Training The Core For Realistic Strength And Not Vanity

 Building Core Strength is not always about what you see in the mirror. A six pack can look cool and it has more to do with diet and bodyfat percentage as opposed to just training the abdominals. In most cases with the fitness industry, when it comes to the Core, it's simply to train so you can visibly see the abdominals. Now, there isn't anything necessarily wrong with that if it's your intent or goal. My goals in particular is not so much developing a Six Pack but to treat the Core with intent on strength building, functionality and conditioning.

It's about being capable to handle movement and digging into the very depths of injury proofing that area of the body. Not even to isolate it as separate muscles, but to harness it as a single unity that ties things together that recruits not just the muscular structure, but the back, the spine, the hips, the groin area and being in control of the techniques that target those areas like an Army or a Team working in unison. Usefulness and Vitality.

In recent times, I've worked on my Core using Isometrics that usually comes in the form of 9 positions (Dead Bug Crunch, Hollow Body Hold, Arch Body Hold and Side Bends with the legs wider than shoulder width, shoulder width and feet together each side). A good portion of my training hits those muscles anyway to build those stabilizers with the bands and such or even contracting muscles to stabilize while doing Push-Ups on the Push Up Grip Spikes. Testing the waters again with three particular movements (2 of them bodyweight & 1 with the band) and seeing what was possible. Back Bridge, Sit Ups & Russian Twists. 

Nothing shiny or complicated but can make a hell of a combo or work separately depending on what you do. Train the mid-section differently but also conditions that area with a vengeance.  

The Back Bridge or Wrestler's Bridge

Beyond something for the neck, back or hips. When done with control, it helps the body utilize tension along with working every muscle to stabilize throughout the entire chain. In this case, it's working towards getting your nose to the mat and holding the position without hands. To be forewarned, this is not about training to be a wrestler or boxer. This isn't the type of training that someone like the legend Mike Tyson has done. His style was merely to build the neck to take hits, which ended up costing him to get surgery after years and years of overworking that area doing countless rocks and holds at a pace that wasn't meant for human beings to bend themselves in.  

This style of bridging I'm showing you when you click the link on the link above, is more to build flexibility, stabilization and strength in the neck, back, hips and legs. This is what I learned from Matt Furey back in 2005 and from there learned to expand on it from Logan Christopher. You can start out doing what you can and utilizing some form of padding that protects your head but isn't so soft that it can do something ineffective. A good garden mat or a small gymnastics mat would be fine. Work up to holding and rocking without the hands for support like I show in the video demo. To really dig into the progression system of the Bridge beyond this kind of stuff, click here>>> Logan's Advanced Bridging Course. 

 

Onto Sit-Ups: Old School Style

Simple but effective in a lot of ways. We all have done some kind of sit up in our lifetime and we even did a few here in there when we went out for school sports or in PE class. While the Bridge hits the extension of the Core, the sit-up is the flexion. There are several variations you can do but what I like doing and will put out a different variation soon that will involve a combo compared to what I'm showing you here. Click Here>>>Sit-Ups and you'll notice certain things but you may also not see certain things either. What I do here is not pointless crunches or typical situps where you grab the back of your head and just hammer out reps. These are intently utilizing tension throughout the entire Chain and keeping my elbows as closed in as possible so I can keep focus on what my goal is. As I rise, I'm contracting all the muscles including the lower back, as I come back to the floor, I control the tension and then expand the ribcage so it works the stabilizers. This isn't about tackling reps for a test, it's to demonstrate that with Sit-Ups, you're not merely getting in the abdominals, you're hitting everything with laser like focus and concentration along with working on Muscle Control. You can make ten reps feel like 100 doing this and still get great benefit. 

A Variation Of The Russian Twist

Most who are familar with this exercise do it on the ground and work the muscles in a situp position as you twist from side to side. The variation I'm working, is from the standing up position using the Dopamineo Band. I learned this by using a slower style from Hanoch Rahamin who's one of the owners of the company. Being inspired what his conditioning and reputation is as a wrestler, it was natural to figure out what is possible for me to do. Nowhere near his level and don't need to be but I wanted to see what he did and how I can do it. Whether fast like him or a bit slower and methodical like me, the variation consists of doing a 12-3 O'Clock with a twist and then a 12-9 O'Clock with a twist. My pace is more in the learning stages and getting the technique down so it's like I'm learning with you. His pace is explosive and works on conditioning. Within a couple sessions of doing the way I'm showing you here>>>Russian Twists, it's already around over a couple hundred. He's done thousands of these I'm sure. 

The key element throughout all of these is CONTROL!!! I'm not interested in doing hundreds of sloppy reps just to tell people how many I can pull off. Yes I do plenty of reps, some of them are fast, some are slower but throughout the process, it's performing the movements with intent and focusing on the muscles at hand.

That to me is part of the journey to be functional and conditioned. It's about building a center that allows everything to work the way it was meant to. Doesn't matter if its bodyweight training, bands or whatever. The greatest purpose is be able to move through everyday life without killing yourself. You don't even need to work so hard to be sore in order to get results. 

Be intelligent about what you do and be able to correct mistakes when they come about. Recover well and progress gradually. Adapt and improvise if you have to but respect the abilities you have right now and take them for what they are later. 

Core strength isn't about looking like a model. If you got the goods to go along with the strength and function, that's awesome and proud of you for accomplishing them but remember that it's about being able to move and work your body to produce force when you need it. 

Simplicity is the biggest key and don't need to rely on shiny machines or silly informercial gimmicks. Simple movements, consistent training and a protective Core is where it's at. 

Be amazingly awesome and go to dopamineo.com to get kick ass bands. Punch in POWERANDMIGHT to get your Coupon Code. 

Training With Resistance Bands: Great Tools You Can Take Anywhere

 If there was exercise equipment that is grossly underrated, it's Resistance Bands. Many times, the credit for them goes unnoticed and it's practically shameful. Some will barely give bands a glance due to being lightweight but for the most part, they don't understand the magnitude of how powerful they can really be.

They provide crazy resistance training while giving you the opportunities to learn control throughout various ranges of motion, changing speeds & tempos, the amount of tension along with positioning. Usefulness couldn't even begin to describe them but that's the beauty of it. Whether your goals are building strength, boosting your conditioning levels, staying functional for the long haul and keeping up with your mobility (This is particularly important for those over 40). 

A personal favorite advantage I believe in is that you can train well without beating up on your joints. Now, this doesn't mean you'll avoid injuries 100% of the time but when you learn to control the resistance, work on technique and intelligently building realistic progressions, it can help train those who are limited while building stabilization and strength. It even gives you lessons to respect recovery because it is important to know that adaptation becomes your best friend as the years pass by. 

Here are three distinctive styles of Bands that can you full body workouts (one in particular working specific muscles):

-Neck Flex 

A great example of applying resistance to target one of the most neglected areas of the body. Many look at training as an afterthought and that can bite you in the ass if you don't pay attention. Controlling the resistance that allows for targeting muscles at various angles. You can even do Isometric holds rather throwing your head around and thinking that's best. (Coupon Code POWERANDMIGHT)

-Dopamineo Bands

If you want to expand your horizons in mimicking exercises in the gym, on the mat or wherever, you're looking at arguably one of the best tools on the planet when it comes to working with bands. Be able to manipulate the resistance just by going towards or away from it and hit more muscles at practically any given angle. Conditioning Training at its finest. More than just a a warm up, they're a go to for some of the best athletes in the world including Olympic & World Champion wrestlers. (Coupon Code POWERANDMIGHT) 

-Lifeline Fitness Cables

Don't be confined to a machine or just dumbbells and barbells as these can target the same exact muscles. The biggest difference is the resistance, with Cables, the resistance increases throughout the range of motion while BBs and DBs remain the same throughout a movement. Practicality, versatility and portability is what give these a bad ass option.

A key component where all these shine the brightest: The traveling.

With any of these systems, you can throw them into a bag and be able to train on the road. Staying at a hotel? Getting a tan at the beach? Vacationing in Hawaii? Doesn't matter. You can have a fully equipped gym without the stress of paying for day passes or having to haul extra luggage. Consistency beats perfection. 

Be able to challenge your conditioning throughout continuous movements that keep muscles working and targeting your cardio at the same time. Adjust the intensity however you like or how you apply it to your goals and not worry that harder always means better (it's not unless you choose to do so). Many miss this and don't realize that it's not always about competition. It's about adapting, recovering and getting the most out of yourself without tearing yourself apart. They're not a replacement for things like Bodyweight Training, they're an add on and sure as hell aren't some magical tools. They're an option when things like weights aren't practical in certain situations and compliment your current training. 

Be intelligent, resourceful, in control and most importantly, listen to what your body is telling you. This is how you can consistently train for many years to come. Where are your favorite places to travel? Let me know in the comments or use the Contact Form to DM me. 

Be amazingly awesome and kick ass in your endeavors. 

Why I Never Used Weights With A Neck Harness?

 For the longest time in my journey, training my neck was nothing more than Bridges & Self Resistance Movements. I never even thought of a Neck Harness until I got one in late 2025 because in most cases, guys used weights for them using chains and so forth. I was already content with what I built in my neck.

I avoided the harness really because I only thought it was used with weights. Sure it looked bad ass but you can't really travel with weights plus, I wasn't fond of trying to control weight while moving my head in limited directions. There weren't many movements to work the neck using weights and it's not ideal to use the same weight for every direction, it could put a kink in things. 

As you know, when it comes to weights, I do things more unconventionally and although aspects of weight training are great and have promoted them with the courses that Brooks Kubik has published and want to give people that option of how the old timers trained. The best weights I have ever reacted well to have been hammers, sandbags and kettlebells. Can still do a solid level of barbells and dumbbells like heavy shrugs with more than 315 and can curl in the 60's along with benching around 300 but they just never gave me the type of strength I craved.

Neck Training is essential for many reasons beyond the mats and the gridiron. Having a strong neck isn't about the muscle that is built, it's the strength of the bones and tissues that keep it mobile and elastic. You can have a thick neck but if you struggle to turn it or have stiffness that causes spinal issues, it's not worth developing that. You'd want to train the neck in every possible angle that makes it durable, strong, flexible and strengthens areas of the spine. Hell, when I was doing Bridging Gymnastics (Kicking over on the head), it was fun and I loved being able to accomplish that while not being a wrestler or a fighter but eventually, I drifted away from that and merely kept up doing Self Resistance Exercises up to 200 Reps working in different directions.

I understand the reasons to use weights with a harness or a machine and they have good intentions, but they're not meant for everybody. It just never entered my mind to do them that way. When I finally got the Neck Flex being inspired by Mike The Machine Bruce, I figured it was time to give something like this a chance. Since it came with a Resistance Band, that was just up my alley. It was a little tricky to understand at first since I'm not used to wearing equipment on my head. I trusted Mike and his judgement because our mutual mentor Bud Jeffries took a chance on us, Mike's reputation in fighting and knowledge of Neck Work was also a major factor. I got better and better at it to the point where I'm doing 300-400 Reps per session working my neck with the Band hitting every direction I can think of and learned. 

Since using the NF, my neck is just as strong, durable and mobile than ever before. The Bridges and other things still work well but there's something about the NF that those other things haven't quite caught on. Because of the use with the Band, I can control the resistance with greater efficiency and work a pace that's comfortable yet challenging at the same time. 

I highly encourage you guys to grab one or either of the bundles. You can still work weights with it as you wish and still get bad ass benefits but I personally believe the Band does wonders especially since its portable and you can train your neck anywhere you want. Shit, you can even get a discount of them on me using my coupon code POWERANDMIGHT, even with the affordable pricing the company already has compared to other places. 

Fun Fact: The Legendary Powerhouse Mike Tyson used a Neck Harness along with Bridging to develop his 20 inch neck for absorbing punches. At his age now, he may bridge a little but if he had a Neck Flex using a band, it could help with those old injuries. 

Be amazingly awesome. What has been your experience with a Harness and how have you managed to build your neck with one? Let me know in the Comments or DM Me using the contact form.  

Training For The Long Haul After 40 Using Dopamineo Bands

 

When we hit a certain age, there are things we will need to adapt to. Doesn't mean we stop going after things that matter, it's just another route that leads to places where we can still thrive. We do need to train with a bit more sense once we reach 40, 50 and beyond which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The main goal isn't to punish ourselves and go to limits that lead to injuries. It's to be able to build that continuation in our journey that keeps us capable, strong and conditioned. 

This is where I believe in the Dopamineo Bands and what they represent, beyond the ability to train for specific sports and turn people into explosive machines. It's another aspect of Resistance Training to help maintain muscle and strength as we get older. However; we don't need to suffer in every workout in order to make this a possibility. These bands give you the opportunities to develop these qualities without relying on gym equipment. Is it the end-all-be-all? Hell no, but if you like training at home or want to get in some solid training while traveling, these are top notch for that. 

You can push, pull, squat and all sorts of things that keeps things flowing and come out of it feeling like a million bucks. Use them for circuits, intervals, high rep work, build technique through slow and controlled movements or combine them to your current routine whether its bodyweight or weights. Use them as a warm up if you like or as finishers to your gym work, so many options. That's how versatile they are. Versatility is a key ingredient when you're training for the long haul.

Some of the mistakes people make (myself included, I'll admit) as we get older, is believing progression is about hammering out more and more reps and making exercises harder than they need to be. Making an exercise harder can be subjective whether it be another variation of something or creating more tension. The thing is, in most people's definition of harder is through the difficulty of an exercise itself and stop making it just a simplistic move which is bullshit. Simplicity is the real key, not turning an exercise into some circus act where you end up trying to balance on a slam ball with a barbell on your back or something ridiculous. Progression can mean greater endurance, better control and utilizing range of motion to a better quality of movement. It could also mean less fatigue during the same types of workouts. 

That's the type of stuff the "Extreme Workouts Everyday" crowd tends to forget. It's not possible to adapt well if you end up beating yourself into the ground all the time. Do you really think you can stay consistent if you're injured the majority of the time? Not on your life. It's not about tolerating the punishment you put on yourself and try to train for decades doing that. It's going to bite you in the ass if that is your goal. Our bodies need time to adapt and recover with efficiency. In my own sessions, I don't push so far that I can't walk out without looking like I was in a war, I do what's necessary and hit certain levels of fatigue that I can still come back when I'm ready or do other workouts that are less intense and recover that way. 

The major aspects of the Bands is that they're portable as well. Hook them to the door at home, to a tree at a park and be able to change exercises on a dime. Throw them in a bag and be able to take the gym with you everywhere. I've used them at lakes, on the beach, at parks, in hotel rooms, gyms, rec centers, shit even in the damn parking lot. It just makes the process and journey less complicated. Sometimes we need that.

After 40, we shouldn't really need to prove to anybody how much we can dish out or show up some moron on the internet who's only purpose in life is to be an asshole and make everybody else feel less along with practicing being superior even though it's insecurity. It's about staying as capable as we can for the next 30-40 years or more. Maintaining our levels of strength and keeping our conditioning up. Moving our body and performing tasks while also enjoying the activities we love. Stop trying to train like you're 20 years old again. It has come and gone but that doesn't mean your journey stops. It just means you put in the work that sets aside the ego trip and do things that have you moving forward as you celebrate life. 

Keep finding ways to better yourself, adapt with gusto and do the best to your abilities to keep moving forward. Be amazingly awesome and grab some bands so you can become fitter and healthier as time goes on. Use the coupon code POWERANDMIGHT to get a percentage off your order. 

Want anymore info on them, use the contact form below or find me on social media through my linktree.

RIP To Dory Funk Jr. A Champion Beyond The World Of Professional Wrestling

 

If there was anyone synonymous with the words Professional Wrestling, it was the legendary Texan Dory Funk Jr. A man that represented his craft with respect, grit and earning his dues at a time when you had to be one tough son of a bitch in order to get in the door to this business. 

His big break came in the form of becoming one of the greatest champions in the NWA when he won the title from Gene Kiniski way back in 1969. Over the next four years, he made that belt not look like some prop or fashion accessory, but a reign that made people understand the word Toughness. Wrestling night after night, 60 min broadways and wins over the best of the best in every territory. Carried the NWA on his shoulders that still holds merit to this day. It wasn't hype, it was pure dominance. Years later, his brother Terry won the belt. With that win, it will forever stand that Dory & Terry are the only brothers to hold the NWA Championship. 

If Texas had a true man to call son, it was Dory. It was his home, enhanced its status in the Amarillo Territory with his father Dory Sr. and his brother Terry. It embodied what being a pro wrestler was at that point in time and that was hard-nosed believable wrestling. The territory wasn't full of flashy gimmicks, entrances and catch phrases, it made you believe in the villain and the hero using matches that were drenched in blood, showed technical skill and a level of ring psychology that set a gold standard. 

Japan, was a place that not only Dory made his mark in, but was a pioneer along with a few others that sent the international territory into the stratosphere. He helped establish places like All Japan Pro Wrestling by wrestling the very best there with names like Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta and many more. Unlike most guys who traveled abroad to the land of the east, Dory was more than just a mere attraction, he was treated like Royalty because he respected the culture and the business there. 

Another thing he was well known for....Being the consummate professional. He kept his ego in check, didn't act like a circus clown and acted like a man towards the boys in the locker rooms. He showed up, did the work and made opponents look like a million bucks. That approach built a Hall Of Fame career while several today in the business that barely can talk build a lasting reputation. 

His greatest contributions were really outside of his powerful in-ring career. Long after the championship reigns, the countless matches everywhere and setting the standard for the wrestling world, there came the Funking Conservatory where he trained a who's who of future talent such as Kurt Angle, The Hardy Boys, Edge & Christian, Mark Henry and many more. They were pushed in fundamentals, conditioning and professionalism. Dory never let up. If you really want to understand the word Influencer, Dory was the cream of the crop in that regard.

The legacy of a champion isn't measured by by just belts and HOF plaques, its through those that came after and got better because of the knowledge they gained within that champion's example and influence. Dory Jr. didn't need to be loud to be noticed, his wrestling and other work ethic did that for him. 

Pro Wrestling holds a great debt of gratitude for him, he stepped through the ropes, pushed himself in workouts and left fingerprints that nobody will ever match. Respect the legends, Dory sure as hell earned his. RIP champ, say hi to Terry and your dad for us and may your spirit shine in every squared circle in this life and the next.