How To Set Up The Dopa Bands

 I've written about how bad ass these bands are and what they can do, but how the hell do you attach them? If you've seen videos of the exercises I do with it, you know I like to use my Door Anchor which is relatively inexpensive but if I were to use say a tree or a pole like you may have seen in an outdoor video I made, I use my isometric power belt but you can also use a loop strap or Dopa's Anchor Strap they have available. The set up is quite simple but it's not the typical tying a knot around something, its a tad more unique than that.

The tying form involves creating a loop by folding the band in half and creating a thread through the loop. I understand that people may want to do things differently but I'm not going to risk my own stupidity by thinking I know better how to put this band up, so I learned how Dopa does it so I can be efficient when I do my workouts. Although they recommend it, I just do what the instructions say and run with it the rest on my own. It's to ensure that it is properly fastened to the point of the anchor and not snap back. I've been snapped by bands (not even when they broke) and they hurt like hell bro. Plus it prevents unnecessary movement where the band isn't working against you, you want it to work with you to get the most effectiveness out of the workouts.

Just in case you have trouble reading these here's the breakdown....

1. Make a loop by folding the band in half. With one of your hands, hold the holding side (where the logo goes) and the other hand grabs the loop side.

2. Take the looped side and thread it behind or through the anchor point.

3. Take the holding side and thread it through the created loop.

4. Make sure both sides are even otherwise you'll have uneven weight distribution and that will disrupt the effectiveness of the exercises performed and throws off what the band is meant to do. So be sure to keep things even before tightening it. 

If you're still having trouble understanding this (It took me a couple tries myself to get it right), check out the tying video for a more visual. 

Installing the Band outside is relatively the same, just be careful not to attach to sharp things (such as scratchy bark or a broken fence). The way I do it with my Isometric Belt is to wrap around the tree enough so I can tighten it in the buckle and make sure the belt doesn't slide down or upward, the same for a pole which can be tricky but there is a way to do it. Since the Iso Belt isn't available, there's another option which is far less expensive is to grab Dopa's Genius Strap. 

For home use, I have my EverStretch which I've used for other bands and WorldFit Iso Trainer for Suspension Training, comes quite handy. I like to keep the workouts indoors but if I'm ever ambitious, I'll take my strap to a park near by and attach it to the basketball hoop or fence and go from there. Dopa shares other videos of how they attach the Band in other places like the beach, out in the woods and at campuses. 

Overall, you're able to work with the Band just about anywhere that suits you and get in a bad ass workout whether indoors or outdoors. Don't forget to use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT to knock off 10% of your order. One of the big things that Dopa also provides is the ability to create your own bundle package that knocks off an additional 15-50% off an order. Customized Bundles can be provided for Youth Programs, NCAA Programs, MMA Schools, Group Classes, Personal Trainers, Private Training for Clientele such as Celebrities & Top Industry Folks, Military Personnel and Sports Coaches. Get MORE for far LESS!!!

Everyone deserves to be in great shape whether you're young or old, beginner or elite level it doesn't matter. Is this thing the fountain of youth? Who really knows but if I'm willing to invest in it since it kicked my sciatica to the curb, why not for those who want to amp up their game or do some training just to feel energized and do other activities with the people they love? This is one of the very best pieces of equipment I've ever used and it could work for you as well. Keep being amazingly awesome and go kick ass in the things you're passionate about.

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.....

    

Anakin Skywalker May Feel Differently About Sand If....

 It's coarse, rough, irritating and it gets everywhere but what if we changed the idea of how to work with sand instead of hating it. I get it, if you're born in a desert, the last thing you want to deal with is sand. Sand can be used for many things but training with it can be a whole other ball game. Sandbag Training has been used by many athletes and laborers throughout the ages. It builds a real world type of strength and it hits the body far differently than with a barbell or a dumbbell.

It builds a level of fitness that even an Emo Jedi born on Tatooine can maybe work on and would make you harder to kill (talk about a different form of force training). I would play with the Sandbells off and on, doing different things like carries, 360's, slams, shouldering, squats and other exercises yet there's something satisfying about them that just make you feel powerful. Like training to be a Jedi, you learn to not take the easy path and find the flow yet the strength and awareness to use what is best to handle tough situations. Sandbag Training is not meant to be easy and it forces you to figure out how to move and wrestle with something that isn't always easy to grip and pick up. It takes something that is tough and triumph over adversity. 

Sandbag Work challenges your entire body in ways you can't with a straight bar to lift with. You're using muscles you normally don't use and it has a more natural feel to it. Carrying a bag can be very tough especially when you go heavy. It's live weight and it doesn't like to sit still, it'll move and shift while trying to fight you. It's a literal wrestling match match at times. Hauling something like a 50 lb bag will work you harder than a 50 lb dumbbell and there's a reason why many of the old time strongmen worked with heavy bags in order to do other lifts. It prepared them and utilize their muscles that is more controlled with a straight bar to lift, it also strengthened their tendons and ligaments to a very high degree. If a Jedi like Anakin trained with bags, maybe it would've been tougher cutting up those arms and legs of his, you never know.

The conditioning with Sandbags is crucial not just for sports but for everyday life as well. It can build muscle and level up your muscular endurance for hauling furniture, loading a truck, strengthen your back and core along with giving you legs that last for days. Some of the very best cardio I've ever done was with the Sandbells mixing loaded carries with Step Ups and going for extended periods of time working strength and cardio at the same time. It works like a charm and it makes you work hard like crazy. If you don't believe me, try going for 5-10 minutes cleaning and pressing a 50-100 lb bag, I guarantee you you'll feel it and it'll show you weaknesses you didn't think you had. Think that was easy, ok then do bear hug squats with a bag and then go for distance doing the duck walk with it, you won't get very far. 

Don't be like Anakin and hate sand, embrace it as a tool to make you strong in more ways than one. Keep being amazingly awesome.  

Changing Up The Squat In The Legs Deck Of Cards Workout

 Changing things up can be a good thing in order to keep interest and develop something new to stay ahead of the game. Although I'm not the biggest fan of High Rep Squats, I do understand their value and what they bring to the table in conjunction with Step Ups instead of just purely Squats. On Sunday, I decided to change it up doing my Legs Deck Of Cards workout since I was having a bit of  rough day and wanted to get some shit out of my system. I switched up the Hindu Squats I normally do and threw in the Pan Squats instead. 

The Pan Squats are another variation of the Bodyweight Squat or more specific the Goblet Bodyweight Squat. You can view the exercise here to get more of an idea but the point is that I wanted to see what I can do with it since it has been a while. I learned this simple exercise from Strongman Kevin Wikse who learned it from a Troupe Of Dancers when he put it out in his Leg Training course from Heroic Evolution some time ago. This exercise may not seem much like other versions of a Squat but it is a good one where it takes certain pressure off the knees and builds some decent strength & conditioning when done for high reps. 

The one big deference between this Squat and other variations isn't really the placement of the legs but the placement of the arms. You put the wrists and forearms together as best as you can like you're holding an imaginary chalice or (if you're religious and/or seen Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade) the cup of Christ which opens up the scapula while pushing the chest inward which constricts the breath a bit. I've been doing this exercise off and on for years and have done as many as 500 reps in a workout and it's a doozer. It was named the Pan Squat after the God Pan, the mythological creature that runs the forest and hones the sexual desire for the Nymphs. It's a representation of building healthy hormones by doing leg training and having a strong libido as Pan himself is well known to have. So in the Deck Of Cards, I did 500 Step Ups & 250 Pan Squats, shirt was drenched afterwards. 

I have always believed Squats have their place but not always looked at with a Dogmatic Approach. Conditioning is a platform that should be used throughout anyone's lifetime and having a healthy and strong libido even into older age is a hell of a perk to have. Things like Squats, Step Ups, Lunges, Split Squats and others are great for this and don't need to be done in high reps to make things work. You can hit them in different manners like going fast or doing them slower to hit the leg muscles hard and build strength from there. It's really a matter of your goals. In this case for the article, I tackled the Pan Squats with the Step Ups to get a different feel of my leg training. Unlike the Hindu Squats, the Pan Squats felt heavier cause I can feel it way more when I did the Step Ups. Hindus give more of a spring like movement which is great for building your cardio and speed, Pan Squats tend to put more tension into the leg muscles which in turn hits the lactic acid buildup much quicker from my experience. This in turn can bring greater strength and developing the muscles in the thighs. Imagine doing 250-500 of these, it's a nasty exercise despite its simplicity. 

Overall, it's just a different exercise that hits the muscles in another way, it's really nothing special or in terms of its name a GODLY exercise. I like them because every now and then especially in the winter time up here, my shin and ankles do tend to have more tenderness and putting pressure on them in certain formats causes major discomfort that makes me uneasy so I need to train accordingly. With these Squats, I can take the pressure off the knees and ankles and focus more on the thighs without feeling that discomfort. It feels good in that regard and although soreness comes easier with these squats, I can still do hundreds of reps whether in a row or in total without feeling tender in those areas. Not to mention I feel more testosterone build up from this exercise than I do the Hindus by maybe a good 20-30%. Give it a go.

Kevin has said in his course (which I'm sure he'll still tell you if you manage to get a hold of him) that when he learned this exercise from the Dancers, they would do this for probably no more than a thousand reps but it keeps them in superior condition for their chosen endeavor because it hits the legs to a degree where they can move with ease without pain in their joints since we know many injuries that occur in Dancing tend to be the knees, ankles and hips. This exercise strengthens those areas so these people can dance with little effort and with less injury. Now this isn't just for Dancing, it can be used for Combat Sports, Football, Wrestling, Soccer and other activities. 

Keep being amazingly awesome and get some bad ass leg training in. It's good for your health especially the heart.

Sometimes Not Knowing Is Just Part Of The Fun

This morning, I wanted to get in my animal workout so I played my dice game and wrote down each set of reps per roll. Continued this until I felt like I had my fill. Came out to a total of 326 Reps of Animal Movement and felt high as a kite. Although I know the animals on the dice by heart for the last 15+ Years, it's still really cool to have that mystery as well when you never know what will pop up and it could be super easy or crazy hard but you never expect it. 

A good portion of the time when I train, I do set a set/rep scheme whether its with step ups, the dopamineo bands (10% OFF code POWERANDMIGHT), hammer workouts or even swinging the clubs but it's that traveling into the unknown that at times just feels right. That's the true beauty of Animal Exercise Training in my opinion, you can have the movement down to a T but not knowing what comes up makes you work your brain differently. It can be very invigorating and making something fun to start the day. As kids, we make up stuff and just run with whatever comes into our heads. It adds excitement and the feeling of being alive. That's what the Animal Dice Game is all about.

I love the feeling of getting up and just play. I get to move around, crawl, hop, jump, balance and all sorts of other things until you've had enough. Kids have that natural energy and as we get older, that natural energy begins to fade and become analytical along with "am I doing this right?" mentality. We overthink and let out that inner kid that yearns for having fun and discovering things. Sure it's important to understand the basics and move effectively but it's also revitalizing how we use our brains and how we apply certain things to everyday life. Now that doesn't mean a Bear Crawl has the same effect of knowing what groceries to get, that's just weird but being able to move and creating or developing strength so you can do everyday things like being able to carry loads of groceries in one shot or being strong enough to help someone move furniture from time to time is a valuable asset.

When I would play this game for stretches of time, I would end up doing a total of thousands upon thousands of repetitions and never end up doing the same workout or at least in the same order twice in a row. It's just so fun that it can be addicting. It's not really about knowing if you got enough conditioning or you're developing enough strength and mobility, it's just a game and you get to play as often as you want. It becomes something you don't have to think about much and just go out there and be a kid. Yeah the adult part is writing down stuff and see where you end up but the kid gets to move and use their imagination. The attributes come naturally and you're doing what the majority won't even attempt. After that workout this morning, I naturally felt happy, awake, relaxed and joyful; not that I feel those things anyway but life hits you at certain points and having those things helps balance things out. 

Playing a game like this makes the world feel right, not worrying about a bunch of shit, not getting over anxious about stuff but to just play and for mere moments feel like you're invincible and living out the animal kingdom in your living room or out at the park. Reality does hit many hard and sometimes harder than others but getting the opportunity to play and live out millions of years of evolution for a few minutes just hits differently and reality isn't all that bad. It's the unexpectedness, the mystery of not knowing and being prepared for things you're not always ready for. Yeah in that workout in reality 326 reps isn't a whole hell of a lot, but the continuation that leads to those 326 reps and that each step is one step closer to being in better shape and being in great health is the cherry on top of a bad ass cake. It is a journey and traveling to new places, you never know where you'll end up but at the end, you were meant to be there. 

To get an idea of building the basics of animal movement, get Animal Workouts, to progress so you can do flows and combos with more advanced variations, snatch up Movement 20XX (One of the very best courses on the planet for developing awesome strength and conditioning through Animal Movement). Be amazingly awesome and don't be afraid to be a kid during your training.   

What Are The 3 Ways To Revitalize Your Calisthenics Training?

 Bodyweight Training has a lot of advantages and one of those is making the training training fun and interesting. It's far better than feeling stiff as a board and acting like the Zombies that died from boredom in traditional or conventional style training. Whenever I do my suspension training, I do my best to not only focus on what muscles are being worked but also feeling like I can make a game out of it with the exercises whether it's with rows, push-ups, squats or whatever. Here are some ideas to help with your training....

1. Totaling Up Reps or Timed Sets

With Bodyweight Training, totaling up the numbers can be an ideal strategy to keep things afloat when things start to feel dull, tedious and/or boring. Sometimes you may hit numbers you didn't expect or you can pick a number and progressively make the workout journey to that number. Do as many sets and reps as you need to reach that goal. Say you want to do 50 of something, you won't want to necessarily do them in a row unless you want to or you want to build a set and rep scheme that helps you build up to that number and it could be 10 sets of 5 or do a high/low thing, whatever makes you comfortable to reach that 50. It could be 50 Push-ups, Rows, Swings, Slams or whatever. The standard isn't relevant here or as important, just getting the total amount is the key thing here. 

When it comes to timed sets, you just mainly work on the technique of an exercise and not worry so much about counting reps. Say you want to get better at doing rows, set a time for say, 2 minutes and do what you can in that time getting the most out of the exercise itself. Rep counts isn't necessary here, focus more on the muscle groups, the pulling, the pinpoint of the contraction at the end of the movement and just playing with it until you have solid technique. It doesn't have to be perfect, just enough that it's efficient for your training. This can be done with other bodyweight movements. 

2. Solidifying Circuit Style Training With Animal Crawls & Other Athletic Movements

Circuit Training or Superset Style training are a treat when it comes to conditioning and forming a level of fitness that can be done in a variety of ways. When you incorporate crawls and other animal moves like in Movement 20XX in addition to say the Jump Rope, Squats, Step Ups or other Bodyweight Moves, you're strategically exposing the body to great stimuli and you're adding variety to create a "comforting" idea to workout without it feeling like a chore. You can even throw in some Mobility work or certain stretches into the mix. I've always said, training is about discovery and having an imagination to incite results.

3. Go For Variety

There are multiple variations of various movements from the main three components of Bodyweight Training; pushing, pulling and squatting. Personally for me, it gets a little boring like a bad party seeing and doing the same shit. Why limit yourself? Change a technique or increase/decrease the speed of a movement and you got yourself something to make training worthwhile. Have the mindset of an explorer, it'll amplify the potential to creating benefits for your exercises. Don't live in fear of mixing it up, be bold and break out of the fucking norms of fitness. Normal has always been way overrated, everybody is different and normal for the most part means you're willing to settle for less. You're more than that, you're unique and you got something that will make you successful. When you throw out normalcy in your training and add some fun and exciting things, you'll be surprised at what will come of it. 

Be amazingly awesome, see the potential in these strategies and have some fun guys. 

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.

Step Ups And Their Use Over Squats

Conditioning can be done in many ways but the difference between a "gold standard" and something that you prefer over can be in a heated debate but it all boils down to what gives YOU the best benefit. For years off and on, I would do the Hindu Squat, sometimes in high numbers depending on what I was doing like doing them in the hundreds in a row or doing them in a circuit inspired by Darebee type training. It got to a point where being interested in them and benefiting from them were dwindling to just another exercise.

Doing hundreds of Squats was beneficial but as time went on, it didn't have that great of a crossover with me anymore, I still do them but no where near the amount of reps I use to do and I don't have a dogmatic approach or this NEED to do them. That doesn't mean they can't be beneficial to others and if they love doing them and it keeps them in awesome shape, that's fantastic. I love it. They're an essential exercise, that's never going to change but they're not the end all-be all to leg training. 

When I started doing Step Ups a few years ago, I just wanted to see what I can do with them, yes they're "easier" than Squats, but they became something more for me. I was falling in love with them, they kept me motivated, strong, conditioned and didn't have a soreness or weird feeling in my knees or my ankles. Doing hundreds of them was actually fun to do and I love the feeling of going up as if ascending a ladder or to a higher form of physicality. They felt far more natural than the Squats did. 500 Squats felt like a chore after a while and even felt like if I didn't do them whether high reps or not that I was disowning some physical culture god or it was an insult to wrestlers of Japan & The Middle East. I had to get out of that mindset, with the Step Ups, 500 or more reps felt amazing, euphoric, natural and it kept me going throughout the day. They filled a greater sense of purpose than the Squats ever did.

When it comes to Squatting, I would rather hold a Horse Stance or a Deep Squat for mobility than knocking out reps because for the most part that's really all they are and if I don't have the motivation to do them and they're a chore, that could spell disaster. I would also prefer Duck Walks or the Bigfoot Walk over Squats because I get more benefit out of them and they're a hell of a lot more fun to do. Squats do still serve a purpose for me to an extent because I like to do them in addition to the Step Ups like my Deck Of Cards leg workouts you've read about. That gives my legs greater sense of fitness than doing just one or the other.

In a nutshell, I do believe Step Ups are better than Squats because of certain factors but that's really an opinion, some might take offense to that but that's their issue and they can come up with all the reasons why Squats are better and the "If you ain't squatting, you ain't training" bullshit but it's not going to change what Step Ups have done for me in terms of keeping me fit and has a greater crossover in my life. Squats have their place and there's various forms of them that are great but in my opinion, the Step Ups have better carryover to certain aspects of life than Squats do. Sorry not sorry but it's true. 

Here are my reasons why Step Ups are better than Squats.....

1. Greater factor for balancing out weaknesses in the legs

2. Doing high reps and not feeling sore for a week

3. They strengthen the legs that are great for hiking, going up flights of stairs and more

4. Still get a solid amount of muscle building while developing muscular and cardiovascular endurance

5. Bob Backlund 

6. They're a unilateral strength builder 

7. They can be used for any sports conditioning program including Wrestling and MMA

8. Takes the pressure off the low back

9. Better carryover to the real world like labor work

10. Far more underrated and less appreciated. Squats have a reputation both good and bad and has greater research than the Step Ups.

Step Ups from my point of view are a backbone exercise that in comparison to the Squat, seems invisible and not seen as great while the Squat sits on a throne acting like it's hot shit. Step Ups truly are a part of Fitness Royalty and has more of a Black Sheep vibe or something living in the shadows while the Squats has the glory. When it comes down to it, these two titans should be a TAG TEAM that work together in unison, not a stigma to what's better than the other. It's like Triple H & Shawn Michaels, they're bad ass as individuals and do very well on their own level but together, they made magic and were defining factors during one of the greatest eras in pro wrestling. That's what the Step Ups & Squats should really be about, creating magic that defies the norm and whether together or on their own, they have awesome benefits. 

Yes I do love Step Ups more than Squats, I've annoyingly showed that LOL but they're both essential and have great benefits for many people and it's time we ended the bullshit about one or the other on the big picture spectrum. Do both or one or the other, it doesn't matter, what matters is what benefits YOU the most, not the societal norms claim or the dogmatic approaches with a hint of debate wars. 

Be amazingly awesome and train for you. 

Dopa Band Conditioning Workout

 Yesterday, I did one of the most intense workouts I've ever experienced and if you know how intense I can be, that's saying something. It was one of those workouts that has that inspiration from Wrestling and testing my mental toughness to the point where I just needed to see what I can continue to do to keep going.

This particular workout was divided into two parts (all together did my best to rest as little as possible where I only really marked off the set) with doing work with the Dopa Band and Step Ups just using my bodyweight. The Step Ups provided a cardio element while the Band was done with explosive movements and fast paced work. It was so intense that by the end, I thought my heart was going to rip out of my chest. Did a total of three exercises with the band and 2 supersets of exercises were added in to really tackle my conditioning and mental toughness.

Here's how it went down....

-Dopa Training & BW Step Ups

Alt Waves x 15/15 For 10 Rounds

4x50 Step Ups (25 per leg) = 200

Superset 1

Alt Rows x 50 (25 Per Arm) 

Step Ups x 50 (25 Per Leg) 

4 sets totaling 200 of each exercise 

Superset 2

Run/Sprint & Slam 20 lb Slamball (video below) x 10 

Step Ups x 50 (25 Per Leg) 

4 sets totaling 40 + 200

Total of 600 Step Ups during the workout.

So as you see the first part was just doing a timed exercise for several minutes and than going into Step Ups, the next segment was the Supersets. The second superset just about killed me as I was literally doing a sprint to the slamball and then picking it up and slamming it repeatedly until I hit a number of times and then doing step ups immediately afterwards while my lungs were still on fire. Only by marking off the set and getting back into position was my only rest and pacing myself with both exercises tested me in a way that I haven't experienced before.

This was the type of training that isn't meant for beginners and it takes on another level that was just unbelievable. I have no clue how I'm not sore AF today. It was hard and even for me, I wouldn't do it again any time soon because this wasn't something I had planned, I did it because I wanted to see if I could do it. This was more of a challenge than anything. This was probably the closest to a workout outside of wrestling that was so damn crazy, you'd have to have a sadistic mind to even try it. It was explosive, exhausting and it nearly put me on my ass. No question wrestlers have done workouts far worse than this but I'm proud that I was able to do it. 

I don't recommend you do this if you're not in shape or new to training. I would also say, be sure you're flexible and loosened up your joints because your whole body will come into play and you don't want to tear something especially in your knees or ankles. It's hard, it's rough and it doesn't care who you are, if you're still standing there's something to write home about. 

To get an idea of the Run/Sprint & Slam, here's a 30 second video of doing only 5 reps of the exercise which is more than enough for most in and of itself, adding onto it is just part of the nastiness. You will sweat, you will think about quitting and you will discover something you didn't know was there. If you're a wrestler or a world class athlete, you may find this workout tickling your feathers a bit. 

6 Min Isometric Workout

 Experimenting is part of the fun when it comes to fitness and exercise. You learn what works and you find out where you are when it comes to being in shape. Isometrics are a hell of a way to get in shape and will test your strength and durability if you do them right. Isometrics can also be a test of your cardio cause if you hold for a certain amount of time like 30 seconds to a minute or longer, you may find yourself breathing hard quick.

Most workouts shouldn't take too long, you do what you need to do and move on. You can also do micro workouts or shorter workouts throughout the day like doing a few push-ups and squats in between commercials, do holds, punches, kicks, burpees or do a sequence for a few minutes like a Flow using Animal Exercises and so on. Sometimes I like to do a 5-10 min workout of supersetting a mid push-up hold on my fists and a horse stance back to back doing a 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off going back and forth until those 5-10 min are done, it's a hell of a workout.

This morning after some meditation, I wanted to try something different for an isometric workout. I wanted to see how I would do with supersetting 1 min. Iso Push-ups On Fists (5 sec plank, 5 sec mid hold repeated for 1 min) and a 1 min Horse Stance for a few rounds. Managed 3 and it was pretty tough, struggled a bit on the Iso Push-ups on the last round but made it through. Short Workouts can be intense as hell even though you're not doing a whole lot but a whole lot is going on. With this workout, you're hitting major muscle groups and as a superset, you're working on your conditioning as well. Try even 1 round and see how it feels, many aren't able to do it. 

6 minutes doesn't seem very long and it really isn't but when it comes to Isometrics, it'll feel like hell on earth and you're having issues holding positions that really tackle the tendons and ligaments while strengthening the muscles throughout the body. They toughen you up and give you some awesome speed and power that you don't get with other exercises. Overall, in the words of Elmo from Vision Quest "It's not just 6 minutes, it's what happens in those 6 minutes." 

Be amazingly awesome and test yourself out on different workouts to learn what YOU are capable of.   

Flex Friday

 Every now and then, I'll post up my progress and show off a bit of my results. It's never a bad thing to show what you've accomplished as long as you're being humble about it and not act like a dick thinking you're hot shit. It's never easy building muscle and your body reacts differently to various types of training. I'm proud of what I've obtained and doing my best to keep at it. That's all you can do right?

Results are what you've put into it and the outcome is what it is. I've never wanted to really look like a bodybuilder and quite frankly I don't have the discipline to look like some monster out of a comic book, I'd rather look like the old timers or at least a rugged guy that can go if needed. I didn't really start putting on any real muscle till I was in my 20's because as a teenager, I was strong in some things and did shot put and discus but I looked pretty normal and didn't have much muscle to write home about. 

As great as my results have been for me at least, I don't believe I've even peaked yet. For the most part, I just do my best to stay in shape so I can do things with my wife, friends and family like going on hikes without tiring, swim and play with my nephews in Tahoe, chop wood, play basketball, play the animal dice game with one of my nieces, climb stairs without getting blown up, go on walks, being flexible and mobile and other things. I train to enjoy life as much as possible cause this is the only one we have. 

To tell you the truth, it's not easy for me having a picture taken. As long as I can remember, there was a picture taken at every damn get together with my family on my dad's side. From family photos to random moments in time, someone took a picture of it. Most of the time I didn't smile cause it just didn't seem to work in a lot of cases, being self conscious is a bit of an understatement. I didn't start really being comfortable with my pic being taken until about 10 years ago or maybe later when I started showing my results or taking a pic with friends. My smile didn't even really come out until we took engagement photos and our engagement party. Actually now that I think about, my wife was truly the one who brought out my smile. 

When it comes to my results, I do my best to find a good angle and go with it and if I smile, great if I don't, I don't fret about it. I don't have a pretty physique, shit I'd rather look like a prime Arn Anderson or a 50's Dick The Bruiser (names you normally don't see on here). With the weight loss however, I think I've got better definition and my shoulders pop a bit more but I'll take what I can get and keep improving. 

I do love having muscle on me though, I've never been shy of that and it has protected me for a long time, kind of hard to pick on a guy up close who's got some beef on him. I bounced once for a band I knew and nobody tried me, I can handle a mosh pit as much as the next guy and going to downtown Santa Cruz at night when the crazies, hookers, pimps, gang bangers, homeless and junkies were as common as a corona, never once got jumped or robbed and the majority of the time I was walking around with no back up. Around here, it's a lot more subtle and peaceful. Don't have to worry at all cause unless you're in Spokane, WA it's not as nuts as it was when I lived in California. I don't recommend testing any theories though but it's nice to feel safe when you don't look like a bean pole or a guy that seems skittish in a weird neighborhood. 

I believe in training to not always look like a Greek God (if you wish to do that, awesome but no one around this type of blog is looking for modeling jobs) but to train so you can handle yourself if needed and have enough muscle that is tough and not brittle. Strong tendons and ligaments should always be a priority but it's not so bad to have some old school muscle on you either. 

From Isometrics to Dopa Training, Hammer Work and Animal Exercises, there's something you can do to keep yourself in top condition so you can live the best life. Keep being amazingly awesome and train accordingly. Don't forget to punch in POWERANDMIGHT for your 10% Discount at Dopamineo and get some of the best resistance bands on the market today.    

Taking The Duck Walk To Another Level

Experimenting and trying various exercises is always fun for me because I get to learn and discover things that could potentially be useful later on. Having being inspired by the wrestlers and other athletes doing crazy things with the Dopa Band along with the various workouts and exercises Eero Westerburg does with Animal Moves and his recent course with Clubs, Bags and the Mace, I wanted to take a leg exercise to another level. 

During my workout back on Saturday, I wanted to see if what I could do with the Dopa Band attached to me & taking my 50 lb Sandbell and do the classic Duck Walk with them. I've seen wrestlers do Duck Walks with the band far better than I can ever do and seen Eero do it with a Sandbag that's over 100 lbs and do it. Just the thought of one or the other would've been nutty but seeing that I can be quite mad myself (have you you not read about the 1500 Rep Leg Challenge?) I just wanted to see what both felt like. It's quite the interesting feel and with the crazier thing to add in Squats to the mix was just nasty.

Adding squats to a movement like that really jacks up the strength and power in the legs. Consistently done, you can build some awesome muscle that is not only functional but very much conditioned as well. My idea was to duck walk out as far out as the band can go or at least to the far end of the room and than proceed to do a few squats, repeat that a few times to equal one set. When the band is fighting against you while practically bear hugging a sandbag, it brings a different type of strength training very few people do unless you're in wrestling or a mad scientist like Nick Nilsson. 

First starting out with the exercise, I did a total of 7 sets (3, 2, 2) so that's walking out and doing 5 squats, walk back and repeat that set multiple times. It got me breathing hard quick and it's a full body blast with a heavy emphasis on the legs. I loved how it felt and might see how many I can do in one set. Do you have to do 5 squats for the set? No, you can 1-10 or more if you wish but if you're doing multiple sets of up to double digits with the squats, it's going to really test you. This is more of an advanced exercise so if you're not use to the duck walk itself, just do the bodyweight version as best as you can and even that alone has bad ass benefits for leg strength, health and conditioning. 

The duck walk is a classic exercise used by athletes for eons, even Olympic Speedskater Eric Heiden did them as part of his training that helped him win 5 Gold Medals in the 1980 Games (The 1st athlete to do so). Wrestlers use this exercise to strengthen their legs for other drills, Japanese athletes use this to build strength in their knees. It's simply getting into a full squat and walking in that position. Many today have trouble just getting into a squat let alone walk in one so it's important to learn the mechanics first and foremost. I learned a bit of it during high school but after I got Combat Conditioning, I became more familiar with it. I didn't think much of it at first but once Ed Baran brought out his Animal Kingdom Conditioning course back in '08, it became a favorite because of the way he presented it. It was a great exercise to do with my Animal Dice Game Workouts that I've been fond of for years. 

Although just another exercise that can be used in training, it doesn't take away how badass the bodyweight version of the Duck Walk is. Just walking a few yards would burn out most people but to go for a couple minutes or more is just nuts because of how much the legs are being pushed especially in the thighs and calves. You can squat hundreds of pounds and still be taken down after a few yards of the duck walk. It builds awesome hypertrophy and it has even been used to help with injuries (modified versions of course) such as strengthening the knee joints, back pain and shin bones. When I first learned this after doing Squats and Push-ups for month as part of my self-rehab, it hurt but it gave me an opportunity to get better at it and once I got use to it, it just became another exercise to do off and on until I really put effort into it with the animal workouts. 

Keep discovering things and make your training interesting, fun and something that works for you. Naturally let it be a part of your life and don't take it for granted. It is ok to be a little mad sometimes in the head but don't go so far as to getting yourself injured or doing such crazy things you end up in the hospital on an often basis. Keep being amazingly awesome. Don't forget the 10% Discount at Dopamineo when you punch in POWERANDMIGHT for the checkout code. 

A Dopamineo Band Analysis

 

With the recent articles on these bad ass bands, let's take a look as to why they're top quality and the differences between these and other resistance bands on the market with my own spin on things and the research through trial and error.....

Right now there's about 5 different types of Bands on the market at the moment and all have their unique qualities and styles that are useful. Because of the variety, the choice to pick one isn't always easy and it can be confusing as to what to choose from. Most of my career in fitness when it comes to bands has been from Lifeline and I will always cherish those especially with what they've done to keep me in shape in all these years. That doesn't mean I'm now exclusive to them. Because of the Dopa Band recently, it has given me a new perspective on resistance band training and the type of training that keeps me fresh and interested.

I want to give you a hand in how to find not only the type of band for you but to give you tips and compare notes to these bands and the others. Some bands are traditional tubing, loop and power type bands (such as the lifeline format, X3 and others). These mostly target the muscle groups with workouts normally associated with gym type training where you can mimic almost any exercise in the gym just about about anywhere you want. With that said, in comparison to Dopa Training, although different, there's some lack in versatility with other bands. This band targets everything and can create any workout you want without needing different bands to choose from. You can of course but variety is more packed into the Dopa Bands than other bands that I've even used.

The material in the Dopa Band is a bit different than other bands, these are laced with silicone and pack a wild punch with their durability and lasting effects as you train with them. I've had the lifeline bands snap on me a time or two and it doesn't feel good trust me unless you got some S&M thing going on. With the Dopa Band, you can stretch it pretty damn long and its flexibility and time tested strength is just unbelievable. There's a podcast on Dopamineo's Youtube channel where wrestlers and other athletes test guests on the Blue Short Band (which is mainly used for stretching purposes) to see if they can snap this freaking thing. These men and women are freakishly strong and as far as I know, no one has been able to snap the band. Even shorter ones that are more likely to snap are still almost impossible to break. That's how crazy strong these bands are. Hell, I've even tested this and I can't do it and I've done some nutty strength feats. 

Now when it comes to cost effectiveness, I've always looked to saving a buck or two which isn't a bad thing but when bands snap on you and you have to replace them after a while, it can get steep depending on the type of bands you get but with the Dopa Band, the chances of it snapping especially if you use certain things to keep it flexible and strong are so freakishly slim it's jaw dropping. Some of the best wrestlers in the world use these frequently in their training and do all sorts of exercises and hook ups that should make it snap within months if not weeks like with other bands yet they don't. It's just awesome how bad ass these bands can take a beating. In the long run, the Dopa Band is more cost effective than even the lifeline bands I use. I can relax a bit and not worry about this band breaking on me as opposed to being cautious about using something like the TNT Cables or the Chest Expander, they're great in and of themselves no question and have used them for years but I always had to be extra careful to stretch them to the limits that is only just enough otherwise, I get a stinger in the arm, chest or leg. 

When it comes to providing videos, you would have to find videos for specific bands which isn't all that hard to find or figure out or buy specific videos either digitally or on DVD for that particular band like say videos for the X3 or the Chest Expanders. With the Dopa Band, you're given just about 300 Workout Videos and Exercises that provide every muscle group imaginable with just the one band. In comparison even coming from me, there's no contest in that. You can find lower body, upper body, core, flexibility, strength, endurance, conditioning and sports specific training all in one shot with this band. I can do quite a bit with the TNT Cables and Chest Expander but you can't utilize wrestling drills, jumping jacks, sprints, crawling, sprawling, kick throughs, jumping exercises or battle rope type exercises with them. That's just the tip of the iceberg with the Dopa Band. With that in mind, the Dopa band is that versatile and can give you a complete workout just about anywhere, if you used additional bands like the ones I just mentioned, you've got an arsenal that can give you a crazy strong and powerful physique, the type of conditioning that makes others' jaws drop and have a wealth of knowledge of exercises very few can possess. 

If you go with cheaper bands, that's awesome but either by itself or as an addition, the Dopa Band will take you to places in your training you didn't think existed and put not only a new stamp on the realistic functional training but have the opportunity to train (even moderately) what some of the greatest athletes in the world use to keep themselves healthy, in peak condition and developing a physique that can just as go as it does look good. I still use my other bands which I love and adding the Dopa Band is the cherry on top of the most bad ass cake you can imagine. If you think that was enough, I've got a cool Discount for you when you make an order, get 10% OFF  when you punch in POWERANDMIGHT at the checkout (which can also deduct price with discount bundles as well). These are the highest quality I've ever come across and I don't regret one bit getting this, it has been a game changer and it has helped me get in better shape than in the last few months with the already good shape I'm in. 

Be amazingly awesome and train with the best guys. It doesn't disappoint.    

The 1500 Rep Challenge For Leg Day

 For the second time ever, I went after the Double Decker Leg Challenge of 1000 Step Ups and 500 Hindu Squats with a Deck Of Cards and made it through. It was pure hell and it may even make the devil go "fuck that." This type of workout will make you sweat, you will tire and you will be tested mentally and physically; hell you may be seeing stuff that aren't there who knows but it's true that this will kick your ass.

I wanted to see if I could do this again since it has been a while and I've done the 500 Step Ups and 250 Squats workout a just a few times recently as well. Let's just say I've never felt so damn happy to jump into a shower and chug some water afterwards. It's freaking brutal and my shirt looked like I came out of a damn pool. I didn't time it because I didn't want to go Speedy Gonzales on it and just focus on technique and breathing while the speed came on its own. This is not an everyday thing unless you have some sick and twisted mindset for punishment or if you're going out for a sport like wrestling. 

This challenge is purely to test your mental toughness and physical conditioning. It makes you push through barriers that aren't your typical workout challenges. Doing 500 Squats in a row can be done almost daily if you have that mindset and within reason, 1000 Step Ups can be a chore but it's not impossible to do them 2-3x a week if you're working towards a goal and building some killer cardio but to do both in the same workout with your only rest is flipping a card is almost pure insanity. When you get to the jokers, you have to do 50 Step Ups and 25 Squats in a superset and you have to do this 4 times throughout the workout on top of the other cards. This workout for most people would be once in a while like every 10 days or so if you want to keep pursuing it but if you're a world class athlete like a Collegiate or World/Olympic Caliber Wrestler or Running Back/Linebacker or an aspiring MMA Fighter, you can attempt this on conditioning days or 2-4x a week if you're that sadistic like a Karl Gotch or Kurt Angle in his Olympic Training. 

Leg Day is one of those days where you find out a little more about what you're capable of but never go to the point where you have to crawl back home and sleep for 10-12 hours a day for the next week. Always have something in the tank. I did say you'll get tired but don't quit. It is really tough and it's not for the average trainee. Hell, 99.9999% of people won't even try to attempt this; it's nasty, your legs will feel like jello and it forces you to breathe with intensity. This won't however make you puke your guts out. I've never believed in that and if you have to throw up during a workout, that's getting to the point of destroying your organs. Never, ever train to the point of feeling sick, whoever came up with that is an asshole who just loves punishment.

If you're up to the challenge, I encourage you to build up your leg strength and cardio first and foremost. Don't do this if you have heart and organ issues and for my sake, have a towel and water on hand. Be smart about it but don't slack off either. Do the workout as best as you can, don't go for a world record on it. If you do it in multiple workouts, see how fast you can do it (within solid form and not having a heart attack). Also don't do this if you've never done step ups and/or Hindu Squats before, if you do, you're going to find out how hard it is to even walk the next day, let alone feel like an old man with legs ready to fall off. Train with intent and preparedness. This goes beyond just leg training, it's a full body workout and do your best to keep your body relaxed but not so loose you're like a worm. 

Best of luck and keep being amazingly awesome.  

Step Ups In The Most Unexpected Place

 Yesterday I ordered a series of videos from a pro wrestling website called RF Video where you can buy digital videos of classic matches, interviews, training sessions and events with more wrestlers than you can name. The series I got was from ECW Legend Taz showing various things from his Wrestling School. In this series, he doesn't show how to take bumps and running through the ropes and all that, believe it or not, he shows how to do takedowns like in the old school style that's also used in Amateur Wrestling, Judo, Greco-Roman and the Japanese Style; the next video is on Submissions which I found really interesting and shows both real and show holds ranging from Ankle Locks, Figure Fours, Arm Bars and a lot more. The last video is on Stretching, Mobility & Conditioning which was mostly very basic stuff.

Now for those who've lived under a rock, Taz in his prime was a backbone of ECW's heyday where Hardcore matches were in practically every match and was the underbelly of the Attitude Era that Paul Heyman ran for a number of years. Taz was one of the few wrestlers in that organization that actually had legit wrestling and judo under his belt and was the king of suplexes and various submissions. The closest to him in that time with technical knowledge was probably Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero and maybe Dean Malenko. If you ever watch highlights, you'll see that his character was a tough son of a bitch that could throw you as well as make you work using wrestling. 

I've seen training videos of various pro wrestling schools and almost all of them show some of the same stuff from working a match to some segments of conditioning; this however was closer to MMA and pure wrestling that can be used in real life, yes there are show holds in Taz's highlights throughout the series but his style is about as real as it gets down to what is right and wrong with a move especially on the takedowns. Taz was also one of those guys that wasn't a big dude in comparison to guys like the Dudley Boys, Stone Cold, The Rock or Undertaker; he was roughly 5'8 and no more than 235-240. What he lacked in size, he made up for intensity and using wrestling as a means to make matches look just badass. 

In the Conditioning series, he takes you and his students through various stretches and mobility drills. Some are a little fast for most to keep up with and is really vague on most of them but it still holds true regardless. The "drills" he puts them through most these days can figure out especially if you're an MMA fighter or an upcoming pro wrestler but the one exercise I didn't expect to see him put his students through was the Step Ups. Granted these are done on a high bench but it's interesting how he uses Step Ups to condition his guys. He talks about putting them through up to 45 min of Step Ups which at a decent clip in a row (depending on the height you use) is roughly around 1000 reps but he takes things a step further so do speak as the guys work the exercise, he'll blow a whistle while one guy goes in the ring and does other hard drills for a minute or more while the rest do Step Ups. Whistle blows for the next guy to come in and so on and so forth to really make them blow up. If a student starts to get lazy or is acting like a chump, Taz will have them hold a folded chair on their arms while their arms are straight out and have them do step ups with that chair until the exercise is done or have to go in the ring. 

That is some nasty training and if you're doing drills, squats, bumps, falls and running the ropes on top of that; it makes you think twice about training at that school. I don't think the school is around anymore and Taz had a podcast for a while and did commentary for AEW for a period. I didn't know much about him when he came to WWE at the Royal Rumble in 2001, I saw some matches he did for ECW but I wasn't into that stuff as much back then. Once I studied him and his matches, it changed my perspective and he was legitimately one of the toughest guys in the business in his time. Trained by Hall Of Famer Johnny Rodz in New York, he made an impact on the business from more of an underground stand point because he wasn't flashy and had some weird gimmick that made him millions, he was primitive, old school, tough, look like he can snap your bones in half and had some crazy strength for a guy his size. 

My respect for him amped up a bit more when I saw that he used Step Ups because if you pay attention to some of the stuff they do with Pro Wrestlers, Step Ups isn't one of those exercises that they use; you're talking more of the Japanese Style Karl Gotch perfected with the Hindu Squats, Push-ups, Bridges, Lunges, Ring Sprints and others. This was unique to see. So if someone like Taz uses that exercise to make students bust their ass, you know for sure this isn't some "Lazy's Man Leg Training" that some "Bodyweight Exercise Guru" likes to push on.  

Thought I'd share this little review and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Amount Of Time On The Dopa Band For A Workout

 I was curious about this myself when I first got the Dopamineo Band. I was looking at the workouts on their membership site and seeing how long these guys go. For the most part, the wrestlers and MMA men and women train on it either before or after practices to get that extra oomph in their arsenal. It works apparently cause come on, these people are champions both in world and Olympic competition. 

The workouts from what I've seen don't go for more than 20 minutes which is pretty standard in some of today's training styles without the need for a gym. Some are are 5-7 minutes of pure wrestling technique and explosiveness, others are around 15 minutes focusing more on muscle building and speed. Some workouts focus on sports oriented movements beyond MMA such as Football and maybe Soccer so there are other options but how much time do you really need to spend on this thing? The truth is, it's an individual thing. 

The longest workout I've done with it was just under 45 minutes mixing the band with step ups and managed 500 total reps of upper body movement and 800 step ups. The shortest was roughly 5 minutes doing the Bear Crawl Sprint Workout of 10 on/20 off for 10 rounds. Just yesterday I did a workout at the park that lasted 15:30 (nearly 25 min if you count a "warm up") doing 4 exercises at 30 on/30 off for 4 rounds each. That's a hell of a workout especially since it was on a nice warm day and got a little sweat going. 

Depending on your goals and what you're striving for, you can work with this long as you as you like and the only limit really is your imagination. There are so many exercises you can do that doing the same workout twice is few and far between. My main purpose is to build my conditioning and mobility, the way it's changing my body is just part of the process and I love what it's doing to my physique. The results speak for themselves and it's a lot of fun to do. Although this type of Band training is not new, it's not necessarily the type for just fitness training either and that is partially a new concept because for god knows how long bands have been used for Combat Sports, you don't always find it as a regular normal workout tool either. It's based on training from world class athletes that are the toughest and most conditioned in the world and some may feel intimidated by that. You don't expect a typical gym rat on these things.

Training with the Band is actually very useful because it's meant to simulate grappling and learning how to handle yourself. The Band itself is a coach and it tells if you're not doing something right because if your positioning is off or you're not locked in and stable, you're not going to get much done that is efficient so it takes practice to work your stabilizers, your footing, your arm movement, the speed and power that comes into play and the strength to manage certain aspects of resistance that will fight you. It's not meant to make you use so much strength that you can't move it, it's more about exploding and moving around in as many positions as possible to control your body as you go against the resistance. The more you control going against the resistance, the more you learn to handle the body without it. If you look at how wrestlers simulate takedowns, suplexes, drills and sprawls you'll see that they fight the band utilizing the mechanics so when they practice on the mat, they're fast and strong at the same time, they have far greater control over their body. In the gym oriented exercises which is what many are more use to seeing, you'll find that when the band is fighting back, you have to use more muscles just to stabilize you in order to keep from technique being nasty and ineffective. This could be like Squats, Presses, Overhead Work, Lunges, Shoulder Raises, Ab Training and more. 

Don't just time a workout, make use to learn technique and make the timing effective both in how long the workout is and the work that goes into it. It's not as easy as it looks and some exercises are pretty damn complex so take the time to practice, don't practice just going through the motions. Stay amazingly awesome and you got a cool discount that gets more bang for your buck than just wholesale (There are other discounts on top of mine that you can find as well). Use the code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% off the order.  

750 Reps Of Blissful Leg Training Heaven

Yeah and monkeys might fly out of my ass. Anybody who's ever trained Leg Day hard knows that it's anything but blissful, let alone like heaven. I guess it depends on what you do but when it's done right, it puts you into another state of mind and have a euphoric feeling before feeling like you had your legs chopped off the next day and you're crawling in agony. 

For me, I just do enough to know that I won't be as sore (if at all) the next day and have gas left in the tank. That was on the menu for me today. Started out with some Joint Loosening, had a drink to get some energy going, watched a documentary episode about Serial Killers and did some Leg Work that had me sweating like a waterfall in the amazon. Got in my Deck Of Cards Leg Workout doing a total of 500 Step Ups & 250 Hindu Squats in roughly over 30 min. 

It has been a while since I've done this workout and I didn't go as fast as I normally would, so I focused on technique and let the speed come naturally. Went by really well and feel great. Getting the best of both worlds in old school squats and the Harvard Step Test is something that just hits differently. Some will do one or the other but I'm thinking "why not both"? You get the benefits of both cardio and strength training, working the legs unilaterally and with both legs, you're channeling a different perspective of Growth Hormone & Testosterone Boosting and you're benefiting heart health. 

It's a hell of a conditioner as well and can be beneficial to your training in Wrestling, MMA, Football or just overall fitness. You can do it everyday or every other day (depending on your condition), it can be part of your workout as a "warm up" or "cool down" to get that extra calorie burning or it can be a workout all by itself. Working with a deck of cards has been a big part of some athletes' regimen such as Ric Flair, Karl Gotch, Ray Lewis, Antonio Inoki and others. This specific workout tackles the legs with a vengeance without having so much lactic acid built up; the reason why is because the step ups provide a barrier between making the legs feel heavy and having a "breather" to help you keep going. The squats make the legs burn like crazy and jack up the heart rate so when you get to the step ups, you can keep going because it helps the legs "calm down" while still building that strength and cardio working one leg at a time. This is why I say you get the best of both worlds.

I have said before that squats weren't a big thing to me as much as they use to and the reason is because doing hundreds of reps consecutively with squats became tedious to me and I lost interest doing 500 over and over the same way. Now that doesn't mean you can't do 500 or more differently and come out the same number of reps. If I were to do 500 again, it would be with a deck of cards or a countdown workout cause that way, I don't have to do the same routine twice and still come out to the same destination. Hell, the last time I did 500 Squats in a workout was when I did my double decker deck of cards workout when I did 1000 Step Ups & 500 Squats in just over an hour. Shit, I rather do that than do 500 by counting 1, 2, 3 and so on and not do anything else, it works for me. 

When it comes to Step Ups, for me, they're the best for leg training because you can go for a long period of time and not get as winded as you would with Squats. That in no way shape or form does this mean Step Ups are superior to Squats, quite frankly I don't give a rat's ass what's superior, I just know my preference. Besides, why the fuck would you debate what's superior like some Marvel or Star Wars Fanboy, it becomes petty and downright stupid. Some people put certain things up on a pedestal and act like nothing else works better or this exercise is like the Mount Rushmore of fitness and everything else is beneath you. Anyway, use what's useful to you and keeps you coming back training over and over with excitement, interest and something that challenges you with a smile on your face. You may not always look forward to it and some days can be tough as hell, but you know what leads to all of that.

 For me, there's no Mount Rushmore or some Mount Olympus type of training format that are the gods of all exercises, I just want to train and help others find success in what can work for them because if I try to act like this or that is superior and nothing will work unless I says it works, what does that make me? It makes me an asshole with an fragile ego that is so insecure that I would need some serious therapy to tackle the issue. Train to what gives you an advantage whether in life, sports or whatever and be successful to where you can do it within reason and it brings you a good challenge while being comfortable to expand on it. Stay amazingly awesome. 

Well....Here Goes Nothing

Since I've been training to get back into shape, I've leaned out a bit and because of the no appetite during that little fiasco I had, I lost weight. I was down to 238 but with the appetite back, I went back up about 3 lbs. or so and right now sitting at 241. It has been crazy and I love to keep sharing what the Dopa Band has done for me in terms of reviving my conditioning and explosiveness. 

I said it was a game changer and the results speak for themselves. Before the little bitch that was making my leg and back hurt with pure torture, I was making headway and was around 250-255 most of the time and stayed in shape as you've seen my workouts but with the rehab, weight/fat loss and progressing to get my strength and other attributes back, my body is shaping and slimming down. Yes, I still have some work to do (don't we always) but this is the leanest I've been in a very long time. I feel great and I'm going hard on the workouts while being smart about listening to my body. 

Being inspired by the Wrestlers who brought this Band to the world, they've just been awesome putting out demos and are very encouraging. They're athletes are top notch and some of those wrestlers are going to the Olympics. Their hard work is just mind blowing and the exercises they show with the bands are nothing short of just unbelievable explosiveness, technique, power and speed. These men and women are some of the most conditioned on the planet and I get to work with the same equipment they do. It's like carrying on a tradition like a kid growing up to play baseball and plays the same positions that legends made their mark on and hit the ball with the same passion today as did men like Honus Wagner, The Babe, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt and Pete Rose did 35-100 years ago. 

I don't have a shredded physique or have six pack abs and god knows I don't have it in me to build 24 inch pythons but I do what's possible to be in shape when certain things arise and be in enough condition to do many things. I'm very proud of the body that is shaping and I know the Dopamineo Band will take me to places both in mind and body that I haven't gone to before. I will always have my isometrics, doing fun animal moves, step ups to honor Bob Backlund and be a sledgehammer smashing machine but I've got to tell you, this Band has opened new doors for my training and even just a few minutes with this thing, it has been a hell of a ride. 

The world needs to see more of what these Bands can do for your training and overall fitness. You can modify it however you like; you can go slow, you can go fast, you can learn old school techniques, flexibility work, learn what the best conditioned athletes do to prepare for matches and how to use the Band safely. Safety, solid technique and consistent effort is just a piece of the overall spectrum of what this Silicone piece of equipment is capable of and what it can make out of you. Karl Gotch said "Conditioning is your greatest hold" and I'm sure if he was alive to see these things and add on the submissions that has made many men be feared to even get on the mat with, he would approve. Whatever gets you into bad ass shape (that keeps things long term of course) is a thumbs up in my book. 

Don't forget the 10% Discount you can use when you order one or multiple of these when you punch in POWERANDMIGHT when you go to checkout. Keep killing it, train with intent and intensity while being amazingly awesome. 

A So Not Walk In The Park Sub 45 Min Workout

It was intense, insane and one of the longest workouts I've done in a while. I keep raising the bar on myself and just making things more interesting and finding out what I'm willing to push to see what my body can handle. Some might call my workouts crazy but even for me, that should've put me in the nuthouse (maybe). 

The other day, I wanted to see what I can do with Supersetting the Dopa Band and Step Ups. Haven't tried it before so I figured what could possibly go wrong? Not only did it go right but it made me sweat so much, I thought I was going to need a gallon of water to get all of it back (slight exaggeration). In all seriousness, this was a workout I needed and elevating my conditioning. The only real rest was marking off sets and getting right back into it. The weird thing was, by the end, I was moving faster and had that "runner's high" feeling where I went into a state that felt great and my focus was at its peak. 

The idea was to do upper body movements with the Band and just do bodyweight with the Step Ups. Here's the workout...

100 Lateral Raises (4x25)

200 Step Ups (4x50)

100 Curls (4x25)

200 Step Ups (4x50)

100 Chest Presses (4x25)

200 Step Ups (4x50)

200 Alternating Rows (4x50 - 25 per arm)

200 Step Ups (4x50)

Total: 500 Reps Of Upper Body & 800 Step Ups 

Time- 44:09

Each superset was 25-50 reps of a Dopa Exercise and 25 Step Ups per leg. I take great pride in being able to do this but it's also important to be humble in that to not fill my ego because this isn't meant to be done all the time unless you're one of those insane Dagestani Wrestlers that are just machines with levels of conditioning that rank right up there at the top of the food chain. 

Yesterday, I did another workout that hit my legs a little differently which is why I most likely will end up just "taking it easy" today and do low level work with the band and doing isometrics. This workout was to work as many reps as possible while taking in 20 breaths and doing drills and techniques of going out as far as the thing can stretch 10-20 times going Forward, Sideways & Backwards. The reps taking in breaths were waves, tricep pulls, alternating rows and ski jumps and the legs were a walk out or a slower version of a shooting wrestling drill for 40 total reps (20, 10, 10), 20 walking at the side (10, 10) and drilling backwards for 40 (20,10,10). This hit a lot of the muscles in the legs especially in the hips since it's been a while doing side to side movements. 

Practically everyday there's been some kind of workout with the Dopa Band and just love experimenting and finding ways to work with this thing. There's so much you can do with it and it will humble you. This band has been the closest to wrestling since I was on the mat years ago, I know it doesn't have the same flare of actually wrestling but the drills, the conditioning, the fight against the resistance, the intensity and the ability to strengthen the body in ways that are new to you are all part of the process. 

I even weighed myself today and I'm sitting at 241 lbs. Only gained back about 3 since I've had my appetite back and doing what's possible for me workout wise. I was feeling it yesterday after some frustration with something in the backyard and felt it in my hip but other than that, I feel much stronger, more explosive, energetic and my stamina has skyrocketed. I'm telling you without thinking twice about it, the Dopa Band is a fucking game changer and it makes training a bit more fun and interesting. You don't have to be a wrestler or a fighter to get the benefits out of it, just a good old fashioned workout is more than enough for most and there are so many ways to use it it's practically endless. 

Use my Discount to get 10% off your order by using the code POWERANDMIGHT. You can even do custom bundles or have pre-set bundles that give you even more discounts. Get some for your family, group classes, gym, Fight School, Wrestling Room or just to get a great workout in at home, there's tons of options. Keep killing it guys and stay amazingly awesome.  

A Workout Blaster Of Pure Heavenly Brutality

 Quite the title don't you think? In reality, the workout I put myself through yesterday was hard as fuck but it didn't feel like a chore and I loved it. It's probably the hardest workout I came up with since getting over the sciatica injury. It was another test to see what I'm capable of and the work I've put in. 

For some, it is annoying that I've mentioned the injury several times now and quite frankly, it is especially if it's on your brain everyday like mine. The thing is, it really has opened up my eyes to look at training from another perspective and to see a workout beyond the movements and the mysticism of it. Although they're simple, they're not meant to be easy and when you go hard, you learn what you made of. I may not be the fastest, the strongest or the most coordinated, but I do make up for it by finding ways to push myself to a different level than I was before. It's really a testament to having invested in the Dopamineo Band. 

I never reach failure in any of my workouts and for good reason, there's really no need to because you can still go hard without feeling like you can't get up and walk with some gas left in the tank. I do however, learn what my body can do and make it stronger and a bit more resilient as I pay attention to how it operates during workouts. I've always believed training is about discovery and coming to grips with what it can do and what it helps reach as time goes on. This workout hit a little differently and it made me learn where my conditioning was and how I can move forward.

Here's the Workout......

I started a "warm up" of going through my Animal Deck Of Cards Workout in full to get things going and get my energy up because I knew I wanted to do something more. Usually it takes me 15-16 min to complete.

After a short break going through the deck, I had the Dopa Band prepped and ready for another exercise that lasted a total of 6 1/2 minutes which was 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 20 Rounds doing the Alternating Wave exercise. I'm still learning the kinks of keeping the wave smooth but all in all, it was awesome and got some killer lungs firing as well as keeping my core tight and working my arms and shoulders. 

Not done yet....

Next was another brutal exercise of doing 10 seconds on, 20 seconds for 10 Rounds of the Bear Crawl Sprints with the band on my waist. The energy was there and my conditioning was on it. I was breathing hard but I didn't feel tired. I went through it and it was amazeballs.

But wait there's more. The final stretch....

I finished off with two exercises with the Band for 100 Reps each (in sets of 50) doing Curls and Chest Presses. Two simple exercises to target specific muscles (Pulling & Pushing). After doing 50, would take a small break to write down the numbers and return for another set. 

So here's what the full workout was in full.....

Animal Deck Workout 

10/10 For 20 Rounds Alternating Waves

10/20 For 10 Rounds Bear Crawl Sprints

100 Curls (50, 50)

100 Chest Presses (50, 50)

This took all together including resting was about 30 minutes or so I'm guessing. It was like a light that came on and my level of energy was just crazy. I did all that yesterday and still had gas in the tank. It didn't make me want to take a nap but I was hungry as hell so after putting things away and taking a shower, I cooked myself 5 Fried Eggs, 5-6 pieces of bacon and four slices of buttered toast to make a couple sandwiches out of them. Washed it down with some great juice and just felt euphoric on top of  the high I was already feeling from the workout. 

I won't be doing that kind of workout all the time but it's one of those that just clicked and I felt at my very best at that moment. That was for the record, a full on conditioning workout and it was tough. Tougher than some of my other ones but I made it through and it was another day of feeling like myself again. Make it count, but always feel like you can walk out after with your head held high, gas left in the tank and feeling like a kid again. Some people never get that chance, some don't have the drive and others haven't discovered it yet but those that do, understand that it's important to have those entities and never take them for granted. Keep being amazingly awesome and get cracking.

Be sure to snatch up some bands and use the bad ass discount code I got for you. Take 10% OFF your order when you enter POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Awesome deals going on right now especially if you grab a hold of a bundle you can use for athletes, the wife and kids or for building a team of great fighters/wrestlers. Even right now, you can get a 1 For 3 Deal where you can order a band and get 2 extra bands that can be used for stretching with a string bag so you can take them anywhere.