should not workout as intense as men

This is another interesting one. My view, no one worksout as intense as some one. Intensity levels vary with individual. The key here is, men or women, everyone needs to keep pushing their limits and let the body decide for itself what that limit is. Workouts are surely not gender biased they are just upto each and every individual. Listen to your body not to your mind cos the mind always wants you to stop.

Myth 5 - I am just a starter I need to take it easy

We are starters only on the first day of our workout, thats it. We should never take it easy, right from day one we just have to keep pushing ourselves. If we think we are starters, we always will be one and will never go beyond that point. So put these things aside and enjoy the happiness of an intense workout.


Myth 6 - I am over 40 I need to walk more n run less.

Walking is not for old people its only for lazy people. Every evening I see this inspriring Asian guy, 75 yrs of age ( I know his age cos I asked him and he told me). Trust me he does not look like he is in his 70's (I say this knocking on wood). This guy runs 3 miles every day slowly but surely runs them. His body is rock solid and he said he has been doing this for a very long time. I wish I live that way to inspire someone when I am 70. Again he is not the only guy there are many people like him who remind me that walking is just for lazy people. People dont walk because they have joint pains and aches, they have pains n aches as they chose to walk and not run.


Myth 7 - Kids should not work out it would affect their growth.

This is funny really funny. My girls (2 1/2 yrs old) workout with me all the time. They run about 400 mts with me every other day. They hang for minutes together on monkey bars and jump around like the bunny, all day. I hold them upside down and they twist their upper body and do little crunches. They have done all these for a while now and they are doing great. If, by working out you were referring to lifing weights etc, yeah those are not for kids, not becaue it will affect their growth but just because they might injure themselves. Other wise kids can do anything they wanna do. Just let them do whatever they wanna do. Tire them out everyday and you wouldnt have to feed them or put them to sleep, they would rather ask for it (A line from my book on parenting :))


Myth 8 - I haven't lost any weight. This is pointless, I'm not accomplishing anything, Why should I workout

Weighing scales are not indicators of our efforts. When workout, we gain strength, we get fitter by day, our thoughts are clearer, our actions are steadier, our life style is calmer, peaceful n happy.  Weighing scales don't know all these. If you still looking at weighing scales, heart rate monitors, calories counters etc to gauge your efforts, CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE BEFORE YOU WORKOUT AGAIN.

Myth 9 - I am fat I need to do more workouts that are less intense

Incidentally, I was talking about this very thing to a friend, yesterday. Thanks to WIKI and GOOGLE I was able to substantiate my points and views. If jogging(or slow paced/less intense aerobic workout) for a couple hours was the only way to reduce the fat from our bodies not many will have the motivation to do it on a regular basis. And again, if we keep doing the same workout over and over again, our body does not respond as well as it did initially.

With intense workouts, the body burns a lot of carbs. It surely does. So intense workout for about 20 minutes is as good as a slow paced run for 2 hours. Intense workouts burn a lot of carbs and once the carbs are burnt out it starts buring fats. We just need to make sure the intensity is up all the time. Plyometrics is the way to go. More on plyometrics coming soon.

Myth 10 - Drinking too much water does not let you gain muscles.

This is just the most ridiculous myth on the list. I have heard fitness trainers mention that they drink little to no water for weeks before a stage show so their muscles are in proper shape. I have heard and read movie stars  avoid water to develop six pack abs for their movies and end up with kidney problems.

Thats not what we want. We need to get fit, and stay healthy, working towards this goal means doing things the right way and looking good is bound to happen. So please drink a lot of water, I drink about a gallon of water (4 liters) everyday and I believe I look great.

Myth 11- I don’t have time to exercise.

I just saved the best for the last, I just did. We don't find time because we dont want to. We see the world with our own eyes. All we see, listen and do is what we wanted to see, what we wanted to listen and do.

So if someone says they don't have time to do something it just means they do not want to do it. Its just the perspective.

Have you ever noticed that once you started to, say run/ workout, the whole world seems to be running. Ever thought why? People have always been running, people have always been working out and we have seen them too but we just did not want to accept them in our mind. So once we start doing things, our perspectives change and suddenly every one seems to be doing what we are doing. That's my whole point if we wanna accept and do something we surely will.

I try to be polite to all those who have said this to me, I wont be the same always :), So....

If you have any questions please post them and I will be more than happy to answer.

I owe a million thanks to the thousands of people who have been reading my blog and working out towards an healthy self, You are truly making this life of mine worth while. Thank you for coming on board this quest of self realization, . I request every one to take the responsibility, spread the word around and make this world a healthier, happier place.

If you could share your success stories through your comments and click "follow" to follow this blog, it would mean a lot to me. Thanks in advance keep working out.

 

The Enemy Within

Most of my posts have been based on conversations i've had with the people I meet. This one is no different. Was at my fav salad place with my friends the other day, conversations were just random until someone started something very interesting. 


We are What we Choose to Be
All life, in every aspect of it, we are, what we choose to be, we are the reason for our happiness, our success, our failures and depressions. No one or nothing else, is.

If we really want something we end up getting it, so who is to blame if we are not able to find time to workout. Its a constant fight against ourselves, when a part of us tells us to stay in the couch and munch on the buttery popcorn there sure is another part that is craving to get out there and workout. It screams and shouts from inside but we just CHOOSE to ignore it.

It sure is tough to battle our laziness, it sure is tough to battle to the door past the comfort of the couch or the cold beer etc, but what lies beyond all this is BLISS, the freedom, the taste of victory and the sheer joy of conquering the evil self.

This is a Battle everyone has to fight day in and day out but the happy news is once you have won it a few times it becomes so easy and becomes more of an habit. My Father always said that working out is like holding on to the tail of the tiger, we just cannot let it go. We let it go, it will come back to bite us. So we just have to stay focussed day in and day out and start to enjoy what we do.

Baby Steps

I have heard people say its the laziness, to them and to all others sailing that boat, I have mentioned this a few times already but really dont mind repeating. If you are lazy to get out of your house to workout, just stay home but stay active, do some squats, stretches, just jump or just stand up reach to the sky, then bend down and touch our toes. Just do something.

Baby steps are fine, start slowly get into an active lifestyle. Develop the NEED to be active and healthy, Drink lots of water, about a gallon everyday, eat light, stay active. Even before you realise you could be running your race against the winds. As they say "Where therez a WILL there defenitely are many many many POSSIBILITIES".

Keep fighting the enemy within, I still do,  if you let him win, you lose but when he losses you WIN and VICTORY feels soooo damn good.

My own quote of the day "When you workout and eat right you only get Stronger by day not older"
 

Teamwork..WORKS !!!

Happy B'day Harish Veeramani, and thank you for reminding me the importance of taking responsibility.

I know its been a while since my last post but I am not gonna waste time talking about the reasons, I'd rather start blogging about something that I have been contemplating for a while now.

Workouts - If I googled the meaning of working out, I really dont know what it might tell me but my understanding of that word is pretty straight forward. Working out, according to me, is any activity that initially seems to challenge one physically but eventually all it is, is it liberates ones mind, frees it of all stress and makes one feel good about him/herself.

When I hear people say that they used to workout a lot couple of years back but couldn't sustain their efforts and stuff, it only irritates me cos all it is, is failing to understand the true essence of working out. When  I heard more and more of similar stories, I started to think why so many fail to sustain their efforts, the answer, was quiet obvious. It is rather tough to move past the initial "physically challenging" part and get to understand the real essence. No wonder !!!

This blog is the result of all the pondering over this fact and the initiative that followed.

Working out as a team.

With the fall of winter and the spring of beautifully bright and longer days, I took my first step towards spreading good health around the world and help people understand the true essence of working out. A fitness program of my own. Making the best use of the weather and investing just 40 minutes of ones time and literally nothing else, we started to challenge the so called physical limitations by helping and motivating each other as we began to workout as a team.

What we do - We gather everyother evening, at one of the many parks in the area, start off with some basic stretches and slowly start on some suicide(shuttle) runs. Once the body is nice and warmed up, we either focus on core strength or work on some endurance building workouts or do some weight training.

But whatever we did, we always wrapped up our sessions with either a set of hops or frog jumps around the park or swings through monkey bar, somersaults  etc and just liberate the little child in each of us. This clears the mind of all stress, depressions and rejuvanates the soul. Sounds crazy, it should.

But wait, think for second, these are the very things that we enjoyed doing as kids. We enjoyed them so much that we would do them all day if we could. We never cared what we ate or had any guilt, never knew what fat meant, never felt lazy never tired and never down or depressed.  So  why not do the same now.

Unless we worked out as a group, no one would ever imagine frog jumping in a open park all alone. As you see one person in the group do something, you wanna do that too. Be it pushing yourself through one more rep of suicide runs or trying to suspend yourself upside down on those monkey bars. There are just no limits to the fun. And I dont mind being the first guy to do them :).

These are some of the great perks of working out as a team and each one has to be there to feel what I am talking about. To see people gathering before time and hearing them say that they look forward to the next sessions it is so obvious that everyone enjoys being there and working out as a team.

Now we are 15, we will be 20 soon and I can assure you we will be in the hundreds and even thousands in no time. Where ever you are start forming a team of your own and feel the bliss of working out as a team.

"Teamwork really really really WORKS"

If you wanna join our Fraternity in Plano TX, email me at runwithbrihu@gmail.com and we will be glad to have you. 

Responsibility is a Boon

Opening Scene
When Uncle Ben looks into the eyes of Peter Parker and says "With More Power Comes More Responsibility" he is not referring to the people who have the powers to fly through the busy streets of New York and fight the evil professor who turns into a giant lizard. He refers to each one of us who some others look up to in some way.


The formula, to this whole fitness thing, has 2 components to it. Both equally important and equally tough. The first component  is called "The Start - Taking the first step" which involves changing our eating, sleeping habits, bringing in discipline into every aspect of our life and based on where we start, it may also mean a major change in our lifestyle.

The Plot
The second component which I call "Stay focused and keep Going" is really tricky as it only gets harder, harder and harder everyday unless we learn and master the key ingredient which is starting to enjoy what we do over why we do. When we enjoy what we do "Staying Focused" will never be a problem. I know I've probably mentioned this over a thousand times already, will probably mention this another million times too, as it changes the whole perspective of working out and eating healthy.

There is genuine reason why staying focused "EVERYDAY, all year long" is so important.
We work hard all summer long and when winter hits and Holiday season begins we slow down and kinda stop. And before we realize we are back to those immobile days, spending most of the time on the couch munching on holiday left overs and watching TV all day. Result, we spend another summer working our ass off to shed all the unwanted weight and laziness that crept in during winter. Had we stayed focused by eating right and working out a little harder, we wouldn't have to play catch up all summer. We would actually be getting fitter without losing the enjoyment and motivation.

Now I hear my mind saying "Enough of the things that we already know, get back to why you even mentioned Uncle Ben and quote from the Spider man movies to start with".

Climax
Alright, Alright for all those who have made a start in this exciting quest, it is very important to understand that there are a lot of people who have already started to look up to us. They believe we have done something that they have not been able to do and because we are no holly wood hunks and just regular people like everyone else, they look up to us and believe that they can do what we have started to do.

It is our responsibility now, to stay focused, take pride in what we do and show everyone how much fun it is to keep going. We need to understand that when we put in 100 % effort, the person who follows us would probably be at 85 % and the ones who follow them would probably be at 70 %. It is just human nature so it is our responsibility to make sure we are always 110% if not more in our efforts so the people who look up to us do better.

So where ever I am, who ever I am with, I maintain my discipline, I eat right, I workout and I make sure I never compromise on neither my diet nor my workouts. Cos, I know there is always someone, who wants to make a start, is watching me and that I need to set a good example. So by staying focused and disciplined I take responsibility for the well being of my fellow earthlings.

But why did I not mention all this initially, well I just like movies with a climax that ties back to the first scene :).

Running Mates its Back to the Basics

Its been a while I know, but I wont say I was busy, that would just be a cop out. When one has no time to do something it just means that the individual does not want to do it . So no excuses, was simply unclear as to what my first blog for the year 2013 should be.

Now here I am, getting back to the basics and writing about how to build ones stamina to run longer. I really would just say its all in the mind but for some reason no one seems to trust me when I say that. So, sipping my 3rd green tea of the morning, I contemplate retrospectively over the things I knowingly or unknowingly did before I started my running. I feel "hmm makes some sense".

Running " Suicides " - Something I love to do, This is the first step towards getting to love running and starting to run efficiently.  For all those who think running is not their cup of tea. "Running Suicides" a very simple technique to develop stamina (endurance) needed for longer runs. Don't be taken aback by the name, you will know why this routine is called so when you do them.

How do you run suicides - There are a lots of variations but I just stick this simple routine. And since I figured it out :) will surely talk about the reasoning behind how these help in building our stamina.

Running Suicides

• I place 2 cones say 60 feet apart. 
• Start running from one of the cones (c1) towards the other cone (c2) at a reasonable speed, not fast at all. A jog is also fine.
• Once I reach the c2, get down swiftly touch the c2 and run back to c1.
• Get down touch the c1 and run back to c2 without stopping.

To start off, I did 4 reps between c1 n c2 at slow speed (jog) followed by 2 reps at good speed followed by 4 more reps of jogging and 2 reps at good speed and so on. As I always say finish strong, end your run with 2 reps of at good speed. So basically 4-2-4-2-4-2.

How this helps, lets say I prepare myself for a 20 minute run for the first time ever, what am I thinking, 20 fucking long minutes of running, feels laborious already. The enjoyment, which holds vital importance, is lost even before I start. So after say 3 minutes or so I am down n dusted. So I stop for a few, I may drag myself ever so slowly for a few feet then try running again only to realize that things are much tougher. The ultimatum is, I decide running is not for me.

With Suicides distance or time is not what I am thinking about, so "good mind set to start", then I start slowly and after the first 4 reps, I run 2 reps at good speed, n when my body needs a breather my next 4 reps of slow jog become my rest. I don't stop but I am still getting my rest as I run slowly until the next 2 reps of running a good speed. So my body gets used to resting while I run. Now after I do this for couple of weeks long runs become a piece of cake as I pretty much run at the same pace through out.

I am an outdoor person but for my friends who run on the boring treadmill (sorry I just hate running on the treadmill) you could still get this done, jog for a minute to 2 minutes (at say a speed of 6) then increase the pace on your treadmill up a few notches (say speed of 8) run 30 seconds then go back 6 for 2 more minutes. Repeat this cycle 3 or 4 times.

Couple of things to remember

1) Drink a lot of water 30 minutes before your workout. Have some carbs (rice, pasta etc) for the meal prior to the run. Bananas are very good. But nothing solid within 2 hours of the run.

2) Stretching is very important. I spend at least 15 minutes stretching my calf muscles, groin and hamstring. Prevents injury and helps me run better.

3) Repeat this routine for a couple of weeks then increase either the number of reps of quick runs or increase the total reps from say 4-2-4-2-4-2 to say 4-2-4-2-4-2-4-2 and so on. Then after another couple of weeks you are all set for a long run.

Running Suicides help burn a lot of calories quickly and those quick runs in between help us with what they call "fast twitch" the part of system that works with our ability to accelerate.

But honestly, all that this whole exercise really did was to help my mind believe that I could run too. So if you think you are mentally strong enough, fuck all this put your shoes on and just start running.

"The Whole world is my fitness center and Mother Nature is my Running Mate. And she is so damn beautiful"