I don’t do transformation stories, but this was too good to pass. 1. What did you eat? At least 102 species of plants mostly leaves and lots of fruit. By fruit I mean figs. Like kilos of figs a day. Not the dried, tough chewing gum crap homosapiens eat. Softer, watery figs which feel like a baby’s bum. Speaking of baby bums, I occasion...

As a coach, i bias to exercises or movements that can be scaled, progressed or regressed. There is a messy category of movement that falls into the category of challenging to execute but the benefits are neither linear or obvious. But it’s good fun! And it takes great deal of coordination and strength to make it happen. Some obvious dr...

Murky does not begin to capture this. But it’s not really the tip of the iceberg. It’s more like sticking a finger in the Kola Superdeep Hole. That hole is close to 13 kms deep. And the Russians would have made it deeper too if they had the tools. But our proverbial hole of pollution, corruption and discord grows deeper with every brea...

Who should be allowed to talk about food, eating and nutrition. I got a bachelors of science degree in biotechnology. I was far from the best student but memorising how cells work for two semesters left me with some elementary understanding of how it works. I got a diploma in broadcast journalism from the ACJ. I then got my diploma in ...

Gestational diabetes is far too common in India. And this is a direct function of inactivity and a surplus of calories consumed during pregnancy. Besides, the quality of calories i.e protein, omega 3 and micronutrient intake by the mother has a much more direct and critical impact on the brain and healthy development of the foetus. Far...

I wrote about coaches that pander to their trainees by not nudging them enough to train harder. The greatest pandering, bordering on manipulation, is by any institution (corporate, government or any group of people trying sell services or products). Once they latch on to some simplistic/silly ,messaging that resonates, they lean into q...

The evidence that we are a serious people or worthy of the tag of ‘civilised’ diminishes dramatically with every passing day. Having visited Lakshwadeep, I know what Pragya says in this piece is true: https://lnkd.in/gx-wJvff There is no evidence that we deserve any of the land, freedoms or privileges we get to enjoy. We have in Bharat...

You don’t remember the tech. You remember 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞. Kumaran Anandan These lines ring true for any business. I’ve heard really good directors like Tarantino and Nolan speak to this too. I’ve heard the same from great chefs. You can weave a terrific story about ingredients and agonising over slow cooking etc etc but the food ha...

I have no background in design and my drawing teacher in 3rd grade asked me to quit after one lesson. I never tried again :D But to take our ideas and make it into reality I need lots of help. Enter Hari who owns and runs one of the best laser cutting and press brake workshops in town. He is very patient too. He takes my ideas and make...

How well are you applying what you think you know or the content you’ve been exposed to that you. Over the last decade, here are concepts that are recognised as commonplace and a necessity for quality of life: 1. Compound lifts 2. Resistance training 3. Calorie awareness 4. Protein intake 5. Sleep hygiene 6. Training to improve your VO...

Here’s an area that was in need of improvement so we attacked it. The padding we use on our ladder squat machine. The padding on our benches, split squat stands. All needed an upgrade. It’s really hard to get foam right. There’s 100’s of compounds out there. And companies rarely talk about what they use. It’s proprietary this or patent...

The fact that world protein day falls on my daughters birthday made me chuckle. So much cake, so few eggs and dairy on the day to celebrate protein intake. Here’s my favourite quote about protein: I tell my grad students that we can put a man on the moon, but we still can’t come to a consensus of how much protein to give him here on ea...

I first heard this idea of succor and comfort from beliefs being expounded upon by Lee Kuan Yew. I misheard it as sucker comfort. We believe in silly things simply because it helps us make sense of things as they are. Everyone has these beliefs. Be it for health, wealth, work, personal relations, accidents, good luck, misfortune or any...

We have 2 coaches handle groups of 10-20 people. Multiple times a day for an hour each time. A common question: How do we create an individualised program for each and every client? We don’t. We have goals for every client. 12-16 quality sets of squatting. 12-14 quality sets of pushing. 12-14 quality sets of pulling. 12 sets glute ham/...

The single most complicated thing that I am uncertain any study can fully capture is the client or patients attitude to pain, movement and general demeanour. And how this affects pain, rehabilitation and training outcomes. Many a inept plan have been salvaged by a cheery, optimistic client with a terrific attitude. And let’s hypothetic...

Inflammation is real. The best way to visualise it is as one of the many steps the body uses to let different organs and systems communicate with each other. So let’s establish that there is good and necessary inflammation that is a necessity to fight infections, heal tissue, digest food and constantly deal with the stream of pathogens...

I’ve always struggled to articulate why I feel like I don’t operate in the same industry as Cult, Golds Gym,24/7, Anytime Fitness or any other gym that offers memberships to use their space and maybe seek out a coach. I’ve tried to articulate why coaching and community are how we are different. Even our distinct outdoor setting and equ...

A young lifter tragically died. She died when a barbell rolled over her neck as she fell. This killed her as it broke her neck and severed her spine. She slipped while walking into a rack position after unracking a loaded barbell. The pins on the squat rack were spaced too far apart. She did not have a reasonable position to unrack fro...

Before a client signs up, everything they hear about what it is like to train with you, the experience, the results and of course how competent you are at your job. When they sign up, they need to understand why you are worth their time and premium. This calls for a great deal of clarity on the coaches end. Mainly that they are no buyi...

We made a rig to do push ups, pull ups and isometric work. We want to run a class without compromising on exercise selection. What does that mean? The strength level of the average trainee at our gym is highly variable. You have folks who have never done a single push up in their lives working towards one. You also have people who are ...

I’ve said this before and it bears repeating. Burning calories is least useful way to measure why any activity is useful. By extension why muscle is worth working towards is not measured by calories muscle spends while resting. But by a measure of how useful is the adaptation. Muscles contract and produce force. That’s the simple reaso...

We underestimate the power of a transaction to shape our store shelves and menu cards. Except the foodpharmers alarmist take on everything. Companies really will sell you anything. So long as it is legal in the bare minimum sense of the word. If you demand it. Demand really shapes supply. Look at the number of companies selling the sam...

You don't matter That says it all. How we feel about public spaces. How we feel about the personal safety about our loved ones and ourselves. And how little say or control we have over those things. If you have a rundown road, broken streetlight, clogged storm drain and no sewer line. The only way to get any public amenities or attenti...

The push up and pull up rig is versatile. And it is intricate too. Here’s the team it took to make it happen: 4 welders in one workshop 2 lathe workers 1 CNC workshop 1 scrapyard 2 steel suppliers 1 supplier of nuts and bolts 1 supplier of stainless steel components And here are all the different sizes of parts used: 60mm by 51 mm pipe...

“We don’t want to make a book that looks like it was made in 1935, we want to make a book the way they made the book in 1935,” Coudal says. “That’s a real distinction. we’re not trying to be retro; we’re trying to reproduce previous techniques because we like the results these techniques came up with.” Jim Coudal The fact that we make ...

How many people were part of the study? If the study is based on other studies, how big were the groups studied in those. Was the information collected reliable? Often studies need people to reliably recall how much they ate, what foods they ate and when they ate. Is the study saying X causes Y. Or that we noticed that whenever X is th...

I don’t understand the hype around this snack. Let’s break this down. Is it high in protein? You need to consume 350 calories of makhana to get 10 grams of protein. The same protein can be had for fewer than half the calories from the following sources: You need to consume around 130 calories of eggs. Around 100 calories of skim milk. ...

Ideas, by definition, are always fragile. If they were resolved, they wouldn’t be ideas. They would be products that were ready to ship. Jony Ive We need a pull up and push up rig. The push up rig should accommodate push ups from 6 inches high all the way through 36 inches. And it should lend itself to inverted rows. It should also be ...

Quality is an attitude of mind Norman Foster We get called value conscious. But I see that as a euphemism for an unwilligness to spend time, pay attention or part with money for anything that spells quality or attention to detail. Rule breaking, corruption, public nuisance, lack of hygiene standards, tightly cramped buildings, spitting...

I enjoy eating ice cream with my daughter. We do it once a month. We go to a place around the corner and she has her scoop of strawberry icecream with sprinkles. And I’ll get a salted caramel. And Ibaco does something cool. They give me this tiny portion of 30 grams. Just 3 spoons of icecream. I drag it out into 6 spoons and take my ti...