Pros And Cons Of High Volume Training

 Depending on your goals, high volume work can be beneficial and have you building a solid physique. There's nothing particularly wrong with doing workouts that go high up in reps but there are drawbacks just like anything else. High Volume can be time consuming even if you do them throughout the day so it's important to be wise with what you're willing to do. 

Bodyweight exercises are specifically more geared to high volume training since you're using nothing more than yourself as resistance. Doing exercises like Squats, Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, Lunges and others work well for this and they can be done anywhere, anytime. Two distinctive athletes that did well with High Volume in this manner was the Great Gama & Herschel Walker, both excelling in their chosen sports of Wrestling & Football. They were doing repetitions well into the thousands almost daily and had success in that manner. The drawback to this is, not everyone can do thousands of reps everyday and they've got lives that do take up some of their time like work, kids, all kinds of things. These 2 men lived on training and were practicing stuff all the time so when it came to their conditioning, they had to maintain that elite level and not do a whole lot of anything else.

When it comes to weight training, this was more along the lines of bodybuilding from guys like Arnold, Lee Haney, Lou Ferrigno, Robbie Robinson and others who trained more than 3 hours a day along with their diet, maintaining steroid cycles, recovering and other things. For a regular guy, it's not the most ideal but if it helps them and they make that kind of commitment, it can work well in their favor. It takes a different mindset to train this way. Wrestlers are known well for their conditioning and doing rep after rep of calisthenics, weight training, drills and other forms in order to take on incredible extremes. Dan Gable was a master at this and during his coaching career, he pushed athletes in ways that other colleges didn't have. It's the reason he won 15 NCAA Championships as a coach and dominated college wrestling with fierce competitiveness. High Volume work does work in ways we can't imagine.

The cons to doing high volume work in many cases is the risk factor of injury. The more you do, the greater the risk. The other thing is that some who do high volume, aren't always in control of the movements themselves. They tend to screw the form and be explosive which has its own pros and cons but in this case, if you do too many reps that aren't complimentary to the movement, you can cause some serious damage. Doing a thousand squats and push-ups a day can work for a while and some people can get away with it but others have had joint problems, muscle tears, bad knees and shoulder issues due to high volume work. It can take a toll especially if you can't recover enough and you keep doing it over time. Some people go to extremes and think they're fit enough to withstand certain levels of stress. Doing exercises like Burpees in the hundreds is far from anything beneficial other than making some kind of record. There's no value in it that can have you sustain a good quality of life. The exercise itself is very exhausting and works many muscle groups at the same time and has a higher risk factor for damaging joints. Now if you were to do this exercise a couple times a week using intervals that are reasonable, that's more beneficial and less daunting plus there's better form of recovery.

It is important to be wise in order to make high volume work well for you. I do it with exercises like Step Ups, Circuit Training and using the Chest Expander but I don't go so far as to do them for so long its going to burn me out or hurt me which I've learned the hard way. It's not worth your health to do high volume to impress anybody or think you can train the same way as a pro athlete or an Olympian. They go through rigors of training you don't see in the magazines or on the news or sports channels, it's hours upon hours of countless repetition in order to perfect the craft, the majority cannot do this especially for years on end. Be mindful in how you go about it and listen to your body. Some days, you won't always have it and pushing so hard in order to prove something becomes ego training instead of practicality and sustainability. 

The pros of high volume in my opinion is that they can give levels of conditioning and endurance that would put you above many and with the right recovery and having good joint health, it can get you into incredible shape and do things that many can't. Strength lasts longer and you're going that extra mile making things happen. It's just a different level of training, that's all it truly is when you look at the big picture. Many can go long and do well with it but it's not for everyone and that's ok. You do what works best for you and makes you successful. If it's high volume, awesome and keep killing it but don't make it a dogmatic approach and tell people that's the only way to train, that's a sales pitch and more about ego than anything else. 

All Hands On Deck: Another Look At Step Ups And Squats

 Training the legs can be done in a variety of ways and some of the best exercises don't always involve weights. Working them with weights have their place and many people have been successful at it. Some of us just go in a different direction in how we keep them going as we move along through life.

As you know, I'm a big advocate for Step Ups and how they are one of the best exercises for the legs you can do. They're not superior to other exercises like squats or lunges but they're also not to be underestimated either. They have a way of creeping up on you and they can be a challenging with the way you can go about it. Some of the best athletes in the world have done them from wrestlers to baseball players and others. Bob Backlund made them a huge piece of his training to the point where he can go as long as he wanted, he was just that crazy. Other wrestlers like William Regal did them and even the real Suplex Machine Taz taught them to his students at his school many years ago (he has it on film). 

When it comes to squats, they're awesome in their own right. Hindu Squats were the exercise that helped me get back into shape after my accident but you already know that chestnut by now. The only time I really do them now is when I do my deck of cards workout with the Step Ups and the numbers vary. They're not a huge part of my training where there are some exercises I find better for me but the squats do hold a place in my heart and when I do them, they're firing. When combined with Step Ups, it's a recipe for some killer leg conditioning, there's no way around that and if anyone says different hasn't fully understood the magnitude of them.

My deck of cards workouts for the legs is combining these two powerhouses to the point where on average these days I'll do 500 Step Ups & 250 Squats respectively and that's within roughly 30 minutes, maybe a little longer but I do the whole deck and it's an incredible feeling afterwards. It's conditioning that matters and utilizing both unilateral and bilateral movements together to form incredible stamina and strength. Training this way is fun, challenging and although you reach the same destination, you never take the same road twice when you do the cards. 

Card Workouts have been around for decades, maybe longer and if anyone truly made that with the best of intentions was Karl Gotch and his system of Squats & Push-Ups. Hell, I've done enough of them to where I did 400 Squats & 250 Push-ups on several occasions, it's brutal. Long ass time since I've done it that way and who knows, one day I may do it again, never say never. The point here is, You want to get the best out of your training and make strides to get a little better but also keep yourself healthy. It's not easy by any stretch and it's not meant to be but you do what is possible and expand on it. You can do it everyday if you want or do it a few times a week, it's up to you but you progress to what your body is able to handle. If you need to back off of it, do so and when you're ready, get back at it. You got this.

When you do the workouts with the cards, start with as many cards as you can possibly do. If you can do the whole deck on the first try, that's awesome, you're ahead of the curve, but not everybody is able to do that. Even I had to build up to it and once I did, it felt glorious. A deck of cards can be deceiving and it will kick your ass. It's one thing to do one exercise for the legs in this manner, it's another when you add one more to it and it's all legs. Be humble and don't think it's just a workout to weez on by, it'll make you think twice and it'll put you down for the count if you don't pay attention. 

Take a shot at it, you never know what you're capable of and it's a unique way of training the body that has incredible perks and benefits. Keep being amazingly awesome and kill it in your own training.    

4 Animals And 1100 Reps Later

 When you need a pick me up or even the urge to challenge yourself, sometimes you just go with your gut and hope for the best. This morning, I wanted to do some Animal Conditioning and did my Deck Of Cards Animal Workout. Doubled the reps/steps to really sink things in and feel the wrath of the wild. The animals were as follows....

Bear

Crab

Sasquatch

Duck

-The way the deck of cards goes....

Hearts = Bear Crawls

Diamonds = Crab Walks 

Clubs = Sasquatch Walks

Spades = Duck Walks

-Rep Count

King/Jack/Queen = 20

Ace = 32

Joker = 100

2-10 = Doubled

All together, its 1000 total reps. Crazy thing is, I had three jokers in the deck I used so it came out to 1100. A lot of crawling and walking in a half squat and full squat. The only rest was getting up and flipping a card, that was it. For the Animal I did for the jokers it was 100 Steps of the Sasquatch. Walking in that position for a period of time really puts tension in the thighs and works the tendons and ligaments with a vengeance. It's almost walking in a wrestler's stance or a football stance getting ready for a tackle. 

This particular workout hits practically every muscle in the body and you can move in all sorts of directions and revs up your cardio that is unbelievable. Awesome conditioning for combat sports, health, coordination, agility, upper & lower body strength. Doesn't take very long (just around 30 minutes or so) and targets quite a bit of the brain since you need to send the nerves to the muscles to keep them going and stay balanced. It's like a jolt to the noggin along with building lung power. 

Training is an adventure and when you can play like a beast in the wild (even a duck), it makes your workout all the more enjoyable. With a workout like this, it's like a game and you can create the difficulty. Have fun and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Why Dopamineo Bands Are Great For Those Over 40

 Getting older can suck at times depending on how you live but it doesn't mean you can't build a better quality of life after a certain age. Some people believe they peaked in high school, others in their 20's and 30's but very few (more than past generations at least) believe you stop at 40 and just live it out the rest of your life. One of the greatest legends and one of the last of the oldtime strongmen Slim The Hammerman once said he didn't even peak at 40. He said between his years of 40-50, he felt like he was invincible and dangerous. That's a bold statement considering what he put himself through day after day working as a back breaking stone cutter with a 16 lb hammer and on top of performing the heaviest sledgehammers that to this day almost nobody can match.

Athletes as they age do tend to wind down after years of hard training in certain sports but it doesn't mean they should stop living. We keep driving to be better, make adjustments if we have to but train to keep our quality of life going. We won't always be able to do the same things when we were younger but we can create new possibilities and keeping our joints healthy is one of those steps to making that happen.

I knew going into being 40 that there are things that won't value my style of training but I can create new possibilities and keep testing things out and as it turns out, I'm doing things I wasn't doing in my 30's. Never imagined training hard with a heavy 100+ lb sandbag at 40 or carrying a kettlebell for hundreds or even 1000 yards or more without putting it down. One of the best pieces of equipment I love using and have been using it off and on for a year now is the Dopamineo Band. At first it was to help heal a sciatica injury, than it became something to do for conditioning and now it's basically to not only condition my body but to help keep my joints and muscles healthy. You've seen some of the workouts I do with that thing and it hasn't slowed me down. 

The band is more than just a tool, it's a saver for those who are working around injuries, do drills in some format to keep up with what they did for wrestling or fighting back in the day or to maintain health and stamina after years on the field, the mat or whatever. It gives off that youthful feeling of having great energy, natural dopamine levels, better breathing and being more mobile. You can take it anywhere with you and use it as warm up, a finisher or as a stand alone in addition to your regular routine. It doesn't take long to do, you can get a killer workout in within 15-30 minutes and be spanked but in a good way. The cardio you get alone is often times better than just running on a treadmill, you can switch up exercises on a dime and never be bored. You can make it as tough or as easy as you want it and build a foundation for a better healthy body.

One of my favorite exercises is what's called the Chest Pull Wave or Creating Waves With A Pull In that works the arms, shoulders and back along with working the stability muscles in your core. It's a hell of an arm conditioner and with the intensity and pace to create waves consistently, it builds incredible stamina and lung power. Wrestlers do this as a finisher to keep up their conditioning or use as part of a post practice workout to make sure they have that extra boost for matches later on. From a fitness standpoint, it's a great way to build long term strength in the arms and build muscle in the core and back. 

Being active in your later years is essential to maintain healthy levels of hormones, heart & lungs, serotonin and brain function. Intense exercise adds a great element to being in that active state but it doesn't mean you go so hard that you're dying at the end. Always have gas in the tank and progress little by little. I love Circuit Training and working with 5 exercises or so for 10 rounds with little to no rest so I don't waste time. I want to be done with a workout as soon as possible and on some days I'll do DDP Yoga for longer periods of time so I can maintain flexibility but with Circuits, it is intense, hard and there's no safety zone or net to save you. 

One workout I did with the Dopa Band just a couple days ago or so, I did a HIIT type workout where I took 5 exercises for 1 minute on, 15 seconds off each and did that 4 times for a total of approx 25 min for the whole workout. It was brutal, sweating like crazy and felt a high that was amazing. Never did that level of intense training before and there were times where I wanted to quit but kept going. It's not an everyday thing but going that hard and still having some energy left is just beautiful man. That's one of the very best things about this style of Band Training, you can mimic just about any machine in the gym or work on drills for sparring to keep your stamina up or even use it in addition to your current routine and use it for rest periods between sets for your gym exercises. 

The sky is the limit, be creative and utilize simple techniques so you can get the most out of a workout. When you get a band, you can gain access to a variety of videos and tutorials to give you insights on how you can use the band to your advantage. The band is made for those in certain weight classes like in MMA so you can get the benefit of training with something meant just for you and your goals. Become more mobile, build strength that lasts and have the stamina of someone in their 20's. Workout at home, the park, in a hotel room, at the beach, on break at work, on vacation or wherever. Make it work for you.

As a token of my gratitude as you took the time to read this, if you're interested in purchasing a band or a bundle, I have a discount code you can use that saves you a few bucks or more off the regular price for them. At the checkout punch in the code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF. There's bands made for kids, there's bundles you can find for Group Classes, MMA Programs, High School/Youth/College Wrestling Programs, A Family Bundle for you, the wife and kids so you can all get fit together and more. Keep the quality of life alive and get the most out of your training so you can still do amazing things for many years to come. 

Have an amazingly awesome day and keep killing it. 

The O2 Trainer From Bas Rutten

 "Deep Breathing exercises alone can make many a weak man strong and many a sick man well."- Farmer Burns 1914-1937.

Having control over the breath is one of the most essential things you can do to have a better quality of life. Everybody breathes right? Cause if you don't, you die. It's that simple. We can go for weeks without food, days or so without water but can't go a few minutes without breathing. Training to control your breathing can make or break your performance not just in sports but in other areas of life too. In combat sports such as Catch Wrestling, BJJ, Boxing and others, you can tell a person at times by how much gas he has in the tank and if they start to wear down too early, they're done.

Having strong lungs and being in good condition has its merit in how you do in certain situations especially if you can overcome asthma. I'm always experimenting with different things and testing my abilities when it comes to training. When I was in BJJ, I was strong and worked with what I could but not understanding how to handle certain situations in sparring, I wasn't breathing properly and didn't know how to be calm and rely on my strength which bit me in the ass a time or two. Once I understood how to breathe in that particular environment, I improved and was able to keep up and go rounds with guys, even my coach noticed it. Wasn't easy and one day hope to get back on the mat.

I've been a fan of MMA for years and knew of guys like Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz and Matt Hughes. One guy I would hear about from time to time was Bas Rutten "El Guapo" who was one of the best fighters of his time that specialized more in Kickboxing & some Submission Grappling. One of his claims to fame was being a former UFC Heavyweight Champ and working against some of the best in early MMA. Years after his career, he wanted to get something going to help others achieve great levels of fitness and worked on what is now the O2 Trainer. It's a breathing apparatus that supposedly mimics high altitude training and help with those who struggle with Asthma. 

I heard about it for a while but only got it just recently. Like I said, I'm always experimenting with certain things and wanted to give this a shot. It first came up when me and my wife were talking about how she can continue to lose weight and improve her cardio (she's already lost more than 60 pounds and has great cardio that continues to amaze me) so we did some research and the O2 Trainer popped up. I figured, if she wanted to try that, I'll give it a shot too to improve my own cardio and conditioning. For both of us, it was a little tricky to understand how it works but after a couple sessions, wasn't too bad. It comes with 14 different levels of the apparatus to create resistance for the inhale. Because of my strong lungs from years of doing Squats, Step Ups, Sprints and other things, I really got things going working with the #6 level. 

There are 3 exercises he shows to really work it and have you focus on more of the inhale along with training using the Diaphragm & Intercoastal Muscles. One of the exercises is lying down on the back and using the trainer from there breathing in lifting the stomach and breathing out pulling the stomach in. Normally this isn't that hard to do but with the trainer and inhaling with a bit of force, it's a different ball game. I like laying on the back since I get more out of it and feels comfortable. Still an ass kicker but it works well. The idea is to do about 4 minutes a day or do 30 Breaths and alternate the exercises on different days. If you're an athlete, you can do it twice a day which I just started doing only a few days ago. I would do a total of 300-400 Reps before moving onto the next level, the #5. After maybe 500 total reps with that I'll move on to the 4 but probably train with no more than the 3 after that. 

This for me is more of being able to not only maintain cardio but also keep good levels of energy for other things like hiking, swimming and just enjoying life. I start out with the trainer in the morning and do a second session later in the day or evening doing 30 reps each time. It can be quite a workout once you get into it. Experiment with it yourself and see what it does for you. Research it and then make a decision, if it's not for you, that's ok there are other things out there but I do encourage you to give this a chance. Whether you're in a sport or just want to have better lung power, it has a lot of benefits that even I am still finding out.  

Have an amazingly awesome day and breathe with power and vitality. 

The Propeller Exercise From Dopamineo

 Always finding ways to train so I can get the most benefit out of a workout. Off and on with the Dopamineo Band, doing circuits and HIIT Workouts hits the spot in many ways to tackle my cardio, coordination, agility and explosiveness. One exercise in particular I held off on doing until recently was the Propeller exercise. I've seen several videos of people who own Dopamineo and other athletes do this exercise at various speeds and style and I figured it was time for me to learn it. 

The reason why I held off on it for a long time was because for one, it's a complex movement that hits muscles where I was having my sciatica and was afraid of getting hurt again because of the way the band moves and the way you have to move with it. The second reason was because I wanted to get good at some of the other exercises that were complex as well but not as difficult coordination wise. Once I felt I was good enough to where it felt automatic, I started putting effort into this crazy looking exercise.

The Propeller Exercise in itself is a workout just to not only get the movement right but it also hits many muscles and there's a reason many wrestlers use it to condition their bodies. It does like a Duck Under like move where you shift the body and can duck under an opponent for a takedown and/or utilize the Fireman Carry Technique. Take it slow to get an idea on how you unify the band and your body together to work in sync. Start speeding up little by little as you get better and before you know it, it makes you look like you're spinning. At a certain clip, it becomes quite the conditioning exercise and will get you breathing hard. 

Before I did a workout with it, I tested the waters and did what I could with it. It can be a bit of a brain teaser because there's many things coming into play with the arms, the shoulders, the slight squatting, the turning of the torso, working with the band instead of against it. Once I got going, it tested my breathing because of the intensity. You don't stretch the band to the point where you can barely move, you get it just long enough to where it creates resistance but also is in a "relaxed" type state yet not "loose". In the workout, I did a circuit of exercises of my usual 10 reps of 5 exercises and did this last. Did a total of 100 reps with the Propeller and out of all the exercises I did in that workout, that was the hardest one and the one that tested me the most. It is a fun exercise once you get the idea of the mechanics of it. It's not easy and I still need practice on it but it is getting better. 

In the video below, I took the band out on a windy day at a park behind a church down the block from the house. It took a few takes, not because of the wind or anything, I had a good set up with my phone and able to keep it steady with one of my bags, it was the movement itself along with angles, speed, not messing up smacking myself and doing reps to get the amount of time to show it for more than a few seconds, I really wanted to show the progress without making a blooper out of it. I hate messing up. After several takes and several minutes of doing the exercise, it turned into a mini workout cause it wore my ass out. This was the end result and like I said, it still needs work but in time, it's going to be a hell of an exercise to work with.

Some people do this movement with a twisting motion of the torso, some just twist the arms, I'm still figuring out which way to go on the up position at the end. It's all about experimenting and having fun. Don't forget to grab one yourself or for your athletes if you work with wrestlers, MMA Fighters, BJJ, Judo or other combat sports. These are also great for training and playing with Kids. There are bands for little ones as young as 4 years old. Great piece of equipment to get kids moving and playing. Play along with them to create bonding experiences. Get a cool discount when you punch in POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. 

The VRT Man Is Now Among The Gods Of Physical Culture

 Another dear friend and mentor has passed on. Greg Mangan died yesterday at the age of 72 and it was one of those unexpected accidents that just didn't end well. I talked to his son Greg Jr. just mere hours after it happened, wanting to reach out out of respect for Sr. and get more of what happened. It still baffles me and just trying to wrap my head around it, it just hurts. No where near as much as it's hurting Jr., his brother Pat and their mother Nancy. I had a lot of respect for the man and the way he showed kindness towards me all the years I knew. Never met the man directly but we shared a mutual friendship and understanding of one another.

Some may know him better as the man who had a hand in developing an exercise system that was in the realm of using muscular tension to simulate lifting weights. It was called Visualized Resistance Training and the premise is similar to the idea of Muscle Control, Dynamic Tension & Visualized Mental Training all rolled into one. A cousin to VRT was doing DVRs or Dynamic Visualized Resistance that was brought on by one of my first mentors John Peterson. The difference between VRT & DVR is that VRT utilizes more of the focused muscles in their positive positioning such as doing a Bicep Curl where you flex and curl the forearms, elbows and biceps and once you reach the top position you relax the muscles when you bring them back down. DVR Exercise in this instance would be to work the positive and negative motions of a Bicep Curl by flexing and curling the arms to the top position and while keeping tension, you reverse the movement coming back down. 

VRT Exercise was one of the first 5 methods of Training I learned after recovering from my leg injuries. It really started around 2006 since I went through those first few months doing Combat Conditioning and the system that John Peterson put on. I learned about Greg when we were both on John's Forum and learned a few things about one another. I initially bought a pamphlet and DVD version of his VRT System and worked on that for a period. It was a good course and essentially one of the most underrated in my opinion. Greg's knowledge of Muscle Control through Biological Science is quite in depth and understood how the muscles worked with extensive practice of Muscular Contraction mixed with Mental Imagery incorporating a killer idea of the Mind/Muscle Connection.   

As always with everybody else I learned from, I took bits and pieces of his style of training and molded it to many things I still do today. The funny thing is in DDP Yoga, Dallas uses what he calls Dynamic Resistance to build up your heart rate as you go through certain movements. It's literally another version of VRT Exercise in the form of a unique style of Yoga Training. A part of Greg's legacy is utilized in a very cool way. I've always admired him and had many conversations with him over the years about life, fitness, working out, history and other things. He was so proud of his boys Greg Jr. & Pat. Don't think he ever said one negative thing about them even when they were teenagers LOL. I knew about those boys for a long time and he was just so in love with his wife Nancy, don't think we had a conversation where he didn't mention his family and how much he loved them. 

After some time, he wanted me to be one of the new faces for VRT because of my background and knowledge of the system. I didn't think I was worthy cause I didn't feel I had the physique he was looking for at the time so I turned him down. As much as I wanted to still help promote his system, he ended up pulling away from John Peterson after some issues both professionally and personally that didn't go very well. He branched out and formed a new booklet that added another element to what he wanted and sold it on amazon. I figured when that happened, that would be a better way to help promote his system. I would do my version of the exercises and use that to get something going as an Amazon Associate. It did ok and the potential is still there. I still have the pamphlet, DVD & book in my possession as part of my library. 

He lived quite a life and raised amazingly smart and equally awesome attitude in his sons. I will miss our conversations and will always have a soft spot for what he taught me from my early 20's to today. You were a hell of a man Greg and I wish you nothing but happiness as you take your place in the halls of the greats in the big blue sky above. RIP my friend. 

Why Do Only 10 Rounds And 500 Reps???

 The majority of the time I do my Dopamineo Circuit Training, I do my best to complete 10 rounds of that circuit in the shortest time I can. With little to no rest other than marking off a set, I would cruise through it and focus mainly on technique and breathing. Rarely would ever go past 10 rounds like 12-15 just to add some zest or to test my conditioning. Why do I pick only ten rounds, why not go for 20 or 15 a lot of the time for that matter? When I used to do circuit work with bodyweight training, I worked into the system of Darebee's protocol to test myself. The idea is to reach 7 rounds and your rest between sets was 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Because some of those workouts were fairly easy to get through with little rest like under 30 seconds, I wanted to push myself a little further and do an extra 3 rounds to feel satisfied. It became my thing.

The total reps of my Dopa Workouts or Circuits comes out to 500 Reps these days. Why did I choose 500 specifically? It mainly has to do with the rep standard from doing Squats and Step Ups (which in most cases with the Step Ups). I figured, why do 500 of one exercise when you can add variety to multiple exercises and total it up? I'll still do 500 Step Ups within 20-25 minutes when I'm in the mood for it and ever since I healed up, I've done it a few times in succession. On a few occasions with the Dopa Band, I've gone up to 1000 total reps doing 5 Exercises for 20 reps each and do the 10 rounds that way. Those times are when I'm really ambitious and want to crank up my cardio. 

I enjoy these types of workouts because they don't take very long, they're effective in getting in solid conditioning and when you use the same equipment as some of the best wrestlers in the world from MMA to the Olympics, it gives you goosebumps. They're fun, you get to be creative and do the same drills or at least in a modified way that world class athletes do is feeling like you're a part of something and enjoying benefits that are pretty damn incredible. I know I can't do the same exact same style of training that these men and women do and it's not something I wish to pursue but it's inspiring and learning some of the exercises done in Freestyle & Greco-Roman along with amplifying your fitness to a level where you get to do other great things in life. 

I don't go as fast as I did before, this time around with the Band, I focus a lot more on technique and my breathing that I didn't do before because it was one of the factors of me getting hurt and not paying attention. It happens and it's my own damn fault. I was good and can really go but my awareness wasn't where it should've been and I focused too much on the timing and didn't pay attention to my body the way I needed to. It was a tough lesson and I paid a hefty price for it. My speed is still there but I stopped forcing it and although my cardio was good before, I find it's way better now because I pay attention to my breathing and relax more into the movements themselves. The more I let myself relax, the better it got and my movements are far more efficient then in previous workouts. The speed comes naturally and my technique is far better especially in certain exercises where you work with the hips and working movements that flow with you. 

I love doing my 10 Round & 500 Rep protocol type workouts, they work for me and I keep the exercises to a more basic level and work with variations that have me flowing throughout. The time I go through circuits is never the same and I don't worry about how fast I'm going anymore. The length of a workout ranges from 10-20 min in most cases, if I want to do more rounds on a certain day, it might go up to 25-30 minutes but I'm happy regardless. The goal is to consistently get 10 Rounds and 500 Reps total. 5 Exercises, 10 reps each and work with it. If I want to double the reps and go for 1000 total that day, cool but it's not a priority. The idea is to move with efficiency and working with technique, your coordination and what can be done with intensity in a good amount of time. 

Get yourself some bands and get a discount on top of your order on the house. Enter the code POWERANDMIGHT and get 10% OFF. Be amazingly awesome and have fun with these. Get the kids one so you all can train together.    

Hiking DDP Yoga And Dopamineo Conditioning

 Taking into account of what you can do on certain days or using the energy you have with using the time to do other things can be a bitch. However, we can do things in the capacity of how we utilize the discipline and the awareness of what is possible at the time. For busy beavers, micro workouts is always a great option, I do them myself often with the other things I do but some if that's the only option people have in their present state, use it to your advantage. 

Working with the DDP Yoga Program is not only giving me greater flexibility and durability, it has also given me great endurance that goes along with other methods I do. Some days I'll just do one workout from the program, other days I'll mix and match various workouts into one bigger workout like doing the Fat Burner & Energy workouts together or work with a 10 min warm up and then one of the hour long ones like Diamond Cutter. I even tried out the Extreme Psycho Workout for the first time in years and although that needed modifying big time, I did the best I could to get through it. Some of the push-ups from Extreme were pretty tough but hey it's all about learning right? DDP Yoga is definitely my go-to training system for now.

 Train to what you can handle and progress little by little. The Dopa Workouts are coming back more and more doing circuits of 10 rounds totaling 500 Reps within 15-20 min depending on what I do. One day this past week, I went a little further testing my conditioning by doing a Fat Burner DDP Yoga Workout and immediately going into a Dopa Workout. That was nasty but effective and the total time was just under an hour. I'm not doing the Dopa Band Training everyday like I used to which isn't a bad thing, I like to do other stuff and when I do, I go after it with a vengeance. I filmed some exercises one day day and then did a full workout, didn't time that one but I wasn't resting much either. 

There was a song back in the day by the Country Bear Jamboree called "Ain't nothing like the great outdoors" so I would take my Dopa Band with me to a park or in the video below, my backyard and just get after it, being in the sun and just having a good time. Can never get enough of this band. The other day, I did a HIIT Workout where I took 5 exercises and did them 3 times for 30 Seconds on, 15 Seconds off each for a total of about 11 minutes. Short, quick and effective as hell. 

Yesterday, me and the wife went on a Hike for the first time in a long time and this particular Hike we haven't done since we first met more than 9 years ago. It was out on the outskirts of Coeur D' Alene Lake called Mineral Ridge, the loop was roughly 2.5 miles long (the grand total of the entire trail is just over 3) so we did a good portion of it. At the top you get a beautiful view of the lake, might see some Bald Eagles or Hawks and just awesome scenery. With all the Step Ups, Squats and other leg work, this Hike felt great and I was wearing my new Bareway Shoes which surprisingly did a hell of a job holding up the rugged terrain. The narrow pathway made my ankles feel a little weird and awkward but it came out ok. It'll get you a bit with some of those steep climbs but that's all part of the fun right?

Make the most of what you can and train to do great things in life. Go on adventures, test yourself out with certain things and have the time of your life man. Get in awesome condition to do fun shit. Have an amazingly awesome day.  

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.  

My Conditioning Was Tested

 Doing the DDP Yoga Workouts for nearly a month now has reaped many rewards in my recovery and getting back my strength, flexibility, mobility and coordination. Most days, I would do the workouts in stages with their Core Workout, Beginner & Intermediate and other days, I'll go a little bit further and longer like up to 45 minutes or so. They can be brutal at times but they're fun and it's helping me further along. I'm practically at my best again but still need to be mindful and listen to my body.

I do have flare ups in my hip from time to time, not to the point of debilitating or very painful but it only happens when I get stressed out about something. It is getting better though. Next step is getting better sleep, I still struggle with it and doing what I can. When I do sleep, even if its for a few hours, I'm out like a light. 

One workout of DDP Yoga I did yesterday really tested me in a way I needed especially if I want to have solid conditioning again was their Double Black Diamond Workout that lasted for an hour. Took breaks here and there for like 30 seconds at a time when Dallas called for it but those were very few and kept going about 95% of the entire workout. Modified what I needed to, felt awkward at times yet I got through the entire workout without quitting. Some of the holds especially for the legs were long and doing slow count push-ups made me shake like a leaf. My flexibility has increased rather quickly, my strength is right back up there and because of getting through that nasty bitch of a workout, my cardio and lung capacity is back in full force. I also use the DDPY App a time or two to get some workouts in that aren't on the DVDs. One was a live type workout where Dallas had a large group of people training at his Performance Center.

This was a major step for me as I'm a big believer in conditioning. You know from my past articles that having solid strength is great but if you don't have a good level capacity in your cardio to back it up, then you're missing out on some very important factors. Doing sprints, step ups, squats, band work and even weights can build your cardio if you know how to apply it. DDP Yoga is no different and because of the combination of Bodyweight Exercises, Muscle Control, Yoga Positioning & other things, it creates an interesting workout that makes you sweat like crazy, testing your levels of control and balance along with building your lung capacity. I've shown some muscle gains and fat loss because of doing it for a while now. You saw my recent pics...Slimmer waist, more defined muscle and my back is a hell of a lot stronger now.

When you put in the work, things will start to happen for the better and as long as you stay consistent and listening to your body, certain miracles may even occur but that may vary from person to person. I've had a lot of soul searching to do while I was laid up and certain things came across my mind which I mentioned in one of my previous articles and that it's not a desire anymore to try and compete with anyone but myself. Some guys have this obsession that you have to compete against EVERYBODY and need to be better than them because it's a fucking war out there. What kind of war are you really trying to win? What's the endgame? I know what it's like to try to one up somebody and at times I won the battle but at other times I got my ass handed to me and at the end of the day, what was it really worth? Plus, unless it's friendly competition, what do you truly expect to happen in the long run?

My biggest desire right now is to be a bit healthier each day, have the strength when it calls for it and be able to go when I need to. I'm not in competition with anybody, I have nobody to try to compete with. Some people are far better than me in certain things and I'm good at what I can do that a lot can't but that shouldn't make me superior to them or make them feel less of themselves or feel less to myself. Your biggest competitor is who you see in the mirror everyday. There are some things people will compete for whether it's for a sport, in business or whatever because there's a specific need but on the other end of the spectrum, when you compete more with yourself in what you want to achieve whether it's big or small, to me there's greater reward in it because you learn to be better than who you were whether it was an hour ago, yesterday, last week, last year or in the last few years. 

Train to be a little better even if it's so microscopic it makes Tardigrades look big. That's the true beauty of making things happen. Even the smallest hint of progress is still progress that leads to the bigger picture. Be more encouraging, don't bully and for the love of the damn universe, do your best to have more compassion for people. At times, you may need to be vocal and call people out on their shit and stand up to those who prey on the weak but if you can keep the majority of your being having compassion and empathy, that other side of the coin would balance itself out. 

Dopa Bands: More Than Just An Arsenal For Wrestlers

 

Wrestling has been a great test of man's physical and mental abilities for eons. From the time of ancient tribes to competitive sport at the highest levels, it tests your will and your ability to do things you didn't know were possible. Many exercise systems are inspired by wrestling and all its forms. When it comes to systems like the Dopamineo Bands, it can take on a life of its own especially when it goes beyond the realm of a workout for a wrestler or fighter.

You don't have to be a wrestler or in MMA to get the benefit of these bands, they can be just as effective for workouts that get you in fantastic condition that also saves you time and is healthy on the joints. In most cases, a workout within 10-20 minutes is more than enough for most people and when you can do that on average of 3x a week, you're getting more done than the general population. Most of my workouts with my band don't go more than a half hour and on average is roughly 15-20 minutes. My objective is to rest as little to almost zero during the entire workout because I want to not just keep my cardio up but at the same time keep the intensity as best as it can go or as high as it can be without needing a break. 

Some people especially in the beginning would need to recover cause the exercises can be intense as hell and it's important to be as efficient as possible when you train. You're working muscles you normally don't use and with the combos you can use, it brings your heart rate up at a good clip. Start out learning the techniques and as time goes on, you gradually increase speed and intensity. Do you have to go hard all the time? No, you don't need to set a record every workout, the real objective is to progressively increase the capacity of your body's abilities without getting injured or tired. I always believe that you should have gas left in the tank after a workout. If you go too hard, it's going to take longer to recover.

Karl Gotch once said "Conditioning is your greatest hold" and that holds true not just in wrestling but in life as well. When you can develop a level of conditioning where getting tired is barely a concept or even the possibility, you're going to find out that being able to do things when it counts the most can be either very small or a major moment in your life is worth having. Intense training is not just what you think you're capable of, it's the measurement for what you may need when the time comes when it will be needed the most. That's what makes the Dopa Bands so incredible, it can do things for you that you may not understand now but with practice and time, you'll start to understand why they're crucial to your development and quality of life. 

It doesn't matter if you're 6 years old or over 60, the Dopa Bands can do wonders for your body that can create amazing results and develop abilities that are critical and important in life. From just having fun and learning the exercises to developing joint health and muscular strength & endurance for performance and overall physical fitness goes a long way. Make them work for you but also treat it with respect. Let it help you find the right ways to get in bad ass shape but also learn to control yourself so you don't get sloppy and hurt. It's a tool like anything else, treat it right, it will do wonders. Treat it badly, it will bite back so be wise and learn. 

As always, don't forget to use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order whether its for one band or a bundle for your friends/family, school, athletic program or personal training. Be amazingly awesome and get your hands on one of the coolest systems on the market today. 

500 Step Ups A Day

As you know, Step Ups are a main form of my leg training and for good reason. I've kept a solid level of hitting at least 500 reps in sets of 25 per leg. Sometimes I'll do up to 600 and every now and then go for 1000 but most days I keep it around 500. What have been the benefits of doing this? I don't get sore, my legs are looking more athletic, maintaining or losing a bit of weight here and there and it keeps my stamina up.

That's just part of why I do them. I mainly do them cause for one they're enjoyable and two, it helps mix in my training with the Dopa Band I work with. Some days, I start out with Step Ups and do a Dopa Workout later, others I'll do a Dopa Workout in the day and then do Step Ups at night and one time I started a workout with 500 Step Ups as a "warm up" and then went into a Dopa Workout so the entire session was around 45 minutes or so. That's the beauty of them, they can be incorporated to whatever you want to do.

I keep my timing of 500 between 20-25 minutes. I don't try to go for a speed record because no matter how fast I try to make it, eventually will hit a wall and the faster you go, the more chances of making a mistake that could result in an injury. It's not a sprint, its a conditioning exercise to be done at a solid pace that keeps you going without going Speedy Gonzales on it. It's meant for cardio that also has a strength element to it by having strong, athletic and conditioned legs. Bob Backlund would do thousands upon thousands in his workouts and he was one of the most conditioned men of his time. You don't have to go that route because all you're doing is just adding more reps to a long ass workout that takes up a ton of time and not everyone is able to workout on exercises like that for 2 hours or more. 

It's an idea, that's all it really is and can be a part of your leg training on squats if you want to do that. Some athletes will do 500 or more squats to keep their conditioning up, that's awesome, it's not for me, not anymore. I like to mix the two exercises together when I'm in the mood and do 500 Step Ups & 250 Squats within about 35 minutes or a couple times doubled those numbers and finished within 80 minutes. 500 Step Ups is still beneficial for developing awesome endurance and building strength because the muscles used are primarily in the thighs and hamstrings. If you can't do 500 yet, that's ok. Build up to that little by little by doing sets of 10 per leg and climbing the ladder so to speak progressively. If you want to do no more than 50 per leg to get to 500 that's awesome too, you're still working hard. Be mindful and don't let ego get the best of you. Train effectively and with intent. 

Step Up and do what's possible. Train for health, not to break world records all the time. 

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.  

Keeping Up With The Basics With Dopa Band

Workouts are short but they get the job done. Whether it be circuits are HIIT style training, the Dopa Band is a hell of a piece of equipment that any athlete would love to have in his arsenal. Although there are advanced movements especially if you're an aspiring wrestler or fighter, sticking to the basics always works best. Some of these guys mimic drills in wrestling practice to embed the skill sets into their brains for fights or matches on the mat whether it be for Division 1 Tournaments, World Level or Olympic Level. 

The basics however seem to create more of a stride and keep your conditioning in tact while also keeping the joints healthy. Some of the exercises are as follows....

Chest Press

Rows

Alternating Side Pulls

Squats

Lunges

Curls

Overhead Triceps Extensions

Ski Jumps

Jumping Jacks

Waves (Two-Handed or Alternating)

Sprints

That's more than enough for most people and you can switch them up and use them however you see fit. There are youtube videos that demonstrate all of these and more which give you an idea on how simple yet challenging you can make them. You can do certain combinations of them like a 2 in 1 type movement for example the Chest Press & Squat combo that works both the upper and lower body so you don't have to sets and reps of one or the other. 

I prefer to keep the reps at a minimum of 10-20 reps in a circuit of 5-6 exercises and time myself to see how fast I can get 10 rounds in, depending on the adjustment and focusing on the right order and not skip one or the other accidently because at times you get so into it that your mind goes to a different place. I also focus on keeping form at best as possible because if you're sloppy, the band will let you know about it and it won't be pleasant so keep at a pace where you can keep going but you're in control the whole time, never let the band control you.

The basics are always ideal and they're the backbone for your conditioning, coordination, speed and durability. You can do HIIT type training, I've done it a time or two keeping at a clip of a few rounds of an exercise for 30 on, 15 off. Just a few exercises with that protocol and you can get in a great workout that can be really intense for 15-20 minutes and then be spent.

The mere fact that top wrestlers use these bands at a very high level AFTER their practice, not before or during and those wrestling workouts are some of the craziest in the world. Imagine how insane you'd have to be to go that hard and then work with a band for an extra 15-20 minutes. You're looking at superhuman athletes with a hint of cookoo for coco puffs in order to become the very best. To the average person looking in on that, you would hurt just by looking but if you took that mentality and just put it towards the bands not the wrestling practices, you may understand the idea to get in awesome shape in the shortest amount of time. 

Just working the bands alone can be tough, so learn how to wisely utilize your fitness level to how you work the bands. Some days for me they're fairly easy to get through depending on how I'm feeling that day but other days, it's so intense that I don't even know how I pulled it off. That doesn't mean they're a chore and you HAVE to go so hard, just playing with them and getting into a rhythm can feel easy yet look like you're killing yourself to an outsider. 

Grab a band or a set of bands for you and friends/family who love to work out and have fun with them. There are special deals you can find at Dopamineo that have family bundles, bands for kids, team bundles, bands for female athletes, groups in mma schools or personal training and more. As a bonus, no matter what deal you find, you can get an extra 10% OFF of that when you use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT. Even right now, even with my discount, you can get a deal on getting 2 extra bands and a carry bag for FREE. Be amazingly awesome and keep up with your journey and hit your goals with a vengeance. 

Step Ups Or Split Squats?

Aren't debates fun? Maybe not presidential debates since it's mainly who's got the bigger dick or brains to "run" the country but when it comes to fitness, debating on a good leg exercise can spark either something controversial or a elementary whinefest of "my dad can beat up your dad" mentality. To it's extent, both have their pros and cons and they work the leg muscles in similar but different aspects to work the lower body.

Now, when it comes to Step Ups, unless you utilize weight or some form of variation, I see it more of a conditioning type exercise because the big objective is to work the cardio effect of the exercise. Maybe not to the extreme level of high reps Bob Backlund does but Step Ups can be a continuous strength movement because you're moving the legs upward in a higher elevated capacity as opposed to walking up a flight of stairs which is only a few inches off the ground. When you're working a step around average of 12-15 inches high, you're utilizing most of the leg muscles (roughly the quads and hamstrings) and working the hips in a longer capacity. Going for high reps isn't easy but it does save pressure on the knees and you can keep going for an extended period of time depending on how many reps per leg. Some do a 3x15 per leg approach but others like myself work each leg to a minimum so we can keep going for sometimes up to a half hour or longer. 

With Split Squats, IMO, it's more of a strength based exercise because whether with bodyweight or even with dumbbells in each hand, you don't have to do a ton of reps to get the effect and it hits a lot more of the quads along with the repeated movement for the knees. You're going to be more sore from these than from Step Ups because although both are unilateral movements, SS focus more on elevating the lactic acid effect in the quad muscles. You can do high reps per leg if you wish but you're not going to feel all that great the next day and you're putting greater pressure on the knee joints than you would with Step Ups.

I utilize both in some capacity although I prefer Step Ups because it works better for my previous leg injuries. When I do Split Squats, I either use my strap to put one foot in and work a few reps that way or do them Isometrically which strengthens the joints and avoids the lactic acid buildup. Split Squats are my least favorite leg movement but I do see the value in them in some form while others are fanatical about them with a love/hate relationship. I would never do one or the other to failure because for one, that can lead to an injury, two, I want to be able to walk upright the next day and not feel like an 80 year old man wanting to die and three, I want to have that strength and lung capacity to keep going without tiring when I need to do something that's important or staying active without being in horrible discomfort. 

Both have their place whether for bodybuilding, sports training, rehab or whatever. Just be smart about how you do them and not let ego get the best of you. Trying to break records all the time will only cause pain and agony, let them be effective so you can stay strong in the long run. If you need more than a couple days to recover from either one, you're pushing too damn hard. Be objective and focus on making both work to your advantage and progress without needing to do a ton of recovery. The most I would ever do for Split Squats would be a few sets of 10-15 per leg and that's it. I'm not trying to go so hard that I can't walk right afterwards, that's just not my thing. For Step Ups, I pick a number I know I can do for an extended period of time and do that per leg and keep going, At the end, I'm able to do on average around 300-500 total in a workout, around 700 in just over 30 minutes and get in 1000 within 41-45 minutes. This works for me and it keeps me in solid condition and be able to hike, ruck, play and other things without gassing out quickly. You always should have some gas left in the tank after every workout. 

So which one should you do? I say go for both in some capacity but if you had to pick just one, do what gives you the best benefit. Either one will. Be amazingly awesome and work them legs. 

Conditioning Circuits With Dopa Bands

Circuit Training has been one of my go to methods for developing a good level of conditioning and maintaining my strength that lasts. Due to the workouts I've done with Darebee's Style of training with Bodyweight, it inspired me to work on that style with the Dopamineo Band. 

In most cases with those workouts, I would pick 5-8 exercises with the Band and see what is possible to do within an amount of time. Now, I may not move as fast with the Band as opposed to bodyweight training because with bodyweight, you don't have to adjust as much and jump in from one exercise to the next just by footing or hand placement or positioning pretty quickly, with the Band however, it can be a bit tricky and the exercise change can be either quick or you have to adjust things a bit slower so the timing might vary. 

My goal however has always been to hit 10 Rounds with any circuit I do because that's just the number I want to accomplish, some will hit 5, others beyond 10 and whatever number they want to achieve but 10 for me is the cutoff point. I also try to keep it within 30 minutes or less. Depending on the adjustment and positioning of my body with the Band, sometimes the workout will go over 30 minutes but as long as my rest is minimal and I can keep going, I'm all good. Regardless, doing circuits with Dopa Bands in my opinion is one of the best fitness methods you can do. You don't need to do tons of reps per exercise, just a bare minimum but you keep going and with little rest, you're actually developing a great level of cardio that means something. 

Keeping to the basic exercises is ideal. If you're more advanced, you can do harder exercises if you wish but the rep count may be a bit less than the basics unless you're training for competition or training to enhance your status with your group. The main point is to not let your ego get the best of you, keep your objective to train at a level where you can come out of it with gas left in the tank than to crawl on your hands and knees just begging the universe to kill you. My main goal with my 10 rounds of work is to be efficient as much as possible, work at a speed that is comfortable to me where my form isn't compromised and to only rest by marking off the circuit and keep going with that until the 10 rounds are done because I never want to be tired or slow down so much that I have to reduce my speed by a big margin. You want to be able to go at a pace that keeps the heart rate going but you're not slowing down or getting sloppy by the end. 

Here's a workout I did yesterday that was not difficult but it wasn't easy either. The reps may not sound like much but when you're cruising through and the speed is pretty hefty, it becomes more than it seems....

Conditioning Circuit

10 Rows

10 Curls

10 Chest Presses

10 Uppercuts

10 Tricep Kickbacks

10 Squats

10 Side Shoulder Pulls

This took just over 25 minutes to complete 10 Rounds. It felt great, I had a hell of a heart rate going and the speed was just right. The first round was tricky because I was adjusting to the pace of the exercises but once I got the rhythm, it just went really smoothly. The great thing about circuits is that you can get a lot done in a short amount of time along with building your level of conditioning, agility, mobility and other attributes rather quickly. The other great thing is that you can do the same exercises but change the workout from a circuit to an HIIT type workout where you set a time for the work and then rest for each exercise. My style lately has been to do exercises at a clip of 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off for 4 rounds which roughly hits around 3 minutes per exercise. If you were to do a total of 5-6 exercises, you can do a full workout within under 15-20 minutes that will develop lasting strength, cardio and speed efficiency.

You don't have to go so hard that you can't do another circuit and there's no point in trying to match workouts with the wrestlers and fighters that do these. The crazy thing is, they do circuits like this after their practice when they're already fatigued and pushed themselves. That's a whole other level of mental and physical conditioning. Imagine doing 2 hours or more of drills, sparring for god knows how long and going over technique over and over until it's planted into your brain, not to mention warm ups that would be a full workout to the average and then doing a circuit after all that. You'd be a fool to try to keep up with that. That's world class level and that is to be respected.

Keep it to a level of fitness that keeps you healthy and at a level that works for you. Don't try to keep up with anybody else, follow your own path and train effectively along with reducing injuries. Stay amazingly awesome and keep at it. Don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order and get some of the most durable, flexible and strongest bands on the market today. Train practically anywhere and you can customize your order to suit your programs of Youth Groups, MMA Training, College Wrestling, High School Programs, Olympic Training, World Championships, Upcoming Fights, Boxing Conditioning Programs and more.   

A Sandbell Leg Workout That Is Simple But Brutal

 I like to test out different things when I train, find a creative way to do things or get ideas and mold them to my liking. One such idea was combining an animal movement with squats using the 70 lb Sandbell. The idea is to duck walk with the Sandbell for distance and then without putting it down, do squats. 

I tested this out by doing a 5 yard Duck Walk with the bell and then do 5 Squats, rest and repeat. Managed only 3 sets before I just wanted to die, it was that nasty. It's one thing to bear hug and carry something like that like a "normal" person but to be in a full squat and walk in that position and do squats immediately after is a whole other level of crazy. The sheer burn or lactic acid in the legs along trying to breathe with a sandbag to your chest. This type of leg training builds some serious strength and muscular endurance. Add this to your arsenal or just as a stand alone and you'll feel it right away. 

Start out with a lighter weight like a 20-25 lb bag and work your way up, it's not as easy as it looks, the less weight, the more sets you may be able to do, once you get past 50 lb or more, it's going to work you with incredible prejudice because you're not just fighting gravity, you're also trying to coordinate and stay balanced while handling something awkward. It's both a strength and cardio exercise. Not to mention trying to hold the damn thing with your arms and your grip will make you stronger too so you're getting a full body workout.

Give it a go, use a Sandbell or just a heavy sandbag and see how you do. Workouts don't have to be very long and when you do something like this, rest well between sets. If you can do this with a heavy bag without stopping the entire workout, you may not even be human. It's a good challenge if you got the grapes to try.  

A Brutal 20 Min Supserset For Explosiveness & Conditioning

 

Working with the Sandbells lately, I've been testing out different things and using both the 20 lber and 50 lber. From 360's to Bear Hug/Shoulder Carries to slams and squats along with other things, it has been an interesting experience but one particular workout I tested out on was one of those nasty ones that just kicks you in the ass and beats on you until you're done. Supersets has been one of my go-to conditioning methods to really tackle the muscles and just go back and forth with little to no rest while on a timer. 

Yesterday, I did two styles of supersets in one workout that was tough as fuck but it was worth the sweat and the hard work. The first superset was doing 5 sets (rested as needed in between) of shouldering the 50 lb Sandbell 10 times and then Bear Hug Carry for 10 Yards 2x. That was interesting and had that labor feel to it but the second superset was just out there, even for me and I didn't think I could pull it off. It's stupid simple but it really tackles the muscles hard especially in your core and legs because of the explosiveness. It was back to back of 10 slams with the 20 lb Sandbell and 20 Step Ups (10 per leg) for 20 min non stop. 

You read that right man, you slam as hard as you can and then work the legs in the Step Up exercise. This is the idea to work a ballistic or explosive exercise while working your cardio at the same time. It doesn't sound like much but when you're repeating these exercise without a break and your lungs are just on fire, it makes you think twice about giving something so simple a hard time. Your conditioning is tested big time because in certain sports like Football & Wrestling, you need to be able to flip that switch at a moment's notice and become a force to be wrecking with in the blink of an eye. The slams hit just about every muscle in the body, the step ups hit all the muscles in the legs so you can work on weaknesses and keep up with your cardio without needing to run. 

Slams are like the standing equivalent to a Sprint where you go as hard as you can for a short period of time. You can use a slam ball if you want but the sandbell is different because with this, it doesn't bounce and you can use momentum to keep going. You slam and have to pick up the bell fast, with a ball you can catch it on the bounce which is also great for explosive training but the bell just stays there when it drops. The sandbell works your grip as well so you're working the tendons and ligaments of your hands, forearms and elbows as you use it and because of how quick you need to be, it's great for grip agility and you end up sometimes squeezing or pinching in order to pick it up. 

Step Ups need no introduction, I've discussed them many times and have shown and wrote out many workouts with them and there's a reason why I love them compared to Squats or Running. With this superset, you can "rest" that heavy heart rate when you do Step Ups because they bring things down a notch yet you can still go and build strength in the legs. Step Ups are not meant to be done as sprint because if you do them too fast, you can trip or slip and hurt something, yes there's a pace to them to a certain degree but they're mainly a cardio or conditioning exercise that can be done for hundreds of reps without the overkill of lactic acid buildup. You can breath a bit "easier" with Step Ups but never underestimate them. 

This superset can reap a ton of benefits and doesn't take up much space. You build muscle while building cardio at the same time, you build durability, explosive strength & power, Leg Strength and Endurance, Boosting your HGH & Testosterone, doesn't take up a ton of time (doing this for 20-30 min would be more than enough for most, in the beginning if you're good at these, start with 5-10 min and build from there) and it's a great idea to build up your conditioning for MMA, Wrestling, Football, Baseball, Kickboxing, BJJ. It can also be used as a stand-alone workout or a finisher (if you do no more than 10-12 minutes) to really tackle the fat burning mechanism after your regular workout. 

It's hard, it's tough as hell and will test you physically and mentally. When you've built up a solid level of endurance from doing this, you may find that you won't get as tired from doing other things. Your lungs will get stronger, your muscles can be set to 9000 in the snap of your fingers and be able to go with gas left in the tank. Keep being amazingly awesome and send in your comments or shoot me an email. Train hard and train with a vengeance.

If you like to use music to get you going and pumped up for action, here's one of my favorite songs by Peyton Parrish called Dane.....

    

Numbers For Step Ups

 The number 500 seems to be the "gold standard" for certain exercises, mainly bodyweight like Squats and such so why have such an arbitrary number? Karl Gotch believed 500 Squats was to get into the door even though some guys were doing far more than that at one point like up to 1000 or more. He himself could do that in his sleep, I never truly understood it but it has been the go to number in many wrestling schools like Verne Gagne's camp back in the day when guys like Flair & Steamboat trained under him. 

For someone like Bob Backlund who was doing bodyweight stuff and weight training throughout his career, forgot more about conditioning than most people will ever know but his true calling when it came to Fitness was the Step Ups & Ab Wheel. He would do hundreds of either one with ease almost daily and is still considered to this day one of the most conditioned athletes of any era and he's in his 70's. I like the Ab Wheel and have done hundreds of reps myself but the Step Ups are a godsend of an exercise. In my opinion, it's not how many reps you can do, it's really how long can you go. Backlund could go for an hour or more if he felt like it, for me, 30 minutes to an hour is more than enough lol.

Once I set a goal for myself to do high reps, I just went for time from then on. Sometimes I'll see how many reps I can do in a certain amount of time or just pick a number and go. I don't go for more than 1000 in a workout and the fastest time for me was about 41 minutes. In most workouts whether in a row or over the course of a workout, 500 Step Ups or more seems to be the norm and I get more out of that than doing 500 Squats. In reality, 500 Step Ups is really just a number that just happen to be a certain standard that I made for myself, I never found in my research someone doing 500 reps in a workout as a number someone has to achieve to make anything worthwhile, it was just a choice. 

In my Dopa Workouts (10% OFF using Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT), I would superset the band with bodyweight Step Ups or do an exercise for a few minutes and then do sets of 25-50 per leg of Step Ups. In 3 workouts for example, the numbers came out to 500-800 Reps total. Some days, I just do Step Ups for one workout and do other the things at different times in the day. When I do circuits that are inspired by Darebee, I would substitute the squats with Step Ups and end with 300 or more total reps at the end. When I do Step Ups for time, some days I'll do 10-30 minutes and just go with it. My fastest 500 in a row was around 23 minutes and that was doing a countdown. When I do 1000, I'll use my deck of cards for that workout. 

I don't have any desire to go for hours like Mr. Backlund because for one, ADD and two, I don't want to so damn high that I can't even think straight the rest of the time. I want to do other stuff too and enjoy being in the moment and not stare at the ceiling. Is there really a "Gold Standard", not really because everybody is different and it's important to have a variety to do. If you want to do 100 one day, 300 the next or 500 or more, that's up to you, do what you can for that day and know you got something in. This is probably the only exercise now that I like to do 100's of and feel happy about it, others whether for upper body or lower body is really roughly 100 or more and don't go beyond a couple hundred if that. 

Step Ups can be done with bodyweight, with weights, a weight vest, a backpack; they can be done slow or fast. They strengthen the legs, less impact on the knee joints, great for conditioning for any sport. They are truly underrated and have enormous benefits for your health. Get in some Step Ups today and have fun with them, not ready for high reps yet? That's ok, start with small numbers and work your way up, don't rush it and be mindful. They will test your conditioning that's for sure. Be amazingly awesome.