To Keep Going Until The End Of Time

 Certain aspects of training can be put into perspective when you look at it from a certain point of view. In most of my workouts with the Dopa Band, I set a stop watch and see how long it takes to do 10 rounds with the only break marking off the circuit. Sometimes it goes 13 minutes, at times 20 or more minutes but my intention is to always do 10 Rounds or more with little to no rest. It keeps me in shape and its great for rehab if it came down to it. Conditioning is an asset that many underestimate or don't know the true understanding of how useful it really is especially as we get older.

One of my favorite styles of training is to set a time and do a superset continuously until the timer is up. Just focus on the exercises, don't worry or rush the rounds or sets and just hammer out the reps as best as you can until your time is up. The objective is to not stop, adjusting is one thing because you may slow down a bit after a period or tune up the band so to speak as you keep going but you don't stop. That's a test of mental toughness and endurance. I tried this style yesterday doing 4 exercises with the dopa band for 30 min without stopping. No checking off or walking it off, I kept going at a clip that was comfortable for me to where I wasn't getting sloppy but I wasn't going Sonic The Hedgehog either. 

It's about doing what you can to keep your levels up and teaching your body to not get tired or have some gas left in the tank when you're done. It's not about pounding your body into an oblivion and being so damn sore you can't move the next day. Training for the most part is to progress with intent and being aware of what your body can do without needing to go to extremes. As time goes on, we adjust to what we can maintain for life long health. Having strength is never a bad thing but we don't just want our strength to be temporary, it's critical to have it last for as long as we can. 

Conditioning is a component of training we can't afford to lose. If you want to play with the kids, go on hikes, swimming, climbing flights of stairs without issues, taking a stroll through the park; conditioning needs and should be a part of all that in order to live a quality life. Use your energy when it calls for it, be able to keep going when others get tired, harness that gas in the tank mentality to do the fun things in life.

Keep being amazingly awesome. 

Shoulder Health & Mobility

 It can be hard to adjust the way we do things as we get older. We can still do amazing things when we are consistent and listen to our bodies. The trouble is at times, we can get very cocky and become overzealous and anxious so we push ourselves and get hurt. It takes time to recover and it won't be easy getting back to what we are capable of or working around it. 

We pull muscles, put strain on the joints and lose our mobility in the process. It's great to be strong, it's another to be mobile and durable. When we learn to strengthen our joints and ligaments, it becomes a whole new ball game in the realm of living a quality life. That's one of the reasons why I enjoy swinging the Indian Clubs from time to time. Some light work but a huge emphasis on conditioning the areas that keep the body in tact and healthy. It's not a matter of strength, it's a matter of flow and control for a period of time. Some start out with 1/2 pound clubs and others work up to 2-3 pounders. The weight is not meant to be taken lightly (pun intended), it's meant to keep your body healthy and build resilience so less chances of getting injured becomes a priority.

Clubs have been around for many centuries from the time of ancient warriors to the modern day fitness enthusiast who shows classic exercises for health and durability in the shoulders, wrists, elbows, hands and even the core. Clubs can be done with full body workouts and it wakes up the brain as you flow through the patterns with smooth intention and focus. Some do them for time, others for a certain amount of reps, either way if you can control the club and utilize the patterns with efficiency, you can have a hell of a session. Some days I've done 500-1000 total reps with my clubs, other times just a couple hundred or less, it just depends on what I want to do and how I feel that day. It feels really good, gives off an endorphin high and it puts you into a different state of being. It's moving meditation. 

Injuries can be a bitch, some are worse than others and some are mild but we don't want to injured too often or at all because every injury can make or break a person no matter how big or little it is. That's the great thing about clubs as well, to utilize them for prehab or rehab to train those muscles and joints back to a good state of harmony and health. It's a superweapon for mobility conditioning. 

People like Zenkahuna are perfect examples of applying old school methods to keep your quality of life alive with positive affirmations, harmony through physical movement and playful creativity. Look him up, one of the most influential people with an amazing soul. 

Play around with Clubs, learn the movements and patterns, customize your own workouts and have fun. Be old school with a smile. Be amazingly awesome.   

Everyone Deserves To Be Fit

 Every now and then, you come across some numbnuts who treats others and especially potential customers like shit and if they don't buy from you, you're worthless to them. I get it that we need to make a living but acting like an asshole isn't always going to help your cause. Granted some people can't be helped which is understandable but yet we all deserve to have an opportunity to be fit and healthy, it's just a matter of pointing in the right direction. 

Everyone deserves an opportunity to better themselves, sometimes we need a little nudge just to get that first step going. There's really no need to call people weak or fucking idiots, that doesn't make you better than them, it just makes you bitter and pitiful. Quite frankly I don't give a shit if you're a teenager, an old fart, skinny, overweight, gay, straight, non-binary or other folks in the LGBTQ community, a corporate giant, a janitor or a current/former pro athlete, everyone should have the opportunity to train and get better so they can have the quality of life that keeps the world going round and round. 

Fitness isn't just about looking good naked or about how strong you are, it's about self-discovery, the ability to challenge the norm and break through your own barriers. Unless you're Superman or Wonder Woman, nobody starts out the strongest, the fastest, the most conditioned or the most durable. It takes time, it takes research, it's about finding what you can do to progress. Sometimes going to the gym helps, doing bodyweight training wherever you go is always an option, working with Bands goes a long way especially if you're on a budget and there are free resources for awesome information that includes workouts, nutrition recipes, beginner levels to advance so you know where you can go and so much more.

Although we live in the world of overwhelming information, you really only need to look at a few places that have meaning and find what can be best for you. We all start somewhere but how you finish it is up to you. I love to train because it helps me do things in life that are important to me. It keeps me going and learning new ways to do cool stuff. I want to help you develop a mindset that you can create any workout you want with the right tools and resources that work in your favor. We all need a little help sometimes and never forget, the smallest fraction of progress still leads to a bigger entity as time goes on. Some people progress faster than other, some slower but regardless of the pace, progress is still progress. Everyone deserves to be fit.

Make the choice to do a little better each day, every step leads to somewhere and we all have our own path. We may hit a fork in the road or hit a wall but there are ways to move past them and keep going. Be amazingly awesome and do what's possible for you.    

Results As Of March 2024

At the moment, I'm keeping my weight steadily between 245-250 these days (Sitting at 246 as of this morning). The big methods of training I'm doing currently are mainly Step Ups & working the Dopamineo Band doing circuit training some days and others doing HIIT Style Workouts of a 30/30 set up or 30/15 depending on what I'm feeling that day. On the Circuits, I would do 5-6 exercises of 10-20 reps per exercise, the only rest is marking off the circuit and timing the workouts on average of 15-30 minutes for 10 rounds. Sometimes 10 Rounds ends a bit shorter than that like around 10-12 minutes and even went as far as 15 Rounds one workout that took a little over 25 minutes, scratch that, just under 20 min. For the HIIT Workouts, I would pick around 3-5 exercises, go through them and repeat until I've covered the exercises at least 4 times, this comes out to about 12-15 minutes a session and I don't take 1-2 minute breaks, I just keep going so I can maintain my conditioning and muscular endurance.

It's all part of the process of staying fit and conditioned for 40 and beyond. Some things may change in due time but right now, I'm keeping things as simple as possible. The snow is melting and spring is just itching to come out. Once it gets a bit warmer, I'll be out playing, hiking, working with the hammer, maybe hit the lake more often and just stay healthy. The only big things of strength training I do is either Isometrics, working with Sandbells or maybe some farmer's walks with a heavy kettlebell but overall, for me it's not to see where my max strength is or go for miles until I collapse. Staying healthy and having strong and durable joints is the name of the game. 

I've seen too many horror stories of people in my age group getting injured and having surgeries left and right along with some of the death rates in the Fitness Industry below the age of 40 and under the age of 45. It has become too common and it's not worth sacrificing your body so you can't do anything later in life. Some people have become so hardcore that before their golden years, they're losing mobility and strength that can be useful. Some coaches even push their athletes and clients so hard that injuries might as well be a badge of honor and they're not contemplating the consequences. I'm all for creating challenges and seeing what's possible but at the same time, it's important to not be seduced by such crazy workouts on a frequent basis or feel like if you don't go nuts, the results won't come. It's bullshit. 

We aren't always able to do crazy shit when we were younger so it's important to train smart and with intention. Do what is possible to maintain our strength but the biggest goal is to keep a level of fitness that keeps us going and be able to do things the majority would have trouble with. Don't let age define you but also don't let stupidity get the best of you. Life doesn't end after a certain age, it just creates different opportunities and to do things that keep you from aging quicker. 

Be smart, be mindful and make your training count for when life throws you curveballs or having the ability to use your energy to spend time with the people you love. Playing with young nieces/nephews, your kids, grandkids, younger cousins and even be able to do activities with your spouse. Train to make life worthwhile, not to be crippled up and not be able to do a damn thing. Be amazingly awesome. 

Dopa Bands: More Than Just An Arsenal For Wrestlers

 

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. 

500 Step Ups A Day

As you know, Step Ups are a main form of my leg training and for good reason. I've kept a solid level of hitting at least 500 reps in sets of 25 per leg. Sometimes I'll do up to 600 and every now and then go for 1000 but most days I keep it around 500. What have been the benefits of doing this? I don't get sore, my legs are looking more athletic, maintaining or losing a bit of weight here and there and it keeps my stamina up.

That's just part of why I do them. I mainly do them cause for one they're enjoyable and two, it helps mix in my training with the Dopa Band I work with. Some days, I start out with Step Ups and do a Dopa Workout later, others I'll do a Dopa Workout in the day and then do Step Ups at night and one time I started a workout with 500 Step Ups as a "warm up" and then went into a Dopa Workout so the entire session was around 45 minutes or so. That's the beauty of them, they can be incorporated to whatever you want to do.

I keep my timing of 500 between 20-25 minutes. I don't try to go for a speed record because no matter how fast I try to make it, eventually will hit a wall and the faster you go, the more chances of making a mistake that could result in an injury. It's not a sprint, its a conditioning exercise to be done at a solid pace that keeps you going without going Speedy Gonzales on it. It's meant for cardio that also has a strength element to it by having strong, athletic and conditioned legs. Bob Backlund would do thousands upon thousands in his workouts and he was one of the most conditioned men of his time. You don't have to go that route because all you're doing is just adding more reps to a long ass workout that takes up a ton of time and not everyone is able to workout on exercises like that for 2 hours or more. 

It's an idea, that's all it really is and can be a part of your leg training on squats if you want to do that. Some athletes will do 500 or more squats to keep their conditioning up, that's awesome, it's not for me, not anymore. I like to mix the two exercises together when I'm in the mood and do 500 Step Ups & 250 Squats within about 35 minutes or a couple times doubled those numbers and finished within 80 minutes. 500 Step Ups is still beneficial for developing awesome endurance and building strength because the muscles used are primarily in the thighs and hamstrings. If you can't do 500 yet, that's ok. Build up to that little by little by doing sets of 10 per leg and climbing the ladder so to speak progressively. If you want to do no more than 50 per leg to get to 500 that's awesome too, you're still working hard. Be mindful and don't let ego get the best of you. Train effectively and with intent. 

Step Up and do what's possible. Train for health, not to break world records all the time. 

Cardio Is Boring AF

 It can be depending on what you do and what you've been taught as. I never liked doing the treadmill or trying to run for miles on end (not that I can anyway because of certain metals in my legs) plus when you have a form of ADD, its important to understand how your brain keeps firing doing things that keep you going. 

Cardio doesn't have to be boring though, there are ways to utilize it so you can keep your stamina up. One of the best ways is through circuit training either with Bodyweight or with Bands like Dopamineo. With bodyweight, you move from one exercise to another and work different muscles instead of doing just one thing the entire time at a steady clip. You can do Hindu Squats or Step Ups by working a number of reps in a row. Some like to do 300-500 Hindu Squats, I'll do 500 or more Step Ups, its a preference. I imagine climbing up a mountain or a bad ass skyscraper when I do them, makes things interesting.

There's also HIIT style training which is a form of cardio but doesn't take up a ton of time. It could Sprinting, Band Work, Bodyweight, using weights, hell it can be on a Rogue Bike, as long as you go hard for a short amount of time and rest two to three times as long. Some workouts are so intense, you go hard but only rest half the amount. I'll do that with the Dopa Band where I work an exercise for 30 seconds but only rest for 15, this amplifies my conditioning where I can keep going and not rest as much. 

Most aren't taught how to use cardio to an advantage, its always "you have to do this and its the only way", fuck that lol. If you're going to do cardio, make it worth while and make it interesting. The key thing here is to not go so hard that you can't walk out of it at the end. Always have gas in the tank, there's a difference between breaking a PR and killing yourself in the name of fitness. Workouts should enhance the attributes you're attempting to achieve, if you're a world class athlete, that's a whole different style of training. If you try to do the same or similar style of fitness like Lebron James or Jordan Burroughs or hell even Seth Rollins or John Cena you're in for a rude awakening. Do things that are challenging but not to the point where you need 3-4 days to recover or even longer. 

Cardio takes on many forms but it should never be boring otherwise you won't get results you desire. Your mindset has to stay fresh and interested and not so forced it becomes a chore. When I do my Dopa Band circuits, my goal is to keep going until its over but also create a game out of it so I can keep my mind focused. Make your cardio count, don't just go through the motions, anybody can do that, make it work to the degree where you can go and do things that seem crazy to the average person but it keeps you strong and resilient.  

Be amazingly awesome and get a cool discount on Dopa Bands by using the code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order regardless if it's a bundle or a single band.  

Sally Could Use A Pick Me Up

 Finding interesting ways to train is part of the journey in fitness. It could be in tribute to someone, it can be for a cause, hell in this case it comes in the form of music. Music has a way of being part of our workout routines by pumping us up, feeling stronger and accelerating those endorphins to hit that "happy hormone" and many other ways.

In this particular manner, music comes in the form of a challenge. It has been around a few years and it has mainly been used as a push-up challenge and it's Bring Sally Up, Bring Sally Down by Moby Flower. Some have used it as a Squat Challenge which to me is a bit better. The way you do it is you start in the low position of the squat and when the singer says "Bring Sally Up" you return to the top position and when he says "Bring Sally Down" you go low again and hold it until the lyrics are repeated. 

It's an interesting Micro Workout since it combines movement and isometric holds. The song is over 3 minutes long, so holding a position for a period of time repeatedly between exploding upward and going down again can really hit some muscles there. One of the first times I tried doing an exercise where I held it during a song was the first time I held a Nose To Mat Wrestler's Bridge while listening to Black Sabbath's Paranoid which is just under 3 minutes long. I had a friend turn on the song as I held the bridge. Another time was doing a quick "warm up" of hitting the tire with my sledgehammer while the Song "Make A Man Out Of You" (Covered by Peyton Parrish) played. 

Certain songs can add an interesting element to a fitness routine or you can just do an exercise while a whole song played. Holding a Horse Stance while Metallica's Mercyful Fate plays would be brutal if you knew how long that song is, I think that would be worse than Bringing Sally Up LOL. It brings a certain unique aspect to what you can accomplish or even attempt with certain types of music. Now some music can be a little weird when you go hard, ABBA is not one of those bands to workout to as Bud Jeffries once said to me "It's the unmanliest thing to listen to while working out." Just before the wedding, we went out in the backyard to do some kettlebell stuff (you can find it on his Instagram) and let's just say another member of my family wanted to get some line dancing in and blasted ABBA, we shut the screen door and only heard whispers of the Swedish Group while we trained. It was pretty funny. There's your unintentional Bud Jeffries story.

If you want to give Bring Sally Up a shot, go for it and I hope you succeed. I did it a couple times and it wasn't too difficult but it's not easy either. Use music as a tool and see what you can do with it. Have fun and be amazingly awesome. 

Dopamineo: Wrestlers & Fighters

 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.    

Keeping Up With The Basics With Dopa Band

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.