Introduction
Frankly I was tired going to the gym with its unending routine of pumping iron. I had gone through the pain and stress of exercise related injuries which were becoming more and more frequent even though I had developed quite a good physique by regular weight training over the years. The big problem with me as with several others was that once I quit training for some time I immediately started to develop a paunch. I also noticed that lifting heavy weights helped little in developing functional strength which is essential for carrying on the day to day activities. Therefore I started searching for an exercise routine which would build up my strength and tone up my body without bulking me up. After browsing through several exercise routines I came upon it in the form of “Hindu pushups” and “Hindu squats” and have been addicted to them since.
What are Hindu Pushups.
Well as I learnt more about Hindu pushups, I became more and more interested in them. Though they were similar to Divebomber pushups practiced by the armed forces yet their movements put more strain on the shoulder and arm regions. Hindu pushups are done in an arching wave like movement. The starting position is with legs spread wide apart and butt up in the air. From there, bend your elbows as in a regular pushup, bringing your back down in a circular arc, straighten your arms and end up with your chest up and your hips almost touching the ground. http://cbass.com/. This type of pushup was developed in India thousands of years ago and has been practiced by wrestlers since then. It is derived from the sun salutation exercise done in yoga.
The Hindu pushups or dands as they are called back in India is a complete upper body exercise affecting almost all the muscles of the upper body including the chest, shoulders, triceps, back and the neck muscles. They also increase the flexibility of the backbone and can be safely performed everyday. Indian wrestlers were known for their incredible strength and agility and at one time dominated the world of wrestling. These wrestlers depended almost entirely on Hindu pushups and squats to build up their strength and stamina.
Hindu squats
Hindu squats are considered by many to be the best lower body bodyweight exercise. This exercise is great for developing the muscles in the thigh and the buttock region. Some consider this exercise to be beneficial to the knee joint but this is yet to be proved. Here unlike the normal squat we push our body further down until our butt touch our calves, then we explode up while moving the arms forward, once upright move your arms back onto your sides. This action should mimic a rowing movement. http://www.bodybuilding.com. Whether doing Hindu squats or pushups it is always important that your breathing should be slow and deep in rhythm with the movement.
Benefits
These two exercises affect almost all the important muscles of the body. They increase strength, flexibility of the spine and endurance levels all at one time. If done regularly they not only increase our muscle ratio but also aid considerably in reducing the fat percentage of our body. This is because they increase the metabolism levels and thus promote calorie burning.
Exercise routine
Both Hindu pushups and squats are usually difficult to do at the starting stages but with regular practice we can rapidly improve our performance. Personally I use a ladder routine to do these bodyweight exercises. Starting with a very few number of reps, say 2 pushups and 4 squats I gradually increase the rep level while alternating between these two exercises until finally I cant do any more.
Conclusion
The Hindu pushups and squats provide the perfect workout to people unwilling to exercise either due to lack of time or due to un-availability of a gym. These two exercises neither require any costly training equipment nor much space and in my opinion are the best bodyweight exercises available to us.
