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...

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...

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...

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/...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

Carries are a criminally underrated category of exercise. They engage your upper back, forearms, arms and mid section. Basically your entire upper body contracts isometrically as you cover distance. You could do them with dumbbells, barbells, trap bars, kettlebells or any implement. But at our gym, we have one whacky implement that let...

Not a day goes by when I don’t wonder why do we get taught to use centimetres instead of millimetres in school. No one in the real world uses centimetres! And millimetres neatly scales to inches and feet. And it teaches you about the scale of things. Milli means one thousandth. Millimetres is used by carpenters, plumbers, electricans, ...

You know it’s hard work. The fact that lifts and escalators exist means we are avoiding the physical work of taking the stairs. If you are short on time, are injured or have to lug something heavy up, avoiding the stairs make sense. In other scenarios, why not take on the extra dose of activity? But in the era of step counters and runn...

Posture is framed as sub-optimal, optimal or perfect. Pain resulting from posture is framed as an outcome of bad posture. But one person’s bad posture can seem perfectly tolerable to someone else. Another person’s good posture can be painful for some. So what’s happening ? ** Tolerance for an adaptation and different positions. ** You ...

Here are the variety of ways I have gotten conned or screwed up in the last 12 years: 1. Paid for 304 steel and gotten 202 grade steel. I lost a lot on this. 2. Incorporated as a private limited company with no necessity for it. 3. Wasted lakhs on building a nutrition website that no one asked for. 4. Did not think through equipment de...

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/...

I hated quotes like that in school. But as I get older, the general wisdom makes sense. Some of the leaner, protein-dense ingredient options that can help you hit 80-100 grams of protein consumption a day are not readily available on every store shelf. Let’s take my staples: 3 eggs 80 grams of low fat paneer 250 grams of Skyr 25 grams ...

When constraints are useful Your hands are tools. They can perform surgery, handle a knife or scissors with skill, swing a racket, punch hard and everything in between. This capacity to produce plenty of force as well as the most delicate movement is a function of having muscles that are small and delicate like in the fingers or big an...

Far too often medical professionals recommend rest and inactivity as tools for recovery from non-traumatic injuries. This approach is clearly counterproductive. And the opposite camp that espouses movement as part of the solution is fast emerging. In a nutshell: rare is the injury that requires you to lie still and do absolutely nothin...

Ghee lubricates your joints. What is a lubricated joint? A rather commonly cited advantage of consuming ghee is that your joints can move more freely. Much like spraying WD40 on a squeaky hinge will get a door or metal joint moving freely. WD40 does this by loosening up rust, and reducing the friction and allowing two surfaces to move ...

Our cities are uniquely corrupt, polluted and dirty. Even by developing world standards. One of the terrific advantages we have as we build our mega cities is to learn from all those who have come before. We get to see the choices made by London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Singapore and...

There’s outrage over 10 minute deliveries. There’s snapshots of Japanese fast food with boiled egg sandwiches and fresh sushi on the 7/11 store shelves. Why can’t we have the same options? The fault lies not on our store shelves, but in our food preferences. Zepto sells the same sugary beverages, stale sandwiches, cream puffs, samosas ...

When I visit gyms outside of mine, I see clients treat their coaches with disregard and for the lack of better word contempt. I still cringe at the one time I saw a man snap his fingers beckoning his trainer to fetch his towel. Our attitude to vocational jobs is not dissimilar. Welders, cooks, cleaners, tailors, cobblers, farmers, carp...

Lifting heavy, unwieldy things is not the same as lifting symmetric objects with friendly load distribution. The gym is designed to help you lift as much as possible. Be it repetitions, weight or sets. It is designed to be the most efficient path to packing on muscle and making a muscle or joint work. This framework for producing a pre...

Taking nothing away from the years of practice it probably takes to be able to hold difficult positions, comparing different modes of training with strength training is disingenuous. First off, all movement takes control and contractions. Some are simpler to learn. Others take more time, energy and effort. Doesn’t matter what anyone ca...

Precision guided habits and skill versus generic goals and resolutions I am going to workout everyday Versus I will do 10 push ups everyday at 7 am ———————- I am going to eat more protein Versus I will have 2 eggs and a 250 mL serving of Skyr or Greek yoghurt everyday ———————- I am going to eat salads or juice everyday Versus I will ha...