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I’m going to walk on egg shells in this article about good exercises that will improve, in my opinion, your ability to tackle twisties or the day-long rides.  I say walk on egg shells because I am lucky.  I was blessed by being born with an incredibly high metabolism and have to bust my ass and eat way too much to keep above 160 lbs.  If I don’t I will drop to less than 150 lbs.  It’s a tough life I live, I know, but I don’t like being or feeling skinny.  Heh - I am actually a member of a small forum dedicated to “Hard Gainers”.

Now that you all hate me, I will share three exercises (of which two are not well-known) that I regularly do to keep in shape.  The good part is that these exercises do not require any weights or equipment - all of them use body weight.  This eliminates the excuse for travelers to be lazy due to no equipment in the Motel 6.  I also consider these as ‘core’ exercises that work large groups of muscle simultaneously.  The benefit is that these serve as BOTH strength-training and cardio exercises.
Here they are: Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups, and Ab Crunches. 

Sounds simple doesn’t it.  Believe me they are not.  I consider myself to be in good shape, and these three combined kick my ass every time.  I am usually a sweaty mess by the end of the routine. 

Since I am a guy who gives credit where credit is due, I’ll not reproduce content and call it mine.  This guy named Clarence Bass did all the work already.  Both of us are students of Matt Furey’s “Combat Conditioning”.  I was thinking about how to spread the word of Furey’s techniques and came across this site.  Mr. Bass sells “Combat Conditioning” and I would encourage those who want to get in better shape without the burden of a weight set or exercise equipment to buy it. 

Hindu Squats

Hindu Squats, says Furey, “lay the foundation for strength and endurance.” You’re not doing what he calls “Combat Conditioning” (the name of his book published in February 2000) without the Hindu Squat, says Furey. This high repetition, rhythmic version of bodyweight squats develops the hips, thighs, calves, and lower back – and lung power.

Like all of the Combat Conditioning exercises, photos are worth a 1000 words (see below), but the Hindu Squat is basically a deep, upright squat done on the toes with an assist from the arms; the arms come down and behind the body as you lower yourself, and then swing up as you rise. It feels wonderful once you get the groove and the rhythm.

 Begin with your hands pulled in tight to the chest. (Photos by Carol Bass)

Bring your hands down and lower your body.Keep hands behind your back for balance. 

Come up on toes at the bottom.  Keep your body upright and your arms down.

Swing the arms forward and push off your toes.

As you rise, the arms continue up to chest level.
When you’re upright, pull your hands in to the chest and begin again. 

Matt recommends doing as many nonstop repetitions as possible. In the beginning, depending on your condition, he says, you’ll probably be able to do 25 to 50 – I did 60 with no problem in my second workout. Matt says 100 reps is good – and “when you can do 500 straight Hindu Squats, you’re on your way to greatness.” Believe it or not, Furey’s mentor, Karl Gotch, once did 9001 nonstop Hindu Squats. It took him four and a half hours, according to Furey, whose personal record is 2000. I’m impressed

Hindu Pushups

Hindu Pushups follows the squats. Furey says Hindu Pushups, like Hindu Squats, have been used by Indian wrestlers for centuries to build upper body strength and endurance. The difference between this exercise and regular pushups is that it involves an arching movement — Furey says it’s like an ocean wave — that stretches and strengthens the hips, shoulders and back.

The starting position is with legs spread wide 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. Like the Hindu Squat, the Hindu Pushup has a nice rhythm.

Start with your feet wide apart, butt up and head looking back at heels.
The legs remain straight throughout the exercise. 

Lower your hips and bend your arms.

 Finish with head up and back arched.
Your hips should almost touch the floor.
Now, keep your arms straight and push back to the starting position. 

Again, do as many repetition as you can. “If you can bench press 400 pounds, I’ll bet dollars to donuts,” says Furey, ” that you’ll struggle with 25 straight Hindu Pushups.” That seems like a bit of an exaggeration, because I did 25 without any trouble. But Furey tells me it isn’t so much a matter of strength as a lack of “strength/endurance or the necessary flexibility in the spine, shoulders and hips.” In any event, it’s a challenging movement.I like it. It feels good. I was surprised to find myself sore the next morning, especially in the traps and upper back; my lower back also complained a little as a result of the arching motion. Not what you would expect from pushups.

I found a video, albeit very corny, of how to do Hindu Squats.  I could not find a demo video on the Hindu Push-ups though.  If you have any questions of technique, just ask.

The final exercise is that standard abdominal crunch.  This well-known exercise for giving all of us those six-pack abs is also an excellent exercise for back strength and overall posture.  That’s important on all-day rides as the fatigue makes you (at least it does me) slouch and lose comfort.  I have also confirmed this benefit of back strengthening with a chiropractor.  The main thing NOT to do in terms of form is pull your neck up with your arms.  Cross your arms over your chest and lift your torso so that its say 30 degrees angle (with your back straight) off the ground then return back down.  You do not need to do the conventional situp and/or touch your knees with your elbows.

Here’s an excellent video of how to do and not to do ab crunches.

While titanium is a great way to reduce weight its pretty expensive.  The above exercises, on the other hand, are free.  Not only will you likely lose weight, you’ll be able to ride better for longer periods of time.

Take it easy in the beginning.  If you have never done the Hindu exercises, don’t overdo it and have reasonable expectations.  You may very well not be able to do more than fifty (50) squats or ten (10) push-ups in the beginning.  Big deal…make it your dirty little secret if it bothers you.  I have been dong these for just over a year now and the difference is very noticeable.  The most being the size gain and the stamina in my legs.

Just another public service performed by your friends at Motorcycle Bloggers.