Fitness 1 by Coach KK

Keshav started on his fitness journey like most others do, with the aim to lose just a few inches off his waist, however little did he know that it would soon become just more than an hour that he spent in the gym trying out different workout programs. From having tried and failed at random workout programs that led to an endless pursuit of self-education and a hunger for knowledge, Keshav found his passion in helping others who are or at some point were, stuck in their respective fitness journeys. Over the past couple of years, he’s helped people reach their fitness goals be it losing weight, building muscle, increasing strength, becoming more flexible or simply improving endurance and stamina by educating, providing unique fitness programming and systematic communication with all his clients. Keshav takes only selected clients who have a desire to become fit and healthy, not just on the outside, making sure that every single client is coached personally and not through ass...

For those of us, who swear by lifting a loaded barbell be it for achieving a personal fitness goal, preparing for a competition, or simply to look a little leaner and muscular, creatine is one supplemental product that catches our attention even before the session gets over. Now, I’m certainly not here to debate weather it should be in your monthly supplement shopping list, simply because not everyone will benefit from it, but is has become a staple complementing my post workout shake. If your already eating loads of red meat almost every day, creatine may or may not show any positive results for you. However, for some like me, who’s primarily getting in calories from a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, creatine can do wonders. So, what is creatine : In simple terms, creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid which is a naturally produced in the human body from L-arginine, glycine and methionine (amino acids). Chemically, creatine is represented as C4H9N3O2. Its primary function is to supp...

I’ve always struggled with getting deep quality sleep for the most part of my professional career, which is not quite as long as this statement makes it sound. This biggest contributor towards less sleep for me has been Stress . I tried all the random stuff I’d find online or as advice from all the so called experts (read friends/colleagues) like drinking hot milk, washing feet before sleeping, etc. which makes perfect sense now, as to why it didn't work for me. We usually fall asleep at night due to the melatonin levels that are at their peak after sunset. Cortisol a.k.a the stress hormone makes sure that melatonin does not do its job and hammers it down. The plus side of cortisol is that it wakes us up in the morning and is the most effective hormone when it comes to building muscle, even more than testosterone. Over the years I’ve come up with some strategies that’ve helped me cope with this issue and now on most days I sleep like I did 10 years ago although for slightly les...

Although its been more than a month since New Year's Eve and this post is late, most of you would have already jumped onto the weight loss wagon, but by its very nature losing weight or rather becoming fitter, stronger and leaner especially from the mid section, has never really been sustainable for some of us. With this post, we bring to you some of the most common misconceptions that people have about weight loss and how making some minor adjustments or little tweaks here and there can make this fitness journey of yours more simple, realistic and achievable this year. Weight Loss is not linear:  Well thats not entirely true, since there have been people following a weight loss diet who have managed to keep the needle of their weighing scale linearly move downwards each week, but these are certainly the exceptions rather than the majority. For most people, you're going to see some sort of a zig-zag trend with weight loss where the weight fluctuates over the short term. Th...

Lets face it. To look good and still fit into those old jeans, we have to exercise and eat right. While some people may find it easy and convenient to hop onto the treadmill and eat a salad for dinner, most of us do struggle adhering to our so called fitness programs. There can be many reasons due to which following a fitness based lifestyle can be difficult, following are just a few of them: Following a cookie-cutter program. Following someone else's program.  Implementing random suggestions into your own life style. Trying to do what others are doing. Trying to do too much. Lastly, doing too little.  Another aspect that gets ignored most of the time is the fact that weather the program being followed is correctly designed to begin with. In this post, I will go over some variables that you can manipulate to both check, if the fitness program you are following is correctly designed for you and how you can choose one from the hundreds available for free. It is wort...

Lemon with warm water has for long been considered as the secret ingredient for losing belly fat. I’ve heard of countless people resort to drinking water with lemon first thing in the morning with the intension of reducing their waist line, over the years. Now if this was to done to say, detoxify the body or increase Vitamin C intake I could understand. However, losing belly fat is just not one of the primary benefits of consumption of water+lemon either in the morning or at any other time of the day. If you are already in a calorie defici t and consuming lemon water, you would lose fat, however the fat loss is coming primarily from the lowered calorie intake and not the lemon water. Lemon water is a good source of Vitamin C which may boost immunity. If you consume lemon water first thing in the morning, it is going to do exactly what it should, supply the body with Vitamin C. Losing fat from any one specific area of the body usually does not happen. When on a fat loss program...

Sugar is a form of carbohydrate, not a good one but it still does its job when taken in the right amount and at the right time. Most people do tend to eat loads of sugar while exercising little to nothing. Eliminating sugar will do two things as follows: Reduce the amount of calories that come from sugar. Alter mood. Sugar is famously irresponsible in changing mood by elevating serotonin and dopamine. In addition, some people accustomed to consuming lots of sugar daily, feel a sudden loss of energy when they entirely remove it from their diets.Instead of completely avoiding sugar (unless its a medical issue that requires immediate attention), its better to reduce it slowly over a period of few days, to a bare minimum. Say for example, if the current daily sugar consumption is 100grams, reducing 20grams every day for the next 4 - 5 days is a much better option.For healthy adults, the best time to consume sugar is around the workout i.e. either before, in-between or after the w...

Most fitness enthusiasts make it a point to perform a short pre-workout ritual commonly known as the "Warm up" before moving onto their training session. This short duration activity is usually performed for few minutes and is lower in intensity and volume. Some common warm up techniques used by many are: Walking Light jogging     Running  Jumping jacks Arm Swings Hip Rotation The duration/repetition for each the above mentioned exercises performed is something which is  dependent more on the individuals "getting in the zone for training" capacity rather than a random arbitrary number which should be adhered to. Another variable here is the weather conditions in which the training is ought to be carried out. It takes much less effort to warm up the body and get ready both physically and mentally in the summers, in comparison to the winters. Following are some of the advantages of warming up before a training session: Increase in body temperature. ...

Personal fitness consulting and training has gained some popularity in recent years with more fitness enthusiasts looking out for hiring a trainer for helping and guiding them to achieve their respective fitness goals. Now weather personal fitness training is a lucrative career option is a whole other topic and deserves its own post, for this article my focus would be only towards aspects that you may or may not be aware of and that may prove to be beneficial while making the choice before hiring a trainer both online and in person. Academic Background : No matter how good looking, well built and fit a trainer is, an academic background can the most ignored aspect which one may consider before choosing a fitness professional. Having a graduation and/or post graduation degree is exercise science, nutrition, strength and conditioning, etc. makes the professional more aware about human anatomy, muscle structure, neuro-muscular functioning, human digestion, supplementation, injury pre...

Every time one hears of dieting to lose body weight the concept of metabolism surfaces, especially phrases such as "increasing metabolism" or "increasing metabolic rate", etc. For those who are unaware about what this means or its relevance with weight loss may find it exciting or even intimidating at times to having been given the secret power to change/alter their metabolic rate by following a unbalanced, low calorie, nutrient deficient, and bland weight loss diet. Most people dieting to lose weight coupled with being less aware about what metabolism is may end up with a altered metabolic rate, physiological and psychological response than may potentially take them further away from their fitness goal/s. Metabolism Metabolism is defined as " The sum total of all reactions taking place within the body geared towards building it up and breaking it down". Building up functions are based on anabolism (anabolic functions) while breaking down functions ar...

Carrying a gym bag to the gym with you can be quite beneficial. Gym Bags allow one to have access to certain items that may be needed either before, during or after a gym session. Following are some items that I would consider to look into as part of my gym bag accessories list: 1. Gym Bag : Obviously a gym bag is the most essential item that is required to carry all other items to the gym. Following are all great options for a gym bag.   2. Sports Drink : Workout can be dehydrating and as such having a sports drink can be helpful to replenish both energy and electrolytes. You can either make one at home yourself or go for ready made ones like those linked below.      3. Shoes : This is by far the most neglected aspect of preparing for the gym session. Having the right kind of shoes for the activity you would be performing can only enhance your performance. There are specially designed shoes for Olympic Lifting, Power Lifting, Running, Endurance trai...

Sustaining weight loss is as important as losing weight to begin with. After having achieved weight loss most people simply get back to eating what they were before staring the weight loss diet. The result is a regain in both weight and fat to the level that was prior to the start of the weight loss or even more than before in certain cases. While this is certainly not the case with everyone losing weight, these are some who do experience it. During a weight loss diet, the calorie intake is reduced well below maintenance levels and thus as the diet gets over most people just jump back to their maintenance level intake while some even surpass this level taking in a lot more than would be needed. Another aspect to take into consideration is the hormonal status of the individual during weight loss. Cravings are at their peak and resisting food especially high calorie foods is just not that easy after the weight loss diet ends. Not to forget the fact the during weight loss phase, as in...

Most of us who are into strength training must have heard the words "Power Rack" at some point in their training years. While an extremely beneficial piece of equipment, the power rack is rarely found in gyms in India especially gyms in smaller cities and towns. A standard Power Rack consists of four vertical columns attached to each other, hooks for placing the barbell, safety bars for catching the barbell (if it may fall) and a pull up bar. It is designed keeping the most important parameter i.e. Safety in mind for the strength training enthusiast. A Power Rack is easily confused with a squat rack, which most gyms have or even a smith machine which is a totally different equipment serving a different purpose. Some other terms used to describe a power rack are power cage, half rack (which is basically half i.e. having only two vertical columns) and a squat cage. A standard heavy weight power rack should be a compulsory item in a gym or even at home if you train at h...

The question of using whether free weights or machines or both often arises in the mind of gym rats. Free weights are mainly the freely adjustable dumbbells, fixed weight dumbbells, fixed weight barbells and plate loaded barbells. These are some of the common free weight instruments found in most gyms and can even be purchased for personal use at home. Machines are classified as fixed weight machines, plate loaded machines, cable and pulley machines, hammer strength machines, etc. Although the use of either free weights or machines is dependent on the goal for which the individual is training, sometimes because of lack of availability or maybe making a purchase for personal use at home or for simply the sake of trying a new thing, choosing between free weights and machines becomes necessary. Following are three simple factors that may work for most people while choosing either free weights or machines or both: Training Goal: If training for a specific sport such as olympic w...

First of all, for those that may not know, PR stands for personal record. PR is quite common among strength and power athletes and is generally used to motivate and inspire an athlete to break their own past records by lifting more weight. While PR is in no way related to blood pressure, jumping to a conclusion from the number of people willing to start an exercise and diet program to manage their blood pressure levels, PR seems to fit in quite easily. For this post our focus would be the abrupt increase in blood pressure i.e. Blood Pressure Personal Record (PR). Blood Pressure varies as the heart pumps blood through the arteries and veins to each and every part of the body. With each beat, the heart pumps blood into the arteries thereby raising blood pressure and this pressure is dropped gradually as the blood passes through the veins back to the heart. Blood flow in the body is maintained through a complex system. Usually, blood pressure fluctuates not only with every beat, but...

Cholesterol management is in the prime of its popularity these days. With so much research done on cholesterol and the vast amounts of data available through various sources, managing cholesterol levels keeps on getting more and more difficult for some people. Some functions of cholesterol include aiding in formation of cell membranes, Vitamin D synthesis on skin, hormone production (sex hormone, etc.) among a host of other functions. High Cholesterol levels if left un-managed may lead to atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is usually measured in milligrams per deciliter i.e. mg/dl. Primarily affecting the human body through LDL (bad cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol) and Triglycerides, cholesterol management may be achieved through dietary strategies. Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) is commonly referred to as the bad cholesterol as it can potentially clog the blood vessels and arteries leading to clots and obstruction on blood flow, which over a period of time may increase the risk of he...

Stepping foot on a weighing scale can be motivating at times although it is not always so. The scale reading that appears on the weighing device usually shows the total weight comprising of but not limited to the lean body weight, the fat weight, weight of the bones, etc. So the next time you step on your scale keep in mind that all of it is not fat. If you're a fitness enthusiast who regularly does strength training, cardio, etc or any other activity and monitor your weight either every day or every week, the increment or decrement you may see on the scale can also refer to your gaining or losing for both lean body weight and fat weight, depending on your individual calorie intake and training goal. Calculating the Lean Body Weight For calculating the Lean Body Weight we would need the total weight i.e. what we see on the scale by stepping on it, and the fat weight which is calculated from the fat percentage. Body Fat percentage can be calculated easily using an electronic bo...