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Denis Giles

29 March 2019

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The gloom and darkness of the last five years have in the last few weeks been hidden by a cleverly orchestrated display of fireworks in the sky. “Look at us!” says one such sparkler in the sky yesterday, “We have successfully tested an anti-satellite missile!” The people stare stoicly as the gloom of their dismal existence is supposed to be lit by this revelation.

And then another lights the sky, going far above and breaking into little beacons, sparkling all over the sky and saying, “We flew right into enemy territory and destroyed 350 of them!”

The people watch as the murkiness of their nights is awakened by the display above them, and then watch as another and another one of the fireworks is sent up, some by orators, others by trolls, and many even by mobs who threaten and say, “If you don’t look up we’ll string you from the nearest tree!”

But after every burst of light, the people look down wearily, for what the fireworks do above is to light the dismal scene below.

They shift around as the filth they stand on sucks them under. Poverty, a beast that lurks around every one of their homes snarling and laughing at their emaciated forms, a monster that grew bigger when the very rupee notes they bought their food with was taken away on the whims of a single man!

Another burst of colour splashes across. Farmers look up, creases of worry on their faces shown even more by the light that highlights dark circles beneath their eyes, revealing nights spent in guarding their fields against marauding cattle released by a government’s short sighted set of plans. Even now with the sparklers lighting up their fields their eyes search furtively for poor, unsheltered, unfed cows that will rush into their fields and destroy a harvest, their livelihoods and their lives.      

The fireworks are launched, like a blitzkrieg, intending to impress the people, disarm the opposition and fool the country into thinking that this lightning strike is sustainable.

It isn’t. Maybe the fireworks are, but the awe, the drama and the intention to impress are short in duration, because every display lights up, ground realities below.

Very real they are, of poverty, of hunger, of trekking miles for water, of education only for the moneyed, and an educational system which slowly suppresses the ability to question, to analyze and to decide!

The firework display only lights the filth below, of a beautiful tapestry called India being steadily destroyed, of minorities slowly pushed into a corner, of the rich getting richer, and the poor, poorer!

Some fools are, but most aren’t fooled by the fireworks display..! 

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Denis Giles

27 March 2019

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Denis Giles

28 March 2019

Hits: 1876

By Buvnesh

In case you were wondering, the answer to my last Quiz was 

“A Plank”

A plank is an exercise where your body is stationary, but most of your muscle groups are under tension till you are holding the position.

What exactly is a plank?

A plank is a bodyweight isometric exercise that works on the core of one’s body.

This exercise works on the whole body and helps in toning and strengthening of various muscles.

As explained in the last article, Core is a series of muscle group that is spread throughout one’s body and helps in resisting any force, whether static or dynamic and to maintain a good posture. It improves stability of the pelvis and the spine.

There are a variety of options to choose from when it comes to planks. Each one of them is equally challenging as the other. Let’s start from the beginner’s version of a plank and build up to an intermediate level of plank.

In this article I’ll also be talking about advanced version of each plank.

So, let’s start with an Assisted Plank and it’s Advanced Variation.

How to perform an assisted plank:

The beginner’s version of a plank is called an assisted plank or ‘TYPE 1’ (for our reference) of a plank.

Now this is a great way to start planking for beginners and people who are on the heavier side.

How to perform a plank?

For TYPE 1 plank or an Assisted Plank follow the steps.

Step 1:

Lie flat on the floor with your foot close to each other, palms close/underneath your shoulders.

Your palms should be parallel to each other.

Step 2:

Push yourself up to a push-up position while your knees resting on the floor and help stabilize you.

Hold this position for as long as you can, and then repeat for another 2 sets for the first day and progress from there.

Fun Fact:

Staying on your knees during an assisted plank decreases the amount of load/pressure from your core muscles, but is as challenging as the other variations, and a great way to start planking.

Tip:

One thing I always do and recommend is to consciously suck your tummy in/tighten up your Abdominal muscles and breathe simultaneously.

Always focus on your breathing. May it be while on a plank or performing any exercises.

Advanced Version

Once you master an assisted plank, try to twist/roll your hips from left to right while you hold the posture. This is a great way to add that extra pressure and increase the intensity of your exercise.

TYPE 2 or High plank

This is an intermediate exercise.

A high plank is not only a great exercise for your core, but has an added benefit of improving your shoulder health, shoulder stability; as you are holding yourself up using your arms and shoulders.

To perform a high plank,

Step 1:

Lie flat on the floor with your foot close to each other and palms close/underneath your shoulders.

Your palms should be parallel to each other.

Step 2:

Push yourself up to a push-up position and hold for as long as you can. Keep your feet flexed with the bottoms of your toes on the floor.

Again, tighten up your Abdominal Muscles and keep breathing (extremely important).

Advanced Version

Once you are able to hold a High Plank for a good amount of time, say above 2-minutes; try this:

Raise any one of your leg from the ground to your hip level and try to hold that position for as long as you can and once it starts getting tired, switch legs.

This is again to increase the intensity of the exercise and feel that pressure build up on your Core.

The key difference between a High Plank and an Assisted Plank is that:

In a high plank, your toes and arms help you maintain the position of the exercise, which makes a High Plank a tad bit difficult to maintain for a longer period of time.

While on an Assisted Plank your knees assists you to manage your bodyweight throughout the course of time you try to maintain it. It’s still an effective and a great way to build your way to a stronger Core.

TYPE 3: A Low Plank

A Low Plank is a modified version of a High Plank but in this exercise you rest on your forearms parallel to each other as compared to your arms on a high plank.

To perform this exercise

Step 1:

Step down to your knees and kneel on the floor.

Step 2:

Bend down and place your forearms on the ground.

Now, you can either choose to make a fist of your palms or place them flat on the ground.

Step 3:

Push yourself up using your toes and balance your body along with your forearms. Keep your feet flexed with the bottoms of your toes on the floor.

Advanced Version

Once you can hold this position for more than 2 minutes or above you can try the above stated advanced techniques to increase the intensity of the exercise. Another great way to increase the intensity of the exercise is by elevating your upper body.

To do so, you can use a gym/stability ball if you have access to a good gym or even a chair should do the trick.

My Tips:

While breathing is one of the many important things that I always recommend you to concentrate on, there are certain other rules that I abide by such as:

- Always maintain a straight position from head to heels because a good posture is always appreciated and helps you target the right muscles rather than to create extra pressure/compression.

- Look towards the floor always, this maintains a neutral position for your neck and avoids unnecessary compression of the joints.

- Keep your toes as firm as you can on the floor and flexed throughout the exercise. This ensures that you don’t slip while doing a plank.

- While holding a plank, your main focus should be on how long you can hold it and progress with every set you do.

“While doing a plank my main focus in on how long I can hold it? So I keep Stop Watch in front of me and listen to music to distract my mind”, says Nidhi Bisht - Miss. Asia Runner Up 2018.

Quiz Time:

Think you know all about planks?

Answer a simple question to test your knowledge.

Throughout the past two articles I tried to share as much as I can about Planks. The muscles involved, exercises and also how to do the Beginners and Advanced Versions of planks.

Now answer this: Which muscle is not worked while holding a plank position?

Comment down below with your best answer and stand a chance to win a free workout at

“Kashrath- For A Better You”.

Until then …

Keep Grinding! 

For queries and suggestions, please feel free to mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Denis Giles

20 March 2019

Hits: 1422

By Buvnesh

If in case you read my last article on push-ups, towards the end I wrote about speaking about a “dual effect” in my next article.

So while doing a push-up I like to suck my tummy in. This not only helps me to increase muscle endurance but also helps to develop my core muscles.

Many assume that ‘Core’ means Abs and by doing Sit-ups and Crunches one can build a strong Core. But this is a myth.

Core does not only mean your Abdominal Muscles but involves a whole lot more than just Abdominal muscles. It involves a variety of muscles including your lower lat muscles.

Fun Fact: Your core muscle involves as many as 29 different muscle groups including trapezius (Traps); the muscle towards the bottom of your neck to your glutes (buttocks). And you can work on all of them at the same time with the exercise I am about to tell you.

What does Core mean?

In simple terms, Core means your whole upper body minus your arms and legs. Your core is where most of your power is derived from. Your core is used to stabilize your whole thoracic region (upper body and pelvis). It provides the foundation for all the movements of the arms and legs.

How to feel your Core?

The Core is a deep muscle and cannot be felt easily. However, it can be felt during a movement or any action that involves rapid release of energy or air from the body. It can be as simple as a cough or laughing hard. Many at times it happens that you get cramps in your stomach while laughing. Now you know the reason why it happens.

Core Strength is Important Because:

The human movement is Multi-dimensional and requires more than one single muscle to complete the desired movement. It is a combination of various muscles/ muscle groups working together.

Eg. When you rotate your torso; in this movement your external and internal obliques work together to complete the movement or like when you bend sideways.

Your Core can be felt while an action simple as opening a door; and go up to moving heavy weights.

Regardless of the daily activities you do, it is of utmost importance that you have a strong core in order to have a strong foundation.

Strong core muscle results in:

Improving your posture

The Core muscles are responsible for aligning the spine, ribs and pelvis of a person and help them stand straight with good posture. A strong core also helps a person to resist force whether dynamic or static.

The lack of core muscle strength would result in wrong postures such as, *slouching* where your shoulders rotate forward. This is very common with people who have a desk job or people who are immobile for most of the day.

The way you sit or stand determines the amount of stress on your lower back. A strong core would mean the least amount of compression of your lower back.

Improved performance

A strong core translates to improved performance; let it be in sports or your daily life. One can perform day-to-day tasks easily, and not fatigue as early as others. Weak core muscles would lead to weakness in one’s body and also cause lower-back pain, which is common in today’s older generation. A weak core would cause you to fatigue way before than a person with a much stronger core.

Perform bodily functions

As mentioned earlier, core muscles help you maintain a good posture and to resist any external force whether static or dynamic. These are mainly the function of the outer core muscles, which involves your Rectus abdominus (Abdominal Muscles)

In addition to the above stated functions, the deeper core or Inner core muscles handle much more complex functions of the body such as defecation (remove fecal waste from the body), bladder control, weight lifting and is also a great help during pregnancy.

Difference between Core and Abs

To many people Core and Abdominal muscles are one and the same, but that isn’t the case.

A core is a much more complex muscle that involves a variety of different muscle/muscle groups which work in combination, whereas the Abdominal Muscles mainly consists of the rectus abdominus (the infamous “6 pack muscle”). Core muscles work as a natural isometric and dynamic stabiliser during physical activity as compared to the rectus abdominus with a one dimensional function i.e. crunching the trunk to the pelvis or the other way around.

These are certain differences that would certainly refine your knowledge on how to train abs and core.

Where crunches and hyper-extensions are good to train the rectus Abdominus there are a few exercises that directly work on the Core.

In my next article I shall speak about one of the most effective exercise that targets all the core muscles at once.

Quiz Time:

Since we are on the topic about Core; Name an exercise where your body is not moving but all of your muscles are under tension? Comment down below with your best answer, and stand a chance to win a free workout at: “Kashrath- for a better you”.

Until then, keep grinding! 

For queries and suggestions, please feel free to mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.