Dopa Yellow Stretch Band For Better Posture

Dopamineo goes beyond just their big bands for intense workouts, they even have 2 types of bands that are incredible for stretching and helping with posture. The first one is their Blue Bolt Band which is a very short implement that you can use for various stretches but also to help with keeping you away from that hump you may create while sitting doing desk work or just working on your laptop. It doesn't stretch out very far, just enough to feel it. On a podcast made by wrestlers, they have this contest to see if anyone can break the Bolt, many tried and all failed. It's one of the most durable bands out there just like the workout bands.

The yellow stretch Band is similar to using a chest expander but it's much lighter to use and for obvious reasons. There are all sorts of exercises you can do with this thing. Do Pull Aparts overhand and underhand, dislocates like you would with a stick or a towel, side bends, deadlifts, punches, shadow wrestling drills and others. Great for aligning the upper back and making the chest pop like the rip expansions of the old timers like Maxick & Arco. Some bodybuilders today use it to keep the shoulders and back from stiffening up. 

It's mainly used for wrestlers and MMA Fighters as a warm up to their regular training doing various stretches and pulls to get the muscles going for the upcoming practice and then use the longer bands as a post practice conditioning workout. It's very versatile and can fit inside a duffle bag or even the pouch in a sweater. Take it out with you to a park or the beach, in your hotel room or on a break at work to get some mobility and flexibility training in. 

I'll use at times to loosen myself up. You can even tie it to your thighs to do side to side walks for the hip flexors which can go a long way to staying mobile for the hips. That particular workout with this band should really only be a few minutes, you can use it for strength if you wish doing chest presses, curls, shoulder presses and all that by having one hand under the knot you make and the other in the middle of the band so it feels slightly heavy but still stretchable. There's even a way to do Isometric Pulls by folding it a bit and pull as hard as you can for 10-30 seconds, it's not going to stretch much, maybe a couple inches and that's it but to keep it there is tough as hell. 

You can do your regular stretches with it by placing the middle on the soles of your feet and do stretches for the hamstrings, hip flexors and low back. Stretching doesn't have to be boring and using a band can help creating a longer stretch by progressively moving the hands up or down on the band. The great thing is, it's nearly impossible to break so the chances of it snapping on you are very slim. The only caution is to be careful how you place for certain stretches cause it can slide so I would recommend wearing shoes that have a good holding spot where the band won't slide as much. That's really it on the cons in my opinion. 

Grab a band or set of bands NOW and get a bad ass deal of getting the yellow stretch band, the blue bolt band and a carry bag for your bands with your order (Buy 1 Get 3). Strengthening those areas go a long way for a good quality life and having solid mobility in your later years. Stretch peacefully but also with intent. Get 10% OFF your order by using the discount code POWERANDMIGHT. Be amazingly awesome. I'll put up a video soon to show some stretches and dynamic pulls you can do. 

A Simple Isometric Workout That Tackles Practically Everything

 Isometrics are not as complicated as some may think and they go beyond just holding positions and contracting. They're rehabilitating, they save time, give you strength in places you didn't realize needed strength and the amount of exercises you can do are virtually limitless. I've written before that my personal favorite form of Isometrics are Overcoming & Hybrids. Tried many workouts and have stayed consistent with some exercises where it's mainly in the 7-12 sec range at peak contraction for one set in multiple positions. Some workouts are just 1 set of 1 position but one in particular I did yesterday was a mixture of longer held Isometrics with 7-12 sec exercises which made me learn a different set of focus.

The first three exercises I did was a Push, Pull, Squat and than just do Core Exercises. The main 3 were done for 3x30 sec each and the Core Exercises were for one set each at 7-12 sec Contractions. It was actually a really good workout and gathering strength from different perspectives. I always do Core Isometrics towards the end of Isometric Training because they provide the ability to build my posture and I can hit the muscles with very few exercises to make them effective. Here's the workout I did....

3x30 Sec Hybrid Push-Up

3x30 Sec Deadlift

3x30 Sec Zercher Squat

7-12 Sec Dead Bug Crunch

7-12 Sec Side Plank

7-12 Sec Arch Body 

7-12 Sec Side Plank (Other Side)

7-12 Sec Hollow Body 

7-12 Sec Side Bends

This was about as close as to a full body workout as you can get and it gave me a hell of an endorphin high. The hardest was actually the Hybrid Push-Up because not only are you pushing against an immovable object but also fighting gravity at the same time and keeping a peak contraction for 30 seconds feels like an eternity and everything is working in order to also stabilize. It's like going to war and in order to stay in that position, you can't just use lower intensity like in a yielding exercise, it forces you to contract the muscles at a specific level otherwise the body won't stabilize as much. 

The deadlift was used with a dowel as a "mimicked" barbell and pulling at around knee high for about 50-65% of my strength. Still a great exercise for the lower back, grip and legs. The bigger the percentage of contraction, the harder it is to hold on. The Zercher Squat was around the same percentage of contraction but you're pushing against the strap while also making your legs work with such great force and intensity that you're giving the tendons and ligaments the fuel they need to withstand impact from other activities. If you want stronger knees to go up flights of stairs, hills or whatever, this is a great exercise and tackles the Core and Back muscles to strengthen the posterior chain as well. It's more than just a squat. 

For the Core Exercises, to me they're a key factor in how you maintain posture for all the other exercises beyond just the abs and obliques. To build incredible strength, it takes some form of aligning the body in solid positions to really kickstart the contractions. You have to flex everything while maintaining focus. If you're going for lesser intensity, the principle still applies to contract every muscle but not as hard....Point the toes and extend the arms overhead in the hollow and arch holds, press into the thighs with your hands or fists in the Dead Bug Crunch, utilize the whole body in the side planks whether on your hands or forearms, maintain posture as you extend and also flex in the side bends. Every exercise needs full attention otherwise you could throw yourself off and if you don't contract every muscle, the alignment may not be there and the results won't be as effective. 

If you can't do the full alignments of the exercises yet, do what you can and work from there. Isometrics are simple but they're not easy by any means. Some exercises are difficult to hold because the control isn't there yet and the practice of Mind/Muscle Connection needs to be practiced in the moment and with laser-like focus. Even a small percentage of not focusing can throw off the entire exercise despite not moving. If you're more advanced and want to do the first three a full 90 seconds than do what you can do (if you can hold a 90 second Hybrid Push-up, you got some serious strength). You can vary the time and intensity however you want just keep in mind that the higher percentage of contraction, the less time you'll be able to hold a position. To learn more about Isometric Training check out Overcoming Isometrics by Red Delta Project and for some of the exercises in the book, you can use a towel, a sheet, Rings or get one of the best Isometric apparatuses around the Worlfit Iso Trainer.

Be amazingly awesome in your journey and make the most of what's possible and get stronger little by little. Don't forget that if you click on the link to Rings, be sure to add in my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout to get a cool 10% OFF your purchase. 

Lost Empire Herb Of The Day: Albizia Powder

Yielding Isometrics And The Benefits

Although I'm more on the side of Overcoming Isometrics, Yielding versions still hold merit especially if you want to develop strength from another platform. For those playing the home game, Yielding Isometrics is a style of training where you're going against gravity and keeping still for short or extended periods of time. The most common example would be the "almighty" plank whether on the forearms or on the palms of your hands. 

Some people have set world records in the plank position but it's not necessarily the only type of Isometric exercise that produces killer results. There's the Wall Sit, the Horse Stance, Side Planks, The Superman Hold (Arms Extended Out), The Warrior Pose in Yoga, The Gymnastic Bridge and all sorts of ways to do Yielding Isometrics. Each one has it's own variations and progressions but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

One of the things that I get a kick out of these kinds of Isometrics is that they can deceivingly hard and many have trouble holding certain positions for more than 10-30 seconds. Another thing is when you get into a certain position, many things are going on beyond just the sight of the exercise itself. You're trying to control the posture, your breathing, prevention of collapsing and targeting areas of your body you don't always realize you're targeting.

Back to the plank for a sec. I've held multiple variations for up to 3 minutes at a time and the key aspect is not just what's going on inside the body, it's about learning to be in control despite what is around you. One of my favorites is the Fist Plank whether holding straight up or with bent elbows, it's one of the most powerful core building exercise around. Holding it even for a minute can help you develop some serious strength. The Wall Sit is another favorite because you can do several variations from flat footed to heels up, toes up, one-legged or whatever. This was one of the exercises that helped me during my rehab. 

One of the toughest of them all was the Gymnastic Bridge. This exercise alone is brutal from head to toe even though your feet and hands are only touching the floor. In Yoga it's called Chakrasana and it takes a tremendous amount of Strength & Flexibility just to get into the position, let alone hold it for an extended period of time. This particular bridge is one of the most result producing exercises in existence. 

What are the benefits of these? First off, they can be done just about anywhere and anytime, think about how much time and money you can save just doing these exercises for a few minutes a day. Now, it is important to do dynamic movements as well but adding the Yielding Isometrics either as a warm-up, cool down or in between sets of your regular training can really give you a run for your money. Second, the longer you hold a pose or particular position, sooner or later the whole body will come into play and it will harness the power of fat burning and toughening your tendons and ligaments like steel. They're a hell of a strength and conditioning form of training. 

In sports like Wrestling, holding various positions and toughening the body can make you feel immoveable. The Wall Sit in particular is a love/hate exercise for wrestlers because it's either going to most likely end up being the first or last exercise of a practice and after drilling, conditioning and training until near exhaustion, doing any sort of isometrics would be far from the list of the last things to do because you'll be quivering and shaking like an earthquake is happening, your muscles are shot to hell and you're just so fucking out of it at times you won't always know what day it is. But it is effective.

The Horse Stance is a basic exercise that has been done by practitioners for thousands of years to the point where some of the strongest masters of qi gong, shaolin training and even Yoga can hold that one pose for mere hours without fail. Just holding it for 5 minutes would make most people drop to their knees let alone be able to concentrate for more than 1-2 hours. 

Try a few exercises for no more than 30 seconds and see how they feel, if you can go longer than do so. Remember, even a few minutes will make most quit but in the end, you're not setting world records or try to show off your strength, it's about the journey and getting the most out of it. Strength is more than just lifting, in a sense, Isometrics like these are a great metaphor for keeping yourself strong and composed in the midst of adversity. They could skyrocket your conditioning to another level. Try this workout for 5-10 minutes. Do Tabata Style timing of 20 on/10 off of the Horse Stance & Fist Plank.  

Stay strong, hold on for dear life and keep being amazingly awesome.

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Using Simple Exercises As Power Postures

           I have studied many aspects of training and one concept I have found very useful is the power of Qi Gong, not by moving but holding certain postures like in Yoga and building the body from the inside, creating that electric feel and Isometric Strength. Many people believe that to be really strong, you need to physically do something; lift weights, do tons of push-ups or squats or whatever which is all great but there is a whole other world, the world of being still. Jackie Chan once said in The Karate Kid “Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.”

            The key to understanding how to be still is not just holding but by your focus and your breathing; if you can’t focus, you won’t hold the posture very long. Your breathing is another factor, if you are a shallow breather, you won’t hold the posture very long. These 2 things cannot work without the other otherwise you’re not getting the full benefit of that powerful internal work of art that resides inside you.

            If you took a simple exercise and turned into a posture, it’s a whole different exercise. Let’s take the push-up for example; you can crank out a good 10-20 reps no problem, now hold it like the plank for 10-20 seconds; see how different it is and the way your muscles work differently? How about a weighted implement like simply holding a barbell overhead for time, pretty simple right? Wrong, there are many things going on in your body that you don’t realize, every single inch of your body comes into play and that’s where the real power comes in. My favorite posture is the Wrestler’s Bridge, being able to hold a position with my nose touching the mat, feet flat, hips and butt high and just letting the world pass by for a few minutes; after those few minutes, I come out of it and everything feels like the world was at peace where nothing is wrong, my body feels incredible and just smiling for no reason.

            That’s the embodiment of a power posture having that feeling from the endorphins and while you feel like a billion bucks, your body becomes stronger from within and your tendons just have this power of superb strength. With Power Postures, you open your body from the inside, building who you are and what strengthens you. The power of your mind has more to do with than just physically holding an isometric position. You can do this with just about any exercise, you can do it anywhere, anytime, sitting, standing or laying down. Learn some basic postures and you’ll see how powerful they are.