It Is Quite A Habit

 Making the DDP Yoga workouts my primary training program has been a godsend, more than just recovering and rebuilding my body again. It has enhanced the flexibility in my back and staying strong in positions I haven't done in years. If I start to have even a slight flare up in the morning, a warm-up and a main workout really makes it fade and I can go about my day. 

It has become quite the habit and I love. I would do a different workout almost everyday and every few days or so I would do a really hard one or go for more than 45 min to an hour and still able to keep up. Modify from time to time in every workout but I manage to stay in solid positions pretty well. The beauty of it is that Dallas wants you to make it your own and you don't have to exactly like he does or the others, just do what you can with what's possible at the time. Some moves I'm not very flexible in, some I can go into easily but regardless, my flexibility gets better each time.

I've added a few things throughout the day after my initial morning workout. I've added some Neck Mobility doing various directions and on the 10th rep of each exercise I would Isometrically hold it for a count of 10 to really sink into it. Keeping that neck strong and elastic man. I've also now done a couple Dopa Band Workouts and did a circuit on the second one where I did 10 Rounds of 5 Exercises for a total of 500 Reps with little to no rest. I felt excited as hell on that one and kept them basic, nothing super fast or explosive, just enough to where I can keep going and be able to focus on my breathing as well. Conditioning is definitely back.

One of my next steps or ideas for getting back into great shape is rucking with the 40 lb Weight Vest again. Start around the neighborhood and work up to hiking up the mountain next to the house. Always loved going for walks with that thing on and would sometimes end up going 3-4 miles door to door. Going up the mountain and back home would take an hour door to door when I was doing things like that. The other night, I even managed 250 Step Ups for the first time since my recovery, wasn't easy and I paced myself but I was determined to get at least 200 in. Was thrilled about that too and little by little I want to hit 500 Step Ups again. 

It's getting a little easier day by day to be at my complete best again but I'm still pacing myself, not going as hardcore as I normally would and just do what I can in the moment. Not looking at what happens at the end of a workout, only looking at what's possible in the moment of time. Breathing deeply and being a bit more active. Putting in the work to be healthier and being more aware of what I can do hasn't been easy but it's not impossible either. Not pushing to be better than anyone, it's not worth the effort, the only thing that matters is that I'm a little bit better than I was the day before and the only person I compete with is me. There will always be someone better than me, I may do certain things that others don't do or haven't achieved yet but it's not my place to be superior to them. I have my own journey, they have theirs.  

Build habits that help you climb the ladder to your success. Be mindful of what is possible and set aside the ego trip. Be a little stronger, stretch a little longer and be in a bit better condition each day. Before you know it, you'll be doing things that seemed impossible at first and they become your greatest victories. There is the importance of discipline and making the effort but at the same time, be in control of the things you can do right now and expand on it little by little. The more you can expand even by the smallest fraction, the more you'll see what can truly be possible. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this, I really appreciate you and I hope you have an amazingly awesome day.  

Dopamineo: Wrestlers & Fighters

 It's a fact that Wrestlers & Fighters are a different breed. In all fairness, they're some of the most conditioned athletes in the world, they do things in training that would make the average person puke their guts out. Personality wise, like anybody else there are assholes and good people in the sport but at the end of the day, you have to respect the craft and what they go through to be the best in their field. 

In my last article, I wrote that when it comes to the Dopamineo Bands, Wrestlers & Fighters use them as a post practice workout to amplify their conditioning. That's what separates them from good fighters to insanely tireless superhumans. It's already crazy enough that these athletes are practically superhuman as it is but to keep going after brutalizing their bodies on drills, sparring, calisthenics and weights to do an extra 15+ minutes with a band that can be deceiving looking but is an ass kicker is just unfathomable to comprehend. 

The Dopa Bands are based on the Russian method of using bands to enhance the drills in wrestling in order to perfect and continually train the muscles and reflexes to shoot quicker and have faster results in takedown technique, shadow wrestling, locking up and moving the opponent and other things. Today, the same concept applies but can also be used for other fitness related endeavors to help others get in shape in a short amount of time with watered down exercises and drills that anyone can work on. If its still done today, its incredible but one of the most time tested methods in wrestling to condition an athlete is to have a wrestler take on several other wrestlers one at a time for 5 minutes each for up to an hour or longer to get a feel for how each wrestler moves differently and changing up tactics in beating them. In India, this would go on for hours with various wrestlers. 

Can you imagine doing this method and then go and do a workout with the Dopa Bands, that's purely psychotic. Now you want to talk about a what if...When Kurt Angle did a session with the University Of Iowa, Coach Gable had his guys do just one match but the periods were 10x the usual amount in an official NCAA contest so instead of 3 min and then 2-2 min periods, they were 30, 20, & 20. If anybody knows the type of conditioning those guys did, you know they were the very best for a reason. Kurt's training for the Olympics is the stuff of legends. Now what if you added something like the Dopa Bands into the mix with a workout like that? This would kill somebody if they're not in shape and if you were in shape, you may still be afraid because training in this manner throws a lot of logical ideas out the window.

Karl Gotch has said that "Conditioning is your greatest hold" and it's true. Being in condition in any sport or in life can make a huge difference in how you win or lose. This is where the Dopa Bands are crucial because despite certain things you may see, they're extremely effective in how you train the body to be prepared for what life throws at you. They're tough as hell and workouts can be very intense even if its for 20 minutes, they'll have you testing your mental toughness and your physical abilities. I've written what kind of workouts I do and although they're basic exercises, they kick my ass which is what I want and test my cardio because I do do my best to not rest very much and be effective in whatever else I do when opportunities arise. 

Get your hands on these bands and get an idea of what wrestlers and fights use to make themselves the best possible. You don't have to be a wrestler to get the benefit from them, they can be done in a variety of ways; slow, fast, methodical and/or as intense as you want but at the same time it's important to respect these bands and use them to your advantage in your fitness journey. Get the right band for you and make the most of it, learning the exercises in the video library when you order or learn some on Youtube to get an idea of what you're getting into. Get 10% OFF your order when you use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Be amazingly awesome and stay healthy.    

Conditioning Circuits With Dopa Bands

Circuit Training has been one of my go to methods for developing a good level of conditioning and maintaining my strength that lasts. Due to the workouts I've done with Darebee's Style of training with Bodyweight, it inspired me to work on that style with the Dopamineo Band. 

In most cases with those workouts, I would pick 5-8 exercises with the Band and see what is possible to do within an amount of time. Now, I may not move as fast with the Band as opposed to bodyweight training because with bodyweight, you don't have to adjust as much and jump in from one exercise to the next just by footing or hand placement or positioning pretty quickly, with the Band however, it can be a bit tricky and the exercise change can be either quick or you have to adjust things a bit slower so the timing might vary. 

My goal however has always been to hit 10 Rounds with any circuit I do because that's just the number I want to accomplish, some will hit 5, others beyond 10 and whatever number they want to achieve but 10 for me is the cutoff point. I also try to keep it within 30 minutes or less. Depending on the adjustment and positioning of my body with the Band, sometimes the workout will go over 30 minutes but as long as my rest is minimal and I can keep going, I'm all good. Regardless, doing circuits with Dopa Bands in my opinion is one of the best fitness methods you can do. You don't need to do tons of reps per exercise, just a bare minimum but you keep going and with little rest, you're actually developing a great level of cardio that means something. 

Keeping to the basic exercises is ideal. If you're more advanced, you can do harder exercises if you wish but the rep count may be a bit less than the basics unless you're training for competition or training to enhance your status with your group. The main point is to not let your ego get the best of you, keep your objective to train at a level where you can come out of it with gas left in the tank than to crawl on your hands and knees just begging the universe to kill you. My main goal with my 10 rounds of work is to be efficient as much as possible, work at a speed that is comfortable to me where my form isn't compromised and to only rest by marking off the circuit and keep going with that until the 10 rounds are done because I never want to be tired or slow down so much that I have to reduce my speed by a big margin. You want to be able to go at a pace that keeps the heart rate going but you're not slowing down or getting sloppy by the end. 

Here's a workout I did yesterday that was not difficult but it wasn't easy either. The reps may not sound like much but when you're cruising through and the speed is pretty hefty, it becomes more than it seems....

Conditioning Circuit

10 Rows

10 Curls

10 Chest Presses

10 Uppercuts

10 Tricep Kickbacks

10 Squats

10 Side Shoulder Pulls

This took just over 25 minutes to complete 10 Rounds. It felt great, I had a hell of a heart rate going and the speed was just right. The first round was tricky because I was adjusting to the pace of the exercises but once I got the rhythm, it just went really smoothly. The great thing about circuits is that you can get a lot done in a short amount of time along with building your level of conditioning, agility, mobility and other attributes rather quickly. The other great thing is that you can do the same exercises but change the workout from a circuit to an HIIT type workout where you set a time for the work and then rest for each exercise. My style lately has been to do exercises at a clip of 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off for 4 rounds which roughly hits around 3 minutes per exercise. If you were to do a total of 5-6 exercises, you can do a full workout within under 15-20 minutes that will develop lasting strength, cardio and speed efficiency.

You don't have to go so hard that you can't do another circuit and there's no point in trying to match workouts with the wrestlers and fighters that do these. The crazy thing is, they do circuits like this after their practice when they're already fatigued and pushed themselves. That's a whole other level of mental and physical conditioning. Imagine doing 2 hours or more of drills, sparring for god knows how long and going over technique over and over until it's planted into your brain, not to mention warm ups that would be a full workout to the average and then doing a circuit after all that. You'd be a fool to try to keep up with that. That's world class level and that is to be respected.

Keep it to a level of fitness that keeps you healthy and at a level that works for you. Don't try to keep up with anybody else, follow your own path and train effectively along with reducing injuries. Stay amazingly awesome and keep at it. Don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order and get some of the most durable, flexible and strongest bands on the market today. Train practically anywhere and you can customize your order to suit your programs of Youth Groups, MMA Training, College Wrestling, High School Programs, Olympic Training, World Championships, Upcoming Fights, Boxing Conditioning Programs and more.   

Why Do I Focus A Lot On Conditioning?

 In a nutshell, being in condition is not just about challenging my body's abilities to take on some crazy workouts or finding a way to enhance my muscular and cardiovascular endurance, it's about lasting in the things that are important in my life. I want to utilize that energy to be active, to make a lasting impression on myself by taking what works and understanding what I need to do in other endeavors. Being in shape is being able to shovel snow in the winter and not get winded or tired during, to be explosive at any given moment whether it's working out or playing with friends, it's to keep up with kids younger than me playing ball or hanging out with buds and their kids, it's to keep up with the physicality when you're needed.

For all intents and purposes, my idea of training these days is to be ready for whatever lies ahead. It's not always easy, it's not meant to be but when you have certain things going on in your life that sometimes have a life of their own, it's important to be in the best shape you can. I'm not in competition with anyone or trying to be some extremist with a compulsion to train so damn hard all the time that my body wears down, sure it's ok to back off every now and then in order to regain yourself but take into consideration  on what is the reason to be in shape. 

I do a lot of step ups, micro workouts, band training, isometrics and training with sandbags but that's all part of the puzzle to piece together your ultimate goal and that is to have strength that lasts and has meaning beyond just exercise. It's one of the reasons why I love training with the Dopamineo Band, it challenges me but doesn't put me into a state where I need to recover for days on end or make me so damn sore that I can't do anything else. It gives me the type of conditioning I can continue to use when it counts. There are so many exercises you can do that despite all the exercises displayed on Dopa's Website, there are many many more that can be created to enhance your chances of developing a level of fitness very few achieve. It is inspired by wrestlers and fighters but it's also a workout enhancer to harness that level of human abilities that is unique. Wrestlers from all styles have used similar bands for decades especially in Russia but in this day and age we don't have to be so hardcore like those guys in order to better ourselves. 

I've always believed training is about self-discovery and creativity to take your fitness to levels that are unbelievable. Being in condition is not about looking pretty or just strong, it's about lasting when it counts the most, to fight and not get winded. There's a funny trend on tik tok where women who train have this voice over which is a very stereotypical Russian accent that says "I don't want to be strong like man who look pretty, I want to be strong like bitch that fight bears in the forest." That's an example of being in condition, it goes beyond the idea of trying to seem like you have this particular look as if you're fit by outer appearance when in reality, if you can barely stand and hyperventilating after a few seconds, your outer appearance isn't jack shit. You need to be able to handle things that are important and last as long as needed. 

There are many reasons to be in real world shape yet only a few have true meaning, that's what you need to figure out because I can't just generalize what the important factors are, we're all different with different reasons to do things. My reasons for being in condition is to be able to go on hikes without tiring, shovel snow without wanting to keel over, to be there for my family, to protect who I love, play ball, to keep up with nieces, nephews and cousins who like to wrestle, chop wood so a fire can be made while camping, swim and have the energy of a person i their late teens and 20's as much as possible. Just some I can come up with.

Conditioning is not just for sport, it's to maintain things in life and being ready on command. It's to keep up with what you do in everyday life and to factor in what is possible for you to do. 

Take a gander at the Dopamineo Bands and see what is possible to enhance your fitness, health and condition. There are over 300 Exercises and dozens of workouts to choose from as a bonus with your purchase. Grab some bands for your martial arts school, wrestling room, group classes and/or sports conditioning program for your athletes by going to the Custom Order Area. I'll even throw in my discount code so you can save some bucks instead of whole price by entering POWERANDMIGHT at checkout to get 10% OFF your order. Keep being amazingly awesome and be in the best condition for your life and to inspire others.