I stumbled upon an article about how Formula 1 pretty much reinvented itself after the death of one of its most celebrated drivers, Ayrton Senna. The piece is over two years old, and as I later noticed, it was written by this young lady who I've come to admire deeply in the past few months or so. About the piece, what struck me most was how simply it was worded. No high-flying wordy nonsense, no complicated terminology that sends you running to the dictionary. It was simple, to the point, lucid, like an 18 year old is telling you a story about something that she's fervently passionate about. I was so moved by the simplicity of what I read, even inspired, dare I say, that I decided to write something simple myself.
No, it's not about Motor Sports, love. I hardly have any experience in that subject, save for the odd one-make races that I have witnessed on a race-track. I need to mention that those experiences too are something to the credit of this aforementioned young lady, for my life, thus far, has been far removed from lap-times, unless you're talking about 400-metre relays, of course.
But what I can write simply about is running, jumping, leaping, lifting, pulling, pushing and other monkeying-around moves that we are all capable of, They keep us in the shape and size that we are supposed to be in. However, off late, we are more concerned about the shape and size of the screens we carry around in our pocket. Sadly, the fact is that if you happen to read this, chances are that you will be doing so on one of those screens. But if you plan on sweating it out, be it for health reasons, or kicking your stress (or yourself) in the butt, here are a few moves that will give you guaranteed results, no conditions applied.
I have been accused of being a misogynist by a some nitwits. However, I love ladies, and it a point to tell them how attractive they are. Yes, that's a mild digression, but what I want to say is this. In case there are any ladies(if at all) reading this, I plead you to try these moves instead of walking on a yawn-inducing treadmill. Don't worry, you won't develop body-builder-rivaling biceps and triceps, unless you're into stuff like that.
Here's the list
-Squats
-Pushups
-Skipping/Jogging
-Planks
-Pull-ups
-Dead lifts
Squats
It's the simplest move you can do that WILL get your heart pumping. You don't need your crush to walk by, you don't need to drive in the opposite lane with oncoming traffic. Hell, you don't even need to watch a horror movie. Simply sit your butt down, come back up. If you're a beginner, aim to do that 50 times. If you're a pro, go on till 500 if you like. But by the end of it, your thighs, lungs and heart will plead clemency. The best bit? You don't even need gym equipment for it!
Just as a side-note, don't let your knees go ahead of your foot when you're descending. Also, keep your torso as upright as possible through out the movement.
Push-ups
If you're a guy, this will probably be a test of your ego. How many can you do? If the number is under 20, get a sex-change or something. Do that, or do more push-ups! If you're a lady nevertheless, please do them, like please!
The move itself looks easy to do, isn't it? It is in fact quite a test of a person's upper body strength, and like the squat, it needs nothing but your own bodyweight. Also, there's a whole variety of them that you can do, depending on your level of strength and fitness levels. And if you have competition, there are few things that will give you a kick out of doing them.
Skipping/Jogging
I'll elaborate on skipping first, as it requires the rope and little else other than your concentration. And also, skipping first as it gets the job done quicker and even gives your upper body a good sweat-session. Most of us have done this as kids, especially if you're girls - two of you moving the rope and the third one monkeying up and down in the middle, and you took turns at doing it and what not. For guys, it has always about who can do the most by themselves, and then some. It was fun, right? And then we grew up and grumpy and things. So out went the fun. Now, all we skip is meals. Get hold of that rope, get into your room , move your bed and table to the furthermost corners and SKIP! SKIP! SKIP! SKIP!
Because jogging needs space and shoes, a dry weather and a bright day etc etc.
Side-note again: Try skipping with a little bend in your knees, and preferably on a soft surface, or maybe with your running shoes(yeah, that's a bit contradictory to the jogging bit.), just to keep the knees safe from the constant impact.
Planks
Another one of the body-only movements that requires ABSOLUTELY no equipment, clothes(hee hee hawww hawww hawww!!!) or even movement for that matter. Here's all you need to do.
Looks super-easy, eh? Hold it for a minute (most people struggle), and your abdominals (a.k.a abs) will squeal. There are too many benefits of doing planks, so check them for yourself if you're curious.
Pull-ups
Yeah, this is the scary one for many a men, let alone ladies. Why are we so intimidated by this one? No clue. Happily, most of us start out with a single pull-up. That's all most starters can muster. But stay at it, and there isn't exactly a limit, until about 30 or something. Just kidding. There's never been a limit to anything, has there?
Arnold Schwarzenegger's book on body-building says that even if you can do just one pull-up, do it, but do a total of 20 in the whole day. Your strength will build up eventually. If you can't do one pull-up.... well, there's a trick.
Jump to the top-position-
How do you get to that position? Use a chair or your brains or something. So once you're up there, descend slowly. And REPEAT! You'll eventually grow the arm-strength required to pull yourself up without the chair. And presto!
Here's what things look like in motion.
Keep the back as flat as possible, don't let it round up like this...
Push the weight off the ground with your legs, and focus on keeping your back straight. Else, it'll screw your back and you could even get a herniated disc (slipped-disc). But do it right, and you'll be of the few who have a balanced body. Like a boss.
No, it's not about Motor Sports, love. I hardly have any experience in that subject, save for the odd one-make races that I have witnessed on a race-track. I need to mention that those experiences too are something to the credit of this aforementioned young lady, for my life, thus far, has been far removed from lap-times, unless you're talking about 400-metre relays, of course.
But what I can write simply about is running, jumping, leaping, lifting, pulling, pushing and other monkeying-around moves that we are all capable of, They keep us in the shape and size that we are supposed to be in. However, off late, we are more concerned about the shape and size of the screens we carry around in our pocket. Sadly, the fact is that if you happen to read this, chances are that you will be doing so on one of those screens. But if you plan on sweating it out, be it for health reasons, or kicking your stress (or yourself) in the butt, here are a few moves that will give you guaranteed results, no conditions applied.
I have been accused of being a misogynist by a some nitwits. However, I love ladies, and it a point to tell them how attractive they are. Yes, that's a mild digression, but what I want to say is this. In case there are any ladies(if at all) reading this, I plead you to try these moves instead of walking on a yawn-inducing treadmill. Don't worry, you won't develop body-builder-rivaling biceps and triceps, unless you're into stuff like that.
Here's the list
-Squats
-Pushups
-Skipping/Jogging
-Planks
-Pull-ups
-Dead lifts
Squats
It's the simplest move you can do that WILL get your heart pumping. You don't need your crush to walk by, you don't need to drive in the opposite lane with oncoming traffic. Hell, you don't even need to watch a horror movie. Simply sit your butt down, come back up. If you're a beginner, aim to do that 50 times. If you're a pro, go on till 500 if you like. But by the end of it, your thighs, lungs and heart will plead clemency. The best bit? You don't even need gym equipment for it!
Just as a side-note, don't let your knees go ahead of your foot when you're descending. Also, keep your torso as upright as possible through out the movement.
Push-ups
If you're a guy, this will probably be a test of your ego. How many can you do? If the number is under 20, get a sex-change or something. Do that, or do more push-ups! If you're a lady nevertheless, please do them, like please!
The move itself looks easy to do, isn't it? It is in fact quite a test of a person's upper body strength, and like the squat, it needs nothing but your own bodyweight. Also, there's a whole variety of them that you can do, depending on your level of strength and fitness levels. And if you have competition, there are few things that will give you a kick out of doing them.
Skipping/Jogging
I'll elaborate on skipping first, as it requires the rope and little else other than your concentration. And also, skipping first as it gets the job done quicker and even gives your upper body a good sweat-session. Most of us have done this as kids, especially if you're girls - two of you moving the rope and the third one monkeying up and down in the middle, and you took turns at doing it and what not. For guys, it has always about who can do the most by themselves, and then some. It was fun, right? And then we grew up and grumpy and things. So out went the fun. Now, all we skip is meals. Get hold of that rope, get into your room , move your bed and table to the furthermost corners and SKIP! SKIP! SKIP! SKIP!
Because jogging needs space and shoes, a dry weather and a bright day etc etc.
Side-note again: Try skipping with a little bend in your knees, and preferably on a soft surface, or maybe with your running shoes(yeah, that's a bit contradictory to the jogging bit.), just to keep the knees safe from the constant impact.
Planks
Another one of the body-only movements that requires ABSOLUTELY no equipment, clothes(hee hee hawww hawww hawww!!!) or even movement for that matter. Here's all you need to do.
 |
| Yeah, that's it. |
Pull-ups
Yeah, this is the scary one for many a men, let alone ladies. Why are we so intimidated by this one? No clue. Happily, most of us start out with a single pull-up. That's all most starters can muster. But stay at it, and there isn't exactly a limit, until about 30 or something. Just kidding. There's never been a limit to anything, has there?
Arnold Schwarzenegger's book on body-building says that even if you can do just one pull-up, do it, but do a total of 20 in the whole day. Your strength will build up eventually. If you can't do one pull-up.... well, there's a trick.
Jump to the top-position-
 |
| The position on the left |
Yes, you do need a pull-up bar for this. Or if you're smart, you can hang onto the ledge of a loft if you have one of them at home.
Dead-lift
Here's a tough one, which is why, it's left for the last. And you need gym equipment for this one. But if you can nail this move, you virtually don't need to perform anything else to strengthen your body. It needs your entire body, arms, legs, abs bums and the whole shebang to work in unison. So not only does it strengthen your entire body, it also gets your body to work in sync.
Here's a tough one, which is why, it's left for the last. And you need gym equipment for this one. But if you can nail this move, you virtually don't need to perform anything else to strengthen your body. It needs your entire body, arms, legs, abs bums and the whole shebang to work in unison. So not only does it strengthen your entire body, it also gets your body to work in sync.
Here's the mechanics of it-
 |
| The bar travels from the floor to the top in one straight line. |
For illustrative purposes, I'd have liked the next one better.... err..
 |
| The way this lady's doing it though, is a bit off. But I know, it's fun, right?. |
Push the weight off the ground with your legs, and focus on keeping your back straight. Else, it'll screw your back and you could even get a herniated disc (slipped-disc). But do it right, and you'll be of the few who have a balanced body. Like a boss. 
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