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!!!