The Things I'm Grateful For In My Training

 My birthday is sometime next week and I want to take the time to reflect on a few things and be grateful with what I'm able to do. I'll be 42 and I don't feel it whatsoever. My fitness has been getting better and better, experimenting with things and making sure not to push to where there's a possible injury coming on.

Yeah 42 isn't that old to many but I'm also not in my 20's or my 30's anymore either so there are things that I choose not to do these days that I did do back in the day but I'm grateful for those years and doing things I didn't think were possible. 

I may not be doing heavy barbell squats or pistols but the current stuff I'm doing for my legs is fucking awesome. Because of things like Step Ups, the 2 & 1 Sapate, Isometrics, Sandbags and playing with sledgehammers, I don't have knee problems and my hips are just as mobile as ever. I'm not a runner for certain reasons that I'm not going to bore you to death with that you already don't know, but I will sprint every now and then, go for walks with the weight vest or go on hikes so I do these over conventional running. I keep my joints healthy through a routine that I molded years ago using circular patterns, stretching & DDP Yoga moves and from 2024, I haven't had back issues, maybe stiff at times but I once I get things rolling, it's all smooth sailing from there.

Do I feel things from time to time, yeah duh LOL. My ankles feel tight at times and my shoulders hit up but not in painful entities. I've got no arthritis or tennis elbow which is a plus cause some have started in early stages around this age from all the crazy shit they put themselves through years earlier. My cardio is at a great level due to my dopamineo training, HIIT Workouts and other things. The fact I can still go at a solid level of intensity without risking injury is just mind blowing. Seriously, when I was in my teens and early 20's, I thought 40+ year olds were mostly down hill and not maintaining. It's awesome to still be able to do things like Step Ups for 30 min or longer if I want to or tackle a band workout for 1000 Reps or more (think my biggest total is over 1300 at this point in a session) and still feel energetic. 

I don't smoke, never have in my life and when it comes to drinking, I can go for extended periods of time without ever wanting one, may have a little something every once in a blue moon but considering some of the things I saw growing up involving Alcohol, just turned me away from it 99% of the time. I get to train anywhere I please without relying on equipment in the gym and I'm happy as hell I don't need a membership ever again. It was fun while it lasted but my true love is being outdoors in the woods, at home, on the beach, hotel room or in a fucking pool. I believe that those who have greater knowledge and application to workout with whatever is on on hand even if its yourself, a gym would be way more optional than feeling like a necessity. 

A great perk to have is that throughout my life so far, I've never been jumped or robbed and I've been around some tough neighborhoods where there has been violence, stabbings, shootings, robbery and worse things. I do believe it's due to my training and I haven't had anyone want to test me. It's not like you see a bigger guy and automatically think he's easy Pickens. People around me know I'll throw down if I have to but I'm not going to start anything and think I can take anybody. I'm not into fighting or going on the offensive when it comes to being around others in public. Publicly, nobody has ever wanted to fight or come up to me. Now online, some of it is just banter and guys shooting their mouth off but those are the ones that wouldn't know a wristlock from a wristwatch. Not saying I wouldn't ever get my ass kicked, it could happen but sometimes, I don't know what I would do to someone if it came down to me or him. For the most part, unless it's just dire and there's no other option, I don't go looking for street fights, quite frankly I'd rather have an old fashioned wrestling match and see who gets pinned or taps first and then shake the guy's hand win or lose. Guy can dream right?

Overall, I'm very happy with what I got going on and keep making it a part of my journey. But also, when I say happy, doesn't mean I stop at a wall or just stay in a certain place. I'm happy with experimenting, progressing, finding ways to build muscle and be at a solid level of conditioning. I'm happy that I don't tire out like many my age or even younger, I'm happy with maintaining my strength and being explosive if I need to be. I don't get winded hiking or climbing stairs and sure as shit don't feel my body is breaking down. My tendons and ligaments are still as strong as I was in my 20's and 30's. Maintained my weight between 228-235 the majority of the time in the last couple years and don't plan on going higher than that anymore. The lowest I'd like to be again is around 225 which isn't that much lower than when I graduated high school back in '03. 

Things are shaping up and I can't wait to see what's in stored. Be amazingly awesome and let's interact in the comments. What are you grateful for? What are you happy with? Let's hear it. 

Dopamineo Playlist To Help Get You Started

 

When you get an idea in your head and have something good going on, you might as well share it and see where it leads. For a while now in addition to my Dopa Band Workouts, I wanted to create a playlist on my YouTube to show some basic moves you can do with the Band. Some are a little more advanced and others are the basics with the volume turned up so do speak. 

These bands are insanely fun to use and the creativity you can get from them are limitless. It doesn't matter if you're a wrestler, MMA Fighter, Fitness Nut or a bad ass Olympic Champion; Dopa Bands create a unique way to build strength and conditioning that not only lasts but enhances your energy levels, the way you move and the way you can have a better quality of life. That's why I created the playlist to showcase what you can do at least on a simpler level. Exercises you can start with and build a foundation on. 

They're not just for building athleticism and fitness, they can be great for rehab/prehab, mobility training, flexibility, rotational work, loosening up muscles and a hell of a lot more. From time to time, I'll use them to loosen up my back and legs. My joints always feel amazing after training with them and because they're not time constricted, you can get in something great in as little as 5-10 minutes. If you wish to go longer, that's awesome, you get to decide what could work for you and take the amount of steps needed to get better and better. 

Now, one of the perks of getting a band is that once you learn some of the exercises that can get you started, you can access even more tutorials from the DopamineO company themselves that will send your fitness into the stratosphere. Get your hands on workouts and exercises from World & Olympic Champions, MMA Tournament Winners, College Wrestlers and other Pro Athletes that will showcase their explosiveness, strength, power, speed, reactions and more that made them some of the very best on the planet. I can give you samples of things that can get you going and have some fun with, but when you learn from the cream of the crop, you'll find out what you're capable of and harnessing a new level of cardio that is just unbelievable. 

One of my favorite exercises is the Squat & Row Combo which is very simple, take the band, Squat down, come back up and pull towards the rib cage. Nothing too complicated and works multiple muscle groups which can aid in conditioning training along with agility. I do this often in my own training doing either circuits or HIIT Workouts where I would do this for up to a minute or so with other exercises for a total of 15-30 minutes of a full workout. It's great as it can be used to train for wrestling working on the duck under and pulling your opponent in for the kill or it can be done to work on knee mobility and working the upper back muscles to build strength for rehabbing. There are so many things this exercise can do it's nuts yet it's so simple to do. 

With practice, a good work ethic and utilizing your imagination, these bands will benefit you in ways that I can't even fathom and who knows what you'll be able to do. You can take them anywhere, even to the gym to use for rest periods, warm ups, cooldowns, finishers or part of your routine. You can bring them to the park like you'll see with some of the exercises in this playlist. Take them down to the Lake and work on some stuff before going swimming like the Propeller for example. It is a great companion for at home training or to travel with. 

In this playlist there are more than a Dozen exercises at your disposal to get you started that range from working specific muscles to explosive training and combo moves. Grab a band today and start on the path to a new you and have a kick ass time. Don't forget to use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% OFF your order. You got this and keep being amazingly awesome. 

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

With some of the workouts I've done since healing up, it's a process of just getting back into things progressively and at a pace that I'm comfortable doing to get back at the speed that I normally can do. Not easy but it hasn't been so damn slow it barely feels like anything. 

I've done the Bear Crawl Sprint Workout (10 on, 20 off for 5 min.) twice now and so far that feels pretty good but may need to cut back on doing it every 3-4 days instead of around 2 days. The loaded carries and step up workouts are getting better; while I was recovering, I would do my 2x sandbell carry and 20 step ups for 10 minutes or just do step ups for 10-15 min instead of the normal 30. Yesterday, I went a full 30 min doing the carries and step up superset, that felt incredible along with some post workout stretching to keep up with maintenance. Today, I tried out my Deck Of Cards Leg Workout of Step Ups & Hindu Squats. Been quite a while since I've done that and just wanted to see what I can do. I didn't have any expectations of beating the deck, so I managed 280 Step Ups & 130 Hindu Squats. That's a huge start in my book and didn't think I'd get that far. Normally, I'll do up to 450-500 Step Ups & 225-250 Squats within the 30 min mark or just over completing the deck.

For those that think I'm lying, here's a video of completing 450 & 225 so I'm quite capable of doing this. 

It's a journey and forming a perspective on healing up and doing what's possible onward until you're 100% at your best. There are days where you may only do a little of something, others you just go nuts with the energy you have. It's also important to be aware however of what your body tells you and not to push further than you have to. It's not a sprint to get back at your strongest or even your best condition, it's a marathon and making sure you're doing the right things and being intuitive. Things will come back when they're ready, forcing it may come back to bite you in the ass. 

That DOC workout is no joke and it will condition your legs like crazy, it just takes little steps to get better at it and consistently beating the deck. That one workout doing 1000 Step Ups and 500 Hindu Squats within an hour made me humble that's for sure and only did that just the one time. As far as that goes, it's one of the most brutal leg workouts you can do and it's only two exercises. How does it go?

2-10 Each Leg or Set of Squats

Face Cards: 10 Each Leg or 10 Squats

Aces: 16 Each Leg or 16 Squats

Jokers: Superset of 25 Each Leg & 25 Squats

Full Deck is equivalent to 500 & 250 Total. You can double the deck to reach 1000 & 500 Respectively or go back and forth between two full decks (Double Decker). Either way, you're working your ass off and let the speed be natural and not try to break world records. If you can blast through it with ease, you might as well be Superhuman. Give it a go if you dare.

In all seriousness, be adaptable and let things flow naturally, some things you may pick up on quick, others take time so remember to take in the journey and you'll never know where you'll end up. Be bold but smart, don't try to break a record every workout, progressively add workload but on certain days go a little light depending on how your body responds and be respectful to the technique and the exercises themselves because if you don't, you'll not like what follows. Kill it and keep being amazingly awesome.

If you're interested in getting some bad ass decks of cards, check these out.