Micro Workout For The Legs To Wake Up The Body

 

One of my recent articles was talking about a good routine of animal crawls to do in the morning to wake up the body and even the brain. Here's another option you can work on if you'd like especially when it comes to leg strength, hip mobility and getting the heart rate up for a few minutes to start the day.

Getting the legs going to start the day can have incredible benefits especially if you plan on going for a hike, move around at work or climbing stairs. Having conditioned legs go a long way and as we get older, it becomes more crucial in being able to stand up without help and move with as much ease as possible. Nothing wrong with wanting strong legs from weights but that's only a piece of the puzzle if you do that kind of thing. When it comes to squatting with weights, my main form of it is doing squats with a sandbag, hammers, maces, kettlebells or a 45 lb plate. I don't do barbell squats whatsoever anymore and haven't done it in roughly 15 years. 

Bodyweight Squats are a different story, the multiple variations you can use at your disposal have their place. Shit I do 100-200 squats with the band everyday lately and it keeps things rocking and rolling man. It's more than just doing a typical squat, it's being able to control your body and move with power, explosiveness and even durability. Stationary Squats like Hindu Style, Sumo, Air, One-Legged all work and are beneficial for those who do them consistently. Sometimes however, it's fun to play around with certain aspects of exercises. 

One routine I like doing is what I call the Step + Squat where it's basically walking and squatting at the same time. For those who want an idea of how this goes, check out the VIDEO here from the Bioneer. It's a great micro workout to get the blood flowing and play for a bit, you can do this anywhere and do it in intervals, in a row or in sets. Whatever works for you. For today, it's about doing it in a interval fashion. If you're new to it, get the feel for it just by taking a step, squat down, come up, take another step and repeat to get the technique down. Pay attention to your form and control. Once you get an idea, start timing it. You can start with 20-30 seconds of work and 30 seconds to a minute of rest for a couple rounds. Work up to maybe 5 rounds and then add time like 10 seconds and then reduce the rest to 45 seconds. Over time, work up to going for a minute or longer and rest for 30 seconds or less. For a micro workout, 3 rounds is great. This is roughly 4 minutes total, if you want to add rounds, go for it, personally, I never went past 7 rounds which is a total of around 10 minutes for the whole workout. 

Micro Workouts are awesome for anyone who is short on time and wants to get something quick in or help get their energy levels up during the day in increments. For more info about this check out Matt Schifferle's book Micro Workouts. They're bad ass time savers and can get you jazzed up whenever you need a pick me up. Push-ups, Squats, Isometrics, Intervals, whatever you'd like to do for a few minutes at a time. They can even be used as a finisher to your regular routine to spice things up. 

For more on Squat Walking, check out this VIDEO as well.

Be amazingly awesome and get your body going so the blood flows with strength and power. You got this and wake up springing into action. 

The Legendary Beast: Joe Stecher, The Scissors King Who Crushed The Wrestling World

Hey guys, I'd like to share with you about a real legend in the world of Catch Wrestling, Joe Stecher. If you're into old-school mat wars, or want to know what it's like to have that unbreakable farm-boy strength, this guy's story is gonna fire you up. I mean, in an era when wrestling was raw, no-holds-barred shoot fights that could last hours, Stecher wasn't just competing; he was dominating like a force of nature. Born on a dusty Nebraska farm, this dude turned his body into a weapon that terrorized the ring for decades. His savage techniques, those epic rivalries, and why his legacy still kicks ass for anyone grinding in the gym today. 

Let's go back in time: It's April 4, 1893, in Dodge, Nebraska. Little Josef Stecher pops into the world, the son of Bohemian immigrants scratching out a living on the plains. Farm life back then? Brutal as fuck. You're hauling hay, wrestling livestock, and building that functional strength that no fancy gym machine can replicate. Joe wasn't some pampered athlete; he earned his physique the hard way. By high school in Fremont, he was already a multi-sport monster – crushing it in baseball, swimming like a shark, and yeah, pinning fools on the wrestling mat. But here's the kicker: his legs. Talk about Legendary. Working the fields gave him thighs like steel cables, and he honed that power into something deadly.

Stecher turned pro in 1912 at just 19 and he explode onto the scene. This kid racked up 51 straight wins – no bullshit, straight falls against grizzled vets. He was dismantling guys like Jess Westergaard, Ad Santel (the man who supposedly was paid to tear up Hackenshmidt's knee in a training session), and Marin Plestina in under 15 minutes each. We're talking pure catch-as-catch-can mastery: hooks, holds, and submissions that left opponents gasping. But the real breakthrough? July 5, 1915, in Omaha. With the great Frank Gotch watching from ringside – yeah, the unbeatable Iowa legend himself – Stecher takes on American Heavyweight Champ Charlie Cutler. At 22 years old, Joe snatches the World Heavyweight Title with his signature move: the body scissors. Imagine clamping your legs around a guy's torso like a vice, squeezing until ribs crack and breath fails. That was Stecher's nuclear weapon, and it made him a star.

Stecher held the world title three times, totaling damn near 2,000 days as the top dog. His first run was a whirlwind of defenses, but the shadows loomed. Gotch's retirement left a void, and everyone wanted that dream match. Instead, Stecher clashed with rising beasts like Ed "Strangler" Lewis. Shit, their rivalry? Pure fire. On July 4, 1916, they went at it for five and a half fucking hours – one of the longest match in wrestling history. No pin, no sub, just a grueling draw that tested every ounce of endurance. Stecher's legs held firm, but Lewis's headlock game was no joke. They traded the belt back and forth like heavyweight boxers swapping haymakers.

Then there's Earl Caddock, the WWI hero and farm-strong grappler from Iowa. Their 1920 showdown at Madison Square Garden? Epic as Goku vs Vegeta. Over two hours of technical warfare, with Stecher finally locking in those scissors for the win and reclaiming the title. Caddock was tough – a legit shooter with army-honed grit – but Joe outlasted him through sheer mental warfare. That's a key lesson here: wrestling ain't just physical; it's breaking the other guy's will. Stecher embodied that. He'd grind you down, hour after hour, until you tapped or snapped.

Speaking of techniques, let's break this down like a workout circuit. Stecher was a scientific wizard of the mat, well known as a Hooker – not some sloppy brawler. His base? Catch wrestling fundamentals: control the mat, chain holds, and transition like a predator. But those legs, man. The body scissors wasn't just a hold; it was a finisher that could crush organs. He'd wrap 'em around your midsection, head, or neck, applying pressure that made grown men quit. Farm work built that power – think endless squats hauling bales, turning quads into pistons. He also mastered arm bars, toe holds, and ground control, always one step ahead. In 100's of matches, his record was insane: 317 wins, 31 losses. That's not luck; that's relentless prep and adaptability.

Rivals? Stecher had a murderers' row. Besides Lewis and Caddock, there was Stanislaus Zbyszko, the Polish powerhouse with a Greco-Roman vibe. In 1925, at 32, Stecher schooled the 47-year-old Zbyszko to snag his third title. Wayne Munn, Jim Londos – he faced 'em all, often in front of massive crowds. These weren't scripted spectacles; they were shoots where one wrong move meant injury or humiliation. Stecher's ferocity? Unmatched. Lou Thesz, the successor to Ed Lewis, sparred with him in the '30s and said even retired, Joe mopped the floor with him. That's longevity – staying elite through smarts and conditioning.

By 1934, Stecher hung up the boots after wrestling's gold dust era faded into the Depression. Sadly, mental health struggles landed him in a VA hospital for 30 years, but his skills never dulled. He passed in 1974 at 80, but his induction into halls of fame – National Wrestling, International, you name it – cements his spot among the immortals. Alongside Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, he was a 1920s icon, proving wrestling was America's gritty passion play.

So, what can we take from this beast today? In a world of Instagram posers and ego-lifting bros, Stecher screams functional strength. Build legs like his – hit those animal crawls, heavy carries, and band work until you burn. But more? That mental edge. He wrestled hours without breaking, turning pain into fuel. Next time you're gassing out on the mat or under the bar, channel Joe: squeeze harder, get into that Super Saiyan mindset. It's not about gym PRs; it's real-world might that carries over to life. Wrestling, MMA, or just daily grind – Stecher's blueprint is gold.

Be amazingly awesome, keep killing it, and honor the old guards by testing your own abilities. 

A Morning Routine That Takes 3 Total Minutes

Many will often wake up groggy, wanting to go back to sleep or just do whatever they need to in order to get themselves out of bed. It can be a pain in the ass at times and there can be so much going on the moment you get up. Here's a micro workout you can do to help fire up the neurons and get some good movement in the morning.

I've always believed Animal Movement is one of the best ways to train, not for the sake of working patterns but to play and have that positive energy while getting the body flowing. Mimicking animals in the wild gives you a sense of being with nature and learning to control the body that will function in ways that can be lifesaving especially as we get older. It can be treated as fitness but it's better to treat it as a formality that brings back to a time where we just played and have that free-spirited energy. 

A good routine to do is to pick 3 exercises or crawls, do them for 1 minute each to start the day. You can mimic the type of animals you like and work on waking the muscles and waking up the brain at the same time. For me, I like to do Bear Crawls, Gorilla Hops & Tiger Walks to get things going. Since coffee is out of the question for me (I absolutely hate it), this is better in my opinion and it doesn't take long. Even after doing one of the moves, I'm already waking up quick and feeling good. 

It doesn't have to be the three animals I mentioned, if you like Duck Walks, Crab Walks or moving like a Lizard, go for it. Keep the basics, follow patterns of opposite arm/leg and don't move so fast you'll crash on your face LOL. We may not always spring up in the morning but with a routine like this, slowly getting ourselves moving to fire things up, it could put that spring in our step after and feel like we can take on the world. 

Set your watch or timer for 60 seconds, do a move, take a brief rest and repeat 2 more times and that's it, there's your morning routine. Productivity that works cognitive function and blood flow to your system while stretching and moving at the same time. You can go longer as time goes on but this is a good start to your day. If you really would just like to start for 1 minute, that's fine too but 3 minutes is really the stepping stone here. You don't have to go Sonic The Hedgehog on the moves or anything, just start moving and feel your body.  

For more info on Animal Moves, come check out the bad ass course Movement 20XX that has all sorts of exercises, flows and routines that will help you build strength, flexibility, mobility and brain power. If you're on a budget and would like something a bit more affordable, check out Animal Moves by Darryl Edwards who's great motto is to "train like an animal, to move like a human." You always have options. Be amazingly awesome and get moving, your life depends on it and get that grumpiness out of your system in the morning, wake up with fire in you and jump start the day with energy. 

Shoot me a comment or use the contact form to email me. I no longer read anonymous comments due to HARASSMENT and DISTURBING notes that include abusive threats and sexual fetishes. Please use real names and be respectful. Thank you.  

Rest Periods Or Not During Dopa Band Workouts?

One of the unique things about the Dopa Bands is how you can keep going just by increasing or decreasing the tension. The more you stretch it, the more tension it creates which in turn increases the difficulty. So the more you are away from the anchor point, the harder the exercise will be, the closer you are, less tension and the exercise becomes easier. If you start to fatigue during an exercise, move a bit closer to the Anchor Point and keep going. For many, this is a great indicator of building cardio. 

The question at hand here is, do you ever take a rest period? Well, it depends on your goals and what you're willing to work with. In many workouts I've seen from those who practice with the bands and from the experiences myself, rest periods most of the time are very little. One workout would be if there was a rest period was doing HIIT training for 45 Sec On, 15 Sec Off. The rest period really is just changing or getting into a new position. You're working more than you're resting which keeps things flowing and testing your cardiovascular conditioning.

Could you do rest periods like in weight training? Absolutely, doesn't matter if you're a beginner or not. A couple or so of my circuit workouts lately have been doing the exercises in a row and then walking it off for a brief period after marking off the set. This is determined at the pace I would use, with the heavier band, I would treat it like a sprint where I would move as fast as I can with solid technique, rest for a little bit until I caught my breath and then go at it again. This helps with recovery and still able to perform the exercises well and as smooth as possible. In other workouts like the Deck Of Cards, I would just flip a card and get into it, repeat that until I've done the deck at least once or at times twice in a row. The technique isn't always going to look pretty but I do what's possible in that moment in time.

It's really not as complicated as many would make it out to be. When you have a goal, you set certain standards for how you pace, rest, perform the exercise as fluently as possible and get into the mindset of what you're trying to accomplish. It's very simple but sure as fuck isn't easy. 

How long should a rest period be? Well, that's an individual thing because sometimes it takes longer for some to recover, for others, 30 seconds to a minute is more than enough to get back into another set. Some workouts with me, I'll rest enough to be ready to tackle a circuit but in others, my goal is to rest as little to almost none at all. If I need a "recovery day", I'll do rest periods, when I'm in that zone and going after it like wrestling an opponent, I'll fight until it's over. It's a matter of what you're shooting for.

Like with weights, rest periods help mainly to build muscle which is never a bad thing. When you rest very little, that's more on par with cardio and building up that heart rate. Circuits work well cause they can do both help develop muscle, burn off fat and build cardio at the same time. Plus, it doesn't take up a ton of time. With my 500 Rep Workouts, if I'm doing rest periods, the workout lasts around 30 minutes, with little to no rest depending on certain exercises, it ranges from 15-25 minutes or so. Either way, it's still under an hour. With my 1000 Rep workouts, I would go at a pace where I'm hardly resting at all either to flip a card or mark off a circuit, that's really it and that still takes me less than 45 minutes to complete. Think my longest circuit of 1000 total reps lasted just over 37 minutes so there's still a ton to get done without spending a ridiculous amount of time. 

Yesterday when I went to the gym, I did a circuit as a finisher and didn't take much rest and this was already from being exhausted from walking 45+ minutes to the gym, get in a session with a sandbag, barbell and dumbbell. After the finisher, I walked back home. Here's the full routine including the Walking....

45+ Min Walk

10 Sandbag Carries

BB Shrugs x 245/20, 275/15, 315/7, 335/4

DB Curls x 50/10 Each Arm, 55/6 Each Arm, 60/4 Each Arm

-Dopa Finisher (10 Rounds)

10 Chest Flys

10 Wave Pulls

10 Uppercut To Squat

10 Skis

10 Propellers

45+ Min Walk Back Home

I did a weigh in before heading out and said I was 235, took another look when I got home and it said I was 231.6. It was also freezing (literally like upper 20's, low 30's) walking to and from lol. Simple routine but it was hard as hell but it was fun to do. 

One of the guys there saw me doing Shrugs and asked if I used straps to help my grip, I told him I didn't and had good tendon and ligament strength to handle the weights especially the last set at 335. Said I had awesome grip strength which was a great compliment to me since this guy looked like a bodybuilder and even said that if he tried that, his grip would give out faster than mine. Just a fun exchange and I gave him props for working the exercise he was doing and told him he was killing it.

Back to using rest periods. If you want to do rest periods using the Dopa Bands, go for it and hope they help with your goals, if you're more ambitious and go after testing your cardiovascular abilities, have at it and hope you build some insane stamina. Make use of the knowledge you have, learn some techniques, find what works best and kill it with a vengeance. You got this and be amazingly awesome.

 Use my code POWERANDMIGHT to shave off a few bucks on your order if you're interested make the bands a part of your routine or use them on off days, your pick. 

Strength In The Gym Vs Strength Everywhere Else

In most cases, being controversial may get you noticed but there's always a line drawn and some overstep that line and act like they're better than everybody or a better expert. I'm not one to cause controversy or have an opinion that is controversial but sometimes it happens without being intentional about it.

Some cause controversy because they're attention seeking jackasses or just don't give a shit about the consequences and believe they can get away with murder when in reality, they're really a joke and have no real value. For instance, for a guy who looks like he needs to eat sandwich telling other people how to get jacked while struggling to do a few pull-ups yet claims to do 25 in a set and never once proved it just talks out of his ass, that's a red flag in my book or those that believe smoking like a chimney yet are in better health is a flex, it isn't.

When it comes to strength in the gym, more often than not, many people's abilities only stay in the gym and struggle to be able to do other things outside of it. It's rarer than people lead on that gym training carries over to other aspects of physical activity. There are guys who can squat hundreds of pounds, yet have a hard time going up and down flights of stairs or able to haul furniture. I've seen jacked up guys deadlift crazy weight but can barely do a few push-ups that have a lockout. It's not so much sad or shameful but it's more on the lines of being conditioned mentally to believe that if you can do whatever in the gym, it transfers over to everything else, not necessarily true. It's not an opinion, it's pretty damn factual.

It's not to say you shouldn't go to the gym to get strong, but it is important to understand the concept of certain logic and knowledge that one thing may not help the other but sometimes, it's the other way around. Some are very strong outside the gym and can do some pretty gnarly stuff if they rarely or ever been in one. Laborers for example aren't always going to look like the Hulk but some of those guys are stupid strong in the areas they work in and make bodybuilders and gym goers look weak in many things. However, you're not going to see a ton of laborers doing 400 lb deadlifts or Benching 500 lbs. It's a very different type of strength and there are some laborers that have this thing about bitching and moaning about people in gyms not being strong in the real world when in reality, it's not all that black and white. 

Personally, I believe in the idea that whether you train in a gym or not, having strength no matter where you are should be practiced and have knowledge on. In truth, the gym is everywhere, a building is just part of an idea. That may sound like I'm knocking gym fanatics but I'm not, strength has its merits in many forms but if you're just choosing the gym, unless there is equipment that holds meaning for outside situations or able to build strength that can hold its own outside of it, you may get a wake up call that your Dumbbell Presses aren't always going to save you from hauling awkward boxes all day. 

Dumbbells, Barbells and Machines have their place in building strength, have been for decades and have helped many people but if all you focus on is those things and not see the value of other equipment or yourself, you're closing off knowledge and application that can one day save your ass or someone else. Many of the old timers learned not only to lift a Barbell, but to do things that required strength beyond the Barbell, for some it was a big part of their development, for others, it was another cog in the machine that was building a physique that had not only strength but can go as well. 

If you're only strong in the gym, there will be things that won't help you deal with other things in life. However, if you have the knowledge of both gym training and outside formalities, that bolds a better way of handling yourself if it was just one or the other. Many people will never need the gym at all and that's awesome. I for one, don't NEED the gym to make myself strong and conditioned, I go because it's something to do and have fun with, making it part of the journey, not relying on it. I've gone years without walking into a gym and made progress in my training career, you've seen the demos and the results of what I can do. I don't love the gym but I don't hate it either, for me it's just a place. 

What I do understand though is that many think they need the gym for whatever reasons when in fact, it's more of finding a stepping stone to becoming something more of what they were before. It's not a bad thing at all but if the gym is your only sanctuary and don't utilize things outside of it, than you have become conditioned to believe that you need to rely on the gym itself in order to make yourself a better person when there is a whole other world of possibilities. 

Become strong in the gym that has carryover to the real world if you choose to do gym training. If it doesn't carry over to the outside world, it's going to bite you in the ass one way or another. If you do things outside of the gym, that's bad ass and can rely on that particular knowledge alone but if you added the gym to those things, you're also gaining knowledge of what can be useful to you. There are many ways to build strength but it's up to you to find that balance and rely on what is useful versus one concept over another. 

Be amazingly awesome and stay strong and healthy for as long as you can. If you're a gym goer, keep at it and hope that strength carries over to other aspects of your life. If you don't go to the gym, build your strength so that it can be helpful to others and yourself. 

Legs Like A Beast That Last

 The Bigfoot Walk Challenge. Do you have the balls to hammer this for 3 straight minutes or more without crumbling? This weird and to be honest awkward looking exercise is criminally underrated for building real leg power. Yeah, it looks ridiculous – like you're trying to sneak around in some monster costume – but holy shit, the burn it delivers is no joke. Believe me, after doing it, even for me it made me a believer.

Most guys look at it and think, "Where's the weight? Where's the full squat depth? This can't be doing anything." Then they actually give it a go. Boom, quads and glutes light up instantly. Keep going for a real duration (30 seconds or less for most people that start on it, and they're already gasping), and you'll feel that deep, screaming tension that tells you this thing is the real deal. No bullshit, you have my word. Here's the truth, many "advanced" lifters are too stubborn or brainwashed to admit: a ton of what passes for smart training is just dogma wrapped in ego. The need and obsession to pile on more plates, chasing full ROM like it's the holy grail, and worshipping the back squat and deadlift as the only lower-body and back movements that are worth praying to.  

Time to face the music. Most athletic movements – especially in stand-up fighting, martial arts, sprinting, or any sport where you actually have to move explosively – happen in partial ranges. Not ass-to-grass heroics (have you seen a wrestler or even baseball player work in a full squat?). Not locked-out max-effort grinds. They're dynamic. Constant tension, weight shifting, quick adjustments. Sound familiar? That's exactly what the Bigfoot Walk forces you into.  

You're staying in that quarter-to-half squat sweet spot, legs under constant fire, shifting from one side to the other like you're stalking prey or circling in a ring. This isn't some isolation machine stuff, it's functional leg endurance that translates directly to the mat, the cage, or the street. Athleticism isn't just about your 1RM. It's about strength-endurance, being able to stay powerful rep after rep, minute after minute, without gassing out. Yet the old paradigm has everyone chasing low-rep heavy singles like that's the only path to greatness. If you're a powerlifter, that's great or doing things for strongman comps but it rarely transitions into the real world. When you move furniture, it becomes a whole new ball game.

Conditioning your legs in this kind of partial, tension-loaded position builds that springy, agile, explosive base that loaded barbell squats often miss. You get more pop in your step, faster recovery between bursts, better stability when you're shifting weight mid-movement. There have been guys who can back squat 500+ pounds but when they try to maintain power output for even 60 seconds in something like this, it will show things they're not going to like. Their legs are strong in some capacity. But in real movement? It's a wake up call bro. This bastard exposes that gap fast.  

How to do it? Drop into a comfortable athletic stance, knees bent maybe 20-45 degrees (whatever feels strong but challenging), chest up, core tight. Then start "walking" forward while staying low, driving through the heels, keeping that constant knee flexion. No standing up tall between steps. For beginners, a foot forward would have you noticing things, as you get stronger, up the length of a step but not to the point where you might as well be lunging, this isn't what we're getting after. 

Feel the quads and glutes ignite right away? Good – that means your legs have serious work ahead. Burning after 20-30 seconds? Still a lot of room to grow. Always room for improvement. If you can cruise through 60 seconds feeling like it's nothing, you're getting somewhere. I'll do this for 5 minutes at a time sometimes twice a day and it's incredible. Been a minute but it's still one of my favorites to get into.

The main goal for martial artists, fighters, or anyone who wants usable athletic legs: this should feel effortless under a minute. Like you could keep stalking around indefinitely without your legs turning to jelly. When that burn hits hard, embrace it. That's your signal – the legs need this exact stimulus. 

Hammer the Bigfoot Walk consistently (start with a couple sets for as long as you can, rest 2-3 minutes, build up duration), and you'll notice real changes: quicker footwork, more explosive takedown defense, better gas tank in rounds, even carryover to power output because you're training the exact ranges and tensions you use in combat. Whether for 5 minutes straight or going for 3 sets of 3 minutes, you're getting some strong ass legs. 

Compare that to grinding heavy back squats week after week. Sure, you'll get bigger numbers on the bar... but how often do you actually hit full depth in a fight or in sparring? How often do you need to generate force from a dead stop with a bar on your back? Exactly.  

This exercise is simple, requires zero equipment, can be done anywhere, and it brutalizes your legs in the way that actually matters for performance. Raw, honest work that builds legs that work when shit gets real. Grab a timer, drop low, and start walking like Bigfoot on a mission. Time yourself. Be honest about how long you last before the burn forces you to stand up. Then come back harder next session.  

Build that engine. Build that endurance. Build legs that don't quit when the fight drags on. Keep killing it, stay amazingly awesome, and let me know in the comments how long you lasted on your first go. You Got this.

For more exercises that will build durable and conditioned legs, head on over to Movement 20XX and learn the valuable training system that will work your body in a way that's fun, challenging and most of all about as natural as you can get. 

Workouts That Are Kicking My Ass

Damn, I can't get enough of these Dopa Band Workouts. The Deck Of Cards Training again has been ass kicking but fun. Some days, I'll do a full deck, other days I'll do the deck twice in a row. The sweat, the adrenaline and the high afterwards is nothing short of fucking awesome.

Been at it since Jan 1st of 2026 so far and yeah I have my days where I feel like I may need a break but then I remember how great it feels once I really get into it and because its a deck of cards, it's never the same workout twice. Even exercises get switched around so I don't even do the same ones. I switch the Green & Black Bands on certain days to work on speed and mobility with one and power with the other. Solid trade off I say. 

That's the beauty of some of these workouts, I can do other stuff part of the day and then go do a band workout later, some days the bands are my first workout or only big workout of the day. Go to the gym 2x a week to lift and play around, off days I'll do Isometrics, DDP Yoga (which really helps me stay flexible and limber) and some bodyweight but I'll always do a band session at some point. That may be extreme to some but I don't go so hard that it's affecting too many things much. I will say it builds up an appetite that's for sure but I'm still within the 230-235 lb range. 

Fitness doesn't always come from doing boring shit that leaves little to the imagination. Yes, it's important to keep things basic but in your mind, those basic moves can seem like you're in some kind of scenario. When I lifted that 295 Dead Stop Press w/ the Fat Gripz, I didn't just see a weight, I saw an opportunity to feel as if I was pushing a beast off of me in a match or in a fight and he couldn't handle the power I had. I felt like a Super Saiyan. Even when I curl the 55 lb Dumbbells, I picture having electrical spheres in my hands and fingers, using an energy technique that you imagine an invisible tractor beam propelling you at a certain point during a lift. There's more to it than what I can tell you, that's just an idea that I had picked up from my friend Garin Bader on CoreForce Energy. 

If you haven't figured it out yet, I use the bands for conditioning purposes and working towards a goal that I'm now a quarter of the way through which even right now is the most I've ever done in a consistent point in time. I've used the bands off and on for years now but never in this capacity consecutively. They say if you do something 10,000 times you become an expert or is it 10,000 hours? One way or another, when it comes to the band, I've nearly tripled the amount of reps I've done using it. Each workout is a minimum of 500 total reps and don't go further than 1000 in a session. Whether it's a circuit or it's a deck of cards, there's going to be something going on.

Train to what you want to achieve. Make it work for you and adapt whenever you can. For me, it's being in the kind of shape that when my strength and condition is called upon, I have the ability to turn on that switch and do what's possible. It's a battle most days and it's becoming more and more of mental warfare with myself. Physically, I've done these workouts so many times now it's like brushing your teeth but from a mental POV there are days where I don't want to do them and have to fight myself to get into it but once I'm in it and that band moves and the music is playing, everything else around me becomes a blur. I've had people ask me what it is I'm doing and some even told me how crazy I' am doing these workouts and that I can move pretty fast. 

I'll get comments on SM about how much leaner I've been and even got one comment that was new to me on my video I did on the Propeller. He said and I quote...."I feel sorry for whoever he ever clotheslines. That's some serious wax on wax off chi right there." Think this is the smoothest I've done with this move but as always, there's room for improvement.

Be amazingly awesome. Shoot me a comment or use the Contact Form to email me. Have a great day and keep killing it. Don't forget to use my code POWERANDMIGHT when you order a Dopamineo Band. 

Dopa Deck Of Cards Training 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it.   

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

Leaning Out Little By Little

 

My journey continues as to becoming a better version of myself. Training is going just as strong as ever and making the most of what's possible around me. These Dopa Band (10% OFF Code POWERANDMIGHT) workouts are kicking my ass, having fun in the gym lifting stuff like the sandbag and doing pullups for strength along with playing with Barbells and Dumbbells. Right now, I'm roughly under 235 last time I checked like around 233ish which I'm happy with. Slow process to get lower again but hey it's just part of the process and weight fluctuates from time to time. Still way fucking better than when I was closer to 300 lbs at 275. 

When I'm in the gym, I don't go as heavy as I did in the past which is awesome. Think my only ego lifts were the near 300 lb Pin Press with the Fat Gripz and the 500 lb Leg Press for reps. Lifting weights has its perks and I can still move some decent weight. Can still lift my bodyweight in several lifts but the majority of the time unless it's shrugs or something, I don't go past maybe 250-260. I don't even do deadlifts or barbell squats anymore, it's not my style to train for. 

The majority of my training right now is doing conditioning stuff with the band with a goal in mind which by now I've completed around 20% of. I'll do bodyweight and Isometric stuff which has always been a go to when I need it and have reduced to going to the gym 2x a week instead of 3x lately. I can go, do upper body one day, lower the next one and then the rest of the week do whatever else I love to do. I don't have a particular routine except the Dopa Band and I don't even do the same exercises with it all the time either, I switch them around some days but still get in 500-1000 Total Reps whether with the Heavy Band or the Lighter Band doesn't matter, one of those numbers will be accomplished. No days off man.

My true goals is to stay consistent and avoid injuries as much as possible while hitting my workouts hard but not so extreme it's going to burn me out or worse. I feel great, I might get stiff in some areas but some good stretching from DDP Yoga and some animal crawls usually do the trick. Some days I'll throw in push-ups and squats to keep things in check and/or do 500 Step ups or more to keep my legs from having imbalances as much as possible. I'm pretty good training in the morning but my best form where I'm like energized to the gills is usually around late morning or early afternoon which is where I feel way more at my best. In the early morning, yeah I can do stuff but rarely ever feel like I'm at my true best. I was never that much of a morning person anyway LOL.

Everyday is a new chapter in my journey and seeing what I can do. I've said before, I don't go so hard I can't walk or move well for hours on end after, I do just enough that I still have gas in the tank and say "fuck you I still win" to whatever I do training wise. My food intake is better little by little. Usually I eat about 2 big meals a day and snack on things here and there but not a ton. My first meal is something with chicken or steak, sometimes eggs up to 4-6 at a time whether scrambled or fried, might have a homemade burger or make nachos. On occasions I might grab a Subway or order some BBQ or a big burrito packed with steak, rice and veggies. My second meal the majority of the time is whatever dinner is, sometimes I'll cook, sometimes my wife cooks and we'll either have Burgers and Fries, Chicken Breasts with veggies, Quesadillas, Tacos with turkey meat, Pasta or bake a frozen pizza one night. Simple things and limiting my soda intake. I'm a sucker for Coke. I'm doing my best to drink up to 100 ounces of water a day, most of the time it's about 80. With the Liquid Death Sparkling Water, that helps with Soda Cravings.

I'm not strict about what I eat but I'm a lot better than what I did use to eat. I was really into sweets like Cookies, chocolate (Dark & Milk) and pudding but I've cut those down by maybe 85%. I'll still eat them but I'd be lucky to have one of those things a couple times a month instead of multiple a week. If I do overeat at times, I'll just fast until I'm hungry again and even though I can still eat quite a bit, I don't push it like I did in the past, like with tacos, I use to eat sometimes 12 in a sitting but these days I rarely go past 5. Tacos are the fucking bomb man. I eat for fuel, it's the way to go.

There's always room for improvement and as time goes on, I get a little better about what I eat and train on. Be smart about what you do, be consistent and keep being amazingly awesome. Hope you enjoyed this one.     

Why Conditioning Should Be A Top Fitness Priority – And Why I Believe In It

How's it going everyone? Something has been burning in my brain as of late. We live in a wild world of fitness where everyone's chasing the next big lift or that shredded six-pack, we've got it all backwards sometimes. Strength is and always will be royalty in the quest for longevity for sure, but without conditioning, you're just a castle built on sand, waiting for the tide to wash it away. Today, I would love to dig deep into why conditioning training needs to be one of the top absolute priorities in fitness. Not some side dish – the main course. And I'll share how I've made it happen for me, because let's face it, talking the talk without walking the walk is bullshit.

First off, what the hell do I even mean by "conditioning"? I'm not talking about some off the wall cardio class where you're prancing around like a gazelle on caffeine, it's great if that works for you. However; conditioning is that beast mode endurance – the kind that builds your engine so you can go harder, longer, and recover like a fucking superhero. Think high-rep total circuits, explosive band work, hill sprints that make your lungs scream, or even those grueling bodyweight sessions that leave you in a puddle of sweat. It's the stamina that turns a one-set wonder into a multi-round warrior. Conditioning isn't just "cardio"; it's the foundation that lets your strength shine without crumbling under pressure.

Why prioritize it? Let's break this down, because number one: longevity. I'm in my 40s now, and I've seen too many guys my age blow out knees, tweak backs, or just quit because their bodies couldn't handle the load. Conditioning builds that resilience. It's like prehab on steroids – improving joint mobility, firing up those fast-twitch fibers for explosiveness, and torching calories without the joint-pounding punishment of endless heavy lifts, lifting has its perks especially with Sandbags but that's not the name of the game here. Take my obsession with Dopamineo bands (shoutout to those indestructible beasts – if you haven't grabbed one, what are you waiting for?). I hammer out 500-rep circuits daily, sometimes 1000, mixing pulls, pushes, and rotational stuff like the Propeller exercise. That shit doesn't just build muscle; it conditions your heart, lungs, and connective tissues to handle whatever life throws at you. No more feeling like a zombie after a workout – you're electrified, ready for round two or three.

Here's a take on performance. If you're an athlete, weekend warrior, or just someone who wants to dominate pickup basketball without wheezing or giving out within minutes, conditioning is your secret weapon. Remember Henry Cejudo? That UFC champ used resistance bands for his conditioning, turning him into a machine that could wrestle, strike, and outlast many of his opponents? I've channeled that vibe in my own training. Those 20 Rounds with the Chosen Higher Band have been brutal. By the end, I'd cranked out 1,000 reps of blissful hell, feeling like Goku powering up like a Super Saiyan. My explosiveness went through the roof, and recovery? Flawless victory, Mortal Kombat style. Without prioritizing conditioning, that strength plateaus. You hit that wall where reps feel like molasses, and gains stall. But flip it – make conditioning the priority – and suddenly your lifts improve because your body's efficient at using oxygen, clearing lactate, and staying in the fight.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying ditch the weights entirely. Hell no. Strength and conditioning go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly. But if you're building a pyramid, conditioning is the base. Too many programs out there glorify the "no pain, no gain" bullshit, pushing extremes that lead to burnout or injury.

How do you make it a priority? Start simple, but commit like your life depends on it – because in a way, it does. Assess your current state. If a 10-minute circuit kicks your ass, that's your baseline. Build from there. Little by little down to the smallest fraction of progress still leads to the big picture. Even bodyweight circuits are fantastic because you can do them anywhere. Do them on your off days from the gym. I'll be going 2x a week to play around with the weights and then work on the other stuff the rest of the time. Do what works for you. If you're looking for some fun bodyweight workouts, check out Darebee.com. Thousands of workouts for FREE!!!

Here's a kicker: making conditioning a priority isn't just physical; it's mental. In a world full of distractions – social media, endless scrolling – fitness is your anchor. Prioritizing conditioning builds discipline, that instinctive drive to push when you want to quit. It's like speaking a second language of grit. I've seen it in the Dopamineo Community: folks using the dopa bands for family workouts, kids building explosiveness for sports, elders staying mobile. It's inclusive, not elitist. Unlike some bro-science out there, this isn't about destroying yourself; it's about evolving. Be passionate about it – let that fire burn, add gasoline if needed. The rewards? Endless. You'll move better, live longer, and crush goals you didn't know you had.

Wrapping this up, because I could go on for days: if you're serious about fitness, make conditioning your priority. It's your greatest asset – the engine that powers everything else. Start today: grab those bands, hit a circuit, feel the burn (be sure to lock in my code POWERANDMIGHT to get a few bucks off your order). You'll thank me later when you're killing it at levels you never imagined. Be amazingly awesome, keep evolving, and remember, train smart, train hard, and let's dominate.