Push-Ups? Who The Hell Needs Them? Just Use The Dopa Band

Some may even say the other way around but truly, who cares? Now that we got that out of the way, Certain aspects of training is different for everybody. If you took 100 people in a group and put them through the same regimen, the same exercises, the same order, the same amount of time and the same rep and set scheme, what would happen? Will they all have the same exact results? No, some may have very few changes while others have exceptional results. 

Expecting people to have the same results or better yet, think they can follow the same protocols or they're a loser and didn't do it right is a downfall for any influencer or fitness author. It's really about adaptability, finding ways to be challenged yet still have the enthusiasm to continue their journey. Remember that show The Biggest Loser? Where they took people who were morbidly obese and put them on programs that were meant for people on a near elite level of professionals? Sure they lost weight, a bunch actually but what happened was the aftermath. Many of them had complications and even gained back not just all the weight but added on. How that show lasted as long as it did boggles the fuck out of me.

We all have our own journey, our own lives and our own ways of juggling things in order to better ourselves. Some don't always make it through and other others can do things they never imagined being able to do. Some "influencers" are so desperate and dogmatic about their perfect programs that they forget how to be human to other people. They act like leaders of a cult that their way is the only way and if you're not a part of it, you're the problem and it's your fault for being a part of this perfect world of fitness. It's all bullshit.

There are programs that people aren't meant to do and not because of the program itself, mainly some don't have the time, the level it requires and at times they're injured and can't make the prerequisites. It's not the end of the world. Hell, there are those out there who expect others to drink 10 liters of water a day because it'll make them better health wise. Do the math on this for a moment...Do you know how many liters are in a gallon alone? Round it out to the closest denominator and it's about 4. Now tell people to more than double that and you're getting from a poundage stand point 22+ lbs for the equivalent of 10 liters. Regardless of weight, regardless of age or health factors, that's dangerous in and of itself and might as well be telling people to poison themselves or they're losers. Pretty pathetic. That's the type of person that expects others to do their programs that they're not ready for and have to be this extreme all the time or they are considered F*ggots. On a given day unless it's hot out, I mostly never go past a gallon and that's pushing it LOL.

Real influencers like Matt Schifferle for example, take a program and have it be adaptable and do what's possible for just about anyone. Very little of his training protocols go past basic or even intermediate levels but that's not the point. The point is, if it's just basic exercises, you're learning to control and utilize technique so you can develop the results you're looking for. Is his style the end all be all? Hell no, he'd tell you that himself and treats others with respect and dignity, not belittling and talked down down to. 

What certain things boil down to when it comes to Marketing scammers like WaterBOY above here (emphasis on the word boy) is how to manipulate and find the gullibility in others to fill their pockets with broken promises, verbal and emotional abuse (sometimes they'll act like your friend and then stab you in the back) along with believing their own hype. There are other factors but with some of the things I've seen, it's not hard to believe that guys like that are the type that would give you all the reasons to have you buying a Rolls Royce when in reality you get a POS Lemon that looks more like a loaner out of a shitstorm of a shop. 

No program in and of itself is perfect for everybody. We all know that, well maybe most of us while some people think theirs is the Queen Of England or Shiva for that matter. What it comes down to is the individual who wants to find something worthwhile that they'll find a way to put the time in, the effort and evolve in their journey. We have all sorts of information at our fingertips, but it can be overwhelming at times and it's important to find the differences between the genuine article and the asshole scammers. The asshole scammers have tactics that can be convincing they're genuine but digging in, they always slip up, some don't even hide it anymore and have this anger, this rage and need to be the best when in reality they're fooling themselves and make up the most outrageous claims that bare no actual evidence, VERY one sided and even copy and pate other people's work and pass it off as their own. Let me put it this way, I treat people like this like Voldermort, he who must not be named. 

Guys like Schifferle, Brooks Kubik, Darryl Edwards, Logan Christopher and Eero Westerburg have done the research, they don't beat around the bush and they'll tell you like it is. I've been around one of these guys and trained with him on many occasions and what you see is what you get. The genuine article and a person of humility and generosity but still have the heart of a lion and the strength of beyond the average person. Either one of these guys will bring it with a vengeance but yet have a positive influence that's memorable and full of hope that someone has a real soul for this world. 

Be amazingly awesome and find the program suited to your journey and watch out for those scammers. Some of them don't even know how to treat a woman let alone know how to help people in fitness, most of the time, they just steal other people's money and are full of hot air. Remember, you think you're getting a RR but end up with a Lemon. You deserve better.  

Pushing, Pulling, Squatting, Sandbags, Bands And More

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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