It was time to toss out one apparatus and get an upgraded model. I've had my Chest Expander since about 2006-2007 and in that time, did many workouts, snapped a few bands here and there and built some solid strength with it. It has been wearing down recently and there was noticeable damage to it. I decided to get the updated model and see what I can do with it.
Got it yesterday and tested it out. It was so worth getting this fucker because the lock in mechanism kept the bands way more in tact and the handles are longer than the previous version. Because of the better features, it felt more comfortable to handle and I actually felt stronger doing the pulls. With the other expander, I could pull 140 lbs pretty well for 10 reps but start shaking a bit around the 8th rep, with this new one, 12 felt solid and a hell of a lot more stable.
I love Strand Pulling, it's one of my favorite methods for building strength and developing powerful shoulders. I've tested myself with various amounts of resistance and gotten pretty good around 150-160 lbs. and hit 200 with some exercises but not the gold standard ones like the Hands In Chest Pull. Strongman Kevin Wikse has legitimately pulled 220 lbs resistance in the chest pull. I wanted to see how far I've come and what I was capable of. I filmed a few exercises and they're up on youtube (there's a chest expander playlist I have on there). With the old model, I've now pulled 210 lbs Resistance in an exercise called the Hands Out Downward Pull Behind The Back which I managed 5 reps so that was awesome.
I wanted to take it to the next level and test my strength with the Gold Standard Pull Into The Chest at 210 lbs Resistance. This would put me 10 lbs shy of Kevin's Pull and he's one of the legit strongest men on this planet. I was nervous as hell but you never know until you do it and if you know the type of strength it takes to do this, you know this is not something to be taken lightly. I did and filmed it as proof so you won't just take my word for it. It was incredibly exciting and to put it in perspective, I didn't think in my 20's this was possible because I've seen strong dudes much better than me at this do this so for me it was a pipe dream. In my 30's, I figured it wasn't a priority and it wasn't going to be in the cards for me. At 40, maybe give this a chance, the chances of me pulling it off (pun intended) was not only slim but close to impossible in that specific exercise so what do I have to lose? This was one of the coolest moments in my life of Physical Culture and I hope I've honored those of the past in this method.
It's a different kind of strength compared to weights and bodyweight training for sure but if you look back on the history of this method of training from the Spring Loaders to the modern day of Resistance Bands, the Chest Expander has been used by some of the strongest and built men in that time from Earl Liederman to John Grimek, Lou Thesz and all the way up to guys like Kevin Wikse, Bud Jeffries, Jon Hinds and others. It is one of the best tools for building incredible strength in the upper body and can build some serious muscle that is functional for the real world, not just in the gym. Never underestimate something like this.
Give this bad ass piece of equipment a chance, you can take it anywhere because it's so light and small enough to fit in a bag to travel with. Switch to various exercises in seconds and adjust the bands easily. Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it you guys.
When you get an idea in your head and have something good going on, you might as well share it and see where it leads. For a while now in addition to my Dopa Band Workouts, I wanted to create a playlist on my YouTube to show some basic moves you can do with the Band. Some are a little more advanced and others are the basics with the volume turned up so do speak.
These bands are insanely fun to use and the creativity you can get from them are limitless. It doesn't matter if you're a wrestler, MMA Fighter, Fitness Nut or a bad ass Olympic Champion; Dopa Bands create a unique way to build strength and conditioning that not only lasts but enhances your energy levels, the way you move and the way you can have a better quality of life. That's why I created the playlist to showcase what you can do at least on a simpler level. Exercises you can start with and build a foundation on.
They're not just for building athleticism and fitness, they can be great for rehab/prehab, mobility training, flexibility, rotational work, loosening up muscles and a hell of a lot more. From time to time, I'll use them to loosen up my back and legs. My joints always feel amazing after training with them and because they're not time constricted, you can get in something great in as little as 5-10 minutes. If you wish to go longer, that's awesome, you get to decide what could work for you and take the amount of steps needed to get better and better.
Now, one of the perks of getting a band is that once you learn some of the exercises that can get you started, you can access even more tutorials from the DopamineO company themselves that will send your fitness into the stratosphere. Get your hands on workouts and exercises from World & Olympic Champions, MMA Tournament Winners, College Wrestlers and other Pro Athletes that will showcase their explosiveness, strength, power, speed, reactions and more that made them some of the very best on the planet. I can give you samples of things that can get you going and have some fun with, but when you learn from the cream of the crop, you'll find out what you're capable of and harnessing a new level of cardio that is just unbelievable.
One of my favorite exercises is the Squat & Row Combo which is very simple, take the band, Squat down, come back up and pull towards the rib cage. Nothing too complicated and works multiple muscle groups which can aid in conditioning training along with agility. I do this often in my own training doing either circuits or HIIT Workouts where I would do this for up to a minute or so with other exercises for a total of 15-30 minutes of a full workout. It's great as it can be used to train for wrestling working on the duck under and pulling your opponent in for the kill or it can be done to work on knee mobility and working the upper back muscles to build strength for rehabbing. There are so many things this exercise can do it's nuts yet it's so simple to do.
With practice, a good work ethic and utilizing your imagination, these bands will benefit you in ways that I can't even fathom and who knows what you'll be able to do. You can take them anywhere, even to the gym to use for rest periods, warm ups, cooldowns, finishers or part of your routine. You can bring them to the park like you'll see with some of the exercises in this playlist. Take them down to the Lake and work on some stuff before going swimming like the Propeller for example. It is a great companion for at home training or to travel with.
In this playlist there are more than a Dozen exercises at your disposal to get you started that range from working specific muscles to explosive training and combo moves. Grab a band today and start on the path to a new you and have a kick ass time. Don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order. You got this and keep being amazingly awesome.
Getting older can suck at times depending on how you live but it doesn't mean you can't build a better quality of life after a certain age. Some people believe they peaked in high school, others in their 20's and 30's but very few (more than past generations at least) believe you stop at 40 and just live it out the rest of your life. One of the greatest legends and one of the last of the oldtime strongmen Slim The Hammerman once said he didn't even peak at 40. He said between his years of 40-50, he felt like he was invincible and dangerous. That's a bold statement considering what he put himself through day after day working as a back breaking stone cutter with a 16 lb hammer and on top of performing the heaviest sledgehammers that to this day almost nobody can match.
Athletes as they age do tend to wind down after years of hard training in certain sports but it doesn't mean they should stop living. We keep driving to be better, make adjustments if we have to but train to keep our quality of life going. We won't always be able to do the same things when we were younger but we can create new possibilities and keeping our joints healthy is one of those steps to making that happen.
I knew going into being 40 that there are things that won't value my style of training but I can create new possibilities and keep testing things out and as it turns out, I'm doing things I wasn't doing in my 30's. Never imagined training hard with a heavy 100+ lb sandbag at 40 or carrying a kettlebell for hundreds or even 1000 yards or more without putting it down. One of the best pieces of equipment I love using and have been using it off and on for a year now is the Dopamineo Band. At first it was to help heal a sciatica injury, than it became something to do for conditioning and now it's basically to not only condition my body but to help keep my joints and muscles healthy. You've seen some of the workouts I do with that thing and it hasn't slowed me down.
The band is more than just a tool, it's a saver for those who are working around injuries, do drills in some format to keep up with what they did for wrestling or fighting back in the day or to maintain health and stamina after years on the field, the mat or whatever. It gives off that youthful feeling of having great energy, natural dopamine levels, better breathing and being more mobile. You can take it anywhere with you and use it as warm up, a finisher or as a stand alone in addition to your regular routine. It doesn't take long to do, you can get a killer workout in within 15-30 minutes and be spanked but in a good way. The cardio you get alone is often times better than just running on a treadmill, you can switch up exercises on a dime and never be bored. You can make it as tough or as easy as you want it and build a foundation for a better healthy body.
One of my favorite exercises is what's called the Chest Pull Wave or Creating Waves With A Pull In that works the arms, shoulders and back along with working the stability muscles in your core. It's a hell of an arm conditioner and with the intensity and pace to create waves consistently, it builds incredible stamina and lung power. Wrestlers do this as a finisher to keep up their conditioning or use as part of a post practice workout to make sure they have that extra boost for matches later on. From a fitness standpoint, it's a great way to build long term strength in the arms and build muscle in the core and back.
Being active in your later years is essential to maintain healthy levels of hormones, heart & lungs, serotonin and brain function. Intense exercise adds a great element to being in that active state but it doesn't mean you go so hard that you're dying at the end. Always have gas in the tank and progress little by little. I love Circuit Training and working with 5 exercises or so for 10 rounds with little to no rest so I don't waste time. I want to be done with a workout as soon as possible and on some days I'll do DDP Yoga for longer periods of time so I can maintain flexibility but with Circuits, it is intense, hard and there's no safety zone or net to save you.
One workout I did with the Dopa Band just a couple days ago or so, I did a HIIT type workout where I took 5 exercises for 1 minute on, 15 seconds off each and did that 4 times for a total of approx 25 min for the whole workout. It was brutal, sweating like crazy and felt a high that was amazing. Never did that level of intense training before and there were times where I wanted to quit but kept going. It's not an everyday thing but going that hard and still having some energy left is just beautiful man. That's one of the very best things about this style of Band Training, you can mimic just about any machine in the gym or work on drills for sparring to keep your stamina up or even use it in addition to your current routine and use it for rest periods between sets for your gym exercises.
The sky is the limit, be creative and utilize simple techniques so you can get the most out of a workout. When you get a band, you can gain access to a variety of videos and tutorials to give you insights on how you can use the band to your advantage. The band is made for those in certain weight classes like in MMA so you can get the benefit of training with something meant just for you and your goals. Become more mobile, build strength that lasts and have the stamina of someone in their 20's. Workout at home, the park, in a hotel room, at the beach, on break at work, on vacation or wherever. Make it work for you.
As a token of my gratitude as you took the time to read this, if you're interested in purchasing a band or a bundle, I have a discount code you can use that saves you a few bucks or more off the regular price for them. At the checkout punch in the code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF. There's bands made for kids, there's bundles you can find for Group Classes, MMA Programs, High School/Youth/College Wrestling Programs, A Family Bundle for you, the wife and kids so you can all get fit together and more. Keep the quality of life alive and get the most out of your training so you can still do amazing things for many years to come.
Have an amazingly awesome day and keep killing it.
The amount of info and equipment used for certain methods can be overwhelming and trying to find a good routine or type of workout to keep things in tact isn't always easy. Quite frankly, it's not meant to be easy. It doesn't however, need to be complicated. Some people think you need the gym as if it's the only option out there to get healthy and fit. Some even think that you need to train for X amount of time to get Y results. The truth is, you don't need a building to go do something unless that's a goal of yours or just want to utilize what can be beneficial to you.
Sometimes it makes my head want to explode with the crazy shit influencers these days try to "promote" and although some are very creative, many just don't fucking get it or want to make someone feel like if they don't do it their way, you might as well jump off a cliff. We have the same 24 hours like everybody else but we don't live the same lifestyle or utilize the time we need in order to be efficient. If you make time for the gym and have a consistent routine with that, that's awesome and want you to continue that but you don't need to tell people "If I can do this, so can you", that's not always how life works.
When it comes to Athletes, it's very specific because they train for purposes that aren't meant for everyday people nor are they on the same level. You're not going to see a high school or college football player train the same way as a 60 year old man who hasn't trained in decades and is just getting back into it. You're not going to see a 50 year old that's jacked train the same way as a 21 year old Olympian. We all train according to what our bodies can do at the given time whether starting out or been around the block longer than John Cena has been in the WWE. The idea is to train with intent and getting the most out of what is useful and with the time we are able to use.
One of the perks of Dopamineo Bands is that they can be used either by Athletes or Everyday People who could use a boost to keep things in check. You can use just about anywhere, even the gym. You don't need to follow the same rules as many influencers try to put on you like "you need to do this for that" or "you have to work out for an hour or more that includes cardio and weights", you can learn exercises and routines that don't take up a ton of time and can get results. Athletes need to train in order to become better at their sport and formulate methods with or without a coach that ensures they're prepared for upcoming fights, games and practices. For others, it can be a leisurely thing where they can get something going and be able to tackle their day with vitality and energetic entities. It could also be for maintaining health and wellness while also keeping up with or developing better attributes to sustain quality of life. That's what the beauty of the Dopa Bands provides.
These bands may have been inspired by wrestlers and other combat sports but they also bring something much more; an idea that you can have an incredible physique and great levels of fitness by training only minutes a day, you don't need an hour unless that's what you choose to do. Pick a few exercises and have at it. Hell most of my workouts with them aren't more than 20 minutes on average and always feel like I can take on the day. If I wanted to go longer, I have that option and that's the point, you have options. The bands are fun to use and have so many exercises to choose from it's crazy but you only need to do a few to get yourself going. The exercise library is expanding and the types of routines you can find or create on your own is another perk. The bands can be used in many ways from learning certain techniques without a partner to basic exercises you normally would use in a gym. Some use them everyday, some only a few times a week. You can use them as a stand alone, as a warm up, cool down or even in between sets with your regular routine. Many athletes use them to warm up to get themselves ready for the hard training ahead but also quite a number use them at the end of a practice to get extra conditioning in so they have an advantage over the competition.
I've written about using them for Circuit Training and/or HIIT Workouts because they're a favorite and get to move in all sorts or directions. Make them work for you and be sure to learn the techniques for the exercises cause there are right ways and wrong ways to do them. Another perk is being able to do them on your days off of your regular gym routine where they can be used as a recovery tool to keep muscles loose and stretched. They are unique and they pack a punch but they get the job done and turn into a fitness beast.
Get more bang for your buck by using my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get a cool percentage off your order. Let's get fit together and have a kick ass time with bands that even some of the very best Olympic Caliber athletes use.
Wrestling has been a great test of man's physical and mental abilities for eons. From the time of ancient tribes to competitive sport at the highest levels, it tests your will and your ability to do things you didn't know were possible. Many exercise systems are inspired by wrestling and all its forms. When it comes to systems like the Dopamineo Bands, it can take on a life of its own especially when it goes beyond the realm of a workout for a wrestler or fighter.
You don't have to be a wrestler or in MMA to get the benefit of these bands, they can be just as effective for workouts that get you in fantastic condition that also saves you time and is healthy on the joints. In most cases, a workout within 10-20 minutes is more than enough for most people and when you can do that on average of 3x a week, you're getting more done than the general population. Most of my workouts with my band don't go more than a half hour and on average is roughly 15-20 minutes. My objective is to rest as little to almost zero during the entire workout because I want to not just keep my cardio up but at the same time keep the intensity as best as it can go or as high as it can be without needing a break.
Some people especially in the beginning would need to recover cause the exercises can be intense as hell and it's important to be as efficient as possible when you train. You're working muscles you normally don't use and with the combos you can use, it brings your heart rate up at a good clip. Start out learning the techniques and as time goes on, you gradually increase speed and intensity. Do you have to go hard all the time? No, you don't need to set a record every workout, the real objective is to progressively increase the capacity of your body's abilities without getting injured or tired. I always believe that you should have gas left in the tank after a workout. If you go too hard, it's going to take longer to recover.
Karl Gotch once said "Conditioning is your greatest hold" and that holds true not just in wrestling but in life as well. When you can develop a level of conditioning where getting tired is barely a concept or even the possibility, you're going to find out that being able to do things when it counts the most can be either very small or a major moment in your life is worth having. Intense training is not just what you think you're capable of, it's the measurement for what you may need when the time comes when it will be needed the most. That's what makes the Dopa Bands so incredible, it can do things for you that you may not understand now but with practice and time, you'll start to understand why they're crucial to your development and quality of life.
It doesn't matter if you're 6 years old or over 60, the Dopa Bands can do wonders for your body that can create amazing results and develop abilities that are critical and important in life. From just having fun and learning the exercises to developing joint health and muscular strength & endurance for performance and overall physical fitness goes a long way. Make them work for you but also treat it with respect. Let it help you find the right ways to get in bad ass shape but also learn to control yourself so you don't get sloppy and hurt. It's a tool like anything else, treat it right, it will do wonders. Treat it badly, it will bite back so be wise and learn.
As always, don't forget to use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order whether its for one band or a bundle for your friends/family, school, athletic program or personal training. Be amazingly awesome and get your hands on one of the coolest systems on the market today.
It's a fact that Wrestlers & Fighters are a different breed. In all fairness, they're some of the most conditioned athletes in the world, they do things in training that would make the average person puke their guts out. Personality wise, like anybody else there are assholes and good people in the sport but at the end of the day, you have to respect the craft and what they go through to be the best in their field.
In my last article, I wrote that when it comes to the Dopamineo Bands, Wrestlers & Fighters use them as a post practice workout to amplify their conditioning. That's what separates them from good fighters to insanely tireless superhumans. It's already crazy enough that these athletes are practically superhuman as it is but to keep going after brutalizing their bodies on drills, sparring, calisthenics and weights to do an extra 15+ minutes with a band that can be deceiving looking but is an ass kicker is just unfathomable to comprehend.
The Dopa Bands are based on the Russian method of using bands to enhance the drills in wrestling in order to perfect and continually train the muscles and reflexes to shoot quicker and have faster results in takedown technique, shadow wrestling, locking up and moving the opponent and other things. Today, the same concept applies but can also be used for other fitness related endeavors to help others get in shape in a short amount of time with watered down exercises and drills that anyone can work on. If its still done today, its incredible but one of the most time tested methods in wrestling to condition an athlete is to have a wrestler take on several other wrestlers one at a time for 5 minutes each for up to an hour or longer to get a feel for how each wrestler moves differently and changing up tactics in beating them. In India, this would go on for hours with various wrestlers.
Can you imagine doing this method and then go and do a workout with the Dopa Bands, that's purely psychotic. Now you want to talk about a what if...When Kurt Angle did a session with the University Of Iowa, Coach Gable had his guys do just one match but the periods were 10x the usual amount in an official NCAA contest so instead of 3 min and then 2-2 min periods, they were 30, 20, & 20. If anybody knows the type of conditioning those guys did, you know they were the very best for a reason. Kurt's training for the Olympics is the stuff of legends. Now what if you added something like the Dopa Bands into the mix with a workout like that? This would kill somebody if they're not in shape and if you were in shape, you may still be afraid because training in this manner throws a lot of logical ideas out the window.
Karl Gotch has said that "Conditioning is your greatest hold" and it's true. Being in condition in any sport or in life can make a huge difference in how you win or lose. This is where the Dopa Bands are crucial because despite certain things you may see, they're extremely effective in how you train the body to be prepared for what life throws at you. They're tough as hell and workouts can be very intense even if its for 20 minutes, they'll have you testing your mental toughness and your physical abilities. I've written what kind of workouts I do and although they're basic exercises, they kick my ass which is what I want and test my cardio because I do do my best to not rest very much and be effective in whatever else I do when opportunities arise.
Get your hands on these bands and get an idea of what wrestlers and fights use to make themselves the best possible. You don't have to be a wrestler to get the benefit from them, they can be done in a variety of ways; slow, fast, methodical and/or as intense as you want but at the same time it's important to respect these bands and use them to your advantage in your fitness journey. Get the right band for you and make the most of it, learning the exercises in the video library when you order or learn some on Youtube to get an idea of what you're getting into. Get 10% OFF your order when you use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Be amazingly awesome and stay healthy.
Workouts are short but they get the job done. Whether it be circuits are HIIT style training, the Dopa Band is a hell of a piece of equipment that any athlete would love to have in his arsenal. Although there are advanced movements especially if you're an aspiring wrestler or fighter, sticking to the basics always works best. Some of these guys mimic drills in wrestling practice to embed the skill sets into their brains for fights or matches on the mat whether it be for Division 1 Tournaments, World Level or Olympic Level.
The basics however seem to create more of a stride and keep your conditioning in tact while also keeping the joints healthy. Some of the exercises are as follows....
Chest Press
Rows
Alternating Side Pulls
Squats
Lunges
Curls
Overhead Triceps Extensions
Ski Jumps
Jumping Jacks
Waves (Two-Handed or Alternating)
Sprints
That's more than enough for most people and you can switch them up and use them however you see fit. There are youtube videos that demonstrate all of these and more which give you an idea on how simple yet challenging you can make them. You can do certain combinations of them like a 2 in 1 type movement for example the Chest Press & Squat combo that works both the upper and lower body so you don't have to sets and reps of one or the other.
I prefer to keep the reps at a minimum of 10-20 reps in a circuit of 5-6 exercises and time myself to see how fast I can get 10 rounds in, depending on the adjustment and focusing on the right order and not skip one or the other accidently because at times you get so into it that your mind goes to a different place. I also focus on keeping form at best as possible because if you're sloppy, the band will let you know about it and it won't be pleasant so keep at a pace where you can keep going but you're in control the whole time, never let the band control you.
The basics are always ideal and they're the backbone for your conditioning, coordination, speed and durability. You can do HIIT type training, I've done it a time or two keeping at a clip of a few rounds of an exercise for 30 on, 15 off. Just a few exercises with that protocol and you can get in a great workout that can be really intense for 15-20 minutes and then be spent.
The mere fact that top wrestlers use these bands at a very high level AFTER their practice, not before or during and those wrestling workouts are some of the craziest in the world. Imagine how insane you'd have to be to go that hard and then work with a band for an extra 15-20 minutes. You're looking at superhuman athletes with a hint of cookoo for coco puffs in order to become the very best. To the average person looking in on that, you would hurt just by looking but if you took that mentality and just put it towards the bands not the wrestling practices, you may understand the idea to get in awesome shape in the shortest amount of time.
Just working the bands alone can be tough, so learn how to wisely utilize your fitness level to how you work the bands. Some days for me they're fairly easy to get through depending on how I'm feeling that day but other days, it's so intense that I don't even know how I pulled it off. That doesn't mean they're a chore and you HAVE to go so hard, just playing with them and getting into a rhythm can feel easy yet look like you're killing yourself to an outsider.
Grab a band or a set of bands for you and friends/family who love to work out and have fun with them. There are special deals you can find at Dopamineo that have family bundles, bands for kids, team bundles, bands for female athletes, groups in mma schools or personal training and more. As a bonus, no matter what deal you find, you can get an extra 10% OFF of that when you use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT. Even right now, even with my discount, you can get a deal on getting 2 extra bands and a carry bag for FREE. Be amazingly awesome and keep up with your journey and hit your goals with a vengeance.
How many times have we heard that in the Fast & The Furious Franchise? Probably more times than we care to count. But nonetheless, it is a good notion to have in your mindset. You don't always have to be related to someone to consider family, it could a best friend or a great group of people in your life. If you happen to be related, it can be a toss up to being a bonus or not depending on how you grew up or and were around.
Family is important after all, especially if you want to set an example for kids whether they're your own or grandkids, nieces/nephews, much younger cousins or whatever. Having good habits especially when it comes to fitness and health goes a long way. Training is not always about looking good, as a matter of fact, looking good in most cases is secondary in comparison to being in shape for the things that really matter. From being able to play with the kids, to having fun with your wife/husband in your later years along with making the most of what's possible to be in good condition for those tough days and using exercise as an outlet for getting shit out of your system.
One of the great things about the Dopamineo Bands is that they're not just for adults, but for young kids as well, especially when they have all that energy to burn and not getting them hopped up on soda and candy. If you got a kid that is into sports or needs a good program to use that energy as an outlet, the bands can be extremely beneficial. When you workout as a family, it can build strong bonds and encouraging each other with friendly competition or being together and doing something productive, hands on and build healthy relationships.
Dad's struggle at times to be in shape because in a lot of cases, they work hard and do what they can to make a living supporting their family. The bands can be a great system for dads because when they can stay in shape, they have that energy to be with with the wife or husband and their kids and keep up with demands. For moms, whether they're a stay at home type or a career woman or whatever, the bands can have a profound impact on their health and well being along with being able to have that drive and strength to tackle many obstacles they face in their lives.
Training using the bands can also be a tribute to building mental health and strength because having a family isn't easy and you always want the best for those little ones to become strong and resilient as they grow. Fitness is about coming together and making choices that affect everyone later on or even now. Grab the Family Bundle at Dopamineo to kickstart the habit of training together to grow together. At a 15% Discount, you get the Fly, Feather, Light & Stretch bands. Want to save even more? Add in my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get an extra 10% OFF; that's a huge 25% Discount for your family to start training and getting into the habit. If dad is a little bigger than the light bands, you can grab a PAIR of the middle and heavy bands if needed. You have options for you and your loved ones to get in awesome shape together and being a team to develop healthy bodies and minds. You can always create a bundle here as well to grab what you need.
Invest in yourself and your family, be a part of the journey that builds strong individuals and groups of people together. We all deserve to be in peak physical condition and have great mental health. This is one way to help you get there.
One of those exercise combos that comes along that is interesting and tricky at first to try out can become a great move to add to the arsenal. You don't need to do a ton of them to get the benefits but just to practice it and learn the mechanics has perks in itself. One of them is the Uppercut To Squat Combo using the Dopamineo Band.
When I first learned this move, it wasn't easy to pick up on and the coordination with the movement of the arms and the band working with you can be stingy but I wanted to learn it since it's one of the staple movements with that system of exercise and physical fitness. I've seen wrestlers, Judo players and boxers do it and the effortlessness is unbelievable. For wrestlers, it's to utilize a blocking technique or part of pummeling which is a basic practice for wrestling drills.
The way to do it is to uppercut the arms like in boxing but at the same time, coordinate to underhook the band so it lands on the triceps and going around the armpit area. Weird I know but if you start slow with the pull and then up and over with the elbows, it can rub on the body but you get used to it to the point where with speed and technique, you'll barely even feel it. Add in the Squat and you got yourself a hell of a conditioning exercise.
After getting used to it, I did a couple workouts where I added it in and either did 100 total reps or utilize a 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off for 4 rounds protocol I use for other exercises to work on my stamina. It's a pretty fun move once you get the hang of it. The objective isn't to stretch the band out to its peak and do it, that's not the point of the exercise to formulate strength and to use ego to see how strong you are with the band, it's about explosiveness, coordination and relaxing the move itself without making the band so loose that you can't do anything with it. The real objective is to pull enough to keep it firm but not to have it so tight that you can't wrap the arms around effectively. With the squat, that's just part of the process with a basic outlook.
Those that practice it for drills are incredibly fast and just explosive with such power that it gives you an idea not to fuck with athletes of this caliber. You can learn more about the exercise from the guys at Dopamineo and on their instagram there are tons of clips. Below is a video I made, demoing my best version of it. It's a hell of an exercise and doing it enough times in a row will get your heart rate up and work you like crazy. Doing 10 is a good start, once you start hitting 25 or more gearing up to triple digits either in a row or total, you got a great workout.
Don't forget to put in my discount code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order of these bands. Get one for yourself and/or friends, family. There are extra discounts when you create a custom bundle that would be great for those who want to train athletes in MMA Schools, Youth Programs, Group Classes, Wrestling Practice, BJJ Drilling, Boxing Techniques, Conditioning For Competition and all sorts of stuff. There are bands that work well for young kids too as young as 6 years old. Kick ass and keep being amazingly awesome.
The TNT Cables from Lifeline Fitness have been one of my favorite tools of resistance band training for years. Off and on, I kept the exercises simple and basic. Hell of a traveling apparatus as well since you can fit the handles and the cables inside your duffle bag. With the door attachment, there are many exercises you can do just like you may do in a gym. Very versatile and a great idea for training.
Every once in a while, I'd like to spice things with them and attach my Fat Gripz to the handles to simulate Thick Bar Training. Usually just keep to about 4 Exercises (Curls, Pulldowns, Rows & Chest Presses) and do one arm or two arm versions of those exercises. For a period, I would have a set number of reps and work with that and use heavy resistance (around 100-200+ lbs of resistance) depending on the exercise I do. Lately, I've gotten back into that kind of training; the exercises stay the same but the set/rep scheme has changed. I would do just one set of the exercises but do enough reps where it's a challenge but I'm not going to failure. I try to keep it around enough reps where I have at best 2-3 left in me but make that enough to stop.
This has been a very good workout to work my grip strength and achieve greater muscle activation in the exercises. With this type of training, it's important to not focus so much on speed or resting very little which in most of my workouts is a focus. This is meant to focus more on technique, hitting the muscles hard and resting as long as needed for the next exercise. It's purely more about strength than anything else. For the rest period, I'd say give it 1-5 min depending on how the set goes but that's just an idea, take as much time as you need to feel ready, have the mindset that when you go into the next exercise, you go with a vengeance. Don't hurt yourself and sure as hell don't try to break records or anything, it's not ego lifting.
You can use the Fat Gripz on your dumbbells, barbells and machines to enhance your exercise. Don't try to do so many exercises for so many sets and reps, focus your attention to simplistic exercises as best as possible and keep the amount of exercises short. The old timers knew this very well and had great success because of methods like this. If you're really ambitious, work up to the Fat Gripz Extreme which is close to 3 inches in circumference, this will test you big time. I've only done the Extreme a handful of times ever but I made it count and they're to be respected. Build strong hands for a strong body.
Thick Bar or Handle Training is no joke and you won't do as many reps as you normally would, it cuts the reps to about from what I understand to 1/3rd of what you would normally do so if you could say Bench 315 for 10 reps with an olympic bar, with these Gripz (especially the extreme) the reps would be no more than maybe 3, 4 max so that should tell you how tough these bastards are. I like them because I don't have to spend a ton of time training and don't do as many reps because I want to dig into the muscles hard and get stronger. How often would you work with the Gripz? With consistency, probably no more than twice a week, if you're an advanced trainee that is geared toward pro ranks, maybe 3-4 times a week but that's pushing it. For beginners, if you decide to go that route, start with once a week or every 10 days because these are crazy to work with.
Train with intent, listen to your body and make every workout count to take those steps towards your goals. Be amazingly awesome everyone.
For decades, Resistance Bands have been a part of workout regimens for many people from Weekend Warriors to World-Class athletes. The big reason? They're pretty easy to use, about as versatile as you can get and very effective in developing muscle while also conditioning the body. Regardless of your fitness level, bands such as Chest Expanders & Dopamineo Bands are awesome for working the muscles that other pieces of equipment aren't always able to touch.
The simplicity however is not to be underestimated. There's a great way to use bands to get their muscle-building benefit. Let's go over a few tips to help you out....
Depending on the type of band you get, the amount of force to stretch the band will work the muscles like with Free Weights or Machines. Now, the latter two uses the same weight in every direction you work with but with bands, the big difference is the more you stretch it, the heavier it goes. It will literally fight you to prevent you from stretching it.
For the muscle building effects, there was a study done in 2019 that shows similar strength gains that conventional gym equipment provided. Bands may not look like much but they can strengthen the body and build a more natural physique. In a lot of ways, bands create greater tension on the muscles and are able to work them longer during certain movements.
Although bands are incredible for rehab and strengthening the body to work through injuries, they've also become a great deal to those who practice certain sports even such as bodybuilding to condition the body in a capacity where they don't have to rely on big equipment to get the job done, they can do it at a park, in a hotel room, at the beach, in their backyards and many other places. For the Dopamineo Bands, these are extremely effective in getting in serious condition just about anywhere and can be used for a variety of ways and also because of the elasticity, has a longer life span than most bands out there today.
Bands are incredibly adaptable because even with a shift change in a movement, you can make it harder or easier. Some bands you can be very explosive with but with others, you can make them slow as well and have almost an isometric component to it. Whether shortening or lengthening a band, the resistance can be tough as hell or have you working in a greater capacity such as cardio type training. Like I said above with being able to train just about about anywhere, that's because the majority of bands are extremely portable, meaning you can stuff them into a duffle bag or suitcase and be able to travel with them. Hell if you want to get a micro workout in at the airport you can (I would recommend shorter bands because I don't think you want to be sprinting or doing longer distant exercises towards people using a Dopa Band). Besides, bands are better at getting past security than a kettlebell or barbell ever will.
When it comes to cost, bands are perfect for those on a budget and depending on the type you get, you can basically put an entire gym into a carrying sack. I've got my Dopa Band and TNT Cables in one bag that weighs less than a couple pounds and able to carry and travel with. Some bands are more expensive than others but when it comes to the comparison of a machine or a set of dumbbells, its a fraction of the cost.
For the final tip, it's important to stay focused on the technique. No matter what band you use, don't ever get so sloppy that you're going to end up hurting yourself. The great thing about this is, bands force you to utilize technique in order for an exercise to be effective. They help keep your posture in line otherwise the band won't move as much or will snap back at you. They're a hell of a coach in that regard. It's also important to not put so much tension on a band because you want to be able to move as smoothly and with precision as possible to have an effective workout. With the Dopa Band, it can stretch a great deal but it's not about just stretching it, it's about working with the resistance at a level that you can do well even if it's challenging. If you screw up, the band will let you know so pay attention.
So are they that effective. I've been using them for way longer than a decade and have used them to heal injuries. You read about how the Dopa Band helped me get over my sciatica? If not, go find that article and see for yourself. Bands are top notch when it comes to training with minimal equipment and working with your body in ways bodyweight and other forms of equipment can't match. Don't forget to use my 10% OFF Discount on Dopa Bands when you enter POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Have fun and enjoy the journey.
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.
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.
If the Dark Knight trains in Martial Arts, Combat, Bodyweight, Weights here and there, I would imagine he would hit a band or two. There's a quote out there somewhere that says Batman never skips leg day which I always found funny because it's true. He might as well be the first Superhero to "practice" Parkour cause of all the jumping and running in between buildings chasing and catching baddies.
Resistance Bands have been around a long time and there's always innovative stuff coming around like the X3 Bands for example and of course the Lifeline Bands such as the TNT cables but when it comes to longevity and having a hard time breaking or snapping, it seems that the latest style of cables called Dopamineo have stood head and shoulders above the rest. Maybe they're just regular bands for wrestlers to some but for guys like me who's always researching and learning, these bands are legit. Ever since I got them, I've trained solid on them and it has only been a few workouts.
From day 1, I tried many exercises, some I learned on the website and youtube and others I tried on my own like Crab Walks, Gorilla Jumps, Hindu Jumpers and others. This band is just so much fun to work with and getting the most out of a workout in a short amount of time. The last workout was the other day doing Sprints, Hindu Push-ups, Frog Jumps, Hindu Jumpers, Crab Walks, Gorilla Jumps and a couple more. I would go until I hit a certain number of reps or until I got out of breath, rest and repeat a set or two. The workouts aren't long and I feel high as a kite afterwards along with getting stronger again.
I had filmed doing about three exercises or so wearing my Batman shirt and using Batman Music to have a little fun with it and noticed something; even a couple months ago, that shirt was ok to wear but my stomach would pop out every now and then and felt a little tight, since I lost the weight, it felt comfortable and not as tight. I guess losing weight because of no appetite does have its perks LOL. In all fairness, I don't wish that on anyone because when you've been in that much pain and it consumes you at times, it's not an ideal way to lose weight. I' am healing and I don't feel pain in that area anymore, just annoyance and keeping up with maintenance. Hell I did a full Isometric Workout yesterday for the first time in over a month and I'm glad I did. I couldn't do Isometrics the way I wanted to when this whole thing with me was going on and I needed to test myself.
The Dopa Bands have been a godsend in getting my body back into shape even in the first few workouts. Each workout, the pain levels kept going down and my stress was going down as well because of the endorphin high and lessening the Heat and Ice afterwards. I'm probably about 85-90% healed now and just need to pay attention to the discomfort levels and slowly build up my speed and strength. Like I said no pain but I also don't want to be pushing so hard something might flare up again so I'm gradually getting stronger and training my legs and back building those nerves and retraining those muscles. If you've read this blog long enough, you know that I'm very stubborn and rehabbing myself has worked for me.
It's not much longer before I'm at full capacity and devouring my workouts hard again. I may look like I'm going hard but I'm not and it's not my best but that's just part of the process and being smarter about workouts and listening to my body more. This is my life and I want to continue making the best of it when it comes to fitness and avoid injuries for as long as I can. This has been the worst injury I've had in years and in a span of 5 months, I got seriously hurt twice. I've had minor aches and pains that easily were manageable and healed quickly and hurt my back back in 2017 which has since healed, but never this bad in that short span of time in the last 18+ years that I've been training everyday. It is a wake up call I'm not going to lie.
Train to the best of your abilities but within reason and be mindful of what you can do. We're not going to be training the way we did in our 20's and think we are so damn invincible that injuries never happen, they do and we can't 100% avoid them, we can however keep them at bay for as far in between as we can. I hate it that people are in pain all the time or just accept it, living with pain especially if it's excruciating for years on end is no way to live. In some cases, certain aspects of pain is inevitable but it's manageable and you can be comfortable. The idea is to live pain-free as much as possible and getting great quality out of life instead of quantifying the days until you're ready to die. Be mindful and do what's possible along with being amazingly awesome.
Don't forget that you can get these bands at a discounted price when you use my code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Get a bundle pack of bands and find even more discounted stuff. Get them for group classes, your MMA Gym or wrestling room for your High School or College Athletes. Wrestlers in the world championships right now that are winning matches uses some of these very same bands. Go kill it.
Yesterday, my new DopamineO cables came in and the excitement I had was probably indescribable. Heard a lot of good things about these things and just got the urge to tear the bag a part to get to them. The hook up was a little tricky because I'm not use to tying knots with cables. Once I figured it out (or the best way I tried), I just went at it but not so explosive I might hurt myself. I modified a few things and it turned into a hell of a workout that had me sweating and breathing hard like a maniac. These things are the real deal and the fact that wrestlers make these look easy goes to show they're the best and most conditioned athletes in the world.
Bear Crawls, Downward Thrusts, Punches, Sprints, Curls, Tricep Extensions, Lunges, Backwards Sprints and a few others just to see what's possible. I didn't feel pain and everything felt great. Had a huge endorphin high and the energy was there. This is now the hardest workout I put myself though since this fucking thing started and the first time not feeling pain while going nearly full out the best that I could. I'll take it as a sign things are getting better and my body is reacting well to the training again.
I stumbled upon these a month or two ago and just thought they looked cool because these wrestlers from Russia were just killing it. The more I looked into it, the more it made me want to snatch one up. I got what they recommended for people at over 205 lbs (or a heavyweight athlete) and learn something new for me. Day 1 and I'm in love with this band. Once you get the hang of it, you learn to be explosive and challenge your body in ways that typical bands can't hit. You literally feel like you can take on challenges you didn't know existed. I wrote this before that I know I'll never even remotely come close to what these elite guys can do with this thing but damn sure I'll make the best of what's possible and use it to not only condition my body but amplify what I've already done. Training with this band was brutal but it was fun and it gave me a hell of an opportunity to get better and find new abilities to develop.
Take your workouts to another level and don't be afraid of the intensity. If it starts to feel heavy whether in the beginning, middle or towards the end of a workout, lighten the load by going in closer and keep going. This is the type of training where it gives you short enough workouts that are so intense, you won't get tired doing other things or at least have a stronger sense of stamina and endurance.
To make this special for you guys, I now have an opportunity to give you all a bad ass discount that you can use. Whether you just want to get in shape, want some bands for your martial arts school, High School, Collegiate or do group workouts with clients this can save you some solid dough. Enter POWERANDMIGHT at checkout for a 10% Discount on any of the products on the site and save even more when you can snatch up bundles.
Keep being amazingly awesome and find new ways to train.
Very grateful this thing is almost over and making up some lost time on training and other things. I'm walking way more now without pain; putting my headphones on listening to bad ass metal and going for 15-20 minute walks to ease back into it. Working on various flows of animal movement at a steady pace (using exercises from Movement 20XX) especially for my legs like last night which felt great and slept a little better but it still needs improvement. Things are definitely looking up.
While researching some new ways to train, I came across these bands from this company called Dopamineo which is based on the west coast I think that these two phenomenal wrestlers started. They took the concept of bands that have been used by Russian wrestlers for decades and developed bands that lasted longer, have a greater stretch and takes the format to another level. Although the bands are more used for wrestling (Folkstyle, Freestyle, Greco-Roman), these can be used for many other sports and MMA style training. The size of the bands (or how they're stretched) utilizes a weight-class formula to determine which set is best. I ordered the heavyweight cable which is for athletes or people over 205 lbs.
I know I can never even remotely do what these bad ass athletes can do with these things but I took a chance on them and want to see what I can do for maintenance training and eventually get back to strength and conditioning. They should arrive tomorrow or at max another couple days so I'm excited to test this fucker out. The videos I've seen these men and women do are insane and take training to a different level, hell one demo clip showed three wrestlers on their rest day and even the exercises they were using were explosive, powerful, fast and incredible to watch. If that's a rest day than I wouldn't want to mess with these guys even at their most vulnerable, the conditioning is just out there.
I've always admired wrestlers and their style of training from Frank Gotch to guys like Jordan Burroughs and Cain Velasquez. I went out for wrestling in high school but it didn't pan out for me and to this day I wished something was better to make me keep doing it. BTW, in that same room training, a future MMA Fighter was cut above the rest and was one of the go to guys on that team and that was Luke Rockhold. Even back then, he was awesome, I wish I got to know him more. Over the years, I learned about many wrestlers and watching guys like Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle were favorites but researching guys like Lou Thesz, Frank Gotch, George Hackenshmidt, Alexander Karelin, Ad Santel, Farmer Burns, Dan Gable, Karl Gotch and many more made me understand the true aspect of history and what it took for those guys to still be mentioned either long after they were gone or retired from the mat.
Cables has been a part of my training for more than 15 years using mainly lifeline cables such as the Chest Expander, TNT Cables, Portable Power Jumper and a few others. They've helped immensely in keeping me in shape. I've rarely ever used cables outside of Lifeline's because that's all I really knew when it came to that kind of training. I've seen cables other athletes used and seeing skits of Lesnar training for his Summer Slam match with the Rock way 20+ years ago but never ventured out on other styles of cable training until now so this should be interesting. Always looking to evolve and gain knowledge so this specific cable is going to be fun to use.
Because of this recent weight loss, it's going to be different in the way I train. I'm not going to be as explosive yet and hell I have some strength and conditioning to make up for so working with this cable methodically and at a pace that gives me a foundation isn't going to be easy but sure as shit is going to make things physical and test me in a different light. Am I nervous about this thing? A little but if I'm going to get strong again, adding this will be awesome. Hell, I wish I found this years ago when I was in BJJ or just doing my conditioning training but hey, it's time to slowly get back to being me again and maybe, just maybe be even fitter and better conditioned than before. I did say that when I turn 40 that I want to be in the best shape of my life and this is another tool to get me there.
Time to crank up the volume and get my ass kicked by an object that weighs less than a couple pounds used by some of the very best athletes on the planet. Keep at it everyone and never stop being amazingly awesome.
