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.

Going Green Kicked My Ass

On Saturday, the Chosen Higher Dopamineo Band came and the moment, I opened it, I was ready to head down for a workout with it. Quite the experience if I say so myself. This band specifically (resistance wise) is much lighter than the Black one I have. This is Dopa's One Size Fits All band where just about anyone can work with, even little kids would get a kick out of this thing. It can be used in so many ways whether you're a beginner just getting into it and learning techniques, to advanced specimens that use it for explosiveness, conditioning and speed. 

I did a circuit like usual of 5 exercises, 10 reps each but did 20 Rounds instead of the normal 10. I wanted to work on my speed and quickness. Had to stretch it a bit to get a feel for it but once I got going, holy shit it felt like sprinting. I was cruising through that workout and like always, rested only to mark off a circuit and kept going. I was breathing hard and it felt incredible. I was moving at a much more rapid rate and exploding on some of the exercises that it seemed powerful. 

The workout was 1000 Total Reps. At about round 15-16, I was starting to slow it down a bit cause I was already getting exhausted from how fast I was going. Those last few rounds weren't so slow I looked like a turtle but it was a vast difference than going Sonic The Hedgehog on that thing. I even had to readjust the band at times cause of my sweat, my hands would slide but it wasn't too bad, never let up. This fucker was no joke and to move at the pace I did, I was shocked I could still walk out of there without looking like the Walking Dead. 

It kicked my ass that's for sure and that shower afterwards was the best feeling ever. Having it being green is awesome cause it's my favorite color and it look lit up when you're training with it. Never underestimate the power of resistance bands. It's a great add on to your routine or can be done by itself like I do with it or even a finisher. Play around with it and see what it can do for you. If you're into weights going to the gym or have a home gym, you can do a band workout as a warm up for your current routine, you can do it between sets of your push-ups and squats or other bodyweight exercises, superset it with pull-ups and chin-ups, do sprints, lunges, take it out to the park or in the woods while you camp to keep yourself mobile and energized from Chopping Firewood, pre or post practice sessions in MMA or Wrestling and so much more. 

It's a great tool to have in your arsenal and it's great for kids to get that excess energy out. They can use it as resistance for their youth practice, doing animal crawls, jump, skip, whatever gets them going. Kids deserve to be healthy and this is a great tool to help them get there. Got a band for you, your son/daughter and wife, it's a workout for the whole family and get to bond together building strength and positive minds. Great for youth programs to get ready for any sport and not to mention with the type of training you can do, it builds up a hell of an appetite from burning calories like a furnace.

I'll never get over how awesome these bands are and those that do them are some of the best in the world, so it's worth something right? Get a glimpse of this band below and see if you're interested in getting one. Being able to do this stuff in my 40's is helping me stay in shape for the long haul and remember, conditioning is your greatest asset. Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it guys.

Dopamineo.com (Discount Code: POWERANDMIGHT)

15000 Reps With The Dopa Band

Well, the first month of 2026 is close to an end. This past month has been a great part of my journey especially with my Dopa Band Training. Every single day so far, I have done 500 Total reps of my Band Circuits. Some days I change up the exercises or work on ones I know and I love to do but also been giving new ones a go. Some of them work well, others are more for those who have better experience than me. 15000 Reps has been done with this thing and I'm just itching to do more of it.

No matter what whether I was in the gym or not, I made the time to do a circuit a part of my daily training. Even did one as a finisher after a gym session. That was brutal and really tested my conditioning. Quite honestly, I don't know why I'm not sore from that. With the new addition of the Chosen Higher Green Band (which I've had my eye on for weeks), it's going to be a crazy ride to keep at it with this style of training. Think my first workout with it will be either a circuit totaling 1000 Reps or do a Full Deck Of Cards twice in a row with it which is also 1000 rep total. I'll have to flip a coin on that one. Yes I' am that crazy. There is no third option LOL.

Seeing great athletes use it keeps inspiring me and seeing folks in their 50's and 60's use it to keep themselves healthy and in shape is incredible. These bands have made led many wrestlers to medal in both the Olympics & World Championships. One of the best wrestlers that also went into MMA, Henry Cejudo credits Dopamineo Training as a go to for enhancing his conditioning and technique. You can hear the man himself HERE!!! Seriously, this dude won Gold in the 2008 Olympics, 2x gold and 1 Silver winner in the U.S National Championships, 3x Pan American Champion, UFC Bantamweight & Flyweight Champion and won his first 10 Fights in MMA in a row. That's a Hall Of Fame career man. 

It feels great to be a part of this community. I ordered the Green Band along with their anchor strap from one of their champions, a BJJ prodigy named Helena Craver who has been named the #1 No Gi Women's Grappler pound for pound by FloGrappling. If you ever find some of her videos on her training, you're going to find a lot of them have a dopa band in her possession. I wanted to support her journey in Grappling because at her age, she's already reached levels most women don't in their whole career. She's only 19 years old and and has potential that may even hit Ronda Rousey status, who knows where this kid will go but I'm proud to have at least contributed something that will help her along the way. 

When you add your current routine or even do it in and of itself on days off from your regular training with the band, there's going to be some killer benefits that will be in your corner; Stamina, Mobility, Conditioning, Flexibility, Technique Building, Coordination Skills, Explosiveness, Recovery and more. It can be used for rehab or prehab, a warm up or a finisher, you can go slow or fast if you want and it's virtually indestructible. It's like the name it was given, DopamineO with the O being "Oh shit, that was great".  Build new skills, breathe new life into your fitness and be able to take it with you practically anywhere. 

I will be continuing doing these workouts for a while since I've got something cooking that I can't share with you just yet. Be amazingly awesome and be sure to grab a band at Dopamineo.com and use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order. There are bundles, add ons and discount plans for those in the Military. 

Nearly 300 LBS Starting At The Bottom

 Yesterday, something in me had the bright idea to see what I can do at the gym by doing the Bench Press but starting at the bottom and using the Fat Gripz. Wanted to see how I do since I rarely if ever trained in that specific position. There is no momentum so when you're going, you're pressing with a different level of strength. 

I started with 135, got 10 reps which was pretty damn easy and could've done more but that wasn't the goal. Next set, 205 for 10 reps as well. Not too bad, it wasn't easier and had at least 1 more in me but again, not what I was shooting for. Third set, 225 for 5 Reps. It was starting to really hit me that this lift was incredible to try and managed to hit multiple reps but it was a struggle to hit 4 and 5. Fourth set, 245 for 3 Reps. This was getting into Territory I have never been in before and those three were fucking hard.

I had to think long and hard what I wanted to hit up. I felt strong but I had no clue since I'm in uncharted waters here and having strength I didn't even know was there. Should I go for 255? It was a possibility and I had it in me to try but a voice in my head said go higher. How about 275-280, this was getting ambitious and most likely out of my league. With a regular Bench Press getting it off the rack straight arm, come down and push back up, I could've done that but this was going for something entirely different, I wanted to find a weight that made me question my sanity. I don't go for max lifts much anymore and the worst could happen is losing form and dropping the weight back onto the rack without hurting myself (much). I decided, you know what, I'm going for 295. Even I was thinking how nuts this is and it's nearly 300 lbs pushing for pure power and again, no momentum. I had to summon the surge of strength from CoreForce Energy and have myself believe I was like Goku gearing up to being a higher level of a Super Saiyan. 

I filmed this to show if I could do it or not with no fluff, no made up number and show that it was real whether I missed it or not. I wasn't going to fake this and if I missed it, at least I gave everything I had. I loaded up the 35 lb plate each side, sat there on the bench for a brief period, get my focus and fire myself up. I got under the bar, find my grip on the thick intimidating handles, tensed up my breathing and my muscles and went for it. I was fighting with every fiber of my being. The struggle, the weight telling you you can't do it. I pressed hard, pushing & pushing until finally for a second, I locked out my arms as best as I possibly can muster. I did it, I fucking did it, I moved weight that was less than a couple inches from my chest and it was nearly 300 freaking pounds man. 

I don't know where it ranks me among guys who have done this, quite frankly I don't think I want to know. There are guys who can do far more than me and even done it on a 3 inch thick bar but what separates me from them is that they've done this for years, building levels of strength I can't even fathom and they're trained for this especially for Powerlifting. I'm no where near having the strength of a Powerlifter and it's not my dream to be one. To tell you the truth, I hardly ever trained any form of Benching since I was 19-20 years old when I maxed out doing a normal bench for 305. In the last month, I've only done maybe 3 Bench Press workouts and in the last 21 years, I've only done a bottom starting bench only one time prior to this on a damn smith machine and that was back in 2022 or so. Never in my life before this day have attempted this style of lift with Fat Gripz. So, to pull this off with no consistent training at all really, this was a proud moment for me and I got to do it in my 40's. 

This was awesome to have done and I get to keep this for moment for the rest of my life. I love being this strong and knowing that when you're so passionate about what you do, things will happen in the most unexpected places in the most unexpected ways. I'm grateful for this and if Bud is up in Valhalla somewhere looking down, I hope I made him proud. Thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you enjoyed it. Keep killing it in your journey and be amazingly awesome.