Applying Isometrics For Strength Training Without Wear & Tear On The Joints

 Muscles don’t give a shit if the resistance comes from a barbell, a tree, machine, doorway or our own bodyweight. It responds at best using strategically applied tension. If we’re talking that raw power, pure tension hits its peak through Isometric Training.

In a long stretch of time, many have been taught that only through movement is where strength is where its at. Research and data has proven that it’s not the only way to get strong. Movement is a tool for sure and should be prioritized but Isometric Training is a tool as well and has kick ass benefits that helps overcome plateaus.

One of the earliest known research was back in the 1950’s where it showed a 5% increase in strength by doing 6 second Isometric Contraction Exercises per day at 66% effort. In 2019, a systematic review that looked at 26 studies showed that 6-12 weeks of Isometric Training increased dynamic strength by 19-23% and a rate of force development by 24-31% in athletes.

Also in 2019, a review in the International Journal of Sports Medicine also concluded that Isometric Exercise caused less fatigue than movement training; building great joint-angle specific strength. This transferred over to endeavors such as jumping, running and lifting.

The two well known aspects of Isometrics can be seen below and the importance to why both work well together and not just individually:

Overcoming Isometrics…..

The ability to contract something immoveable (Pushing, Pulling, Squatting). You can do this through using a wall, a strap such as the WorldFit Iso Trainer or a railing for example. OI’s have shown to recruit more of the muscle fibers than practically any other method with a strong carryover to concentric strength.

Yielding Isometrics……

In simple terms, you’re fighting against gravity in specific holds where you go for a period of time without collapsing. Think of the Plank, Horse Stance, Bar Hang or the Wall Sit. This carries over to eccentric strength. An essential point of joint health and stabilization.

One of the best methods or timing of a contraction is to take a hold, doesn’t matter if it’s a curl or wall push, you contract the muscles (flex) at a high rate (65-75% max effort for example) and stay within that intensity for 7-12 seconds. Breathe as you do this. Never, under any circumstances, hold your breath. Brace with intent and focus into the muscles. Relax, change the angle and repeat.

In the case of Overcoming Isometrics; this is one of the purest and safest forms of strength training. There’s no jerking, no failed reps or grinding the joints. Be able to do it anywhere and is incredible for both rehab and prehab. Creating tension is a simple skill but it’s not easy to generate. It takes concentration and mindfulness while squeezing as if your life depends on it. Look up men like Alexander Zass and Bob Hoffman.

In terms of the Yielding Isometrics; it teaches how to control while under load. If you’re not used to a wall sit, it can be humbling once you start to feel those quads after a bit. In the form of the amount of contraction, if you’re going for a longer period of time, lower the intensity level but keep yourself stabilized. Less tension doesn’t mean it won’t build strength, it builds that lasting strength.

Isometrics however aren’t a replacement for your regular training. It’s part of the journey that helps align your goals and longevity. Use them as finishers, a warm up before your dynamic exercises or on off days. Use force and not mindless movement to get the most out of your workouts.

One of my favorite books on the subject of Isos is through author Matt Schifferele’s Grind Style Series in which one course is dedicated to Overcoming Isometrics with greater scientific data points than I can explain here. It also has an entire chapter on how to bring Overcoming & Yielding together to form a hybrid that will have you building strength that is off the chains. This is worth far more than it should be and I believe one should have knowledge of the hybrid training.

Be amazingly awesome and may your strength gains be successful in your journey.

Share

Comment

The Food Group You May Be Missing Out On

Muscle Meat is a valuable set of nutritional properties that many people still chow down on today. Meats like Pork, Chicken, Steak (My personal favorite) and several others. However; there are other Animal-Based foods that traditionally were part of a person’s diet is slowly becoming a thing of the past. You may not see a ton of it today but it still tries to come out of the shadows and that’s ORGAN MEATS!!!

Things like the Heart, Kidneys & Liver were the dieting legends from generations before not because of being able to use a whole animal but because of the nutritional composition. When you dig deep into what is naturally found in them, it’s pretty awesome to understand why.

How are the Organ Meats any different?

The protein provided in the muscle meat was always in that category of a nutrition powerhouse but the Organs hit on an entirely different level. It does depend on the Organ but in many cases, they contain….

Iron: An essential mineral involved in normal oxygen transport throughout the body.

B-Vitamins: Such as B-12 which takes on a very important task in normalizing the body’s energy metabolism and function of the Nervous System.

Vitamin A: The nutrient that involves building normal levels of vision and immune function.

Trace Minerals: Nutrients involved in a plethora of normal physiological processes.

Proteins & Amino Acids: Highly important building blocks used throughout the body.

Nutrients like these give you an idea as to why Organ Meats have played an important role in various diets. There is a problem though and it’s understandable why…..

When was the last time you ever ate any of these organs in a sitting? I’m guessing not recently and I don’t blame you. I’m in that very group that just never cared for the taste and texture and quite frankly, they’re not that easy to get a hold of in the first place. It’s rare for many these days to incorporate them into your program despite even knowing how valuable they are from a nutritional perspective.

My friends over at Lost Empire Herbs took this as a challenge and set out to develop a nutritional supplement that gives you the opportunity to process these without having to prepare them. It’s called Primal Elk and it comes in Capsule form.

Primal Elk in this manner doesn’t contain just one or two but three traditional foods. Each serving takes on 2000 mg of freeze-dried organ ingredients. They are carefully blended together in the following proportions:

70% Liver (1400 mg)

20% Heart (400 mg)

10% Kidney (200 mg)

Together, they form a supernova that can be used in your everyday routine. Don’t have to cook a damn thing. Take 4 capsules a day (best with food).

So why the American Elk???

The people at Lost Empire Herbs chose animals such as these in the Northeastern U.S. Eating their natural diet with domestic processing from start to finish.

(Source Herd also participated in a regulated Chronic Wasting Disease certification and monitoring program)

After harvesting, these organs are carefully freeze-dried and grounded before being placed into capsules. Freeze-Drying is a method of processing that removes moisture at low temperatures, making it the practical choice to prepare the animal ingredients.

What’s the result of this? The easier decision to create a supplement without needing to purchase, preparing and storing the meats yourself. I’m currently taking this as well and loving the energy it’s giving me, the strength that is maintaining in my workouts and enjoying what it’s doing for my immune system.

Is it time to rethink what’s missing from your plate?

Solid nutritional planning doesn’t always mean adding on some trendy supplement or finding some new ingredient, it’s better to invest in something that was valued from generations past. Be amazingly awesome and go Explore Primal Elk and learn more about it so you can decide what would be important for you to take.

A Bad Ass Journey To A Stronger Neck Using The MMB Pro Neck Flex Series

 

As you build your temple, whether you train alone or with a pack of your strongest allies, you’re going to develop what many neglect. Training your neck for epic strength & conditioning is the key to a door that leads to a world where other Mortals train for vanity and forget what keeps their head on straight.

One of the most valued weapons in your arsenal to build a neck that isn’t just for show, it’s a symbol of those who came before with the intent to build levels of power that isn’t easily described. The MMB Pro Neck Flex Series Kit. Being a part of the Neckzilla Family along with it’s maker Mike “The Machine” Bruce, is not just of honor, but responsibility to teach the masses about what the possibilities are for training the neck. If you want to look for the Godfather, look no further than Mike.

Most harnesses are either knock offs, outdated or don’t have the necessary needs to train the neck efficiently. Some have their perks and can work well for beginners and old school students of the game like Fighters, Football Players & Wrestlers. However; there’s a reason why the Neck Flex reigns as the King and that’s the ability to choose to use a Band or to use Weights. Lethal options that prepares you for War.

Most harnesses only have 2 or maybe 3 D-Rings to hook up to, this son of a bitch has 6. What you’re getting is next level training options to move your neck in all sorts of directions and safely I might add. Clean force that doesn’t slip, twist or give you garbage angles to train. Another is the amount of weight you can use. Hooking up a chain or a machine, it is strong enough to withstand more than one can bare to attempt. Others mainly can barely hold more than 100, some even less than 30. We’re talking close to 300 lbs with this thing. The same amount of weight Mike himself has lifted with his neck for 2 reps.

With the band, the sky is the limit to what you can accomplish. For me, I work this thing for 500 Rep sessions across several exercises with control, tension based entities and technique that has kept my neck at 18+ inches cold. In those sessions, it could hit 19 or more. Is it necessary to do that level of Volume? No, it’s not meant for everyone. You can though train using less sets and reps with greater tension and slower pacing. I like to move fast but not jerking anything. The band itself barely weighs anything, so you can travel with it and workout anywhere. The amount of tension is only 19 lbs which doesn’t sound like much but trust me, it’s more than enough for everyone.

Could you combine this with other neck exercises like Bridges or Self Resistance? Absolutely, there’s no rule that says you can’t. It is important though to work around what your goals are. If you’re just wanting a strong neck but aren’t a wrestler or Race Car Driver, Self Resistance & Neck Flex Band Work is more than enough. It’s about health and injury prevention, not making a statement to how superior your training is to others. Train it with intent to limit or even prevent Concussions. Neck Training that builds thickness but also mobility create shock absorbers, a stronger jawline and better posture.

Be amazingly awesome and get your hands on the king of neck harnesses: MMB Pro Series. It’ll put you in a realm of men that are hard to kill or even choke. Use my Coupon Code POWERANDMIGHT to take $11.11 off your order. Browse around for other kits if you’d like. Go kill it and remember….Even the smallest fraction of progress still leads to the big picture.

Core Conditioning With The Dopamineo Bands: An Epic Engine Of Power And Might

 

Crunches aren’t always going to save your ass. If there was an exceptional tool that not only targets the muscles but demands the trunk to fight, produces force and stabilizes; the Dopamineo Bands are one of those tools.

Traditional or even conventional weights have their place when strengthening the Core, but in most cases, there’s a way to cheat using the one plane of motion. The real exception would be doing halos with a plate or kettlebell. Otherwise, you’re facing more of the gravitational pull where throughout the range of motion, it’s the same weight. With the bands however; when anchored and pulling, tension increases throughout the range of motion. The abdominal muscles, transverse abdominis, the obliques and lower back can’t be isolated or have one try to compensate for the other. It’s constant micro-adjustments that prevent you from being out of position.

This is the aspect of realistic conditioning comes into play. If you develop a six pack with this, you’ll have the go and not just show. Utilize the idea of becoming fit with Core Strength that has the go and can slim down the chances of injuries.

Here are a few exercises of what I mean of targeting the Core. It’s not even isolating the surrounding muscles themselves, it acts as a full unity of the whole body.

5 Core Exercises With Dopamineo Band

As you can see from watching the video, each exercise works beyond the muscular structure and aids in the ability to generate speed, explosiveness, power and control with precision. This isn’t training like a bodybuilder, it’s an act of a fighter’s conditioning methodology. This still can jack the heart rate up so you’re getting the cardio benefits but also taxes the grip and creates a level of stamina when you’re tired.

Work into these exercises slowly, learn to control the movements but also keep a focus on the muscles being used. As you get stronger, start speeding up little by little but don’t hurt yourself. Start with a lighter band and work your way up, or use what I work with and that’s the Chosen Higher Green Band which works for everyone from Beginner to Seasoned Vets. If you want to work with a heavier band such as a Middleweight or the Heavy Band, that’s up to you and you’ll be feeling it one way or another.

Skip the boring ass crunches and train your Core like a beast. Get it so freakishly strong that it can take a hit but also is injury-preventing. Be amazingly awesome. Go to Dopamineo.com and choose your band. Use my Code POWERANDMIGHT to take 10% OFF your order. Anchor that son of a bitch, brace yourself as if you're about to take a hit and start chopping, twist, pull and rotate.

The Real Truth To What Being Fit Means

 On Social Media, I have seen many people say about getting fit and telling people they need to be this or that. They act like they know what they’re talking about and put in all their generic opinions or textbook ideas to tell people to be fit. The thing that really hits me at times is that, they never have a definition to what being fit it. When I ask to define it, most of the time it’s complete silence and no replies. Out of maybe a few dozen times if that, only 2-3 people have ever defined it the way that is realistic and actually accurate. Other than that, it’s either complete silence or I get “being able to walk 10k steps a day”, do “X mount of push-ups” and whatever copy and pasted standardized tests that may seem good on paper but still hit a foul ball when it comes to the true aspects of fitness.

Different people define fitness usually what they’ve been taught or read about. Very few experience exercise or working out as part of a journey and not to bounce off some influencer’s arbitrary idea of where someone is in order to be considered fit. It is true that as an individual, being fit can be subjective because not everyone lives up to the same ideals and lives by the same code of a trainer or an author of best selling books. Hell, I never say one method as the end-all-be-all that is the kind of being fit. I have tried so many things in my life from weight training to gymnastics, isometrics, kettlebells, sports specific training, prehab, rehab and other things but I always broke them down to what gives me the benefits for that period of time.

In some cases, people will define fitness by the method they use and believe that’s the way to be fit because it will solve all of life’s problems; do burpees everyday, lift weights 3-4x a week, do cardio after weights, do 100 push-ups before breakfast, 500 Squats within this period of time. See how all are different or at times intertwine with each other? It’s selective through sometimes fixed or manipulated efforts to control the narrative of what it means to be fit. Some will say Yoga is better than weights or that the Bench Press is a better indicator of upper body strength than a Pull-up or whatever other compound movement. Says who? Certain tests change as time goes on kind of like the science that is constantly evolving or in some cases, loses common sense in order to trust it more than trusting yourself.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in scientific aspects of fitness and some of the growth it has accumulated but I don’t put 100% of my trust in it because I’m also an individualist who practices what gives a person their best chance that isn’t always meant for the other person. Growth also comes from experience, the mistakes, the accomplishments, where you were and where you are now. Things change and fitness for better or for worse doesn’t always cater to individuality, it caters to in many ways what is popular and profitable in comparison to changing a person’s life that creates real success not always through the exterior but internally, psychologically and where their path leads.

What is the true definition of what it means to be fit? The truth isn’t always in black and white, you have to think of the gray areas as well and understand that it’s not about this, that or the other thing. My idea based on experience, perspective and my own journey…..

Being fit is the practice of being capable. To do things that carry over to aspects of life beyond the equipment, the rep/set schemes and the protocols of various methods. You don’t have to look like a Greek God in order to be fit, some of the fittest LOOKING people on the planet aren’t as fit as they appear and those who don’t always fit the standard of a beautiful physique are often overlooked. You can do all the squats, the lifts, the HIIT classes and Pilates you want but if you get injured quicker, don’t have the stamina or strength that lasts as long as needed outside the gym or a sport and putting what you believe to look good instead of strengthening the organs that keep you alive, your fitness acts more of a facade than the realistic outlook.

Looking good has its perks. There’s nothing wrong with it in and of itself but if it’s overprioritized and used in a manner that doesn’t balance out being able to maintain certain things, all that will do is bite you in the ass and create heartache. Fitness is more about being able to do things and continue to evolve or adapt once the peak physique can’t stay at a high level anymore. Now, if you have the ability to look like a million bucks but also have the condition that benefits real life situations, that’s awesome and can be a lethal combo. Very few people in the world achieve this and it’s not in the realm of impossibility but it is important to be realistic of what is achievable for you and not what someone else forces you to believe to make money off of you. That’s the nature of the beast sometimes and the best thing we can do is to so what’s possible in the moment, not push or force what could be a decade from now.

What does being fit mean to you? It’s not as easy to answer as you may think so set your mind to meditate on what is believable and real according to your own understanding and experience. I would love to know what you come up with.

Until then, be amazingly awesome. Be mindful and remember that even the smallest fraction of progress still leads to the big picture.

Will You Let The Cards Intimidate You???

There are many interesting ways to workout and enhance your creativity to get the results you desire. Although we have different needs and have different goals, the important thing to remember is to have your workouts keep you interested and utilize common grounds of the following: Realistic entities, injury-proofing the body as much as possible and take small steps to create your big picture.

I’ve done enough workouts in my lifetime that when it comes to the boring stuff, it decreases my enthusiasm and wanting to keep it going. Many are taught to just suck up the extreme stuff and the harder you make it, the better the results. Maybe there is some truth to that but it sure as hell isn’t the best option or even the only option.

One of my favorite methods of training in this thing we call life, is using the Deck Of Cards. It’s not a trendy little system that has come and gone. It has been a staple for many athletes for decades. One of the all-time greatest Catch Wrestlers Karl Gotch, used this to torture his students in practice before or even after they being on the mat and sparring. His style was to use mainly Hindu Push-Ups, Half Moon Push-Ups, Hindu Squats & Hindu Jumping Squats. It wasn’t an exclusive type of conditioning method but he put them through the ringer almost as much as he put himself through. Don’t remember the numbers he used at the top of my head but for him, he would often do 2 decks in a row to enhance his conditioning. There was a reason he always had gas in the tank and this was one of the reasons.

Karl didn’t invent the workout but it did blossom into the minds of other athletes after he made it famous in wrestling circles. NFL Legend Ray Lewis used this for doing his Push-ups, Nature Boy Ric Flair did it often while on the road when he couldn’t get to a gym and Iron Mike Tyson would do Squats with a deck by laying a card out on floor, bend down to flip a card and do Squats, move forward to the next card and so on until he completed a deck. My old mentor Matt Furey had to do a push-up deck in the sauna once during wrestling season at the University Of Iowa I believe. 

My first experiences with a deck was after healing up from my leg injuries back in 2005-2006ish and basically just doing push-ups and squats. Felt like Bill Mazeroski when he hit the walk-off homerun in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series the first time I completed that deck. It was a humbling moment for sure. That’s the thing when you accomplish something that means something to you. It may not matter to anyone else but to you, it’s a moment you cherish.

Since that time, I’ve done the deck multiple times doing different things and even went on to doing it twice in a row using my Dopamineo Band. Each time I complete it though, it always brings a smile to my face. Now, I have laid off those kinds of workouts for periods of time and when I always felt about jumping into them, morely in the bodyweight department, sometimes the cards did beat me and couldn’t finish them, so I would have to build myself up again which didn’t take long and eventually killed it again. With the band, it’s just another day at the office but with the bodyweight stuff, it is tough but that’s just part of the journey.

Lately, I have been working a deck I’ve had for many years based on Matt Furey’s Course Combat Conditioning. He had a deck made of his likeness in cartoon form called The Matt Furey Exercise Bible which consisted of Hindu Push-Ups, Hindu Squats, V-Ups & Tablemakers. I would say those are the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse of CC. Just 4 basic moves but yet have quite an effect on the body and if you’re not used to them, they will humble you. I’ve done several workouts with that deck recently and the first couple times, I would walk it off to catch my breath after a few cards here and there. Today, didn’t walk it off once. Did my reps, flip a card and kept going. Focused on the techniques, my breathing and not force the speed to the point of getting sloppy. Felt incredible to be able to do that again. Total for this particular deck for me is 500 Reps.

100 Hindu Pushups 

200 Hindu Squats 

100 V-Ups 

100 Tablemakers 

There are many ways to decks of cards workouts but each one has a lesson about aspects of life. We never know what to expect and just when you thought things got a little easier, BAM!!! You get hit with a heavy card that has you doing lots of reps and gives you that curveball. That’s life, we can only react to what comes at us and do what’s possible to get through it. Learn to adapt when things become unpredictable.

The cards can be intimidating but in the end, they’re just little pieces of plastic with numbers on them. They can’t hurt you and they don’t fight back. The only thing stopping you is you alone. Will you let the cards intimidate you, or will you break down the fucking walls and rise victorious? You have the choice, you have an obstacle and only you can make the decision to keep going or quit. Each decision will have you learning what you’re made of or let it break you. 

Have a blast with this and see what you’re capable of. Be amazingly awesome and get going. Do this workout anywhere and make it worth your time and put effort into doing it with fierce determination.

Is Circuit Training The Best For Strength & Conditioning???

 It’s one thing to focus on one exercise for a number of sets and reps, it’s another to do one exercise and move onto another and another until you’ve done your station to station of exercises. Circuit Training has been around a while and it has its pros and cons like anything else, but it holds something different compared to other methods or exercise schemes.

In weight training, you can go from barbells to dumbbells and machines in a span of a few minutes per round, with bodyweight you can switch from push-ups to squats, pull-ups, dips and lunges almost in the blink of an eye. You can even do it with animal movements or band work. It’s a matter of what your goals are and what you want to work with.

The first time I can remember attempting to do a circuit, I was 19 years old in a Gold’s Gym in Santa Cruz, CA and I was doing Bench, Deads, Leg Press, Pull Downs and something else, I think a crunch machine or something. I had no clue what the hell I was doing and I was doing weights consistently since I was a sophmore in high school back then but I never did anything like that until that point. In a nutshell, it was a very bad idea and I blame myself for it. I ended up so overwhelmed and my condition was shit to the point where I became so hyperventilated that I went into a stall in the restroom and nearly blacked out. I wasn’t completely aware of what was happening to me but I knew something was wrong and just let my body calm itself down. Once it did, I got the hell out of there and went back home which was only a 10-12 minute walk.

I didn’t attempt that kind of thing again for another year or year and a half until I was experimenting with bodyweight exercises after an accident I had. Sometimes, it’s hard to take those walls down and see what the possibilities are. Over the years, I tried many things and didn’t have a consistent routine which in most cases was never my thing anyway. I found a website that does bodyweight circuits and shows what can be good for beginners or vets in the game and I gave it a shot. I was in shape to do circuits again by 2012 or so and I loved the themes from this website. It’s called Darebee. Completely free with workouts, nutrition plans, programs and all sorts of stuff.

The superhero themes were the most fun to do and modified some of the exercises to what I knew from doing Combat Conditioning and other forms of bodyweight training to help me stay interested. One of my favorite workouts to play around with was a Batman Themed Workout which you can see below….

Modified exercises to suit me and at one point was able to do 10 Rounds in 45 minutes. One of the most brutal workouts I had done. That’s the beauty of Circuit Training, it gives you opportunities to keep momentum going doing one exercise after another instead of focusing on just one for an extended period of time. It’s a great test for your Conditioning & Strength-Endurance. In my opinion, Bodyweight is the very best for this.

So, for a few years now since I became a fanatic with the Dopamineo Bands, I took the type of circuit training I did from Darebee and molded it to Circuits with the Band and began doing hundreds to over 1000 total reps in various workouts focusing on exercises that work well and can switch from one to another without stopping. This amplified my cardio to such a degree that when it became consistent, I wasn’t getting tired doing them, they just made me feel stronger and helped lean me out more.

Below you can get an idea of what I mean….

Are circuits truly the best method for conditioning and strength building? The truth is a little more complex than that LOL. In reality, it all depends on the goals you have and there’s no one way to go about it. Now, if you’re into weight training and want to do circuits, I would keep the equipment to a minimum and it’s not always advisable to do this kind of training at the gym because of the unpredictability of people coming in and wanting to those machines and/or free weights. If you had a home gym set up, that’s the perfect way to do this and you can go from station to station without interruptions or having people wait on you.

If you want to see what a circuit where it combines heavy lifting and cardio style exercises in the same sequence, my friend, the late Bud Jeffries works a heavy partial squat, dumbbell swings and rolling. Although it’s more like a tr-set but you can make it a circuit style and the idea is to keep moving and testing your strength under fatigue. One of the things that made him one of the most conditioned big men of this generation. This is one idea, another would be doing a kettlebell style where you can combine Presses, Pulls, Squats, Cleans and even Push-ups if you’d like.

You can do circuits everyday if you’d like if that’s your goal but I recommend you do some hard circuits one day, lighter ones another and pace yourself. If you’re new to it, a couple times a week for a few weeks and bump it up to 3x a week is more than enough for most people. For a period this year with the Bands, I was doing a minimum of 500 total reps almost daily doing circuits, deck of card workouts and HIIT style from January to April and accumulated more than 60,000 total reps with the Bands. It’s not for everybody and I don’t recommend you do that, sort out what you would like to accomplish in your own journey.

One of the recent circuits I did was with bodyweight exercises doing Hindu Push-Ups, Hindu Squats, a Jumping Jack variation, V-Ups, Tables & Mountain Climbers. Would practice deep breathing in between sets or circuits. Did 10 Rounds which came out to 800 Total Reps. Sweated like a waterfall and felt great afterwards. Fitness can be so much fun when you set your mind to it.

If you’re not a fan of circuits, that’s ok, there’s plenty of other options and if you would rather focus on one exercise at a time for a set and rep scheme, go for it. Learn from my mistake the first time I tried a circuit. Get in condition first or have a better pace of what you use and the type of reps and rounds you do. I don’t want anyone going through what I did or worse, it’s not fun and it can come back to haunt you if you’re not careful. That’s one of the downsides to doing this is not learning what could go wrong when you’re not ready yet.

Do things that give you the tools to continue your journey with vitality and excitement. Some days may be lousier than others but see it as an opportunity to create something that will blossom later. Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it.

Go to dopamineo.com if you're still interested in the Bands. Use my code POWERANDMIGHT to get a cool discount on your  order.

Training The Neck Safely While Building Strength

 If there was an area of the body that shows the most neglect, it’s the neck. Unless you’re a football player, wrestler or martial artist, there isn’t a ton of people training their neck. First off, mainly those who do teach it, even with good intentions may not showcase the bigger picture and focus on this or that. The real truth: It can be scary with the way it is shown at times.

Most who attempt to teach people how to train their neck show mainly machines or using some form of weight along with Bridges that don’t have progression systems in place. The Bridges are often the most “Screw this” reaction than to even using weights because you’re having the top of your head on the floor and the only things supporting are the hands and feet. Does that mean Bridges are bad overall? That depends. I’ve done Bridging exercises for many, many years and never had neck issues that were a cause for alarm but it’s because I learned how to properly progress and control in how I perform them. 

This doesn’t mean Bridges or even weights for that matter are for everyone. If you have spinal injuries or have spurs, it isn’t wise or even worth your health doing those things. Now, if you are healthy and need guidance in training the neck using those things, I would highly recommend Advanced Bridging by Logan Christopher where he teaches you even the most basic exercises to train not only your neck but the spinal cord and overall body development. For the weights, I would look into the Neck Flex and learning ideally from Mike Bruce who knows a thing or two about training those muscles efficiently. 

What would be the alternative to these where you can still work your neck without having to do those things. You can do Neck Mobility Drills like I show on Youtube, you can do Self Resistance Exercises working the neck in several directions where you are in complete control of the tension you use, or you can use a resistance band with the Neck Flex.

For the record, I never really used weights to train my neck, the closest thing would be bending steel in a wrestler’s bridge on my head but other than that, I didn’t necessarily need to do weights. So what makes training with a resistance band any different than training with weights? Resistance is resistance right? In a nutshell, weights have the same level of resistance throughout the range of motion but with a Band, the more you stretch it, the more it fights against you instead of staying the same.

From a personal stand point, I believe using a band is a very powerful alternative because you can train in different directions when you hook it up to the D-Rings on the Harness and train safely while also building size and strength. Because of my own training with it, I have maintained a 18 1/2 inch neck and don’t have any problems in those areas or in my spine. I can still do Bridges if I wanted to but in terms of maintaining size, mobility and keeping it strong for things that matter, it truly is the cream of the crop for those attributes. The resistance isn’t stupid heavy and it can be for beginners or seasoned vets in the game.

As we get older, safety becomes more of a priority than ego lifting or doing better than everyone else. We want to build that strength and mobility that keeps us lasting longer and as injury proof as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to be paranoid or overly cautious, it means you learn to be aware of things from a focused perspective. I’ve had enough injuries in my lifetime to understand that it’s not worth your health if you can’t enjoy the greater things in life. Too many people become crippled or worse because they don’t train their bodies in a safe manner to keep things going smoothly as they can. We can’t 100% avoid injuries but we can learn to be aware and do our best to control what can be prevented and be able to have that durability without testing our egos on theories of how far we’re willing to push. It’s one thing to challenge yourself, it’s another to punish yourself in the attempt of being healthier and stronger.

Train your neck wisely and be in control in how you perform movements or even holds for that matter. Having a strong and healthy neck can mean saving your life.

Be amazingly awesome and share your experiences with me on Neck Training or have questions about the Neck Flex by shooting me a comment. Be sure to use my code POWERANDMIGHT when you have an opportunity to order the Neck Flex. They may even be having a sale going on and my code will shave off even more of that. Subscribe to have articles sent to your email and may you continue to kill it in your journey.

Are High Volume Calisthenics Really Necessary???

 Debates are a time honored tradition and in the manner of fitness, it adds some heated discussions at times. Let’s look at the idea of them but also, perspectives on what they can be beneficial for and/or their possible limitations.

In a short version of this context, it really boils down to what your goal is and what type of training you’re shooting for. Now, what can make this a little more interesting? Shall we turn the key and open up the door?

From my own experiences, I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum. I’ve done hundreds of push-ups and squats throughout the years in various workouts. Sometimes using a deck of cards, sometimes in sets using ladder methods or countdown versions at certain points in time. Heard those say it’s junk volume and not really building strength or muscle. Mostly endurance. Well, they’re not totally wrong but at the same time, they don’t necessarily have the right idea either. On the other side of the coin, I’ve felt in certain cases, high volume doesn’t have the advantage one may believe.

Let’s make a case for High Volume in and of itself:

In reality, it can be hard to beat when your goal is to enhance your conditioning, strengthen your work capacity and build serious mental toughness. Calisthenics in this manner are awesome for that. When you push past the 300-400-500 thresholds, it’s not the muscular aspects that change, it’s the breathing that becomes honest, technique that has to hold up when your gas tank is hitting that breaking point of fatigue and learning how to compose yourself when you start to run on empty.

There’s real transfer there. That level of High Volume work builds an engine like a locomotive. The raw reality of strength endurance that hits you like bricks.

Bodyweight Exercise can be done anywhere and at anytime. It doesn’t matter whether you’re chilling at the beach, tackling a few reps after chopping firewood or getting a tan on the dock by the lake. It’s not just Push-Ups & Squats, there can be lunges, burpees, leg raises, bridges and all sorts of things.

Here’s an outlook on what we can build a case for going against High Volume:

Is it really necessary for everything? The end-all-be-all high and mighty? Hell no and I’ll tell you why? 

High Volume is not the same as maximal strength. You can get very strong in certain parts and you can be much leaner and better conditioned, but don’t expect to work like a powerlifter hitting a shit ton of weight. If you want more out of it, focus on utilizing tension. Tension is the key and that leads into progressive overload. What normally can be done at 50-100 reps of whatever can change course but still yield results by contracting the muscles and concentrate on the movements at a slower and more controlled rate. Some do very well hitting numbers while maintaining tension but sets of 15-20 can have a great impact in how you control the muscles.

Another important lesson to look at is the way your technique goes when you start chasing numbers. If you’re pushing into the hundreds but your form looks like you’re a fish out of water, it’s going to bite you in the ass and cause problems you don’t want. You can also burn out and have a bit of psychological damage due to the overwhelming physical trauma you put yourself in. This in turn can affect your sleep along with your ability to eat that turns discipline into problematic eating.

Some say High Volume is the only thing that matters to be fit but let’s face it, how many people in their 60’s and 70’s are doing hundreds of crazy calisthenics on a daily basis? The numbers would shock you how very few in the world per capita are doing that. It’s better to train smarter than chase numbers that can potentially derail you than make you better.

Is it truly needed???

Here’s my take on it: For wanting to be well conditioned, tough and resilient, doing High Volume work does have it’s benefits. Some of the greatest athletes in the world were heavily into it like Herschel Walker, Dan Gable, Karl Gotch, Rickey Henderson, Charles Atlas and Jack Lalanne for example. Being exposed through progressive training bolds well in many areas and not always on a daily basis unless that’s a goal you have in mind.

To be as strong as possible, that’s going to take more than a few hundred squats. High Reps isn’t a whole tool box, but they are a tool of the trade. Build a base, use them as finishers or as a way to recover. It’s not that complicated as some may think, as long as you keep it simple and be able to adapt when needed, you’re golden. Be aware of how you perform and do things that help you recover and not blowtorch to where you’re waiting another week or two to feel ok again.

Could High Volume work outside the realm of exercise itself? Fuck yes it can. Because it could have some awesome benefits to be able to work better and move better throughout the day. You don’t need to live on it though, just value of how you get there and when to take a step back so you don’t create overkill. Remember, even the smallest fraction of progress still leads to the big picture. Keep being amazingly awesome and kill it in your journey to be even 1% better each day.

Why Are Dopamineo Bands Such A Powerful Conditioning Tool???

From a certain perspective, developing levels of conditioning isn’t about getting tired. It’s about giving the body the opportunities to keep at it when the easy way out would be to just end it.

When it comes to valuable tools, these bands are an ideal outlook on my view of being in great condition. The legendary wrestler Karl Gotch said “Conditioning is your greatest hold” which leans more to the sport (more specifically Catch As Catch Can Wrestling) but on that similar idea, my style is through a fitness perspective by saying “Conditioning is your greatest asset.”

The bands do provide resistance, just not the same way as you would do with weights. The more you stretch the band, the more tension it creates which increases difficulty compared to weights where the resistance is the same throughout the entire range of motion regardless of the exercise. they also provide consistent feedback. It’s not just simply going from one area to another, the resistance is constantly there and changes when you move further or closer to its anchor point. Controlling the body, maintaining tension, focused breathing and producing effort that is continuous.

That’s one of the brutal truths of conditioning. The workouts can be very hard or they can be very light depending on your goals, level of fitness and what you need to do. If you have read another article I’ve written here about using a Deck Of Cards, you’ll understand why it’s a favorite of mine. I have also dabbled quite a bit in circuit training to keep a pace that is intense but have the ability to keep going round after round without wearing down. Some of the best athletes in the world who use them do warm-ups, finishers, work on their athletic development or use them to be able to move better throughout the day so they can be more productive.

A gym isn’t always a requirement, it’s an option. I personally have used these bands in a a gym as a finisher after using weights for 45 min to an hour doing circuits that went up to 500 total reps in 20 minutes or less. Only a few times but it still put me in a state where I felt fucking great and didn’t get sore or have issues walking back out the door to go home.

It’s not complicated to set up and you don’t need to go for hours on end to get a beneficial session going. Hell, on average, my workouts lasts less than 30 minutes depending on what I want to do, if I go for 20 rounds doing 5 exercises for 10 reps each, the timing varies from 30-40 minutes. It’s another reason why I believe they’re valuable at any age.

A young athlete like in High School or even in Pee-Wee sports, can develop their conditioning using bands like the Fly, Feather or Light so a parent/coach/mentor can teach them work capacity. For heavier athletes, the Middle to Heavy Bands can turn them into lean, mean fighting machines that have exceptional endurance and be able to strength train without always relying on heavier external loads. For those who have been at it for decades such as myself, they can be used to maintain health and cardio to continue to move efficiently.

One component however really opens the doors to be a fit individual with these bands and that’s hitting your mental game on another level. A solid level of conditioning is also a teacher of being able to deal with discomfort. That’s not the same as reaching to aspects of pain or doing something stupid to hurt yourself, discomfort is the big word here. What’s the major difference?

The ability to work through a demanding band workout whether it be a circuit, set and rep and scheme or whatever, the mind will eventually start to play tricks on you and throw several reasons to slow down, give up or just prance on through like it was meant to be easy. This is where things get very interesting. They teach you how to handle your composure in times of fatigue. Be able to control your breathing in the midst of pressure and maintain your technique when it gets tough. These bands will work with you when you learn to respect them and work alongside them as one entity instead of fighting yourself or them.

That specific mindset is very important to carry over into other aspects of life, not just sports. It’s not easy cause life can be hard as it is. There’s never 100% mastery over this but it is part of the journey of becoming even 1% better. Even the smallest fraction of progress still leads to the bigger picture. Being uncomfortable doesn’t always indicate of giving yourself the reason to stop.

It’s a valuable lesson regardless of age. This is why I favor them so much beyond just being able to get through workouts. You can make them as challenging or as “easy” as you want without making it so damn complicated like with other programs or methods. Being able to manipulate the pace, change exercises on a dime and make your rest periods long or short is up to you. They’re the kind of tool that allows freedom in ways you may not get with weights, they’re a great addition to weight training but you may not be able to travel with a barbell or dumbbell so much LOL.

I have taken these bands to many places such as……

The Beach

The Park

At A Lake

Even In A Rec Center

Start putting in the work and you’ll start to see things in ways that are not only fun and enjoyable but it aids in how you can stay fit or increase your fitness. Simple, adaptable and portable.

Make those efforts count. Be amazingly awesome and check out Dopamineo.com and see what kind of bands can suit for you and your goals. Use the Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get a some bucks off your order.

Playing Like A Kid Again!!!

 When we were little, we had wild imaginations, putting thoughts out into the world and create something out of only by what we dream about. As we get older, we become more analytical, cautious, only use what we see and not what we can think of. We become the entity that loses that fire and passion to be creative out of necessity. Is it too late to feel that drive again? To be creative, passionate and to use our thoughts into action? I firmly believe we can and it starts with what we already did as kids and that’s moving like a wild animal.

Remember what it was like to pretend we were bears, apes, tigers, snakes and such? We mimicked our favorite beasts and critters by playing games like tag and racing each other. What happened to that? Being realistic in the adult world is what happened and we went from crawling, jumping and playing to office desks and bringing people bad food in restaurants LOL.

Now, there are things as we get older we need to be aware of and we aren’t always able to play the way we used to and bounce back like it was a cake walk, but we can however; make a difference in how we still can have that child-like quality but put into action how we apply it to what our bodies are capable of in the moment.

Off and on for more than 20 years, I have practiced the art of Animal Movement and it’s multiple styles depending on who teaches it and what is utilized. From crawling to combo moves to HIIT, Tag, Races, Dice Games and others, I am always finding ways to make workouts look like play because I still am a kid at heart, even in my 40’s. I still want to feel what it’s like to mimic an animal in the wild.

Where to even start if you’re just getting back into it? Well, it’s best to start with the basics and work up to them in a variety of ways. One would be to start Bear Crawling which is the simplest Animal to practice. Start with 1-3 sets of 10-20 seconds of just getting the feel for it again. Don’t need to rush or speed up, just focus using opposite arm and opposite leg patterns until you become good at it. As time goes on, build up until you can go for 1-2 minutes non stop. If you want to really be ambitious, one of my favorite workouts takes no more than 5 minutes where you Sprint in the Bear Crawl for 10 seconds, rest 20 seconds and repeat for a total of 10 rounds. 2-3x a week max for this.

Some days, I would wake up, Bear Crawl for 1 minute, rest, Gorilla Hop/Jump for 1 minute, rest and then do a Tiger Crawl for 1 minute. 3 minutes of movement is often all it takes. This is particularly a good workout to build cognitive strength because of the constant movement and patterns being used. It potentially can wake you up better than a cup of Coffee.

At the park, I would sometimes do different crawling patterns, combine different animals together to create a hybrid or do one movement after another and switch on a dime. When I rest, I walk around focusing on my breathing until I’m ready to go again. Sometimes I’ll do this kind of training for 10 min, 20 min or even a few minutes just to get a good sweat going. I get to play and challenge my brain to see what can be done next.

In the video below, you can get an idea of what I mean by this….

When I do these things, I feel like a kid again, living out my imagination and having the time of my life. Sure we have responsibilities and need to do things in order to live amongst our means, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to play again and make things in our lives interesting and playful. You can too with a little practice and doing what’s possible for you.

One course in particular I use that teaches you all kinds of moves and blending them together is called Movement 20XX where it combines the elements of Calisthenics & Animal Movement. Learn and have fun with it.

Fitness is not always about reps and sets schemes or having to go to a gym and face the unpredictability of what to use and maybe wait for people, things like this give you the freedom to explore your inner child and building strength from another perspective. You can do these at a gym if you’d like (preferably in an area where it won’t be in anybody’s way) or do them on off days to keep things flowing. They can be done as warm-ups, finishers, 2-A Days or whatever you like, the choice is yours. That’s the beauty of it.

Be amazingly awesome and let’s keep the imagination and play alive so we don’t have to get stuck in a damn nursing home later in life.

On a side note, a new era has begun for Power And Might as I have ventured out into a new space to write and share my love for training. If you'd like to check out the new spot, go to the comment section or send me an email using the Contact Form and type in POWERANDMIGHT and I will send you a link. 

The Deck Doesn't Care About Your Feelings: Only If You Got The Guts

A great workout should never be complicated. When it comes to your conditioning, it is one of the best assets you can ever have and it's important to know that you don't need some manual telling you to use 12 pieces of equipment or get lost in the shuffle because some dude decided you're better off making it harder than it needs to be. 

One of my personal favorite workouts to stay in solid condition is using the Dopa Band and a Deck Of Cards. That's really it. The cards are your coach and unlike a typical training partner, that deck doesn't negotiate. 

Here's the setup I use:

Hearts = Chest Flys

Diamonds = Wave Pulls

Spades = Squats (Underhook is my go to)

Clubs = Dopa Skis

Jokers = Propellers

Now for the numbers game:

2-10 = Whatever that card is

K/Q/J = 10 reps

Aces = 16 reps

Jokers = 50 Propellers

One full deck is 500 total reps in this capacity.

Can't have a crazed workout without a joker. There's a reason behind that. The propeller is the king of the conditioning exercises in the Dopamineo Arsenal. 

Start shuffling and be ready to pull the cards. You may start with 5 Chest Flys, seems easy enough right? A 9 of clubs comes up and you got Squats to do. 10 Diamond and you've got your Wave Pulls. All of a sudden, the Joker appears. The deck has decided that if you thought you had it easy, it doesn't care, it will kick your ass whether you like it or not. 

What is the Outlook on this kind of Conditioning???

It's not always about the reps. It's the constant change that truly makes the difference. Moving from exercise to exercise which can start out hard or easy. It doesn't settle something predictable throughout, so you have to constantly adapt. The randomization isn't some gimmick, it's more philosophical or a different view point of how life can be. Things aren't always planned out. You have unexpected challenges and things can change in the blink of an eye. Just when you thought you were comfortable, a joker will laugh and say "you're shit out of luck, get to work or quit." That happens in life often. 

You're not always in control of the cards you're dealt with. You can however, learn to control how you react to them and be prepared to deal with it. This lesson is more than just a workout, it's expecting the unexpected. You never know what what will come up so you adapt to what will be in front of you. A carryover beyond the aspects of conditioning. 

Care to attempt this twice???

Going through this monstrous workout a couple times in a row creates a unique amount of work that forces you to maintain pace and technique as the fatigue builds up. Trust me, I've done it and although I enjoy a challenge, this will test your sanity. Getting through the first deck consistently may seem comfortable but doing a second time may have you questioning your life choices. Can you keep up with yourself? Maintain form with precision? Be able to follow through the work volume without falling apart? This is where your conditioning is truly tested. 

It's not about survival. It's the development that builds the ability to withstand a workload that is unpredictable and having the guts to keep performing. That in turn is useful more than you may want to believe. The real world won't always warn you what will come next which makes the deck no less different. 

Get to shuffling....

The band is the resistance and the cards provide the randomness. A joker will sooner or later be a reminder that you should have read the fine print. You provide the effort. Can't control what comes next, the only thing you can control is the reaction. That's real conditioning with a bit of philosophy thrown in. Shuffle the cards, start flipping, do the work and repeat until you can do a full deck. 

Be amazingly awesome and hope you succeed in your endeavors. Go to Dopamineo.com, pick your band, get familiar with the exercises and see what you're made of with the Deck Of Cards workout (Use Code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout). One of my favorite decks to use is the Dark Knight Deck from Theory 11.    

Lighten Up Will Ya?

In my last post, I talked about (in not so many words) what happens with either ego lifting or understanding that we are all human and we mess up sometimes. That was based on me handling a 45+ lb mace getting both solid reps in and making mistakes. 

This time around, I lightened the load and brought the weight down to just under 27 lbs. (26.7 to be exact) and that was a comfortable weight for me to swing with and build back up again. Eventually if I stayed consistent, I probably won't go higher than maybe 35 lbs. because in reality, I'm not about one rep maxes, I want to be able to rep it out well and have greater control than to just haul it and try to set some kind of crazy record. 

Here's doing the 10-2 exercise and it actually felt great. Filming wise, there aren't any BTS stuff where I hurt myself again because that never happened with that weight. Smooth, crisp and in far better control.

Although the Mace isn't something I swing often, I do like messing around with it and being able to get some good training in. Might show some other stuff sometime like Gravediggers and one of the exercises back in the day I learned from Strongman Kevin Wikse called Thor Catches Loki. 

Doing 360's is the most basic exercise to learn with the Mace and building some good grip strength along with honoring those who came before me. One guy I had a conversation with recently who's known as Mr. Maceman Rik Brown and knows that with those little progressions, I'll be spinning a mace like a propeller LOL. His words, not mine. This guy is incredible and is one of the most highly decorated teachers in the U.S on teaching how to use Maces and Clubs. From complete beginners to world class athletes, he teaches it all and has trained alongside wrestlers in India and has taught Mace swinging all over the world. A valuable part of modern day Physical Culture. Shit his training with a 7 foot Mace is bad ass. Here's my set of 360's below...

Training is part of the journey and learning what's possible and what to correct so you can get better. There are those who would rather steal your money than to see you succeed and believe they're the only ones that you should learn from. That's pure ego and not someone that's worthy of being trusted. Hell, they contradict themselves a lot and don't even realize it. Calling themselves the best at this or that when even someone like me who can name 10 guys at the top of my head who are not only far better than guys like that, but are actually more successful, don't act like Controversial dickheads who are desperate for attention and con people into buying things that are just copy and pasted bullshit LOL Nothing original and plagiarize others' work including mine. 

Let's lighten up shall we? Be real and learn things that carry over to other aspects of life. Real winning is inspiring others and making a difference that leaves you being remembered for things that matter. Losing is thinking you're above everyone else, acting like you got some high IQ for fitness and anyone who disagrees with you is coping or a loser. Losing is telling others you need to be skinny in order to look good and drink more water than an ultra marathon runner on a daily basis. Not to mention the fact that some of these guys are heavy smokers and look anorexic, that's pretty bad if you ask me.

Make the effort to get a little better, even by the smallest fraction because it will lead to a bigger picture. Swing the mace with pride, swing with power and swing to honor those of the past. Have fun and keep being amazingly awesome. 

What's The Worst That Could Happen?

 Training isn't always pretty and sometimes shit happens. Earlier this past week, I wanted to go out to the park and play around with the Stronger Grip Monster Mace which I filled to 45+ lbs. Wanted to film a some stuff and even go shirtless which I rarely ever do and I know I need to work on my physique a little better (being modest here). The strength and condition is there but the look could use some improvement. 

Moving this son of a bitch wasn't fun and I did end up hitting myself a few times which you can view below.....

I originally didn't want to show these bloopers cause I've always been a guy who would just do the exercises the best way I could and go with it. This time, I figured what the hell and show that I can be vulnerable and it was scary as hell. In many cases, you're expected to have the perfect physique, picture perfect form and put on a little facade that you're above others because if you're even a tad normal compared to those who don't work out or show more vulnerability, you're not portraying what some people think you need to be. 

We make mistakes, we have our own struggles, even from doing this for decades. In my years of filming, training and putting myself out there, I have failed more times than what was the end result you end up seeing on social media and on this blog. I wanted to give people a glimpse that I do screw up sometimes. I didn't purposely hurt myself and reveal that it's ok to hurt yourself. Never want someone to hurt themselves but to give insights that even what we do to inspire others is that, accidents do happen and it's important to learn and correct our mistakes. 

I did eventually was able to rep the mace with that weight, even if it was just a few. See that below...

If I hadn't shown the bloopers, you may have thought that yeah, I am able to do this and it was on the first try. The truth is, like many times BTS, I've had to do several takes of things which in some aspects are a workout in and of themselves LOL. 

I don't have the perfect body, quite frankly there's no such thing but I also know I would like my physique to be better than what it is right now. I don't care much about being an IG model or be on some magazine cover, that's not part of my journey. I know I can do better, it just takes time and patience which the latter wasn't always my strong suit. I have ideas in, certain training styles and better eating to get me there and I may not show anything shirtless again for a while. I'm still grateful that I weigh far less than I was at my heaviest at 275. I'm now in the 230-235 range mostly these days and have stayed in that range for years now. 

Can still handle certain stuff well and I have no problem in the cardio department, it's now really a matter of just looking a little healthier and gaining better habits. It's all part of the journey right? 

Change is hard and I know for a fact there are some people out there who want to see me fail and will do almost anything and say anything to make sure I do, but I'm still standing and I won't stop fighting. I've got better things to do than to listen to some jealous shmuck with a grudge (not to mention a very disturbing obsession) that sends me sick and sexualized notes on a daily basis using aliases that show the same behavioral patterns and moronic high school trash talk. 

Anyways, the world isn't perfect and too many people chase perfection which in some aspects isn't a bad thing but if you're going to beat yourself up because you're not perfect to others, things will never happen the way you want them to. It's more important to get better at things little by little and do them with solid technique. Chasing perfection can become an addiction and addictions can bite you in the ass if you're not careful. Chase becoming better than you were before. You may fail at times but you don't give up and don't stop becoming a better version of yourself, even by the smallest fraction. Every tiny percentage of becoming better, leads to the bigger picture. 

Weights And Bodyweight Are The Only Methods That Matter?

Brace yourselves today everyone because we are going into territory today of why Dopamineo bands are so god awful. I mean just terrible as shit. At least that's what some people want you to believe when it comes to resistance bands. I mean after all, there's only 2 methods of training that are the only ones that matter and are REAL!!! Weights & Bodyweight Exercise.

Dumbbells are the ultimate in free weights.

Barbells make you a real man.

Kettlebells because of their versatility and to make you functionally strong.

Things like Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, Squats are the GOAT when it comes to bodyweight and turn you into superman.

When it comes to resistance bands like Dopa on the other hand, apparently somebody crossed some kind of line in the fitness industry that is straight out of fantasyland. I mean obviously our muscles can tell the difference right?

"This sucks, we're contracting against tension but it comes from rubber/silicone. Only a Barbell or doing heavy weighted push-ups use REAL tension."

That's just some people's logic I guess. Then again, there's another issue with that's even bigger than that when it comes to the Bands. They're not going to turn you into the next Mr. Olympia Contender. How tragic? Well, neither will bodyweight training or picking up a dumbbell and sure as hell won't be lifting crazy weight with a barbell. 

If you plan on building some kind of physique that puts you on notice for the IFBB, it takes years of specialized training, discipline, nutrition, some luck in the genetics department and not to mention the most likely candidate of steroid use that is carefully dosed and consistent. Let's throw in Recovery while we're at it.

Aside from not being able to look like a cartoon character from the 80's and 90's, here's where things get interesting....

There are some numbnuts out there trying to convince people that if you don't take up weight training, bodyweight or both, anything else is as useless as putting out a fire with gasoline. Why do they choose to be this unintelligent and moronic? According to their ideology (or just to listen to the sound of their own voice), there can be no middle ground. No experimentation, different styles of resistance or adaptation and no need to learn how to make a different tool work. Just throw around heavy shit like an exaggerated claim with no proof for example of swinging a 40kg club with one hand and repping it like a lightweight. Hell, just do basic push-ups and squats but god forbid a band is the devil and creates losers and cucks. 

Here's the real truth you guys, Dopa Bands aren't meant for everybody and here's what I mean by that from a realistic and direct point of view:

They're not meant for the type of people that automatically hate them and decided they have no value before ever putting their hands on one. 

They're in no shape or form for the people who are desperate to have every single exercise be familiar before accepting the fact that it provides resistance that is as real as any other method. 

Last but not least, they're not for the online "Gurus" or "Experts" who's entire personality from a training stand point is summarized by "Weights work, bodyweight is better. Therefore, anything else is wrong." That's not science, logic or even a form of competence, that's a cop out and narrow minded way of thinking. 

Seriously, Dopamineo Bands doesn't replace weights or bodyweight and can't guarantee they'll make you look like a superhero. They're just another tool in the arsenal that is another form of resistance training. Controversial concept I know. Hit the iron, go hard with push-ups, pull-ups and squats. Nobody is actually taking you away from any of them, but if you want to be an ass and run your mouth making a lame illegitimate argument that training with resistance bands are useless because they're not your ideal method, it isn't the bands that are the problem. It may be that little tiny speck of a bubble you live in.

The goal everyone isn't to win an argument which method is real and which is useless. It's about building strength, mobility, being active and to live a long quality life. So if you would like a tool that can be an addition to your current regimen or use on off days, Get yourself a band or set of bands. go to Dopamineo.com and use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT. The best training tools are the ones that keep you doing the work. Be amazingly awesome 

A Strong Neck To Keep Head Banging To Bad Ass Rock & Metal

 Every now and then, I think about some of the concerts I've been to in my life. Seen plenty of groups including Black Sabbath, Rob Zombie, Joan Jett and others. One of my favorites to go see was my friends Archer who consisted of three members (Dylan Rose, Tyler Bramlett and Isaiah May) and would play covers of 80's metal bands and their original songs. They did battle of the bands type gigs and played a lot on the main stage and atrium at this place in Santa Cruz called the Catalyst which I think isn't going to be in that area much longer. 

Going to those concerts were a lot of fun and got to be in mosh pits, head bang with other friends and even hung around a guy once or twice who was an American Idol contestant back in the day who had the legendary guitar icon Zakk Wylde on stage. Isaiah was the bass player for Archer at the time, one concert, I got too close to the stage and was head banging and all that. All of a sudden, I got hit by the bass like it uppercut me and it was hard enough that it could've knocked me out but with all those bridges I was doing at the time, my chin and my neck was strong enough to withstand the blow and just laughed it off. I told him about it later on at a gathering for a BBQ or something and he apologized to me about it and just shrugged it off, it was my fault and he was doing his thing.

I love rocking out man and having a strong neck that doesn't cause pain later on, even when the adrenaline wears off is a key to keep having fun. Having a neck that can handle more than just rocking out is an aspect of health that is really neglected. It's having that possible whiplash and may even get hurt getting out of bed. Doing bridges are awesome and if you're healthy, practice them using the methods from Logan Christopher's Advanced Bridging Course. 

The next best thing in addition to bridges or even self resistance is using the Neck Flex. Working your neck in various positions using the resistance band that comes with it can develop muscle and even utilize injury prevention as much as possible. Do you need to do a ton of reps? Not really, especially in the beginning where you're learning to control the movements and not flopping that thing around like its a fish out of water. It's about feeling the muscles, controlling the resistance and understanding the mechanics. I worked up to high volume because that works for me and I enjoy training that way. 

If you're going to train with weights, be sure to get going using weight that gives you the opportunity to work the neck with control. In the wise words of Yoda, "Control, control, you must learn control." Now, that doesn't mean your neck is going to grow two inches in less than a couple weeks that some people have claimed while looking like they have a pencil neck that looks exactly the same after using a cheap knock off for 5 minutes. Growth takes time like anything else and it's not always about size either. Shit, I love having a thick and strong neck but in reality, what I love more is the fact that I can turn in all sorts of directions and not feel pain or feel like there are kinks that need work. Each exercise is focused and as precise as I can make it. That's the true way to do it whether it's for high volume or whatever.

Even as a Rock/Metal Artist, having a healthy and strong neck goes a long way to keep rocking out as you perform to the crowd. Neck work is mainly neglected because it's out of fear that if you do things and work the wrong way, it can lead to some kind of disaster. That can be said for practically any exercise but when it comes to the Neck, it can potentially be fatal. It sounds scary, I understand but working those muscles whether you're an athlete, a head banging spectator or whatever can help generate nerve force and strengthen the spinal cord along with the muscles of the neck. 

Having a healthy and strong neck can potentially limit headaches and migraines at an alarming rate. This doesn't mean they cure them and I wouldn't test the theory while having either one but with consistent training, it potentially takes things down a notch and be able to have greater clarity and neurological function. 

Take care of your neck, it's one of the things that keeps you alive LOL. I really hope you enjoyed this post and got a little kick out of it. It's fun playing off the little things in life and giving people an outlook that makes strength training worthwhile for the things that matter to you. Go to https://www.theneckflex.com/ and get your hands on the cream of the crop when it comes to Neck Harnesses. Learn the valuable info of training using the band and chain from The Emperor of Neck Training Mike The Machine Bruce at his Youtube Channel HERE!!! Want to shave off some money on your order? Use my code POWERANDMIGHT and tell them I sent you. They're good guys. Also check out for info from Neck Flex themselves by going HERE to their Youtube Channel. 

I got to tell you man, Mike Bruce's neck is so thick and powerful, if he was at the plate in Oracle Park, he could use his head as the bat and hit one out to McCovey Cove and it be just another walk in the park for him. 

Little Neck-Ism just for kicks since it has been a minute. 

Be amazingly awesome and don't stop having a blast. Rock on everyone. 

Here is a little old school metal to rock out to....One of my personal favorites from Black Label Society

Dopamineo Bands And Why They Are A Bad Ass Tool That Builds Movers From Youth To Seniors

Is it truly necessary to have a garage full of equipment, a gym membership or some random "guru" who puts you through a copy and pasted system he plagiarized for a few weeks? Honestly, that's more of a choice than a requirement but in my humble opinion before we get into the article today is that a garage gym has better benefits than an expensive membership where you'll have to deal with people that aren't always the best company. 

Now, when it comes to traveling and being able to build solid levels of fitness that doesn't require horrendously expensive machines that does a damn fine job on its own or as an add on to your current regimen is the Dopamineo Bands. Trust me, I wouldn't hype it up if I didn't think they work. Working with Kettlebells, Sledgehammers, The Neck Flex, Bodyweight and other things. The top of the heap always comes from simplicity. The bands are as brutally effective as you can get. 

A lineup of levels of resistance that suits practically everyone from young children as old as 4 to youth athletes to adult men and women to even senior citizens looking to stay fit and mobile. Easy resistance up to over 220 lbs of sheer force. It's not cheap rubber or some lame latex that can snap on you after a few months of consistent training. These are literally made to last longer than many other pieces of equipment combined. It's the head honcho when it comes to toughness and durability. 

What makes doing workouts so unique? For starters, it's not even about the resistance. Any band out there gives that. Dopa however; gives you the movement. It formulates the ability to force the body to stabilize, control, explode, rotate and recover all in one shot. Unlike a machine, you're not locked into an isolated movement. You're moving the way us humans were meant to. Let's take a youth wrestler for example: With a band, they're learning to generate power from the core and the hips while shooting for a double leg without loading the spine with weight they're not ready for. 

For the MMA Fighter, it's that development of power endurance. The ability to explode, recover, explode and so on when they're in that state of fatigue. On the Senior Citizens side of it, it's utilizing workouts that are joint-friendly and maintaining muscle without tearing them apart and beating up the body. These are just ideas that are key ingredients whether one is a beginner or seasoned vet. The band doesn't give a shit. It helps you wherever you are and will work with you as long as you respect it. 

For beginners or even those who want to ease into understanding the bands, the Fly & Feather Weight options are great because they show you where the tension is because after all, the tension is the stimulus. It teaches you how to brace and generate the force needed. It also gives you the opportunity to learn how your core is the foundation. For veterans of the game, the light, middle and heavyweight bands will humble your ass. Shadow wrestling, sprints, shuffles, explosive waves and many more. Nothing shiny or too complex. Developing your conditioning with these will also instill your confidence because of what you feel and moving better after a session.

Here's some harsh truth that most don't talk about; most workouts kill the excitement, the ability to want to come back and destroying little by little the enjoyment of training. These bands plow through those walls by giving you reasons to be excited about your workouts. Think about being out in the fresh air at a beach or a park, feeling like a kid playing. That's where it lies in the very depths of training like a beast. It gives kids a chance to keep going even when they're tired, for older adults it's about being independent without needing a spotter. 

It creates opportunities to stay fit in the long run, not some joke of a program that will leave you broken because some whackjob told you to be extreme and suffering through pain is the only way to go. They make the body work as a single unit. You've seen the demos of how I use them. I just wished these specific ones were around when I was still in high school, I might have been more enthusiastic about being in sports. From my own experiences and putting my own bands through the ringer, they don't quit on you and they make you want to be better. 

It's not worth your time and energy to overcomplicate it. Moving better, feeling like a million bucks and building long lasting strength and conditioning from the toddler age to beyond 70 is the name of the game. These bands provide all of that. Go to dopamineo.com and get yourself a flyweight to start your journey or if you decide to train the kids or your own children. Get a middle, chosen higher and heavyweight to really put in the work. Better yet, get a bundle that gives you the tools to progress throughout your journey. Use my code POWERANDMIGHT and save some bucks. Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it.