Pushing, Pulling, Squatting, Sandbags, Bands And More

 Keeping things basic is the way to go but don't always look to them as a generic boring thing. Make the basics interesting, make games out of them and have fun while kicking your ass. Daily training and being smart about what you do will make all the difference. If you're more keen on doing things 3-4 times a week, that's great too, just don't fall for bullshit that'll get you hurt or worse. 

Building muscle at 40 these days isn't surprising or as shocking as it was back in the day but it's still incredible that people can still accomplish it and continue their journey. For me, it's becoming more and more of a realization that the more you can make it happen and without TRT, HGH, HRT and other things that many even as young as their 20's are doing, is something to celebrate and be proud of. 

Old school methods are what keeps the world going around when it comes to Fitness in the long run. Been doing it for ages but there's always been fluctuations in terms of what my physique has gone through over the years and I blame no one but myself on what some of those fluctuations entailed. The best thing to do is to keep improving, making better decisions on the type of training you do and getting the most out of it. Some may say Daily Hard Workouts will get you better results but some of those same guys look like Bean Poles and have less muscle than Karen Carpenter (bad joke I know). I say, do what you can and go hard when needed, go hard for too long, too frequently, it can bite you in the ass.

There was a reason I fell in love with training and it went beyond my accident and all that, you already know the story by now so you don't need me to repeat it like a broken fucking record. It's the love of doing things that mean something, that are valued and making adjustments. Doing 500 Push-ups and Squats are great for some but there are plenty of things that don't require hundreds or thousands of reps in one shot. Play it over time and spread them out. If anything I do 500 these days is Step Ups or a total of 500 doing 5 exercises for 10 reps each for 10 rounds doing Circuits with my Dopamineo Band. The rest of the time, I'll do lifts with the sandbags, work on isometrics, consistent deep breathing training with the O2 Trainer and play with the hammers, chest expander and other kick ass equipment I got laying around. 

Working on bodyweight training is always fun to do especially when you learn from people like Matt Schifferle of the Red Delta Project. Guy's knowledge and applications of movements are so freaking awesome, it's shameful he's not ranked up there with being one of the very best in Physical Culture today. His method of Grind Style Calisthenics and Isometrics brings that old school mentality with a humble notion of encouragement in the modern age is refreshing. 

Keeping the grind going and putting up content of Push-ups, Pull-Ups (Suspension), Sandbag Work, Bands just keep getting better and better man. My physique is changing for the better as well and losing weight has been a great blessing. When I turned 40 back in late July, I was already down 17-18 lbs within the last several months since my recovery from that fucked up Sciatica injury which I will aways take responsibility for. This time around, I'm down to roughly 230 lbs and the muscle just keeps packing on little by little. Often these days I take a longer time to eat during the day, only eating when I'm hungry and consistently eating Meats, Eggs, Rice, using the Air Fryer and other things. Still have my vices like pizza, fries, burgers (not always fast food), Burritos, Pasta and sandwiches from Subway or this little place here called Local Deli where even half a sandwich looks huge yet still losing weight and dropping bodyfat. Haven't had Burger King in months and been more than a year that I can remember having McDonalds.

 

When you put in the work but keeping the stress to a minimum, things will pop up for you and being consistent with your eating habits and training smart and not like a maniac frequently. It's good to go crazy a couple to a few times a week but don't push to where you're so sore, your muscles are screaming at you "You are a fucking asshole for doing this to me." Have gas in the tank, make little progressions and keep your mind sharp when you train, even on those days when things around you suck. Don't go overboard with the junk stuff but don't have to 100% cut them out of your life either unless it's dire and need to clean things up. 

Training at this age and beyond is crucial and valuable but don't make it so that you're going to act like a dick and tell people how much of a loser they are if they don't train. Be more encouraging, share your progress and utilize what gives you the greatest benefit in your journey. Calling people derogatory names because they don't do pull-ups or some shit like that makes you more of the loser than anything else. Do many these days need a tune up in their health, absolutely, but preying on their insecurities and mocking them with such vengeance is such a copout and just downright mean bro. Being a goody too shoes isn't ideal either so it's important to find a balance of being encouraging and giving people a reason to train and giving tough love when needed. It's hard enough when the biggest critics is ourselves. 

Stick to the basics as much as possible. There will be days where things aren't always there and the chaos of life just throws you curve ball after curve ball, don't give up and do a little something even a few push-ups or holding a few postures during commercials while watching your favorite show and if you got a streaming service, pause the movie for a little bit and do a quick mini workout that can be as short as a few minutes like this Core Workout, it's not easy but it'll do some good in a span of 4 minutes. You got this and keep your journey alive. Be amazingly awesome.

Slowly Getting Back Into The Dopamineo Workouts

 Spending the majority of the time on DDP Yoga, I've also been getting back into working my neck more consistently and even thickened it up a bit along with developing greater mobility. That type of training is merely just standing and working the neck in different directions doing 10 reps each way. On the 10th rep, I would hold the position isometrically for a 10 count and move onto the next move. That has helped my spine a lot and its a great short workout before or after a DDP Yoga Session or as an addition to doing Joint Loosening Training.

Another thing that I've been anxious to get back into is the Dopamineo Workouts. Done a few of them so far and filmed doing some basic stuff at a park. I always enjoyed those workouts doing 15-30 minutes of a circuit. Most of the time I was hitting 10 rounds totaling 500 Reps but I also did workouts that went sometimes up to 12-15 rounds within a 30 min. period. Since my recovery however, I've had to either switch things up or slow the pace down and focus on technique which isn't a bad thing. Not trying to be a wrestler or a fighter in training, just keeping myself in shape and being aware of what I do. 

I love circuit training, to me it's one of the best forms of conditioning and keeping yourself going at a good clip while resting as little as possible. With these workouts now, it's more technique than speed. The intensity is still there but I'm not focusing on being so explosive, just enough to where I can keep going with a comfortable pace. Some workouts I won't time them because I don't need to beat the clock or set some kind of record all the time. Enjoying what I can do and have fun doing it while making little goals. 

The video I did was doing some basic moves that I'm getting back into at a park down the road from the house here, it's really no more than like 3-4 blocks if that. Set it up on a tree using my Iso Strap as an anchor and have at it. 

Some moves can be tricky to learn at first but with time and practice, they become like a flow, a sequence if you will of understanding the body's mechanics and mobility. The objective of the band isn't to stretch it so you can't really do much, it's to work just enough resistance so you can feel a movement without being stiff. It's about being smooth, in control and having technique as if you're drilling like in wrestling or martial arts. 

Although inspired by wrestling, it can be used for a lot of other things like swimming and doing road work on the beach or something. I love it for the fitness and cardio aspects of it. It's a great experience to do exercises that are different and formulate a program based on movements used by the most conditioned athletes on the planet. What's even cooler is that these same bands are now being used to train Olympic Athletes such as Freestyle & Greco-Roman Wrestlers and Judo Players. One female Freestyle Wrestler is officially the first to be a 3-time Olympian and part of her training was with this specific type of band. If someone who's dedicated to her sport can pull off an accomplishment like that, imagine the possibilities you can achieve in your own training whether it be for sport, fitness, group training or whatever. 

You can create all sorts of workouts with these bands and take them virtually anywhere. You can use them in a pool or in the ocean, take them to a park, hook it up at home or at the gym, in your hotel room, do a quick session during a break at work, take them on a hike and work them on a trail, in a parking lot or wherever. If you got a partner to train with, he/she can hold the band while you do drills and then switch. Do little games or work together in sequence, use them to challenge each other and whatever can work. 

Don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order. These are some of the most durable and flexible bands in the world. Some of the best athletes have trained so hard on these that it's a miracle the band hasn't snapped. They're so incredibly strong that Superman would have trouble snapping these. Grab a set for yourself and/or your friends, training partners, family members or students in group sessions. There's bands for kids to use to train for youth groups and to help them stay healthy and have fun with. These things are worth every penny.  

Everyone Deserves To Be Fit

 Every now and then, you come across some numbnuts who treats others and especially potential customers like shit and if they don't buy from you, you're worthless to them. I get it that we need to make a living but acting like an asshole isn't always going to help your cause. Granted some people can't be helped which is understandable but yet we all deserve to have an opportunity to be fit and healthy, it's just a matter of pointing in the right direction. 

Everyone deserves an opportunity to better themselves, sometimes we need a little nudge just to get that first step going. There's really no need to call people weak or fucking idiots, that doesn't make you better than them, it just makes you bitter and pitiful. Quite frankly I don't give a shit if you're a teenager, an old fart, skinny, overweight, gay, straight, non-binary or other folks in the LGBTQ community, a corporate giant, a janitor or a current/former pro athlete, everyone should have the opportunity to train and get better so they can have the quality of life that keeps the world going round and round. 

Fitness isn't just about looking good naked or about how strong you are, it's about self-discovery, the ability to challenge the norm and break through your own barriers. Unless you're Superman or Wonder Woman, nobody starts out the strongest, the fastest, the most conditioned or the most durable. It takes time, it takes research, it's about finding what you can do to progress. Sometimes going to the gym helps, doing bodyweight training wherever you go is always an option, working with Bands goes a long way especially if you're on a budget and there are free resources for awesome information that includes workouts, nutrition recipes, beginner levels to advance so you know where you can go and so much more.

Although we live in the world of overwhelming information, you really only need to look at a few places that have meaning and find what can be best for you. We all start somewhere but how you finish it is up to you. I love to train because it helps me do things in life that are important to me. It keeps me going and learning new ways to do cool stuff. I want to help you develop a mindset that you can create any workout you want with the right tools and resources that work in your favor. We all need a little help sometimes and never forget, the smallest fraction of progress still leads to a bigger entity as time goes on. Some people progress faster than other, some slower but regardless of the pace, progress is still progress. Everyone deserves to be fit.

Make the choice to do a little better each day, every step leads to somewhere and we all have our own path. We may hit a fork in the road or hit a wall but there are ways to move past them and keep going. Be amazingly awesome and do what's possible for you.    

Cardio Is Boring AF

 It can be depending on what you do and what you've been taught as. I never liked doing the treadmill or trying to run for miles on end (not that I can anyway because of certain metals in my legs) plus when you have a form of ADD, its important to understand how your brain keeps firing doing things that keep you going. 

Cardio doesn't have to be boring though, there are ways to utilize it so you can keep your stamina up. One of the best ways is through circuit training either with Bodyweight or with Bands like Dopamineo. With bodyweight, you move from one exercise to another and work different muscles instead of doing just one thing the entire time at a steady clip. You can do Hindu Squats or Step Ups by working a number of reps in a row. Some like to do 300-500 Hindu Squats, I'll do 500 or more Step Ups, its a preference. I imagine climbing up a mountain or a bad ass skyscraper when I do them, makes things interesting.

There's also HIIT style training which is a form of cardio but doesn't take up a ton of time. It could Sprinting, Band Work, Bodyweight, using weights, hell it can be on a Rogue Bike, as long as you go hard for a short amount of time and rest two to three times as long. Some workouts are so intense, you go hard but only rest half the amount. I'll do that with the Dopa Band where I work an exercise for 30 seconds but only rest for 15, this amplifies my conditioning where I can keep going and not rest as much. 

Most aren't taught how to use cardio to an advantage, its always "you have to do this and its the only way", fuck that lol. If you're going to do cardio, make it worth while and make it interesting. The key thing here is to not go so hard that you can't walk out of it at the end. Always have gas in the tank, there's a difference between breaking a PR and killing yourself in the name of fitness. Workouts should enhance the attributes you're attempting to achieve, if you're a world class athlete, that's a whole different style of training. If you try to do the same or similar style of fitness like Lebron James or Jordan Burroughs or hell even Seth Rollins or John Cena you're in for a rude awakening. Do things that are challenging but not to the point where you need 3-4 days to recover or even longer. 

Cardio takes on many forms but it should never be boring otherwise you won't get results you desire. Your mindset has to stay fresh and interested and not so forced it becomes a chore. When I do my Dopa Band circuits, my goal is to keep going until its over but also create a game out of it so I can keep my mind focused. Make your cardio count, don't just go through the motions, anybody can do that, make it work to the degree where you can go and do things that seem crazy to the average person but it keeps you strong and resilient.  

Be amazingly awesome and get a cool discount on Dopa Bands by using the code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order regardless if it's a bundle or a single band.  

Are Resistance Bands Really that Effective?

 For decades, Resistance Bands have been a part of workout regimens for many people from Weekend Warriors to World-Class athletes. The big reason? They're pretty easy to use, about as versatile as you can get and very effective in developing muscle while also conditioning the body. Regardless of your fitness level, bands such as Chest Expanders & Dopamineo Bands are awesome for working the muscles that other pieces of equipment aren't always able to touch.

The simplicity however is not to be underestimated. There's a great way to use bands to get their muscle-building benefit. Let's go over a few tips to help you out....

Depending on the type of band you get, the amount of force to stretch the band will work the muscles like with Free Weights or Machines. Now, the latter two uses the same weight in every direction you work with but with bands, the big difference is the more you stretch it, the heavier it goes. It will literally fight you to prevent you from stretching it. 

For the muscle building effects, there was a study done in 2019 that shows similar strength gains that conventional gym equipment provided. Bands may not look like much but they can strengthen the body and build a more natural physique. In a lot of ways, bands create greater tension on the muscles and are able to work them longer during certain movements. 

 Although bands are incredible for rehab and strengthening the body to work through injuries, they've also become a great deal to those who practice certain sports even such as bodybuilding to condition the body in a capacity where they don't have to rely on big equipment to get the job done, they can do it at a park, in a hotel room, at the beach, in their backyards and many other places. For the Dopamineo Bands, these are extremely effective in getting in serious condition just about anywhere and can be used for a variety of ways and also because of the elasticity, has a longer life span than most bands out there today. 

Bands are incredibly adaptable because even with a shift change in a movement, you can make it harder or easier. Some bands you can be very explosive with but with others, you can make them slow as well and have almost an isometric component to it. Whether shortening or lengthening a band, the resistance can be tough as hell or have you working in a greater capacity such as cardio type training. Like I said above with being able to train just about about anywhere, that's because the majority of bands are extremely portable, meaning you can stuff them into a duffle bag or suitcase and be able to travel with them. Hell if you want to get a micro workout in at the airport you can (I would recommend shorter bands because I don't think you want to be sprinting or doing longer distant exercises towards people using a Dopa Band). Besides, bands are better at getting past security than a kettlebell or barbell ever will.

When it comes to cost, bands are perfect for those on a budget and depending on the type you get, you can basically put an entire gym into a carrying sack. I've got my Dopa Band and TNT Cables in one bag that weighs less than a couple pounds and able to carry and travel with. Some bands are more expensive than others but when it comes to the comparison of a machine or a set of dumbbells, its a fraction of the cost. 

For the final tip, it's important to stay focused on the technique. No matter what band you use, don't ever get so sloppy that you're going to end up hurting yourself. The great thing about this is, bands force you to utilize technique in order for an exercise to be effective. They help keep your posture in line otherwise the band won't move as much or will snap back at you. They're a hell of a coach in that regard. It's also important to not put so much tension on a band because you want to be able to move as smoothly and with precision as possible to have an effective workout. With the Dopa Band, it can stretch a great deal but it's not about just stretching it, it's about working with the resistance at a level that you can do well even if it's challenging. If you screw up, the band will let you know so pay attention. 

So are they that effective. I've been using them for way longer than a decade and have used them to heal injuries. You read about how the Dopa Band helped me get over my sciatica? If not, go find that article and see for yourself. Bands are top notch when it comes to training with minimal equipment and working with your body in ways bodyweight and other forms of equipment can't match. Don't forget to use my 10% OFF Discount on Dopa Bands when you enter POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Have fun and enjoy the journey.  

Does Batman Train With Resistance Bands?

If the Dark Knight trains in Martial Arts, Combat, Bodyweight, Weights here and there, I would imagine he would hit a band or two. There's a quote out there somewhere that says Batman never skips leg day which I always found funny because it's true. He might as well be the first Superhero to "practice" Parkour cause of all the jumping and running in between buildings chasing and catching baddies. 

Resistance Bands have been around a long time and there's always innovative stuff coming around like the X3 Bands for example and of course the Lifeline Bands such as the TNT cables but when it comes to longevity and having a hard time breaking or snapping, it seems that the latest style of cables called Dopamineo have stood head and shoulders above the rest. Maybe they're just regular bands for wrestlers to some but for guys like me who's always researching and learning, these bands are legit. Ever since I got them, I've trained solid on them and it has only been a few workouts.

From day 1, I tried many exercises, some I learned on the website and youtube  and others I tried on my own like Crab Walks, Gorilla Jumps, Hindu Jumpers and others. This band is just so much fun to work with and getting the most out of a workout in a short amount of time. The last workout was the other day doing Sprints, Hindu Push-ups, Frog Jumps, Hindu Jumpers, Crab Walks, Gorilla Jumps and a couple more. I would go until I hit a certain number of reps or until I got out of breath, rest and repeat a set or two. The workouts aren't long and I feel high as a kite afterwards along with getting stronger again. 

I had filmed doing about three exercises or so wearing my Batman shirt and using Batman Music to have a little fun with it and noticed something; even a couple months ago, that shirt was ok to wear but my stomach would pop out every now and then and felt a little tight, since I lost the weight, it felt comfortable and not as tight. I guess losing weight because of no appetite does have its perks LOL. In all fairness, I don't wish that on anyone because when you've been in that much pain and it consumes you at times, it's not an ideal way to lose weight. I' am healing and I don't feel pain in that area anymore, just annoyance and keeping up with maintenance. Hell I did a full Isometric Workout yesterday for the first time in over a month and I'm glad I did. I couldn't do Isometrics the way I wanted to when this whole thing with me was going on and I needed to test myself. 

The Dopa Bands have been a godsend in getting my body back into shape even in the first few workouts. Each workout, the pain levels kept going down and my stress was going down as well because of the endorphin high and lessening the Heat and Ice afterwards. I'm probably about 85-90% healed now and just need to pay attention to the discomfort levels and slowly build up my speed and strength. Like I said no pain but I also don't want to be pushing so hard something might flare up again so I'm gradually getting stronger and training my legs and back building those nerves and retraining those muscles. If you've read this blog long enough, you know that I'm very stubborn and rehabbing myself has worked for me. 

It's not much longer before I'm at full capacity and devouring my workouts hard again. I may look like I'm going hard but I'm not and it's not my best but that's just part of the process and being smarter about workouts and listening to my body more. This is my life and I want to continue making the best of it when it comes to fitness and avoid injuries for as long as I can. This has been the worst injury I've had in years and in a span of 5 months, I got seriously hurt twice. I've had minor aches and pains that easily were manageable and healed quickly and hurt my back back in 2017 which has since healed, but never this bad in that short span of time in the last 18+ years that I've been training everyday. It is a wake up call I'm not going to lie.

Train to the best of your abilities but within reason and be mindful of what you can do. We're not going to be training the way we did in our 20's and think we are so damn invincible that injuries never happen, they do and we can't 100% avoid them, we can however keep them at bay for as far in between as we can. I hate it that people are in pain all the time or just accept it, living with pain especially if it's excruciating for years on end is no way to live. In some cases, certain aspects of pain is inevitable but it's manageable and you can be comfortable. The idea is to live pain-free as much as possible and getting great quality out of life instead of quantifying the days until you're ready to die. Be mindful and do what's possible along with being amazingly awesome. 

Don't forget that you can get these bands at a discounted price when you use my code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Get a bundle pack of bands and find even more discounted stuff. Get them for group classes, your MMA Gym or wrestling room for your High School or College Athletes. Wrestlers in the world championships right now that are winning matches uses some of these very same bands. Go kill it. 

First Workout With The Heavyweight DopamineO Band

Yesterday, my new DopamineO cables came in and the excitement I had was probably indescribable. Heard a lot of good things about these things and just got the urge to tear the bag a part to get to them. The hook up was a little tricky because I'm not use to tying knots with cables. Once I figured it out (or the best way I tried), I just went at it but not so explosive I might hurt myself. I modified a few things and it turned into a hell of a workout that had me sweating and breathing hard like a maniac. These things are the real deal and the fact that wrestlers make these look easy goes to show they're the best and most conditioned athletes in the world.

Bear Crawls, Downward Thrusts, Punches, Sprints, Curls, Tricep Extensions, Lunges, Backwards Sprints and a few others just to see what's possible. I didn't feel pain and everything felt great. Had a huge endorphin high and the energy was there. This is now the hardest workout I put myself though since this fucking thing started and the first time not feeling pain while going nearly full out the best that I could. I'll take it as a sign things are getting better and my body is reacting well to the training again. 

I stumbled upon these a month or two ago and just thought they looked cool because these wrestlers from Russia were just killing it. The more I looked into it, the more it made me want to snatch one up. I got what they recommended for people at over 205 lbs (or a heavyweight athlete) and learn something new for me. Day 1 and I'm in love with this band. Once you get the hang of it, you learn to be explosive and challenge your body in ways that typical bands can't hit. You literally feel like you can take on challenges you didn't know existed. I wrote this before that I know I'll never even remotely come close to what these elite guys can do with this thing but damn sure I'll make the best of what's possible and use it to not only condition my body but amplify what I've already done. Training with this band was brutal but it was fun and it gave me a hell of an opportunity to get better and find new abilities to develop. 

Take your workouts to another level and don't be afraid of the intensity. If it starts to feel heavy whether in the beginning, middle or towards the end of a workout, lighten the load by going in closer and keep going. This is the type of training where it gives you short enough workouts that are so intense, you won't get tired doing other things or at least have a stronger sense of stamina and endurance. 

To make this special for you guys, I now have an opportunity to give you all a bad ass discount that you can use. Whether you just want to get in shape, want some bands for your martial arts school, High School, Collegiate or do group workouts with clients this can save you some solid dough. Enter POWERANDMIGHT at checkout for a 10% Discount on any of the products on the site and save even more when you can snatch up bundles. 

Keep being amazingly awesome and find new ways to train.  

A Traveler's Guide To Fitness On The Road

If you're someone who travels a lot or goes on trips ever so often, it is important to keep fit while on the road. The best type of training you can take with you is really your own bodyweight where you can do your push-ups, squats, lunges, isometric training and all sorts of kick ass things. However; some people prefer to have equipment with them to travel with as an add on to bodyweight exercises. 

In order for traveling with equipment to be efficient, the best recommendation is to keep it to a minimum as best as possible. I don't think it's allowed to travel with a kettlebell or a barbell with plates unless you got a hefty truck to haul that stuff than maybe. If you're traveling by plane, buses, cab/uber rides, it's not the best idea to travel with equipment that weighs more than a couple pounds if that. Some of the best equipment I've ever traveled with that I can pack into my bag and be able to lug it onto a plane or other transportation has been my Lifeline Bands, Ab Wheel & my Isometric Belt. The first two are pretty easy to find and snatch up, the Isometric Belt was specially made by one company but you can get straps or better yet the WorldFit Iso Trainer is a great choice for maximizing your Isometric Training. 

Not every place you go to has a gym and not every single hotel has one (many do but it's mainly a few machines and a little dumbbell rack that is pretty lame in my book). Hell when me and the wife traveled to Tahoe one year, we stopped in Winnemucca, Nevada and that was a night we both want to forget since the first hotel we tried looked like Bates Motel on steroids (we don't talk about Winnemucca) and had to change hotels at like 1-2oclock in the morning. Neither one had a gym and that was ok, had my Isobelt, Wheel & even my 20 lb Sandbell. There's a bad dad joke I made about one of the restaurants that we passed by there that has a reference to the Three Amigos. 

Back to to the task at hand. Being in shape anywhere you go is important and it's vitally important to be aware of how you move around in a place you've never been to or handle certain situations that can pop up on you. It's why I love being able to have certain things on hand that I can to use to stay strong, durable & conditioned whenever something is called upon. Going camping is really important to be in shape for unless you're one of those people who likes to go Glamping and not have to worry about tents and having to build a fire. When we go camping, we set up a tent and areas for food and stuff and it's my job to chop the wood and help get a fire going. Chopping wood is a workout in itself and it builds up a hell of an appetite so we bring along plenty of food. My wife chops wood with me every now and then because she does enjoy it since she's a bit of a tomboy having grown up here her whole life. 

Make the most out of your travels and be resourceful when it comes to training. You can find just about anything to workout with anywhere you go if you know the right ideas and being intuitive. Traveling to Tahoe & Disneyland most of my life, I learned a lot about making the most of what you have. Learned how to hike in Tahoe and going swimming everyday, doing sprints near the cabins, picking up heavy rocks and climbing those torturous stairs at Zephyr Point. Getting in up to 10 miles a day at Disneyland and holding wall sits while waiting in lines for rides in the summer air. Climbing stairs at hotels with bags and not always using the elevator, going on hikes up here sometimes wearing my 40 lb vest to really test my conditioning. It can be really enjoyable.

Travel well and keep exercise equipment to a bare minimum or just use your own bodyweight and use workouts from Darebee to help you find great circuits that kick your ass regardless of where you are. Be adventurous and soak in the best moments. Life is full of wonders guys and we never know what will happen tomorrow. Keep being amazingly awesome and safe travels wherever you go. 

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Getting Stronger With The Chest Expander

 I don't know if I'm falling in love with the Chest Expander or just really getting into it and reaping the benefits of it. Almost everyday lately, I've been pulling and pressing that thing from as many directions as I can without straining myself. In terms of resistance, I've kept it around 100-140 lbs but some days I'll go lighter and every few days or so I would see what my max amount of resistance I can do for about 3-5 reps. I don't do multiple sets of an exercise, I just do 1 and go from one to another either quickly or after a short rest so I feel at my strongest.

The workouts feel great and I'm feeling a difference in my back and shoulders since this thing works out the kinks where my shoulders may have lacked. Because of doing Bear Crawls, Push-Ups from time to time and other ground movements in animal exercises you're hitting more of either the front or back of the shoulders and not so much all around that area of the body so the Chest Expander really targets the areas that might not be as strong and need a bit of a boost and not getting in just one or two areas. Some cables I'll use relatively the same colors and use all three bands, or two depending on the exercises I do and mix and match to work different pounds of resistance together.

I'm not trying to utilize a bodybuilding approach and nowhere near the level of some of the old timers like Fred Rollon or John Grimek and Reg Park. These guys knew realistic strength better than just about anybody when it came to Strand Pulling. In the old days and even today, the Expanders had springs you can work with up to I think like 6 at one time. There are elastic cables today you can use that go up to 5 but most Expanders have about 3-4. I try to max out what I can do and from my research, one of the tests of strength with it is the Front Chest Pull W/ Hands Inside. This sets the tone for how strong you are with that apparatus.

My max pull right now is at 160 lbs resistance but I know I can do better as time goes on. As you can see above, yes I have to really put effort into it and it's not something I take lightly. It's awesome to experiment but it's also important to respect the bands as well and be in control otherwise it'll hit you hard and it does fight back with a vengeance the heavier the resistance. 

When it comes to the exercises, I try to keep a bare minimum of about 6 exercises that are the foundational pulls and work other exercises to hit other parts of the upper body like curls, tricep extensions, lateral raises with lighter resistance and others. In a single workout, I might do up to 10-12 exercises. If it's a heavy day, I rest a bit longer between exercises and keep the reps to 3-10 depending how much I have in me to pull or work with. For lighter resistance, I keep it around 10-25 reps per exercise for more moderate to near conditioning type training while resting as little as possible to not at all. Have no clue how long a workout is, I just grab and go with it. 

Now because it's mainly an upper body training session, what do I do for legs? Simple really, Step Ups, Animal Walks, Isometrics, Pick Up & Carry Sandbells and there you go. You do want to keep things equal but more often than not, you either do more of one or the other and do your best to avoid injuries and getting stiff. I like to stretch the body out doing my Flow Training or do Isometric Type Stretches from Bob Anderson's Stretching Book but my most common routine are mobility type exercises and loosening up the joints. Flexibility is just as important as Strength Training and regardless of our strength, if we don't have solid mobility and flexibility, what good are we?

Workouts don't need to be super long in order to create results. It doesn't matter if you're into weights, bands, bodyweight, machines or hammers, if you got a good 45 minutes for a long one or 5 minutes for a short one, you can have sessions that will make you feel like you just went through hell. One of my favorites for conditioning is Circuit Training doing Bodyweight & Martial Arts type training. Those are the type of workouts where I can go hard but not rest at all. Keep it to 10 rounds max and you're good to go.

Back to the Chest Expanders shall we? The stronger you get, the more you'll start to see how great the carry over is to other things you may not have realized. Some of the worst injuries for athletes are in the shoulders such as those who are Pitchers, Olympic Lifters, Martial Artists and Wrestlers. Rotator Cuff injuries are the most common and although like I've written before, we can't avoid injuries all the time but we can greatly reduce them by practicing prehab exercises and strength training that keeps injuries at bay for as long as possible. The Chest Expander is one of those tools that can do that even for the most elite athletes. If you had injuries that have a chance of being healed, this thing can work wonders using lighter bands. 

I know people love going to the gym but there are times that it's not always possible like during a snow storm or during hurricane season. I'm not suggesting you try to do workouts in the middle of a blizzard, it's the idea that because Expanders are very affordable that you can have an entire gym in a little bag, it's there when you need it for those days when going to a gym isn't there. It gives you the freedom to train wherever you want and they can be done everyday or 2-3 times a week, it's up to you. Train according to your goals but also make compromises with yourself so you don't feel obligated or frustrated that because you may not always get to do one thing but have something there that can be useful in the meantime. 

Be strong, be resourceful and keep being amazingly awesome. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!