Does Batman Train With Resistance Bands?

If the Dark Knight trains in Martial Arts, Combat, Bodyweight, Weights here and there, I would imagine he would hit a band or two. There's a quote out there somewhere that says Batman never skips leg day which I always found funny because it's true. He might as well be the first Superhero to "practice" Parkour cause of all the jumping and running in between buildings chasing and catching baddies. 

Resistance Bands have been around a long time and there's always innovative stuff coming around like the X3 Bands for example and of course the Lifeline Bands such as the TNT cables but when it comes to longevity and having a hard time breaking or snapping, it seems that the latest style of cables called Dopamineo have stood head and shoulders above the rest. Maybe they're just regular bands for wrestlers to some but for guys like me who's always researching and learning, these bands are legit. Ever since I got them, I've trained solid on them and it has only been a few workouts.

From day 1, I tried many exercises, some I learned on the website and youtube  and others I tried on my own like Crab Walks, Gorilla Jumps, Hindu Jumpers and others. This band is just so much fun to work with and getting the most out of a workout in a short amount of time. The last workout was the other day doing Sprints, Hindu Push-ups, Frog Jumps, Hindu Jumpers, Crab Walks, Gorilla Jumps and a couple more. I would go until I hit a certain number of reps or until I got out of breath, rest and repeat a set or two. The workouts aren't long and I feel high as a kite afterwards along with getting stronger again. 

I had filmed doing about three exercises or so wearing my Batman shirt and using Batman Music to have a little fun with it and noticed something; even a couple months ago, that shirt was ok to wear but my stomach would pop out every now and then and felt a little tight, since I lost the weight, it felt comfortable and not as tight. I guess losing weight because of no appetite does have its perks LOL. In all fairness, I don't wish that on anyone because when you've been in that much pain and it consumes you at times, it's not an ideal way to lose weight. I' am healing and I don't feel pain in that area anymore, just annoyance and keeping up with maintenance. Hell I did a full Isometric Workout yesterday for the first time in over a month and I'm glad I did. I couldn't do Isometrics the way I wanted to when this whole thing with me was going on and I needed to test myself. 

The Dopa Bands have been a godsend in getting my body back into shape even in the first few workouts. Each workout, the pain levels kept going down and my stress was going down as well because of the endorphin high and lessening the Heat and Ice afterwards. I'm probably about 85-90% healed now and just need to pay attention to the discomfort levels and slowly build up my speed and strength. Like I said no pain but I also don't want to be pushing so hard something might flare up again so I'm gradually getting stronger and training my legs and back building those nerves and retraining those muscles. If you've read this blog long enough, you know that I'm very stubborn and rehabbing myself has worked for me. 

It's not much longer before I'm at full capacity and devouring my workouts hard again. I may look like I'm going hard but I'm not and it's not my best but that's just part of the process and being smarter about workouts and listening to my body more. This is my life and I want to continue making the best of it when it comes to fitness and avoid injuries for as long as I can. This has been the worst injury I've had in years and in a span of 5 months, I got seriously hurt twice. I've had minor aches and pains that easily were manageable and healed quickly and hurt my back back in 2017 which has since healed, but never this bad in that short span of time in the last 18+ years that I've been training everyday. It is a wake up call I'm not going to lie.

Train to the best of your abilities but within reason and be mindful of what you can do. We're not going to be training the way we did in our 20's and think we are so damn invincible that injuries never happen, they do and we can't 100% avoid them, we can however keep them at bay for as far in between as we can. I hate it that people are in pain all the time or just accept it, living with pain especially if it's excruciating for years on end is no way to live. In some cases, certain aspects of pain is inevitable but it's manageable and you can be comfortable. The idea is to live pain-free as much as possible and getting great quality out of life instead of quantifying the days until you're ready to die. Be mindful and do what's possible along with being amazingly awesome. 

Don't forget that you can get these bands at a discounted price when you use my code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Get a bundle pack of bands and find even more discounted stuff. Get them for group classes, your MMA Gym or wrestling room for your High School or College Athletes. Wrestlers in the world championships right now that are winning matches uses some of these very same bands. Go kill it. 

Isometric Philosophy Developing Strength of Body and Strength on Mind

     I'm an isometrics devotee. If you're unfamiliar with isometric training it is very simply the contraction of a muscle or series of muscles without moving the angle to the joint. Essentially you tense and hold a muscle in a given position without moving for a set number of seconds. Doesn't sound like much does it. I mean you're not even moving. But Isometrics are the most intense form of physical exertion - and the most effective.

In this article I want to introduce to some of the physical benefits of Isometrics, but beyond that I want to share with you the great secret of Isometrics, beyond the ripped, warm marble physiques, beyond the near superhuman physical strength (I leg pressed over 17,000 lbs during a one and a half minute period in my last workout), but the remarkable mental strength one develops - The Immovable Mind.

   Isometric Training is the SINGLE most effective method of strength training available. In 1954 two German Scientist, Muller and Hettinger conclusively proved in over 5,000 independent clinical trials, that one could increase strength by 5-15% with a single 7 second stimulation once a week. Subjects in a later study performing a daily 7 second contraction increased their strength by 72% in 46 weeks. The fall of strength after the end of training is very slow. 70 weeks after the end of training their strength was still 42% higher than before the beginning of training. After doing nothing for over a year and a half they were still 42% stronger than when they started. Since then hundreds of studies have been conducted reinforcing this conclusion.

  Isometrics are, due to their static nature an incredibly safe form of training and far safer than weight lifting which can cause severe problems not just to pressure and, bone and joint shearing but have been shown to seriously damage the heart. More over you can train in isometrics without moving, using contraction alone, or you can alternatively use your bodyweight or various bands and cables should you wish - depending on what resources you have and what your current fitness levels are. There are an infinite number of ways to incorporate Isometrics into you daily life or workout routines. And the best part is you can finish a workout in as little as 7 seconds per muscle – so you can finish working out your entire body in less than 3 minutes of exercise. What’s more, at advanced levels, you don’t have to exercise every day. :-)

  From a physical point of view Isometrics offers safer, more effective and rapidly more time efficient results in terms of muscle building and strength...but that's not their greatest gift...that is within the realm of the mind.

I train in the martial arts, in particular, Japanese Swordsmanship daily. It's a cornerstone of my life, so my sword is very important to me. A lot of time and thought went into the design of my sword and it reflects my desire to improve myself. Why am I telling you this?  Because of the little man on the handle of the sword (tsuka). I have an image of a Buddhist deity known as Fudo Myo-o. Now I am not a Buddhist, and for me this images contains no religious significance, but I like the mythology of this guy.

  Fudo Myo-o legend tells us is a guardian of the Buddhist Deities. He is often depicted as livid blue in colour standing upon a rock covered in flames. In his right hand he holds a sword, in his left a rope. Fudo uses the sword to cut through delusion and untruth. He uses the rope to bind these. And while I won't go into the philosophy behind Fudo at length, he represents to martial artists and warriors (bushi) the concept of an immovable mind.

  Isometrics teaches us to strain our muscles maximally against and immovable force. As a result we grow remarkably strong and thick muscles. To do this however, to strain the muscles voluntarily to their upmost requires great mental strength, great will. Isometrics thus teaches us to not only to develop the strength of the body, but the strength or our minds;  an immovably strong Isometric Mind. In Japanese this is called "Fudōshin" (Japanese: 不動心) a mental state of equanimity or imperturbability (literally and metaphorically, "immovable mind", "immovable heart" or "unmoving heart"). It is a philosophical or mental dimension to Japanese martial arts which contributes to the effectiveness of the advanced practitioner. This is turn gives the isometric trainee great mental clarity and teaches them to cut through the delusions and loose ends that sap you of energy, distract you from purposeful and productive action and ensures that you reach your goals without interruption.

  Incomplete actions drain our energy; they are the quite leak that sinks the ship. They manifest in many ways, a dietary plan that's on the fridge but is never followed through on, someone ripping you off leading to a lingering resentment, or as experience with being "halfway" through that "project" for MONTHS.

You've probably noted by now, much of my philosophy (I have a degree in Philosophy by the way) is rooted in the Japanese Martial arts. There is a reason for this. The concept used to succeed in life and death combat can be applied to any struggle, this includes the work / life balance, work itself, diet and training and more. Unsurprisingly the primary method of strength development in the martial arts is Isometrics. The trick to success in any endeavor and in Isometrics is to apply that small amount of will power to keep moving you in the right direction, to move you towards habitually right choices. For when we are in the habit of training, of eating well, of living well, we no longer have to expend will power on ensuring this. Then we can move on to the next goal knowing that we will automatically continue upon the path and repeat the steps necessary to succeed.

  In order to succeed in Isometrics or any program or choice you make in life that steers you towards improvement and away from easy and comfortable choices that lead only to poor results and lifestyle you need Will Power and Awareness, Isometrics, carves both the body and the mind, providing you with an immovable bedrock of strength in each. With an Isometric Mind, Immovable Will, Fudoshin you can resolve yourself to confront poor habits and build better ones. Cut away your delusions and bad habit. It will be a battle, but one Isometrics can teach you to WIN.

  If you'd like to learn more about Isometrics and the Isometric Mind check out my complete 7 Week Training Guide – 7 Seconds to A Perfect Body, The Scientifically Proven Method for Transforming Your Body in Just Seconds! Over 250 pages and filled with more than 100 photos it will transform your body from your face down to your toes, sculpting your physique and letting you develop astonishing strength with just seconds of exercise.

About the Author

Paul "Batman" O’Brien, is a fully qualified Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioner. He is also a certified in Western Clinical Medicine, Oriental Body Balance, and holds additional qualifications as a Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Whole Body Vibration Trainer.

He runs a busy private medical practice in Dublin, the Meridian Acupuncture Clinic and is also a Reality Based Combat Instructor, Iaido (Japanese Swordsmanship) Instructor, President of the Iaido Association of Ireland and dedicated martial artist having studied the martial arts for over 20 years.

Can You Become Your Own Avenger? Pt. 4

We've read about superheroes since the days of David vs. Goliath to the powers of Sampson and the strength of Milo. In the modern age of comic books, there are superheroes and villains in every page front to back with stories of victory, struggle, love, hate, diversity and learning the responsibilities of having super powers. Our heroes come and go and some live on in legend. Some work as individuals and some work as a team, however at rare times you'll find our most favorites work as a unit and to assemble the ultimate team.

In my opinion if you are hardcore trainer or like staying in shape, its not just a hobby, its a lifestyle. For some, fitness is like a second language, we are so consumed by it we don't think twice about it yet some take it to extremes that's out of their control, they feel its life or death if they don't do a workout, kind of like a superhero who's so consumed by their gifts that they forget what is more important and what makes them who they are. Training can be used in a lot of ways. It's very easy to go caught up in it that you don't realize the consequences but its very difficult to create consistent progress and learn how your body works on certain cycles.

Being strong and powerful is very rewarding but it does come with a price. You don't get strong overnight and not feel it the next day, that's the reality. You can have fun in your training and find out how good it feels which is a good price to pay but overall to keep up your what you love, you must take things in stride and work hard to reach your goals whatever they may be.

Look at some of our favorite superheroes like Batman or Thor, one's a god and the other is mortal with a superhuman mind and the fighting spirit of a warrior but what do they have in common? They both use what they have to keep those from harm but they both have paid a price individually. Remember that price you pay for getting so consumed in what you do that you end up suffering consequences? Take it from Thor, he's a god among men yet he got so consumed at being a warrior and battling everything he went up against that he forgot who he really was for a while and lost his power for a period of time.

Batman feels he has no choice because he wanted to Avenge his parents death that it took over his ability to find what's really important and that's himself. He may not have super powers like many others but he took an oath to be powerful in some shape or form and that's where it became a blessing and a curse at the same time. He has a few weapons at his arsenal and has the ability to fight like a ninja but that doesn't make up for the one power he has over others and that's his mind and that's where he's most dangerous.

If you want to become a real life Avenger, the very first thing you must practice is avenging yourself. In that sense you learn to fight to become strong and powerful and take a chance on who you were and what you want to become. There's still the real you inside but you can amplify it and build a foundation of who you want to be both internal and external. Ever since you were a kid some way or another you dreamed about being strong and triumphing over evil and rescuing the damsel in distress. You can make those dreams come true if you learn to use the right resources. Strength is not always in the muscles but in your heart and soul.

All of us have been weak at some point in our lives whether physically, mentally, emotionally or all the above. It's harder getting in shape to become the very thing we dared dream about but if you learn to value that challenge, you become much stronger then you would physically. A strongman who has known power all his life can lose that sense of value and use it against others. Some of them do and some don't but you get the idea. A weak man however wants that strength and will do whatever it takes to get there and learns the value of that strength yet some will go to great lengths that aren't natural and very few take the journey to become powerful by will and hard work. If you are strong, don't bully those that are weak and more vulnerable, help him/her gain confidence and help them become strong like you did when you were in that state.

When it comes to natural strength and getting strong, you can move weights around if you want and do cool and awkward bodyweight exercises but if you want to develop strength in ways those other things can't touch then you got to go with nature's weights...Rocks, stones and logs. Nothing is more pleasing to the eye then moving a heavy boulder or lifting a heavy log. Yes Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting are awesome to watch but remember, the weights are already numbered and set. You can never always tell the size and weight of a big rock or huge looking log, they could be 50 lbs. or 500 lbs. you can't always tell but when you have the ability to lift it, it just makes everything that much sweeter then cherry pie.

Thor's Hammer is a symbol of strength, power and a warrior's spirit. What if you can have that all that and more in your very own hands? How would you use it in your strength training? What strength can you build with that kind of hammer? I will tell you first hand that if you had a hammer like that, you don't look at it as just a cool looking tool or just swing it around and get strong, you make it more then a hammer, you make it more then just steel, you make it the very powerful tool it was mean't for. The hammer is your personal weapon for your quest to be strong, it is in your arsenal of things that are more powerful then anything else. You become more then yourself, you become that hammer, you alone can only bring that hammer to life.

If you can build a body that you always dream about, then you can help those who don't know how to get there. Being strong has its benefits individually but going beyond who you are to help those become strong, that makes you more then just a physical presence, you're a symbol of what's good and hopeful in this world. Those who bully that are weak don't have any real sense of pride or goodness in them, just ignorant pricks that rather care for themselves then be there for those that need it. A real strongman becomes strong both physically and helping those get there as well. Being something more then yourself and losing that selfish pride is a real sign that you are a man of strength.