Fitness 1 by Coach KK

The Deltoids a.k.a shoulders are probably that one group of muscles that get worked in a lot of exercises (although not to a significant degree as isolating them would). For example, doing the bench press (flat or incline) works the anterior or front delt. Horizontal rowing to chest as in cable or machine rows works the rear delts also. The deltoid muscles comprises of three heads i.e.  anterior (front) ,  lateral (side/middle)  and  posterior (rear) . If you look at the composition and growth potential of these three muscles on any advanced and competitive bodybuilder whose already in possession of those rounded shoulders you may notice that its the  Lateral (middle) debt  that brings out the developed and rounded look. The does not mean that the other two shoulder muscles don't have an impact but rather that, focusing on lateral shoulders exercises such as  lateral dumbbell/cable/machine raises  must be performed with slightly more volume th...

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...

Hi. Its been a while since I last posted. Without wasting any more time I want to dive into a topic that is some what controversial but outright confusing and misunderstood, especially by women. First of all to get the basics straight, weight loss = calorie deficit i.e. consuming less calories than maintenance levels for a specific period of time. Similarly, Sustained Weight Loss = Calorie Deficit + Exercise. Now, if you're one of those who specifically dislike exercise such as weight training, etc. and would prefer to be in a weight loss phase counting solely on reducing food intake, this post is not for you. However, if you're the kind that is ready to start on their weight loss plan and are willing to include some sort of exercise few times per week do read on as I'll be covering three points that I've come across in my career which cause the biggest hurdle for women aiming to lose weight and become fitter. Under-eating: Well, I just mentioned above the losing ...

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...

Continuing with our Muscle Theory series, while in the Part 1 we looked into some of the upper body muscles, in this post we will focus our attention on the muscles of the lower body starting from the glutes: 1. Gluteus Maximus: Origin:  Posterior ¼ of the crest of ilium, posterior surface of sacrum and coccyx near the ilium, and fascia of lumbar area. Insertion:  Oblique ridge on lateral surface of greater trochanter and iliotibial band of fasciae. Action:  Extension of hip, external rotation of hip, lower fibers which assist in adduction. Exercise/Movement:  Hip Thrust. 2. Rectus Femoris:  Origin: Anterior iliac spine of the ilium and groove (posterior) above the acetabulum. Insertion: Superior aspect of patella and patellar tendon to tibial tuberosity. Action: Flexion of hip, extension of knee. Exercise/Movement:  Leg Extension. 3. Vastus Lateralis: Origin: Intertrochanteric line, anterior and inferior borders of greater t...

This post is dedicated to some of the different muscles, their origins and insertions that we are primarily interested in when we train for Hypertrophy and/or Strength based on individual goals. Certain specific fibers organised into bands or bundles that may contract and produce bodily movement are called muscle tissue. Upon contraction, muscles pull both ends towards the middle or belly of the muscle. The points at which a muscle attaches are known as the origin and insertion of the muscle. A muscle may have one or more origin and/or insertion point. Origin is the proximal attachment, the least moveable or closest to the midline or centre of the body. While, insertion is the distal attachment, the most moveable or farthest from the midline or centre of the body. So, lets get started with the upper body muscles first and in a separate post we will look into the muscles of the lower body. 1. Trapezius (upper and middle): Origin: Upper: Base of skull, occipital protubera...

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...