Training At Home Vs. Training In A Gym

 Both have their qualities for helping others gain their health in fitness and well-being but yet they also have distinctive entities that differ them away from each other. With home workouts, depending on your set up or you just do bodyweight exercises, in my opinion, you have a lot more freedom than you would at a commercial gym. You get to pick and choose what you want without having to wait for anybody and you can pick your own music to listen to. You know the environment better, you're saving money on gas and let's face it, a lot of idiots on the road. 

You don't have to interact with anyone and you can be in your own fortress of solitude. Letting out some aggression and focusing on yourself in a therapeutic way. Home gyms have perks that regular gyms can never have. You get to do things your way and utilize your time for what you want to do.

Training at a gym has its perks too but it also has its downsides. The perks is that you get to get out of the house and go to a place where you can utilize and use equipment that would normally cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars to try and set up at home. You may make a friend or a workout buddy whether it be man or woman and help encourage each other and make progress you may not be able to do on your own. Sometimes it's good to have somebody. It's a sanctuary where you see people from all walks of life from world-class athletes to weekend warriors and those who are just starting out and making changes in their life. 

The downsides may sometimes be bleak or just annoyance but it can sometimes be a pain in the ass. You have to deal with people on the road to get there, often having to wait on the next person for the machine or free weight you want to use. Time is wasted when you're trying to train but not knowing if someone will snatch up your area because their impatient as fuck. The music isn't always that good and you're trying to use headphones with your own playlist to tune out the building's acoustics, trying to be respectful while some numbnuts is texting or taking the call right in the middle of what you're trying to do. Equipment isn't always clean and some guys get too distracted from checking out the wanna be model's ass on the treadmill or while she does squats. Don't get me wrong, there are attractive and strikingly awe inspiring people there but if you're easily distracted, you need to figure out how to tackle the mindset that you're there for a purpose and not to creep on others. 

Very few gyms these days have a camaraderie where like minded people get together and train together. Most of the time now, people just keep to themselves while at times feel the need to walk up to someone as if to just casually get into a conversation. The atmosphere can vary and it's very climate controlled so others can feel comfortable as they train. I guess most of the downsides are the people really and realizing that most gyms are very shiny and have a Hollywood feel to them in the way where there are people who are just ignorant pricks and act all high and mighty cause they can do a few reps more with a machine that gives you the legs or the arms of a wanna-be athlete. 

I'll go to the gym with my wife on a shopping day every now and then and either help her out with form on certain exercises to get the best benefit for what her goals are but mostly we do our own thing and I'll bring my Fat Gripz with me and put them on the handles of a machine or dumbbell to add some zest to the exercise I'm working. For me, there's no such thing as isolating a muscle, when I train regardless of equipment, I want to work as many muscles as possible and not just a specific body part. When I do pulldowns or chindowns, I want to feel my core, my back, my hands, all the muscles in my upper body. When I work dumbbells and do presses, curls, squats or farmer's walks I want to feel it all as much as possible. I train there to the degree where I make people think twice about coming to talk to me. I don't interact with anyone, I don't text or play on my phone, I walk along the area I'm working on thinking about the next set as I rest. I'm in that zone. That's my way of training.

Training in a gym can be fun as you challenge yourself to see what's possible for certain exercises. Because of the Fat Gripz, I make exercises harder, not easier and only rest long enough to be ready for the next set which ranges from 30 seconds to a couple minutes. The gym for me is more of a strength based kind of day and a "rest day" for me cause I just work certain things, take a break and go again until its time to go. I never do anything to failure, just enough to where I'm good to go and still have something left in the tank. Never get sore or do things sloppy. 

I love training at home because once I get something in whether for a few minutes or almost an hour, I can jump into the shower within seconds, chill out, watch a movie, do some promoting and writing and make some food right there like a good Steak and Eggs or some wings and fries. Its good to relax after a workout and know you have whatever you need within feet of you.  

Step Ups Or Split Squats?

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'll Always Have Family

 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. 

Dopa Yellow Stretch Band For Better Posture

Dopamineo goes beyond just their big bands for intense workouts, they even have 2 types of bands that are incredible for stretching and helping with posture. The first one is their Blue Bolt Band which is a very short implement that you can use for various stretches but also to help with keeping you away from that hump you may create while sitting doing desk work or just working on your laptop. It doesn't stretch out very far, just enough to feel it. On a podcast made by wrestlers, they have this contest to see if anyone can break the Bolt, many tried and all failed. It's one of the most durable bands out there just like the workout bands.

The yellow stretch Band is similar to using a chest expander but it's much lighter to use and for obvious reasons. There are all sorts of exercises you can do with this thing. Do Pull Aparts overhand and underhand, dislocates like you would with a stick or a towel, side bends, deadlifts, punches, shadow wrestling drills and others. Great for aligning the upper back and making the chest pop like the rip expansions of the old timers like Maxick & Arco. Some bodybuilders today use it to keep the shoulders and back from stiffening up. 

It's mainly used for wrestlers and MMA Fighters as a warm up to their regular training doing various stretches and pulls to get the muscles going for the upcoming practice and then use the longer bands as a post practice conditioning workout. It's very versatile and can fit inside a duffle bag or even the pouch in a sweater. Take it out with you to a park or the beach, in your hotel room or on a break at work to get some mobility and flexibility training in. 

I'll use at times to loosen myself up. You can even tie it to your thighs to do side to side walks for the hip flexors which can go a long way to staying mobile for the hips. That particular workout with this band should really only be a few minutes, you can use it for strength if you wish doing chest presses, curls, shoulder presses and all that by having one hand under the knot you make and the other in the middle of the band so it feels slightly heavy but still stretchable. There's even a way to do Isometric Pulls by folding it a bit and pull as hard as you can for 10-30 seconds, it's not going to stretch much, maybe a couple inches and that's it but to keep it there is tough as hell. 

You can do your regular stretches with it by placing the middle on the soles of your feet and do stretches for the hamstrings, hip flexors and low back. Stretching doesn't have to be boring and using a band can help creating a longer stretch by progressively moving the hands up or down on the band. The great thing is, it's nearly impossible to break so the chances of it snapping on you are very slim. The only caution is to be careful how you place for certain stretches cause it can slide so I would recommend wearing shoes that have a good holding spot where the band won't slide as much. That's really it on the cons in my opinion. 

Grab a band or set of bands NOW and get a bad ass deal of getting the yellow stretch band, the blue bolt band and a carry bag for your bands with your order (Buy 1 Get 3). Strengthening those areas go a long way for a good quality life and having solid mobility in your later years. Stretch peacefully but also with intent. Get 10% OFF your order by using the discount code POWERANDMIGHT. Be amazingly awesome. I'll put up a video soon to show some stretches and dynamic pulls you can do. 

Conditioning Circuits With Dopa Bands

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

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

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

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

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

Conditioning Circuit

10 Rows

10 Curls

10 Chest Presses

10 Uppercuts

10 Tricep Kickbacks

10 Squats

10 Side Shoulder Pulls

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

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

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

The Uppercut To Squat Exercise

 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. 

A Sandbell Leg Workout That Is Simple But Brutal

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

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

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

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

TNT Cables And Fat Gripz

 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.  

Why Do I Focus A Lot On Conditioning?

 In a nutshell, being in condition is not just about challenging my body's abilities to take on some crazy workouts or finding a way to enhance my muscular and cardiovascular endurance, it's about lasting in the things that are important in my life. I want to utilize that energy to be active, to make a lasting impression on myself by taking what works and understanding what I need to do in other endeavors. Being in shape is being able to shovel snow in the winter and not get winded or tired during, to be explosive at any given moment whether it's working out or playing with friends, it's to keep up with kids younger than me playing ball or hanging out with buds and their kids, it's to keep up with the physicality when you're needed.

For all intents and purposes, my idea of training these days is to be ready for whatever lies ahead. It's not always easy, it's not meant to be but when you have certain things going on in your life that sometimes have a life of their own, it's important to be in the best shape you can. I'm not in competition with anyone or trying to be some extremist with a compulsion to train so damn hard all the time that my body wears down, sure it's ok to back off every now and then in order to regain yourself but take into consideration  on what is the reason to be in shape. 

I do a lot of step ups, micro workouts, band training, isometrics and training with sandbags but that's all part of the puzzle to piece together your ultimate goal and that is to have strength that lasts and has meaning beyond just exercise. It's one of the reasons why I love training with the Dopamineo Band, it challenges me but doesn't put me into a state where I need to recover for days on end or make me so damn sore that I can't do anything else. It gives me the type of conditioning I can continue to use when it counts. There are so many exercises you can do that despite all the exercises displayed on Dopa's Website, there are many many more that can be created to enhance your chances of developing a level of fitness very few achieve. It is inspired by wrestlers and fighters but it's also a workout enhancer to harness that level of human abilities that is unique. Wrestlers from all styles have used similar bands for decades especially in Russia but in this day and age we don't have to be so hardcore like those guys in order to better ourselves. 

I've always believed training is about self-discovery and creativity to take your fitness to levels that are unbelievable. Being in condition is not about looking pretty or just strong, it's about lasting when it counts the most, to fight and not get winded. There's a funny trend on tik tok where women who train have this voice over which is a very stereotypical Russian accent that says "I don't want to be strong like man who look pretty, I want to be strong like bitch that fight bears in the forest." That's an example of being in condition, it goes beyond the idea of trying to seem like you have this particular look as if you're fit by outer appearance when in reality, if you can barely stand and hyperventilating after a few seconds, your outer appearance isn't jack shit. You need to be able to handle things that are important and last as long as needed. 

There are many reasons to be in real world shape yet only a few have true meaning, that's what you need to figure out because I can't just generalize what the important factors are, we're all different with different reasons to do things. My reasons for being in condition is to be able to go on hikes without tiring, shovel snow without wanting to keel over, to be there for my family, to protect who I love, play ball, to keep up with nieces, nephews and cousins who like to wrestle, chop wood so a fire can be made while camping, swim and have the energy of a person i their late teens and 20's as much as possible. Just some I can come up with.

Conditioning is not just for sport, it's to maintain things in life and being ready on command. It's to keep up with what you do in everyday life and to factor in what is possible for you to do. 

Take a gander at the Dopamineo Bands and see what is possible to enhance your fitness, health and condition. There are over 300 Exercises and dozens of workouts to choose from as a bonus with your purchase. Grab some bands for your martial arts school, wrestling room, group classes and/or sports conditioning program for your athletes by going to the Custom Order Area. I'll even throw in my discount code so you can save some bucks instead of whole price by entering POWERANDMIGHT at checkout to get 10% OFF your order. Keep being amazingly awesome and be in the best condition for your life and to inspire others.  

Simple Supersets Aren't Always Easy

The overwhelming amount of information out there today have made fitness routines look and seem so damn complicated that it turns many away who are doing what they can to better themselves. Very few people even teach and preach the simplicity of exercise anymore. Even when it comes to calisthenics, they often show the more advanced exercises that aren't sustainable for realistic health and strength. It really is a pain in the ass. 

Why make exercise so damn hard to understand? Mostly due to marketing and catering to a specific audience that is gullible enough to buy into the crap that many try to pan off as the ultimate program and you'd be a fool to not get your hands on it. The truth is, many "influencers" today don't have a fucking clue what real simplistic training is, hell I can guarantee that more than 95% of people who "teach" fitness today care more about how their ass, arms and abs look in comparison to knowing and understanding the training principles of past strongmen and women. For men, look to guys like Brooks Kubik, Arthur Saxon, Otto Arco, Maxick, Bill Pearl, Reg Park and a few others. For Women, the list might be a bit less but if I had to pick one woman of the old timers that represented strength, femineity, power and grace it be someone like Peggy Stockton. In today's world of women's fitness, less than a handful really have the ability to showcase realistic strength and the three I can think of are Kirsten Tullock, Melody Schoenfeld and Tera Scott. 

Now, when it comes to simplicity and a good routine, a favorite of mine is doing Supersets or doing exercises back to back and continuing that for a period of time instead of just sets and reps schemes. It's a different dynamic to formulate a workout that doesn't take a ton of thinking but it does take a certain mentality and the ability to harness a good level of conditioning that's foundational. In this case, it takes inspiration from one of the greatest pro wrestlers and that's Bob Backlund. I've written about him a time or two so I'm sure you can find those. This routine is based on his foundational exercises; the Step Up & the Ab Wheel. He would do hundreds of these exercises a day sometimes more than an hour each in the same session and it made him one tough son of a bitch and one of the most underrated conditioned men of his time. 

You can do different formats of training with these exercises but some of my workouts lately have been just doing a few reps of each back to back but I keep going for an extended period of time. This is by doing 10 Step Ups per leg and immediately do 5 reps of the ab wheel. Sounds too damn easy right? After all that's really a pathetic looking superset meant for beginners but I can assure you, it's anything but. It's one thing to do a few sets, it's way different when you continually do it without taking a break for up to 20 minutes straight or longer. When you're going that long, the reps not only add up but you're testing your strength and conditioning as well. They become more than just a few reps each, they become a brutal aspect of a session you wouldn't expect to be hard to do. Give it a go, try for ten minutes and see what's possible. The objective is to keep going without a break or even with as little rest, for this case, if you need a rest, you only have 10-20 seconds per set. Work at a pace that isn't Speedy Gonzales but enough to get the heart rate up and keep going. Speed will come naturally but the longer you go, tougher it can become.  

There you have it, no complications, no need to think too much on what to do, you just do it and see what you're capable of. You can do more reps of each per set if you wish but also keep your form as smooth as possible so you don't hurt yourself. The faster you do these exercises, the greater risk to becoming sloppy, it's not a sprint. Again, let the speed come naturally, form doesn't have to perfect but it does make a difference in how you apply the tension and the awareness of the exercises themselves. If you really want to take it to another level, take a deck of cards (Black Cards for Step Ups, Red For Ab Wheel Rollouts) and do these until the deck is done. Try to do a total of 500 Step Ups & 250 Rollouts, that's really going to test you. 

Have fun and keep being amazingly awesome.