How To Set Up The Dopa Bands

 I've written about how bad ass these bands are and what they can do, but how the hell do you attach them? If you've seen videos of the exercises I do with it, you know I like to use my Door Anchor which is relatively inexpensive but if I were to use say a tree or a pole like you may have seen in an outdoor video I made, I use my isometric power belt but you can also use a loop strap or Dopa's Anchor Strap they have available. The set up is quite simple but it's not the typical tying a knot around something, its a tad more unique than that.

The tying form involves creating a loop by folding the band in half and creating a thread through the loop. I understand that people may want to do things differently but I'm not going to risk my own stupidity by thinking I know better how to put this band up, so I learned how Dopa does it so I can be efficient when I do my workouts. Although they recommend it, I just do what the instructions say and run with it the rest on my own. It's to ensure that it is properly fastened to the point of the anchor and not snap back. I've been snapped by bands (not even when they broke) and they hurt like hell bro. Plus it prevents unnecessary movement where the band isn't working against you, you want it to work with you to get the most effectiveness out of the workouts.

Just in case you have trouble reading these here's the breakdown....

1. Make a loop by folding the band in half. With one of your hands, hold the holding side (where the logo goes) and the other hand grabs the loop side.

2. Take the looped side and thread it behind or through the anchor point.

3. Take the holding side and thread it through the created loop.

4. Make sure both sides are even otherwise you'll have uneven weight distribution and that will disrupt the effectiveness of the exercises performed and throws off what the band is meant to do. So be sure to keep things even before tightening it. 

If you're still having trouble understanding this (It took me a couple tries myself to get it right), check out the tying video for a more visual. 

Installing the Band outside is relatively the same, just be careful not to attach to sharp things (such as scratchy bark or a broken fence). The way I do it with my Isometric Belt is to wrap around the tree enough so I can tighten it in the buckle and make sure the belt doesn't slide down or upward, the same for a pole which can be tricky but there is a way to do it. Since the Iso Belt isn't available, there's another option which is far less expensive is to grab Dopa's Genius Strap. 

For home use, I have my EverStretch which I've used for other bands and WorldFit Iso Trainer for Suspension Training, comes quite handy. I like to keep the workouts indoors but if I'm ever ambitious, I'll take my strap to a park near by and attach it to the basketball hoop or fence and go from there. Dopa shares other videos of how they attach the Band in other places like the beach, out in the woods and at campuses. 

Overall, you're able to work with the Band just about anywhere that suits you and get in a bad ass workout whether indoors or outdoors. Don't forget to use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT to knock off 10% of your order. One of the big things that Dopa also provides is the ability to create your own bundle package that knocks off an additional 15-50% off an order. Customized Bundles can be provided for Youth Programs, NCAA Programs, MMA Schools, Group Classes, Personal Trainers, Private Training for Clientele such as Celebrities & Top Industry Folks, Military Personnel and Sports Coaches. Get MORE for far LESS!!!

Everyone deserves to be in great shape whether you're young or old, beginner or elite level it doesn't matter. Is this thing the fountain of youth? Who really knows but if I'm willing to invest in it since it kicked my sciatica to the curb, why not for those who want to amp up their game or do some training just to feel energized and do other activities with the people they love? This is one of the very best pieces of equipment I've ever used and it could work for you as well. Keep being amazingly awesome and go kick ass in the things you're passionate about.

How To Deal With The Unbearable Taste Of Lost Empire Herbs

 The herbs from Lost Empire can really put a fire under your ass when you first take it either in the morning or in the beginning if you're new to the herbs themselves. Honestly, some have even thrown up at times like one customer on Cistanche Extract: “The cistanche is really unbearable to take. I tried like the video to scoop it in and wash it down, was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever eaten. I tried mixing half a teaspoon in my tea… still so difficult to drink and gagging the whole time. Any advice?” There's an article you can find about this here...

There are reasons why there's a capsule culture even when it isn't the best option. As time went on, many customers became accustomed to the bitter taste to certain herbs like Tongkat Ali for example. Some however, just don't get to that point. I'm one of those people and I prefer the capsules like Pine Pollen or Thor's Hammer . If you do choose to take in the bitter taste of the herbs, here's some ideas for you to go for that cut and mask the taste itself...

It's never going to be perfect and everyone has different preferences but you can experiment with certain things that could help you get over that hump. Using something Sweet & Sour can be useful, some forms of juice can be another option as well that is sweet to a more tart taste such as: Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Grapefruit & Cranberry. The amount of volume you'll need to mask with these is not a general thing, it's an individual thing and experimenting with what could work for you. Is it better to take a 1/2 teaspoon in a shot of juice or taking a 1/2 teaspoon in a 16 oz glass? That's really up to you to figure out.

At times, using less can be more efficient, get that shit down quickly like taking a shot of tequila. The taste will be diffused but still won't be that great and you'll have to chug down a bit. The same idea can be used for the herbs themselves. For the "worse" tasting herbs such as: Hercules Formula, Phoenix and Shilajit, you can also use a mixture of the more sweet and sour herbs like for example; Beet Juice Powder, Goji Berry, Seabuckthorn & Schisandra. These not only give those other herbs flavor but also bring benefits themselves. 

For something like the Beet Juice Powder, it's one of the best things for Nitric Oxide Production which can be very helpful for working out or having a little fun with your significant other in the bedroom. It also pairs well with Hercules & Thor Formulas in a great way too. The taste has a higher chance of being better and works like a fucking charm. Double whammy I say.

Now, the next option would be to blend into smoothies. The same factors still apply here, you have quite a number of ingredients that can mask or cut the taste but be forewarned, sometimes one herbs or several can become undrinkable. Start with smaller doses and build up from there. You could use some of the more normal ingredients like fruits and juices or hell even options like honey and nut butters. 

At the end of the day, if the taste is just too much for you (I'm with you on this one), there are plenty of other options that have awesome benefits. Grab some herbs and make the best of them for you. They're top of the line and there's a ton of research done on them and learning what you can do with them. Be amazingly awesome and stay healthy. 

Never Feel Small

Have you ever walked into a certain place or been around a group of people and all of a sudden you feel small (mentally) and felt like being towered over? I have a number of times in my life, in the gym, school mates and others. Feeling short in a negative way debunks your ability to overcome your obstacles, say for instance you were told you can’t be a good parent or you were told that it’s impossible to bend a bar because you aren’t strong enough or even that “there’s no way in hell you’re going to be successful” crap. Being towered over sucks and it’s about time you stepped up to the plate.

 There are those that you tower over physically but for some reason at some point you’re going to look smaller than they are because they got into your head. Being tall or short physically shouldn’t ever be a stressful thing for you, if you understood how to mentally defend yourself against those that take away your energy like a vampire that sucks blood; you will see what it’s like to be a strong individual inside and out.

 Now lets let go of height for a second and look at other parts of the body that are small from the outside and let’s be adults here no below the waist jokes. I’ll admit for a big guy I have relatively small hands and an average size wrist, from the looks of it I shouldn’t even waste my time developing hand strength because come on where are small hands going to get me? Here’s the kicker, I mentally picture myself as if these small hands of mine are not small at all, they’re enormous and can crush anything in their path, because of this one simple little thought of mind, it’s helped me bend steel, rip phonebooks, grab a hold of a heavy weight and lift it off the ground. With a simple thought you can change how your body is moved and how big do you want to feel. Dennis Rogers is another example, for his size he shouldn’t be anywhere near above average strength let alone have superhuman abilities but yet for the world’s strongest man he takes objects and destroys them with ease and how does he do it, by picturing himself being strong and block out that governor within us that tells us to stop before we get hurt.

 In order to mentally tower over your obstacle you have to think as if you were something beyond who you are in a human type form, maybe that’s stretching it a bit but the idea is to put a thought that says “I’m taller, bigger, and stronger and nothing will stand in my way.” You can apply this to just about anything. This method in one way is used by Garin Bader which he calls it “The Power of Zeus” which enables from a strength training standpoint to strengthen your mental powers to generate super strength in a matter of seconds. You breathe with it, you feel it as if it consumes you with power, vigor and vitality. This doesn’t just apply to strength, it can be applied how you talk, how you find that powerful presence that people automatically take notice of and have an aura of vigorous energy. The emotional side can be used as well as how you present yourself with your voice, body language and your emotional content of that power.

 It doesn’t matter if you’re 7’ or 4’  you have the power to channel your thoughts and make yourself feel bigger, larger and more powerful and you can apply it anyway you want but use it as a purpose and not to personally bully somebody, that’s just not cool. Funny thing, I have what I call a second mother who’s one of the most awesome women on the planet and she’s no more than 5’3 so the majority of people (except children she takes care of) towers over pretty easily including her own kids and I tower over her with ease but yet she just has this presence and it’s scary sometimes how within a split second make you feel smaller than a pea. In the end she’s one of the sweetest and inspiring people I’ve ever known but damn she’s good at getting people to her level, it was a wake up call when I was a kid and still true to this day.

 The way you present yourself can make you or break you in any situation you’re in. You put too much or too little of a good or bad thing it’s going to bite you in the ass. Finding that balance is a practice that takes time but the rewards are endless. Your imagination is where it’s at and your body language combined with imagination and action will make the difference between feeling small and feeling larger than life.

How to spread out your training

For those of you who have trouble working out during the day and feel that a big workout might wear you out, theres a way to keep your training going to keep your energy up and thats to spread it out during the day. I train everyday 7 days a week and there are times where I can't get in the amount of time of training I want to do so I spread out the workout during the day, doing a few stretches here and there and do some isometrics. You see you don't need to do one large workout everyday or even a few times a week. This is good for traveling as well because you can't always get to a gym and theres the trouble with jet lag when you get off a plane and try to get to a motel. Its a pain in the ass at times. So if you travel do some isometrics while waiting for your plane or even on the plane itself.

You can even workout without anyone knowing about it. Heres an example, every couple years or so I go to disneyland for either my b-day or for a few days in the summer and as I stand in line for the rides I do isometrics by pressing or pulling from different angles on the rails or ropes or even on the wall (try it sometime trust me its fun) and sometimes I would do self resistance exercises. You can workout in the oddest of places even at the happiest place on earth.

Its all about being able to adapt and improvise while on the road or even at home. Take my advise whatever you do don't press down on the fireplace in Mickey's House it would suck to have to pay for it. Thought i'd throw in a little joke, couldn't resist but the important thing is no matter where you are, you can be your own gym.