Why Dopamineo Bands Are Great For Those Over 40

 Getting older can suck at times depending on how you live but it doesn't mean you can't build a better quality of life after a certain age. Some people believe they peaked in high school, others in their 20's and 30's but very few (more than past generations at least) believe you stop at 40 and just live it out the rest of your life. One of the greatest legends and one of the last of the oldtime strongmen Slim The Hammerman once said he didn't even peak at 40. He said between his years of 40-50, he felt like he was invincible and dangerous. That's a bold statement considering what he put himself through day after day working as a back breaking stone cutter with a 16 lb hammer and on top of performing the heaviest sledgehammers that to this day almost nobody can match.

Athletes as they age do tend to wind down after years of hard training in certain sports but it doesn't mean they should stop living. We keep driving to be better, make adjustments if we have to but train to keep our quality of life going. We won't always be able to do the same things when we were younger but we can create new possibilities and keeping our joints healthy is one of those steps to making that happen.

I knew going into being 40 that there are things that won't value my style of training but I can create new possibilities and keep testing things out and as it turns out, I'm doing things I wasn't doing in my 30's. Never imagined training hard with a heavy 100+ lb sandbag at 40 or carrying a kettlebell for hundreds or even 1000 yards or more without putting it down. One of the best pieces of equipment I love using and have been using it off and on for a year now is the Dopamineo Band. At first it was to help heal a sciatica injury, than it became something to do for conditioning and now it's basically to not only condition my body but to help keep my joints and muscles healthy. You've seen some of the workouts I do with that thing and it hasn't slowed me down. 

The band is more than just a tool, it's a saver for those who are working around injuries, do drills in some format to keep up with what they did for wrestling or fighting back in the day or to maintain health and stamina after years on the field, the mat or whatever. It gives off that youthful feeling of having great energy, natural dopamine levels, better breathing and being more mobile. You can take it anywhere with you and use it as warm up, a finisher or as a stand alone in addition to your regular routine. It doesn't take long to do, you can get a killer workout in within 15-30 minutes and be spanked but in a good way. The cardio you get alone is often times better than just running on a treadmill, you can switch up exercises on a dime and never be bored. You can make it as tough or as easy as you want it and build a foundation for a better healthy body.

One of my favorite exercises is what's called the Chest Pull Wave or Creating Waves With A Pull In that works the arms, shoulders and back along with working the stability muscles in your core. It's a hell of an arm conditioner and with the intensity and pace to create waves consistently, it builds incredible stamina and lung power. Wrestlers do this as a finisher to keep up their conditioning or use as part of a post practice workout to make sure they have that extra boost for matches later on. From a fitness standpoint, it's a great way to build long term strength in the arms and build muscle in the core and back. 

Being active in your later years is essential to maintain healthy levels of hormones, heart & lungs, serotonin and brain function. Intense exercise adds a great element to being in that active state but it doesn't mean you go so hard that you're dying at the end. Always have gas in the tank and progress little by little. I love Circuit Training and working with 5 exercises or so for 10 rounds with little to no rest so I don't waste time. I want to be done with a workout as soon as possible and on some days I'll do DDP Yoga for longer periods of time so I can maintain flexibility but with Circuits, it is intense, hard and there's no safety zone or net to save you. 

One workout I did with the Dopa Band just a couple days ago or so, I did a HIIT type workout where I took 5 exercises for 1 minute on, 15 seconds off each and did that 4 times for a total of approx 25 min for the whole workout. It was brutal, sweating like crazy and felt a high that was amazing. Never did that level of intense training before and there were times where I wanted to quit but kept going. It's not an everyday thing but going that hard and still having some energy left is just beautiful man. That's one of the very best things about this style of Band Training, you can mimic just about any machine in the gym or work on drills for sparring to keep your stamina up or even use it in addition to your current routine and use it for rest periods between sets for your gym exercises. 

The sky is the limit, be creative and utilize simple techniques so you can get the most out of a workout. When you get a band, you can gain access to a variety of videos and tutorials to give you insights on how you can use the band to your advantage. The band is made for those in certain weight classes like in MMA so you can get the benefit of training with something meant just for you and your goals. Become more mobile, build strength that lasts and have the stamina of someone in their 20's. Workout at home, the park, in a hotel room, at the beach, on break at work, on vacation or wherever. Make it work for you.

As a token of my gratitude as you took the time to read this, if you're interested in purchasing a band or a bundle, I have a discount code you can use that saves you a few bucks or more off the regular price for them. At the checkout punch in the code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF. There's bands made for kids, there's bundles you can find for Group Classes, MMA Programs, High School/Youth/College Wrestling Programs, A Family Bundle for you, the wife and kids so you can all get fit together and more. Keep the quality of life alive and get the most out of your training so you can still do amazing things for many years to come. 

Have an amazingly awesome day and keep killing it. 

Real Painkillers You Don't Need To Shove Down Your Throat

 Pain can be a great teacher but it also can be a ferocious and intense demon if you let it happen. At times we can't control the pain but we can do our best to avoid it as much as possible. For all intents and purposes, the no pain, no gain thing is a bullshit myth. Being in pain is not fun and when it hits hard, it can be debilitating. Been there, done that and not very fond of it.

I understand the need to be on painkillers, I did it while I had my sciatica and was so bad I couldn't walk. I hated taking them and made a conscience decision to stop. The real painkillers that are worth taking is to train doing mobility, flexibility and old fashioned strength training. It's not easy and you won't always have the best day but even a bad day is better than getting addicted to pills to numb anything. Trust me, I feel you and I sympathize but it's important to be as level headed as you can. Some people turn to CBD gummies which more power to them if there are severe cases but if you can find a way to put drugs or even alcohol aside, do what's possible to utilize exercise.

One of the best painkillers, is DDP Yoga. Modify your level and work around things if you can and build that flexibility and strength little by little. With consistent effort, it potentially can get you out of pain and make you feel like you can take on the world again. It did for me and made me strong again that I'm doing stuff I never thought I'd be doing at 40 like hoisting up 100+ lb sandbags, being more mobile than before and even getting stronger in certain lifts I haven't done in years. Hell, at a fair here earlier this summer, walked around with the family and there was the Marine Recruitment tent that had their pullup bar to test people. I hadn't touched a pull-up bar in roughly 2 years or so and weighing 240 lbs. I knocked off 5 chin over bar pull-ups. That felt great to do and apparently I did the bare minimum they gave a little lanyard. I'd say that's a win for not doing almost any pullups at all in a while.

Another set of painkillers is using various tools that utilize many muscle groups at once like Sandbags, Kettlebells, Mace & Sledgehammers. Sure it's best to use lighter weight to work technique and you don't need to go super heavy to get something going. Train for real world application, don't push yourself to the point of pain, do enough to satisfy a good workout and challenge yourself, progress little by little and keep yourself healthy.  

Be active and keep a solid level of it each day. Beating yourself up will only lead to misery and it's important to stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Exercise is more than just getting to the gym and doing some things and then head home. Yes, it's better than nothing and many thrive on it but also there's a whole other world of possibilities that you can learn to work with instead of fighting against it. The only fight you should really be concerned with is fighting aging and gravity. It's sad to see people my age, older or younger either letting themselves go or not giving themselves opportunities to get better and beat the notion later on of "when I was your age, I could do this" blah blah blah. Be able to do things now and get a little stronger and mobile even down to the smallest fraction. It still gets 10-1000 steps ahead of the majority in the world. 

Have the ability to adapt and adjust what you're able to do and expand on it. That's the greatest painkiller of all, training as you adapt to be out of pain as much as you can. Can we 100% avoid it? No, but we must take a stand to minimize it anyway we can without resorting to pharmaceuticals. Take notes, pay attention to your weak links and strengthen them. Be mindful and go at your own pace, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. 

Be amazingly awesome and continue to kick ass in your journey. Another great Painkiller that reaps many benefits is Isometrics. Some of the best training in existence comes from training Isometrics as they can help heal joints and strengthen tendons and muscles that other methods can't reach. Ask the legendary Brooks Kubik who's still going strong at 67 doing Isometrics to keep his body sharp for workouts that had him set records in his age group in AAU Olympic Weightlifting. The man is still a monster and has a physique that people in their 20's would be impressed by.  

   

Big Bertha Has Lost Some Weight

 Certain times in my life, I wanted to see what I can handle with some very heavy weight. I still do today but only in smaller capacities. Weight Training wise, I'll hit the gym every now and then and test myself and come back and see the progress like I do with my Fat Gripz. It's fun for a while but at some point, you've got to cut back a bit and focus on strength that matters in the long term, not what your max is. 

In this case, I decided to reduce the weight of my Epic Sledgehammer that's happily named Big Bertha. For years I've had her, she went up in weight starting at 26 lbs empty and went up to 35, 45, 54, 59 and eventually 75 lbs. This was at first upping weight to work on my deck of cards and whenever I was able to complete the deck, I would up the weight. It stayed at 59 lbs for the longest time because I stopped doing the cards and just repping it. Eventually I wanted to see how heavy I can handle it and was repping it at 75 lbs. Very few people on this planet are able to do it and one of the only people I know of who can rep a hammer at 100 lbs is the Mad Scientist Nick Nilsson. For a time, I wanted to match him but in the end, if anybody who should own the 100 lb club title it's him, that dude takes strength into another universe. 

It stayed stagnant for a period of time and only worked that hammer a handful of times at that heavy of a weight. I didn't want it to just be on display so I made the decision to cut her down to a weight where it's still heavy but it's not difficult for me to kill myself over trying to pick it up and rep it only a few times. I scooped out the lead shot and ended up going down to just under 46 lbs which was comfortable for me to work with. That hammer regardless of weight, is not to be messed with. 

Sledgehammers are a whole other animal when it comes to lifting and moving weight. The strength you build is different, the type of grip you develop is on a whole other level. It's strength that builds legends like Slim Farman or John Henry. It should be fun playing with this thing again and using it for strength and using my Giants hammer for conditioning. You can get fit with hammers without breaking your back to do it and it doesn't take long to feel it once you get into it. Hammers are old school, making boys into men and building strength outside the normal gym culture. Work with a weight that is comfortable for you and take advantage of the benefits. The best hammers are made by Ryan Pitts at strongergrip.com. Be amazingly awesome and have fun. 

More On Fat Gripz

 Training With A Fat Grip is more than just building muscle size and strength, it creates a new level of control and focus that you can't duplicate with typical gym equipment. You won't be able to rely on style, form, technique or even timing because it's really just sheer strength and power to make a lift. It has a far greater burden on the tendons, ligaments and musculature than a regular barbell, dumbbell or even pull machine ever will.

In reality, very few athletes will go near fat grip training, although today it is making a comeback, there is still a wide range of men or women that have that fear factor. Working with Fat Gripz is not meant to be easy, matter of fact, much of it separates the men from the boys because in order to get better, you have to push through that barrier and challenge your capabilities. You won't work the same amount of weight with a typical bar but that's ok, not many even attempt it. I've taken my FG's to the gym and I do get looks every now and then cause I don't work with regular equipment or at least work with what they got so I need to create that extra inch if you will of training that makes it unique yet old school. 

I'm not about the bodybuilding culture or toning down to look like an athlete. At 40, the main thing is to not just maintain muscle but to still have strength that means something. Sculpting was never my thing and quite frankly, most sculpting methods of weight training require levels upon levels of steroid use, overuse of isolation exercise and a diet that most likely will make me miserable as hell. Besides, having a good look is fine but if your strength is shit, what good is the look going to do?

I prefer to use my FG's for my TNT Cables which has greater ability to build healthier joints plus having the hand strength to go along with it. When I do use them for the gym, they go on the bar, dumbbells and bars for pulldowns and such. That's it. I still manage to build some decent strength and I only do a few sets of 10 or less with every exercise I do, it makes things interesting that way. As they say, strong hands equals a strong body.

Be careful in how you do them. They're not meant for toning or putting on a little muscle, if you consistently train with them, you're building muscle that is meant for raw power and strength. They build muscle that is rugged, thick, functional and outside the parameters of a regular gym goer. Want to take them out for a spin? Grab a set and see/feel the difference and humbling experience it provides. If you really want to another level, go for the Extreme set and really dig into the realm of the old time strongmen.   

Fat Gripz And The Gym

 Every now and then, I'll go to the gym with the wife and do a few things while she does her own training. It's almost like a day off for me and just seeing what's possible. Sure there are more machines than free weights but I'll go with what I can get. Usually do a quick warm up doing DDP Yoga and then get to it. Normally when I go, I take my Fat Gripz with me to make the exercises harder and engage more muscles than the machine has you doing. 

Most of the exercises I do with the FGs is Dumbbell Curls, Lat Pulldowns, Close Grip Pulldowns, Rows and Bench Press on the Smith Machine. I'm sure I'll get hounded one way or another for not using a real barbell, which is fine because like I said, it's just another exercise that I can make more difficult. When it comes to reps, I really don't do more than 10 with a weight and increase little by little until I can only do a few reps as opposed to the beginning. Sets are typically 3-4 or so per exercise. With the FGs, I don't use as much weight as I normally would since it's supposed to make the exercise harder and the muscles are working at a greater capacity. 

I do take rest periods but only long enough to get going for the next set and then move on. With the SMBP, I wanted to test my strength and see where that went. When I go after this exercise, most of the time, I'll go until I can barely do a few reps but the last couple times, I've done quite a few sets until I start hitting singles and increase weight from there. The bar weighs 20 lbs so when I add on plates, I do count the bar when I lift. So far with the Gripz, I've gone up to 280 for a single which to me is the heaviest I've ever done having those things attached. I would say even with a machine, that's pretty decent strength. 

Fat Gripz create an interesting element to Strength Training and teaches you more about control than anything else. It forces you not just to engage muscles but target the ligaments and tendons as well and you can build some crazy upper body strength from doing that. Utilizing the old school method of working with a Fat Bar, it adds another level of Strength Training that has helped many lifters reach new PRs and harness power from another perspective. You won't use nearly the same weight without them which isn't a bad thing, it's just another look at what you can do to build strength. 

I'm the type of guy who doesn't really get into the whole isolation movement thing so if I'm going to work with machines or weights, I'm going to make it interesting and focus as many muscles at once in whatever movement with the upper body in this case. This way, I'm getting more out of the movement. Grab a set yourself and see what you can do with them. Remember, these are not to be taken lightly, work with a weight you are able to control and focus on the mind/muscle connection as you push or through the exercise. Turn an isolated movement into a multi joint strength builder. 

Be amazingly awesome and build insane hand and wrist power.