Dopa Deck Of Cards Training 2026

 Man, can't get enough of these workouts with the Dopa Bands. The last couple days, I switched from circuits that I've been doing to doing it with the Deck Of Cards. Saturday, I just did one deck that was 500 total reps, yesterday was doing the deck twice in a row totaling 1000. 

The energy, the sweat and the only rest is flipping a card and getting back into position. These workouts are great cause it's never the same one twice and you can change up the exercises however you like. I usually keep it to Pushing, Pulling, Squatting, Jumping & Core Work. You never know what you'll come up with. Since I'm a collector of decks of cards, I don't always need to use the same deck. One day, I can do a deck with Pirates on it, Back To The Future, Marvel, DC or Animals. Endless combinations 

A key point in doing the Deck twice in a row for me is to instead of doubling the number for each card and doing a deck once, do a complete deck and then reverse it. So if the Jokers are more towards the end, when it's reversed, they start practically at the beginning but that's only if you shuffled them that way otherwise, things can get very interesting. I don't time myself doing this so my thing is to just keep going without much rest at all instead of focusing on the clock. 

It's a whole other realm of physical and mental conditioning. It teaches you how to be prepared for the unexpected and that just when you think it starts to get easy, a joker or some other card may pop up and you'll have to work your reps hard and do quite a few of them. The pacing isn't the same either, you can go pretty fast for a bit but then those higher reps may slow you down a bit. Jokers in this case are 50 reps of the Propeller Exercise so if you get those towards the beginning (for the 500 total), you can do pretty well with the rest of the deck but if they're towards the end and you're doing the deck twice, it's going to test you with a vengeance. I do my best to keep a good clip going and since I have the Chosen Higher Band, the speed is a lot higher compare to the Black Band which is meant for heavier guys so the resistance will have a much greater difference in how you work a deck. 

Conditioning is a person's greatest asset and decks of cards workouts are a top of the line test for that. You'll sweat and you'll feel fatigued but it's a test of wills to push through. This is also where your breathwork comes into play cause if you can work your breathing doing stuff like this, it'll give you hints on how much stronger your lungs can get. Your breath can determine whether you start to wear down or not so learn to control your breathing just like in a wrestling match, a fight or whatever sport you play. Whether you're a student of the mat, a warrior on the gridiron or a strategic player on the diamond, conditioning will be the ultimate assurance. This is why having Bands like these are powerful cause they're not just things that stretch, they help you with technique and can be added to any routine. 

Temporary strength is a good thing to have when it's needed but too many rely too much on how they can lift instead of how long they can last. Long term strength is more suited to certain things because even when you're tired, you can still have strength left in the tank to do some amazing things. Having both however, is a deadly combo because when you have the ability to call upon your strength whether it's a few seconds or several minutes, it tells you what kind of athlete you are. As General Patton has said, "Fatigue, makes cowards of us all" it is important to be in the best condition regardless of age and to be able to have reserves that could be life saving whether your own or to help someone else. 

I highly recommend you grab a band and make use of it whether on its own or as part of your current program, doesn't matter if its weights, bodyweight, sports or just weekly fitness sessions. You don't even have to pay full price for them when you can use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to shave off a few bucks. Unlike other bands, these won't snap as quickly, matter of fact even Goku or Vegeta may have trouble snapping these fuckers and those fighters are freakishly strong. My black band, I've had for years, put through some hardcore workouts and not one scratch or tear in it. They're pretty damn close to being indestructible. The Chosen Higher Band, I've already done thousands of reps with it already and still going strong. When you get one, let me know how I can help and tell me your feedback with it, I want to know your progress and how you do them. 

Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it.   

FYI...The Black Band is on Pre-Order at the moment due to the popularity and being out of stock. It will be available again next month so if you wish to pre-order it now, go for it, my discount will still apply to the order. If you rather wait until it's available again, there's nothing wrong with that either. Believe me, this is far better than those who put products on Pre-Order that go on for YEARS and never coming around and just swindle you out of your money. I feel sorry for those people who have to wait for something that will never show up. Nobody deserves that. Don't waste your time and hard earned money on people like that. This company is way more professional, honest and will help you in any way they can. You deserve the BEST!!!

Brutalized Conditioning: Animals & Slam Ball Hell

 On Monday, I wanted to test myself to see where my conditioning was at and safe to say, it was one of the hardest workouts I've done in a while. Did other workouts where they were a challenge but nothing like where it tested your sanity along with making the lungs seem like you're going to die LOL.

Thought I'd get into some animal training since it has been a while. Used my deck of cards to do the 4 Animals/Exercises I normally do....

Bear Crawls

Crab Walks

Half/Quarter Squat Walk (Bigfoot Walks)

Duck Walks

Doubled up on the reps and even about 10-15 cards in, I felt like quitting and I was breathing pretty heavily, I kept going anyways. These are no joke and will test you like no other. Finished with a 1000 total reps of these and yet, the workout wasn't even over.

I wanted to really amp it up by doing a finisher with the 20 lb Slam Ball I have and target my explosiveness. Went for 5 minutes doing a 15 on, 15 off protocol. Got in about 4-5 slams per round and slamming that fucker on grass just hits different. This wasn't just a finisher, it was to burn more calories like it was going out of style and build that mental toughness. More than just cardio, it's hell on earth and the battle rages on you against the system you created for yourself. This is the type of training where with other things, you won't tire out as quickly. This is not the typical workout you see many 40 year olds doing so, I wanted to find out what my capabilities were. 

Sometimes you got to go through hell to see what you're made of and what you expect out of yourself. This type of training is more than just exercise and getting in a few quick things, this is the type of hell that makes humans question their mental and physical stability along with testing themselves at peak levels of conditioning. No question pro/world class athletes can probably do this far better than me and it would be hard to try to keep up with that kind of person but at over 40 and not a professional or even calling myself World Class, I believe I did pretty damn well with this and I'd love to test this out with somebody sometime.

Conditioning comes in many forms and the idea for even as you get older is to maintain a level where you don't get tired doing things and can go as long as needed and have that lasting strength and endurance. When you have the ability to go and able to wear out others, it's a great feeling. Karl Gotch said it best "Conditioning is your greatest hold". Fitness is more than just trying to look good, it's about feeling better, being able to do things with less chances of getting injured and being able to have strength that lasts rather than temporarily. The world seems different when you are able to be fit and handle things with grace yet powerful at the same time.

Hellish workouts have their place as a challenge but don't frequent them as it can come back to bite you in the ass. Will I try this again, maybe or switch things up doing the dopa band and sledgehammer work. Strength & Cardio is part of the puzzle but when you throw in the mental aspects, it teaches you how precious and important having those attributes is. Be amazingly awesome and do what's possible. Challenge yourself but don't go so far you can't move or get injured. 

So Nice, Did It Twice

 Get your mind out of the gutter, what is wrong with you?.....

For real though, being in shape isn't just a necessity, it's part of maintaining a good quality of life that keeps you on your toes, keeps you young and brings you amazing benefits. With my recent stints with the Dopa Band, testing out exercises and doing my 500 Rep Deck Of Cards Training, thought I'd spice things up. Thought I'd take a page out of Karl Gotch.

His idea of decks of cards training to maintain extreme conditioning was to do a full deck twice in a row. Doing this consistently with Hindu Push-ups, Hindu Squats, Jumpers & Half Moon Push-ups, it was painfully obvious that this was one of the reasons why the man didn't know the word tired or fatigued on the mat. He was just a beast and can hold his own with practically anyone. Gave this idea a shot with the Band.

The other day, I tested myself with the following exercises for the workout...

Chest Flys

Wave Pulls

Uppercut To Squats

Ski Jumps

Propellers

I really wanted to test myself with this and see what I can do. Did the workout doing a full deck twice in a row in under 45 min. (43:55 to be exact). It wasn't so much the difficulty of the exercises, it was to keep going while maintaining good breath control and focus. This was a total of 1000 reps which isn't always easy to do. The idea wasn't to tire myself out, it was to keep a good level of cardio while keeping the joints safe and the muscles worked to be stable for muscular endurance, durability, flexibility and lasting strength. 

That's the great thing about these bands, they don't strain the joints and can increase or decrease the level of resistance just by positioning how the band is stretched, the longer you stretch it, the harder it is. It's important to be at comfortable levels of resistance to not only work the muscles but not have it be so loose either that it doesn't do anything. Which is why I enjoy it so much.

I love maintaining my conditioning that it keeps things intact and don't need to go as hardcore but have the ability to keep going. The 500 Rep workouts give a variety of exercises to do so there's always something to do. At times I'll do Chest & Back stuff for the upper body, other times do the arms, for the legs I like to do squats and jumps so those can vary with the uppercut to squat combo and ski jumps to Hindu Squats and Jumpers where unlike swinging the arms, you're pulling the band slightly to smooth out the swing which takes a bit of focus and balance to be in control of the speed and rhythm. 

Full body workouts in a short amount of time is key. I'm not trying to keep up with these wrestlers who use them, I can't and there's no way I can maintain that level of intensity at 40 and not be injured. Got to go at your own pace and focus on what benefits you. Conditioning may be your greatest asset whether you're an athlete or not but it's important to keep your joints healthy as well in order to keep things flowing with the body. So nice, it's fun to do it twice.

Be amazingly awesome and as always don't forget to use my discount code to get 10% OFF your order with the bands using POWERANDMIGHT at checkout.   

Variety With The 500 Rep Dopa Band Deck Of Cards Workout

 That's quite a mouthful. Best thing I can come up with at the top of my head. Been killing it with the Deck Of Cards Workouts with the Dopa Band, working on exercises involving a push, pull, squat and jump exercises that can be done in a variety of ways. Most workouts is either a chest press or fly exercise, wave pulls, uppercut to squat combo and ski jumps. All are awesome to maintain conditioning and explosiveness but one workout I decided to give a go that actually got me more winded than usual but managed to do the deck.....

The two lower body exercises were the ones that were tricky cause I also had to control the swing of my arms as I squatted and jumping into a squat with the band. They were Hindu Squats & Hindu Jumping Squats variations that hit not only the legs but the shoulders as well. They were tough but I kept at it.

Workouts like these are some of the reasons I love conditioning and getting the most out of the simple things. That's also one of the many perks with the Dopa Bands, you can switch from one exercise to another in the blink of an eye and it doesn't take long to get your ass kicked in a fun way. It helps you find your creative side but will give you feedback if your technique is off. Fitness is about discovery and taking the very best to suit your goals. 

With the Deck Of Cards, it's never the same workout twice, you can do the same exercises but never do them in the same order. When you add variety or switch exercises around, it builds not just knowledge, but learning how to control your body and breathing in each workout. You're learning to expect the unexpected. With great focus and being in the moment, magic happens. Results will come when you at least expected, have more energy, lasting strength, better coordination and insane durability. 

Get your hands on these bands and harness the ability to enhance your own fitness or even get better at your sport, you have many options. Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it. Don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF. Who doesn't like saving a few bucks?

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.    

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. 

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

With some of the workouts I've done since healing up, it's a process of just getting back into things progressively and at a pace that I'm comfortable doing to get back at the speed that I normally can do. Not easy but it hasn't been so damn slow it barely feels like anything. 

I've done the Bear Crawl Sprint Workout (10 on, 20 off for 5 min.) twice now and so far that feels pretty good but may need to cut back on doing it every 3-4 days instead of around 2 days. The loaded carries and step up workouts are getting better; while I was recovering, I would do my 2x sandbell carry and 20 step ups for 10 minutes or just do step ups for 10-15 min instead of the normal 30. Yesterday, I went a full 30 min doing the carries and step up superset, that felt incredible along with some post workout stretching to keep up with maintenance. Today, I tried out my Deck Of Cards Leg Workout of Step Ups & Hindu Squats. Been quite a while since I've done that and just wanted to see what I can do. I didn't have any expectations of beating the deck, so I managed 280 Step Ups & 130 Hindu Squats. That's a huge start in my book and didn't think I'd get that far. Normally, I'll do up to 450-500 Step Ups & 225-250 Squats within the 30 min mark or just over completing the deck.

For those that think I'm lying, here's a video of completing 450 & 225 so I'm quite capable of doing this. 

It's a journey and forming a perspective on healing up and doing what's possible onward until you're 100% at your best. There are days where you may only do a little of something, others you just go nuts with the energy you have. It's also important to be aware however of what your body tells you and not to push further than you have to. It's not a sprint to get back at your strongest or even your best condition, it's a marathon and making sure you're doing the right things and being intuitive. Things will come back when they're ready, forcing it may come back to bite you in the ass. 

That DOC workout is no joke and it will condition your legs like crazy, it just takes little steps to get better at it and consistently beating the deck. That one workout doing 1000 Step Ups and 500 Hindu Squats within an hour made me humble that's for sure and only did that just the one time. As far as that goes, it's one of the most brutal leg workouts you can do and it's only two exercises. How does it go?

2-10 Each Leg or Set of Squats

Face Cards: 10 Each Leg or 10 Squats

Aces: 16 Each Leg or 16 Squats

Jokers: Superset of 25 Each Leg & 25 Squats

Full Deck is equivalent to 500 & 250 Total. You can double the deck to reach 1000 & 500 Respectively or go back and forth between two full decks (Double Decker). Either way, you're working your ass off and let the speed be natural and not try to break world records. If you can blast through it with ease, you might as well be Superhuman. Give it a go if you dare.

In all seriousness, be adaptable and let things flow naturally, some things you may pick up on quick, others take time so remember to take in the journey and you'll never know where you'll end up. Be bold but smart, don't try to break a record every workout, progressively add workload but on certain days go a little light depending on how your body responds and be respectful to the technique and the exercises themselves because if you don't, you'll not like what follows. Kill it and keep being amazingly awesome.

If you're interested in getting some bad ass decks of cards, check these out.

The Animal Deck Of Madness

A great workout is when you can play with certain exercises and make a little game out of them and making training more enjoyable while also getting the most out of your conditioning in a short period of time. Animal Exercises is one of those methods that really throws boredom out the window and into a world of imagination, playful movement and being free. 

When it comes to Deck Of Cards workouts; over the years I've done various types from doing Combat Conditioning Exercises, totaling 500 Hindu Squats, 1000 Step Ups, Ab Wheel/Step Ups duets and doing hundreds to a thousand reps or more with sledgehammer training. Some of these workouts go from 20 minutes to over an hour depending on what I'm doing. The 1000 Step Up Card workout lasted 50 minutes at my fastest. Some workouts are about speed but others were more precise and keeping form as best as possible and letting the speed come naturally. Some workouts required rest periods and others were straight through the deck where flipping the card was your only rest. You do what you like and make progress little by little.

When I came up with the animal movements for the cards, it naturally became a favorite. It was fast, quick and didn't require almost any rest and just go straight through. It consisted of 4 Animals: The Bear, The Crab, The Duck & The Chimp. At a good clip, it should take about 15 minutes or less to complete but don't forget, the faster you go, the more you need to be aware of your balance because if you move too quickly and the body doesn't line up, you can trip and fall on your face or ass. So although this workout requires speed and agility, it also requires a solid amount of balance and awareness. This was my morning workout today and finished the deck in 13:28. Got a great sweat going and feeling energetic plus the endorphin high just fucking rocks man. 

Here's how you number out the reps/steps to reach 500 (in this case for the animals)....

Hearts: Bear Crawls

Diamonds: Crab Walks

Spades: Duck Waddle

Clubs: Chimp Walk

2-10 Cards are as is.

Kings/Queens/Jacks Are 10

Aces Are 16

Jokers Are 50 Steps Of The Bear Crawl

All cards should lead up to 500 Reps/Steps. I learned this specific numbers game from an article that legendary catch wrestler Billy Robinson had said that he would do this with wrestlers from time to time on Hindu Squats because you can do 500 in various ways but with the cards, it's never the same order twice. 

This is an awesome workout that hits practically every muscle in the body and has awesome benefits for conditioning, continuous strength, balance, agility and cardio. Requires no equipment and if you're short on space, just move back and forth with the space you do have (for this particular workout, it's a lot more fun to do it out at a park or on a grassy area. Be wild, free and amazingly awesome.