Combat Conditioning - Royal Court
The Hindu Workout, consists of three bodyweight exercises, the "Hindu Squat", the "Hindu Pushup" and a "Bridge", first presented by Matt Furrey as the Royal Court in his Combat Conditioning series. It also contains instructions on how to implement a very effective exercise routine that can give you a full body workout in as little as 15 minutes.
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| hindu squat | hindu pushup | bridge |
The Exercises & Three Cycle Routine
The exercises presented in this website are variations of calisthenics exercises. Calisthenics are designed to be performed in sets of as many repetitions as possible. The more repetitions you do the better. There is a squat, a pushup and a bridge ... and that's just about it.
Developing a Routine
To get the full benefit of the workout it is essential to start slow and gradually end with full intensity, testing your limits. It is also essential that you perform it in intervals of activity and rest. I like to practice the exercises in three "cycles". Each cycle consists of a set of "Hindu Squats", a set of "Hindu Pushups" and a set of "Bridges". Take enough time in between sets to catch your breath but no more than 1-3 minutes. You may find that a good way to increase the difficulty of the workout is to slightly reduce the duration of breaks between the sets. Feel free to experiment and find what suits you best.
1st Cycle - Flexing
- The first cycle is the "Flexing" cycle. I do one minimal set of repetitions of each exercise at this cycle. First the squats, then the pushups and lastly the bridge. If for example my maximum number of repetitions for an exercise is 20, I only do 5-8 reps in the flexing cycle. I barely push myself and I take very small breaks between the exercises. The aim here is to just flex the muscles and joints and simply "wake up" the body for the workout. I don't do any serious stretching during the "flexing" cycle.
2nd Cycle - Warmup
- The second cycle is the "Warmup" cycle. Here I do one average set of repetitions. Again, first the squats, then the pushups and last the bridge. If, like before, my maximum repetitions are 20, I do 10-14 at this stage. It should be intense enough to raise some heartbeats but not a real challenge. This is just a warm up. You could stretch a bit more in this cycle. The aim is to prepare the body and get it ready for the real challenge that is the last cycle.
3rd Cycle - Challenge
- In the end I do the "Challenge" cycle. Here I do my maximum number of repetitions for each exercise. This is where the workout reaches a climax. I take sufficient breaks between the sets, and also do a good stretch at each exercise.
Breathing
Breathing is a very important part of the exercises. Exhale at the "top" of the exercise (as seen in the video), and inhale as you draw yourself back for the next repetition. For the hindu squat you could also do it the other way round - breathe out while going down and in while going up. I have tried it both ways and it is just as good. Take as deep and intense breaths as possible. Your breathing should be heard across the room!
Combinations
You can use any combination of the cycles to adapt the workout to your needs. In the winter I usually do two "flexing" cycles in the beginning to get a better warmup. Or you could substitute the "challenge" cycle for a couple extra "warmup" cycles if you dont feel like pushing yourself too far some days.
Here are the exercises in detail...
Here are the exercises in detail...
