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. 

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.