Getting A Little Stronger And More With The Pulls

 Experimenting has been one of my favorite things to do when it comes to training. Finding ways to get better, get stronger in areas I wasn't strong in and putting on muscle that works in my favor instead of against me. Isometrics is one of the go to methods I've used for years that has been more and more these days helped some weak points in things I've been working on like Pull-Ups and other things. Maybe it's a phase, maybe it isn't even I don't freaking know lol. 

Ever since I hit those 5 Pull-Ups at that Marine booth at the Fairgrounds earlier this summer, something clicked and wanted to see if I can get better. 5 Reps seems to be my plateau but I know I can get stronger. It may be my max reps at the moment but not my total in a workout. As of right now, my best total with the regular pull-ups is 15 which I'm happy with. With Chin-Ups its a total of 32 because in the same workout I did a total of 17 Chin-Ups when I went to the gym that one day which you can see below doing a set of 5 each of the 2 Variations. Not perfect, sure as hell nowhere as good as Jack Lalanne or Matt Schifferle (These are true masters BTW) but got to keep improving right? Isn't that what fitness is truly about, improving little by little?

Pull-Ups were never my strong suit and when it comes to muscle building, they're not the end-all-be-all move to build thick muscles in the back. Some guys can pull it off (pun intended) but other guys can look like a "get that guy a sandwich" type and be "good" at them. If you've ever seen my results, you know that there are other alternatives to building muscle for the back that is still functional and useful. I don't however want to be dogmatic about it because if I did, I would be lying to myself and I'm telling people to work on other things and experiment for themselves what can work. This is more of, what can get me going at this moment in time. 

With The weight loss, the muscle building and the adjustments I've made in my own training, it's something to pursue and see where it leads. Not doing it because it's a Litmus test for the military or something that is required of me, just want to see what I'm capable of. Trying other variations like using the Worldfit Iso Trainer or a Towel to test my grip strength. The towel can be a bitch and it has been some time, like years since I've done Pull-Ups that way but in the video below, I manage a couple that are pretty damn intense but I'm in control and getting my chin over the fists. If I really credit anything that has kept me strong in order to do that it's Isometrics. All those sessions doing 7-12 seconds of intense contractions and muscle control is paying off. I'm not expecting gymnast type results later on, that's not my intention. As a matter of fact, if there's the cream of a crop of an athlete that has dominated the Pull-Up exercise it's either a Gymnast or a Rock Climber hands down. The technique and the muscle control is what makes the Pull-Up great, not just the pull itself. 

It's fun to try certain things even at certain places like at a Park or the gym or wherever. Be serious about what you're getting into but don't be so rigid about it that you can't enjoy the experience. That's what I do my best to preach is that you want to make your training a great experience. You may not always have the motivation to go after it, fuck sometimes my motivation isn't always there but I do what I can and get the most out of what is happening to me in the moment. I may have various emotions going on and I don't want to train for hours at a time but still make the effort to get something done even if its a few minutes. 

If I really had to pick the best methods that have built my back it's Isometrics, the Chest Expander, Sandbags & working with my Fat Gripz. Pull-ups is just another link in the chain and one of the best in training that exercise comes from the Red Delta Project through the Grind Style Calisthenics System. It is by far, one of the top training practices around today and teaches how to utilize alternative equipment that you can take anywhere and work on your exercises. This is something I highly recommend. If anything, this system has been one of my biggest influences on Bodyweight Training and Isometrics.

If you want the most out of your training that is affordable and not some cheap knockoff that is priced higher than Willie Mays' career Batting Average for quite a few of the products "sold" than GSC is right up your ally man. Training should be affordable that has quality standards. Don't get a con artist who sells a 300 dollar book that's easily worth more like 30 or 40 with cheap shit that barely makes anything look believable. That's what I love about Red Delta Project, it sells courses that are reasonable in price, makes others feel inspired to train because of the enthusiasm and positive affirmations along with methods that people can understand down to the smallest detail and channel their own pace. It has expectations for sure but doesn't act like an asshole about it and gives you the feeling of "man I want to hang with this guy" kind of vibe. No ego, no narcissism and sure as hell doesn't rant about how much of a loser people are. It's like a coach that will kick your ass but cheer you on and make you feel good about yourself in the process. It makes the journey an experience you want to have. 

Keep getting stronger everyone and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Why Pulling Movements Are Important

 I'm not talking just pull-ups as if they're the Zeus of Pulling Mount Olympus, it goes beyond that. It's pulling from an overall perspective that is the key thing here. It's not merely a method of training to help with muscle imbalances, it's more on the likes of building grip strength, working with various objects and having the strength to help yourself up or others. Machines, Deadlifts, Pull-ups, Chin-Ups all work to a degree within each other. No one move is superior to the other and no one movement is going to solve all your needs in that area.

When you learn to get better at pulling, you're getting strength that is essential in ways you may not even realize. From my own experiences, I may not be the best at pull-ups but I've done a lot of pulling in my time, more than I lead on. It truly started when I was laid up after my accident and being in a hospital bed was very discouraging. If you've had major injuries or have/are wheelchair bound, you have an idea of what I mean. It wasn't easy for people to lift me in order for me to do what I needed to do so I made it a priority to use what strength I had in my upper body to get myself around which turned to more pulling and dipping. In the hospital, they have those hangers where you pull yourself up to get into a wheelchair or to pull yourself up in order to sit up. I did a lot of those and when I had to get into a car without using my legs, I had to pull and grip on the Car Handle basically with one arm in order to get myself in. One time, I had to get in the passenger seat this way and I said to myself out loud "Come on motherfucker" in order to muster the strength to get in. 

Pulling isn't as big of a priority as pushing is but it is important to understand that Pushing and Pulling is the Yin and Yang to the Upper body and be able to work with both in a synergetic fashion. I like to do Pull-downs, Rows, Pull-ups & Chin-Ups when I train especially when I use my Fat Gripz to really utilize the muscle groups as best as possible to their maximum potential. I love to use the WorldFit Iso Trainer and make it work as a Suspension Trainer, you can do so much with it, the list is only limited to your imagination. From Isometrics to Partials to Full Range as good as can be, this thing can do wonders for your pulling strength. One of the best authors on Suspension Training is Matt Schifferle with his Grind Style Calisthenics Training System. It teaches the true fundamentals of Pulling along with the other chain of muscles so you can build muscle and strength. 

An idea of doing various pulls is a video demo I did where there are exercises such as the Hybrid Iso Pull-Up by strapping a loop on each side of a rack or in this case Monkey Bars and pull yourself up until the strap has you at a stopping point and hold it. This is essentially a 2 For 1 Exercise as pull with with as much strength from an Overcoming POV and you're fighting against Gravity at the same time. Another exercise is a beginner's version of Pull-Up where you squat down and hold onto the handles and then pull yourself up using your legs as assistance but also do your best to focus and use tension on the muscles of the back, arms and core. This version is a great strength builder and puts on muscle in the upper back. The last one is the Hybrid Iso Row where you create a stopping point and then row until you hit that mark and hold it. Hell of a grip and core exercise. 

Work with what's possible and make little bits of progress at a time. Even the tiniest form of progress builds into a monumental goal. I do believe in building strength in pull-ups but it's great to work with the other things together to create really insane pull strength. Pull-ups are a key move but they're not the only ones, do some work with the other exercises and you'll see some awesome results. 

Be amazingly awesome and build strength so when it's needed the most, you can not only lift yourself up but lift up others in need. 

The Toxicity Of The Fitness Industry

 You learn in the world of fitness that many methods work for a lot of people but some things aren't meant for everyone and that's ok. The problem is, there are people out there that prey on others' insecurities and often times trauma in order to make a buck and that's just plain dirty man, it's right up there with some corrupt cops. This is especially hard on women which quite frankly is fucking sad. When you toy with people's emotions, it becomes a toxic situation and that's not what fitness and helping others get in shape is about. 

I may have my opinions on things but at the end of the day, I don't wish anyone harm or do such crazy stuff that it'll affect their life negatively down the road whether it's injuries, brain damage or thinking exercise should be avoided like the plague. Some people are like that and some may be too far gone but that doesn't mean we give up on the rest of the world. Personally, everyone should be able to enjoy their exercise routines or be fitter and healthier little by little each day. The world would be very different but alas, it can be a pain in the ass to try to save or get EVERYONE to do some kind of training.

There are people out there that treat others like shit yet they try to make exercise seem like it's the greatest thing on earth and if you don't do it, you're a loser and a piece of shit. That's what a lot of cultists do, they manipulate a person's psyche and use them as pawns of some scheme in order to "sell their product" to the masses. There are fitness authors that literally have misogynistic views on women and claim to love them while also calling them idiots. It's sick and degrading. They boost their ego by saying because of how fit they are, they sleep with a lot of women and brag that women fall for him like they're god. Hell, one guy calls himself a Habib Porn star, I don't know about you but that's not a great nickname to have and most people shouldn't brag about being a possibly walking VD. That's just my take on it.

Now, there are those out there who do seek attention and put content out that are a bit racy (I'm being modest here) and yeah it doesn't send the greatest message to get people going, maybe some but all you're truly doing is just showing off your T & A, your abs and whatever makes you look shredded. One of the greatest things I learned in almost 20 years of training every single day is that you can look like a million bucks and let's face it, sex sells, has been for decades or longer but like I'm saying, looking like a million bucks may get you going in some areas but if you don't have the strength or the conditioning that is functional and matters most when it's needed, looks will go out the window in the long run. 

If you want to look and feel better, that's awesome and I want you to accomplish those goals, I only ask is that you also learn to be strong and conditioned when the time comes cause looks don't save somebody from a burning building or help others move furniture and sure as hell looks don't always mean you're going to be a stud in the bedroom. People like Tyler Bramlett, Logan Christopher, Matt Schifferle, Melody Schoenfeld, Kirsten Tulloch, Brooks Kubik and others are some of the true masters of what make fitness enjoyable while also taking your health seriously. They don't belittle others like they're so unfit their lives don't mean jack shit or treat their system as their way or the highway, they show what is possible, take methods that have stood the test of time and make it a priority to help others be fit, strong, healthy and help others be better people. 

Some people are so freakishly toxic, you wonder how the hell people follow them? The truth is, people feel the need to belong somewhere, they have become accustomed to certain things like making people feel like crap or were treated like crap in their lives and the volume has turned up as they get older. It's that mentality to lure people into a cult like atmosphere and shower them with hate while increasing their ego and act like they got the bigger dick. Kind of like Hitler or Jim Jones. Trump anyone? 

Another outlook of the toxic areas of the fitness world is the dogmatic approach to a certain method where if you don't believe in a trainer's method or someone's system, then you're the loser and have no business living practically. That's fucked up and not a good image for healthy exercise. Someone's method can work for a lot of people, hell change their way of life completely for the better but it's not the end-all-be-all. No one method is. It's the preying on gullible people to brainwash them into believing that a method of training is the ultimate thing to the point where they will argue and fight you (at times literally) in order to show that their way of training is best. Crossfit is right up there, I'm not saying it's the worst of the worst, many people benefitted from it but it has more cons than it does pros and it's not sustainable for long term health. HIIT is another one. This is where it can be a conflict because I practice the method myself, however; I treat it like it is an option and not some method to put up on a pedestal, trainers take that style of training way too far and not give people enough time to recover and teach people to go more than 4 days a week depending on the type of exercises, timing and rest periods.

It is difficult to find trust in a method or series of methods that doesn't come off as some guy acting like an asshole and treating others like dirt or put them in some negative category. I've called guys out on it and they have trouble fighting back at me and have written articles about me saying some crazy shit. Some of it is creative, often dull as hell. Hell, one guy tried to tell people about something about fitness and what protocols to use in order to be a real man or some shit; I went on to tell him the real deal and all he did was say I look like I couldn't do 5 Push-ups. I showed him a video of me doing 5 Push-ups but on six fingers and after that...Crickets, couldn't make one single comeback but he was cool about it and thought "ok, he got me on that one". 

It happens but when it comes down to it, don't be a toxic dick. Do what you can and help others as best as you can. There's going to be trash talkers and those that try to call you out every now and then, just don't get so caught up it becomes of web that you can't get out of. Trust me, I've been there and it's not pretty. Learned some lessons and they're part of the journey. Make training an adventure, look at methods from another perspective and use your imagination. Be amazingly awesome.   

Pushing, Pulling, Squatting, Sandbags, Bands And More

 Keeping things basic is the way to go but don't always look to them as a generic boring thing. Make the basics interesting, make games out of them and have fun while kicking your ass. Daily training and being smart about what you do will make all the difference. If you're more keen on doing things 3-4 times a week, that's great too, just don't fall for bullshit that'll get you hurt or worse. 

Building muscle at 40 these days isn't surprising or as shocking as it was back in the day but it's still incredible that people can still accomplish it and continue their journey. For me, it's becoming more and more of a realization that the more you can make it happen and without TRT, HGH, HRT and other things that many even as young as their 20's are doing, is something to celebrate and be proud of. 

Old school methods are what keeps the world going around when it comes to Fitness in the long run. Been doing it for ages but there's always been fluctuations in terms of what my physique has gone through over the years and I blame no one but myself on what some of those fluctuations entailed. The best thing to do is to keep improving, making better decisions on the type of training you do and getting the most out of it. Some may say Daily Hard Workouts will get you better results but some of those same guys look like Bean Poles and have less muscle than Karen Carpenter (bad joke I know). I say, do what you can and go hard when needed, go hard for too long, too frequently, it can bite you in the ass.

There was a reason I fell in love with training and it went beyond my accident and all that, you already know the story by now so you don't need me to repeat it like a broken fucking record. It's the love of doing things that mean something, that are valued and making adjustments. Doing 500 Push-ups and Squats are great for some but there are plenty of things that don't require hundreds or thousands of reps in one shot. Play it over time and spread them out. If anything I do 500 these days is Step Ups or a total of 500 doing 5 exercises for 10 reps each for 10 rounds doing Circuits with my Dopamineo Band. The rest of the time, I'll do lifts with the sandbags, work on isometrics, consistent deep breathing training with the O2 Trainer and play with the hammers, chest expander and other kick ass equipment I got laying around. 

Working on bodyweight training is always fun to do especially when you learn from people like Matt Schifferle of the Red Delta Project. Guy's knowledge and applications of movements are so freaking awesome, it's shameful he's not ranked up there with being one of the very best in Physical Culture today. His method of Grind Style Calisthenics and Isometrics brings that old school mentality with a humble notion of encouragement in the modern age is refreshing. 

Keeping the grind going and putting up content of Push-ups, Pull-Ups (Suspension), Sandbag Work, Bands just keep getting better and better man. My physique is changing for the better as well and losing weight has been a great blessing. When I turned 40 back in late July, I was already down 17-18 lbs within the last several months since my recovery from that fucked up Sciatica injury which I will aways take responsibility for. This time around, I'm down to roughly 230 lbs and the muscle just keeps packing on little by little. Often these days I take a longer time to eat during the day, only eating when I'm hungry and consistently eating Meats, Eggs, Rice, using the Air Fryer and other things. Still have my vices like pizza, fries, burgers (not always fast food), Burritos, Pasta and sandwiches from Subway or this little place here called Local Deli where even half a sandwich looks huge yet still losing weight and dropping bodyfat. Haven't had Burger King in months and been more than a year that I can remember having McDonalds.

 

When you put in the work but keeping the stress to a minimum, things will pop up for you and being consistent with your eating habits and training smart and not like a maniac frequently. It's good to go crazy a couple to a few times a week but don't push to where you're so sore, your muscles are screaming at you "You are a fucking asshole for doing this to me." Have gas in the tank, make little progressions and keep your mind sharp when you train, even on those days when things around you suck. Don't go overboard with the junk stuff but don't have to 100% cut them out of your life either unless it's dire and need to clean things up. 

Training at this age and beyond is crucial and valuable but don't make it so that you're going to act like a dick and tell people how much of a loser they are if they don't train. Be more encouraging, share your progress and utilize what gives you the greatest benefit in your journey. Calling people derogatory names because they don't do pull-ups or some shit like that makes you more of the loser than anything else. Do many these days need a tune up in their health, absolutely, but preying on their insecurities and mocking them with such vengeance is such a copout and just downright mean bro. Being a goody too shoes isn't ideal either so it's important to find a balance of being encouraging and giving people a reason to train and giving tough love when needed. It's hard enough when the biggest critics is ourselves. 

Stick to the basics as much as possible. There will be days where things aren't always there and the chaos of life just throws you curve ball after curve ball, don't give up and do a little something even a few push-ups or holding a few postures during commercials while watching your favorite show and if you got a streaming service, pause the movie for a little bit and do a quick mini workout that can be as short as a few minutes like this Core Workout, it's not easy but it'll do some good in a span of 4 minutes. You got this and keep your journey alive. Be amazingly awesome.

Dopamineo Playlist To Help Get You Started

 

When you get an idea in your head and have something good going on, you might as well share it and see where it leads. For a while now in addition to my Dopa Band Workouts, I wanted to create a playlist on my YouTube to show some basic moves you can do with the Band. Some are a little more advanced and others are the basics with the volume turned up so do speak. 

These bands are insanely fun to use and the creativity you can get from them are limitless. It doesn't matter if you're a wrestler, MMA Fighter, Fitness Nut or a bad ass Olympic Champion; Dopa Bands create a unique way to build strength and conditioning that not only lasts but enhances your energy levels, the way you move and the way you can have a better quality of life. That's why I created the playlist to showcase what you can do at least on a simpler level. Exercises you can start with and build a foundation on. 

They're not just for building athleticism and fitness, they can be great for rehab/prehab, mobility training, flexibility, rotational work, loosening up muscles and a hell of a lot more. From time to time, I'll use them to loosen up my back and legs. My joints always feel amazing after training with them and because they're not time constricted, you can get in something great in as little as 5-10 minutes. If you wish to go longer, that's awesome, you get to decide what could work for you and take the amount of steps needed to get better and better. 

Now, one of the perks of getting a band is that once you learn some of the exercises that can get you started, you can access even more tutorials from the DopamineO company themselves that will send your fitness into the stratosphere. Get your hands on workouts and exercises from World & Olympic Champions, MMA Tournament Winners, College Wrestlers and other Pro Athletes that will showcase their explosiveness, strength, power, speed, reactions and more that made them some of the very best on the planet. I can give you samples of things that can get you going and have some fun with, but when you learn from the cream of the crop, you'll find out what you're capable of and harnessing a new level of cardio that is just unbelievable. 

One of my favorite exercises is the Squat & Row Combo which is very simple, take the band, Squat down, come back up and pull towards the rib cage. Nothing too complicated and works multiple muscle groups which can aid in conditioning training along with agility. I do this often in my own training doing either circuits or HIIT Workouts where I would do this for up to a minute or so with other exercises for a total of 15-30 minutes of a full workout. It's great as it can be used to train for wrestling working on the duck under and pulling your opponent in for the kill or it can be done to work on knee mobility and working the upper back muscles to build strength for rehabbing. There are so many things this exercise can do it's nuts yet it's so simple to do. 

With practice, a good work ethic and utilizing your imagination, these bands will benefit you in ways that I can't even fathom and who knows what you'll be able to do. You can take them anywhere, even to the gym to use for rest periods, warm ups, cooldowns, finishers or part of your routine. You can bring them to the park like you'll see with some of the exercises in this playlist. Take them down to the Lake and work on some stuff before going swimming like the Propeller for example. It is a great companion for at home training or to travel with. 

In this playlist there are more than a Dozen exercises at your disposal to get you started that range from working specific muscles to explosive training and combo moves. Grab a band today and start on the path to a new you and have a kick ass time. Don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order. You got this and keep being amazingly awesome.