Saif Shaikh

“The Pygmalion effect”. When you have high expectations of yourself you will tend to do better, rather than having low expectations where you might end up doing worse. When I completed Hyrox Mumbai in 1:37:18(97 mins) I was almost certain that 1:30:00(90 mins) would be easily doable and hence I set my eyes on 1:25:00(85 mins). At this point in life for me setting a goal that slightly out of reach and kinda crazy is the only way forward, it hasn’t always been the same. The Sub 85 goal that I set for myself and spoke out loud about to everyone made sure that I dug deep enough and set and follow systems that helped me raise to the standard of my expectations. I ran a lot, I weight trained enough to support my running and trained specific to Hyrox with a lot of intent but not as much intensity, which was part of the plan. Compared to Hyrox Mumbai I spent more time on almost all the stations in training but I wasn’t pushing myself all that hard because I’m kinda new to it all and I know and accept the fact that it will take the time it will take for me to get efficient at these movements and that is when I will be in a great position to push myself hardest. Eventually on the day at Hyrox Delhi I did manage to do better than Mumbai by 4 mins in total, if I hadn’t goofed up the sequence of walking lunges and farmers carry it would have been a 7 mins PR and I would have finished in 1:30:08, which was my first modest goal for this event. But I’m just glad that goof up only incurred me a 3 mins penalty did not lead to a disqualification in which case I would anyways finish the race but not officially. Onto the next one, Hyrox Bangalore April 2026 !!!

“Learning is not knowing, it is change in behaviour” Clearly not the outcome I was expecting for myself but for today it was the best outcome. Very very proud of myself for the work I put in, the attention to detail I demonstrated in all the minutiae with my limited knowledge about this sport that I’m falling in love with every single day. It breaks me and humbles me ways I never imagined, I trained my ass off and if it was just about my past work then the whole of today should have been smooth as butter like the first 30 kms, IT WASN’T !!! Everyone who wished me well was also very confident (more confident than me) in my ability to sail through today but I was always very well aware of all the possibilities of it not being as smooth. On race-day every single variable in my control was spot on and I could not have been prouder about that fact because as for the overall performance that will inevitably get better with time. My Sub 4 hour goal for today was anyways a false peak, if I would have gotten it nothing much would have been different in my mindset going into tomorrow. The fact that I did not achieve my goal came with a silver lining because it taught me a very valuable lesson that I will take into all my future preps and I will not repeat ever again. I appreciate all the love & words of encouragement. All of it means a lot to me. Thank you. #Run2026 #FollowObsession #GoOneMore #ItsJustPain #SufferWell

Spine health drills are not useless. The McGill Big 3, dead bugs, bird dogs and similar drills can be very useful when someone is starting out. They teach you awareness. They teach you how your rib cage and pelvis relate to each other. They teach you how to create tension without randomly over-bracing. But the problem starts when these drills become the entire plan. At some point, the goal should be to carry that control into loaded movement. Squats. Deadlifts. Carries. Rows. Presses. Running. Changing direction. Real world positions. Because your spine doesn’t just need control on the floor. It needs control under load, under fatigue and under challenge. Use drills to learn. Then graduate from them. The drill is not the destination. The transfer is.

You can go the distance, you can run a mile You can walk straight through hell with a smile You can be a hero, you can get the gold Breaking all the records they thought would never be broke Yeah, do it for your people, do it for your pride Are you ever gonna know if you never even try? Do it for your country, do it for your name ‘Cause there’s gonna be a day when you’re Standing in the Hall of Fame And the world’s gonna know your name ‘Cause you burn with the brightest flame [food apps, calories, Yuka, howgood, think dirty, myfitnesspal, healthify, nutrition, fitness, India, NRI, living abroad, caloric deficit, health, healthy ingredients, adultration, good food, misleading foods, fitfoods, balanced diet, wholefoods]

You cannot pour from an empty cup. Before you try to fill everyone else’s cup, make sure yours isn’t running dry. Train. Eat. Sleep. Recover. Take care of your own basics first. Because the better you take care of yourself, the better you can show up for everyone around you. Context - The video was shot to make a funny reel about how I used to pour drinks on weekends with my friends in glasses and now I pour water in their bottles. After taking the shot when we started running I thought about how I did not reach for my bottle till the end because I had a spare bottle full that I always carry for myself and I did not have to worry bout myself I could be of help to others then think of myself at the very end. And I could still fill my 2nd bottle to the brim with the last drop. I also realise the other reel would probably do better for optics and stuff but I am not here for that, I’m here to be my authentic self and that is exactly Wat I will continue to do. Thank you.

At Athlos we've always been opinionated about how your gym training gear should be. From the choice of Bamboo fabric to the cut and silhouette, we've been particular about them. And when our users end up making it integral to their training it's a huge satisfaction for us. Here's @saif.strength talking about how the Athlos bamboo training collection has become a staple in his training.

Chest day getting hijacked by your shoulders is basically gym fraud breeh this tiny setup cue might help you take back legal ownership. PS if you’re in Europe/US/UAE - shoutout to @prozis for keeping supps real and light. Use my code: BEYONDMUSCLE to get a neat 10% off! Link in bio for more cool shi [chest press, chest workout, chest pump, shoulder pain, shoulder takeover, chest activation, gym tips, workout form, dumbbell bench press, bench press tips, chest day, upper body workout, hypertrophy training, muscle building, Indian fitness, NRI fitness, gym mistakes, fitness coach, smarter muscle]

Doing 20 reps for a beginner learning a movement is like a beginner runner running at an easy pace. In both cases, the goal is not to prove how strong or fast you are. The goal is to build a base. When you’re new to lifting, repetitions help you understand the movement better. When you’re new to running, easy miles help your body tolerate running better. Both are boring. Both are repetitive. Both are necessary. A strong base is built through volume, exposure and consistency. The more often you repeat a movement, the more familiar it becomes. The more often you run easy, the more your body adapts to running. Heavier weights and faster splits are important, but they are not the whole cake. They are the cherry on top. Build the cake first.

You can go very fast when you are alone, you will go very far if you have your people with you. You will strip yourself of the ego, you will share your suffering, you will grow together. #Sufferwell

Choose to do hard things, you will be better prepared for when life comes at you. like it or not, want it or not, life will come at you. Build mental and physical callouses in training. Those callouses are evidence that you put in the work and endured it when you could, when it gets tough you can always look back at times when you suffered and got out the other end.

The conversations I have with myself and the conversations I have with others are 2 very different ones. Somehow I seem to care more for the people around me than I care for myself. I’m far harder on myself than I am on others. While helping others navigate through their journey, I often realise I could take an identical approach with myself too. A lot of the advice, reassurance and patience I give out so freely is exactly what I need personally. And strangely, while teaching others what I know, my own understanding deepens when they reflect back their perspectives and experiences to me.

It’s only delusional until it works. I can’t go back in time and give my younger self words of encouragement but if I can do that for someone right now reading this, I would have done my bit. I used my traumas as a perishable fuel source to get me going, after that initial push I ensured to let go of them and use the systems and discipline I build as my driving force. I did not wake up to be this person, I took action when I had doubt, i gathered momentum and then arrived at this position where I am honoured and grateful to be.