Indian Wrestling: Two Powerful Souls Consisting Of The Akhara Vs The Olympic Stage

 Good morning everyone. Hope you all had a kick ass weekend. I was thinking last night what I wanted to get into for an article so I did some research into Kushti Wrestling or Pehlwan in contrast to Olympic Freestyle competition and training methodologies (among other things) so this is what popped up and holy shit this is fascinating stuff. Let's see where it leads and diving into a world that encompasses two styles in a region of the world where the two collide yet show patterns of fierce competition.

Two distinctive beasts that share the same DNA for devouring opponents from different sides of the same coin. On one hand, you've got the ancient entity of the Akhara: Red Earth that seems to look like something out of Mars, oil lamps that light up the competition and the Monkey God Hanuman looking down at worshippers as they prepare for practice and developing skills. The other side of this crazy spectrum, the Olympic rooms of the best of the best in Freestyle/Greco-Roman Wrestling: The lighting changes, timed intervals, diets that involve protein scoops instead of Ghee (Clarified Butter) and a mat that squeaks when going in for a single or double leg takedown. Both create monsters of epic proportions yet the way they're built is where the real interesting things come into play.

The Representation That Showcases The Nature Of Either Athlete

Pehlwans: Temples That Share Sacred Ground

When it comes down to it, the Akhara isn't a typical ground of training or a facility. It is an ancient tradition rooted in the life and devotion to the art of Kushti that dates back to the Mahabharata (maybe even further). You're not "going to practice", it is a lifestyle that involves words like discipline, diet and dharma in the same breath or treated as one formality. The sacred ground is the mud pit. It's not about medals, fortune and glory or even aesthetics, it's about the development of functional strength & conditioning that lasts for decades of Grappling. It's about becoming unbreakable.

Olympic Powerhouses: Out Of The Temple And Inside The Scientific & Time Tested Methods That Builds Championship Caliber Squads

The Olympic Style in this case is the bridge that goes from the mud to international glory. The two arts of Freestyle & Greco-Roman on cleaner mats, 6 minutes of pure explosiveness & strategy, near daily weigh ins and the goal to reach the podium. This takes on more of the lines of specialization that brings in scientific entities and prioritizing the maximum points of developing an athlete. 

The Akhara builds lifelong warriors but the Olympic rooms builds dates for a specialist. 

The Diet: Ghee & Almond/Breads Vs. Specific Foods & Hydration

Food is strength in the world of Indian Wrestling. Many wrestlers devour around 5000-7000 calories a day (if not more for larger athletes). Lots of Almonds, Milk, Butter, Bananas and Curd. Meats do come around but some skip it. 

Pros: More natural and Nutrient Dense food with almost no supplementation risks. Food that is heavily used to aid in recovery, build strength for tendons and bone density along with being able to utilize real world power in the muscular system. 

Cons: Several athletes have a higher percentage of bodyfat and there's very little weight cutting. Because of the constant training through thousands of push-ups, squats, club swinging, rope climbing and wrestling, these heavy foods tend to stick around longer in the system and more induced to bulking in order to stay within the grind. Almost no hydration protocols in order to make weight cutting effective.

Olympic Dieting: Balanced & Specified

Micronutrients such as Complex Carbs for energy, lean protein (Fish, Chicken, Eggs) that repairs tissue, fats that balance out hormones and making hydration one of the top priorities. It's almost a religion to drink water before, during and after. Pre-Competition meal prepping are timed out around a couple hours or more beforehand that eases the digestive process. It builds the science behind weight cutting because making weight is a lot more crucial (unless you're a heavyweight or bigger). More supplementation  are key factors as well like Whey Protein, Creatine and Vitamin D. 

Pros: More Precision and Strategy to hit specific weight goals, recover well and be able to go on command. Also creates greater output due to the higher Muscle Glycogen. 

Cons: Weight Cutting can be brutal and even one pound more or less can shatter dreams of making it through competition. Supplements do have a risk of being contaminated if used on the cheap and food must be cooked to specific needs for the bodies of athletes cause not all of them are able to eat the same types of foods due to allergies and/or digestive issues. 

The Training & Crazy Conditioning: Variables Vs The Heavy Volume

For the wrestlers in the art of Kusht, they train very early in the morning and would go for many hours doing extremely high rep exercise. Gama was said to do thousands upon thousands of Squats & Push-ups per day. Heavy gada swinging, running, rope climbing, bridging and spending time in the uneven pits. Traditionally, there are no time limits so you either devour an opponent or you get gassed out. Metabolic Conditioning that makes athletes go for hours. 

Pros: Base is about as unmatched as you can get. High repetition that recruits the nervous system to wrestle for extended periods of time even in compeition.

Cons: Greater risk of overtraining, periodization is virtually non-existent and doesn't have an easy transfer from Mud to Mat (although some athletes even at a young age have trained on mats that some gurus or coaches used). Heavy joint damage from endless reps is at a high level as well. 

Olympic Methodology:

Freestyle & Greco Roman Mat Based Wrestling requires greater demand on higher efforts of intensity. Strategically broken into energy systems such as: Simulated 6 Minute Matches, Explosive Shooting/Takedowns, Pummeling and Scrambling. The Strength Work is heavily more in tuned to Conventional Weight Training, Bodyweight Training in specific formats and Plyometrics to create explosive power. Conditioning is utilized in drills and technique building that's pretty fucking fast. Not to mention more sports specific and tactical. 

Pros: Greater Specificity. Training so you can go within the rule sets competed under. Manageable recovery and planned out peaks of gas tanks.  

Cons: Although Bridging is essential, it may not be as devoted and along with Olympic Athletes showing greater Aesthetically pleasing physiques that are strong and conditioned but function is a bit less on that end of the spectrum. 

So who's really better here? The real truth.....The best wrestlers in this part of the world have done both and utilized what they learned in the mud pits to transitioning into a world of specific methods that have brought them to places beyond their wildest dreams. Some made it to be the very best in the world, others hit their stopping points where medals were just in their grasp but couldn't reach the mark. They're still devoted warriors to the sport and should be respected either way. At the end of the day whether in the mud or on the mat, a wrestler makes the ground sacred and gives hope to those who have aspirations to become their country's best. There's history in those pits but there are also memories of blood, sweat and tears on the international stage that resides in the spirit of a wrestler. 

I hope you enjoyed and learned a thing or two. I sure as hell did and wrestling in that part of the world is an incredible subject. Be amazingly awesome, get your training in and kick ass today to kick off the week. Shoot me a comment or use the Linktree to send me an email. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Some Of My Inspiration For Conditioning

 We get inspired to do things for all kinds of reasons, whether it's being a better athlete, business person, a coach or whatever. Seeing what people are capable of doing and being in awe of the possibilities that give us the courage and/or will to go after things for ourselves. When it comes to working out, I get a lot of inspiration from the old timers, some influencers today and those who have moved on from this world. 

From personal experience and knowing the man himself, Bud Jeffries will always be at the top of the list of guys that gives me the reason to go after what I love and making it work with a fucking vengeance. He was arguably the strongest drug free lifter of all time, right up there with Paul Anderson (One of the men he modeled after), Saxon, Grimek and others. Bud's conditioning for a man his size at the time is still a complete anomaly even to us that knew him well. The amount of Strikes he can do in a brief time with sledgehammers, his sprinting intervals, kettlebell swings in an hour, the amount of squats and push-ups he was capable of doing was not meant be done for a guy who at his heaviest was over 400 lbs and the lightest before he died just under 300. The man moved like a middleweight instead of a super heavyweight, his speed, flexibility and power was beyond most man who were drug free. A Superman for sure

Another one I was always inspired by is the reason for this article that you are reading at this moment and that's the legendary Kurt Angle. If the term superhuman had a name, it was Kurt. We all know the story of him winning the Gold with a Broken Freakin' Neck. I have read his book and learned many stories but one thing stood out in my mind the most was the way he trained starting with the World Championships around the time he was training with Foxcatcher and other areas. 

The type of training he did was something he picked on from Dan Gable in how he trained his wrestlers at Iowa. It was called Exhaust Training where you would just go hard until you were exhausted and that's when the training actually started. The sprints he did, his wrestling, bodyweight stuff, weights, bands and whatever to push himself to limits that is a mind fuck to what the human body is capable of. Shit, the way he trained makes David Goggins look like a joke in comparison. The explosiveness Kurt had and the ability to wear down opponents with incredible ease is jaw dropping. I swear if he was in catch wrestling and knew the hooks, would've dominated in the early 20th century and could've made guys like Frank Gotch and Ed Lewis think twice. In the UFC, nobody would've been able to touch him.

I get a kick out of listening to those stories on his training because it shows what you're willing to put in and become some kind of machine. In my own training doing 500-1000 rep circuits with the Dopamineo Bands, the 500 Hindu Squats, Sapate HIIT Workouts, Sprinting and whatever else I want to put myself through. Now I wouldn't touch Exhaust Training with a ten foot pole and it's not ideal to do that kind of extreme training over a long period of years but it is important to understand that when you learn what you're capable of at any age, there are things you test on and things you learn to adapt with. 

Kurt has said himself he wasn't the biggest, fastest or most technical in his time but he knew if he can outlast everyone, that was what mattered. I believe to this day that Conditioning is your greatest asset whether you're an athlete or not and from a wrestler's point of view it goes back to Karl Gotch's saying of "Conditioning is your greatest hold". I still love the story when Kurt went and trained with Dan Gable's team at Iowa learning about Exhaust Training and on a "Day off", Dan had the guys do one college match. Now for those playing the home game, a college match I think even today is 3 rounds of 3 minutes, 2 minutes and another 2 minutes. So, Kurt thought ok one college match with the greatest college wrestling squad should be fun. Several minutes go by, whistle isn't blown, 15-20 minutes in and something isn't right and these guys are going hard. At 30 minutes, whistle is blown and Kurt just in shock thought it was going to be one college match like Dan said. Dan kept his word but the match was going to be 30, 20, 20; 10 times the amount of time for a typical match. 

That shit alone makes you wonder how the hell that team even had guys that lost when they were in that kind of condition. Crazy right? That is some inspiring stuff. These guys were the cream of the crop when it came to college wrestling and up until the time Cael Sanderson came along (Wrestler & Coach), nobody could touch Iowa. This is why I enjoy doing workouts that may seem nuts but compared to these guys, it would kill me even now. Doing those Band sessions, lots of squats and step ups, it gives me a new outlook on high rep training than I had before. In my early 40's now, I love the training I do and being able to go out there and hammer out whatever and have fun with it keeps those inspirations alive and learning what I can do without putting myself at risk of major injuries.

Will I be doing the same stuff that I'm doing now 10-20 years down the road? Maybe not and will adapt if needed but the love I have for it will never die and if I can go and be able to train so I don't get winded for things in my own life, that's just the cherry on top of a kick ass Sundae. If you want to know what real conditioning looks like, look up guys like Kurt Angle, Bud Jeffries, Ed Lewis, Dan Gable and even guys like Rickey Henderson in Baseball, Walter Payton or Herschel Walker in Football. These were great men. 

Train hard, be inspired and get to a level that you didn't think was possible. You are powerful, you can be in great condition and more in the process. Be respectful to the old timers but also respect the training that you even put yourself through. You don't have to go to extremes but it is important you learn what your capabilities are even at the smallest fucking fraction of progress because it will still lead to the big picture. Keep being amazingly awesome.  

If you enjoyed the article, shoot a comment and let me know what you thought. If you'd like to get a hold of me, email me through the linktree below. 

The Sapate: An Ancient Bodyweight Exercise Showcasing The Near Mythic Origins Of The Burpee

 In the modern times of the Fitness Industry, people are just dying to package agony as something innovative. Micro Splits that hit fanatical gym bros with glee, some format of HIIT styles bending the rules of realistic approaches in CrossFit and those cheesy-ass infomercials that sell waistline gadgets like it's the best thing since the fucking wheel. Here in reality land, if you want to really dig into the type of training that made men practically immortal athletes and dominate a sport in their native land, walk away from the fluorescent lights of a chrome & Fern Gym (great saying from the legendary Brooks Kubik) and get into the red clay pits of India.

Pehlwans or otherwise known as practictioners of the art of Kushti, which is a very old discipline of traditional wrestling where athletes perform in the dirt. One of the major exercises that is arguably the heart and soul of the art is a grueling move named the Sapate. From today's point of view, the Sapate looks like the caveman's version of the Burpee. Now, if we tried to compare this exercise to what we know of the Burpee today, it's like comparing Wolverine's Claws to a damn Butterknife. The Burpee was first in the game by Royal H Burpee who was an American Physiologist that tested people's cardiovascular fitness that didn't include the push-up or the jump. The Sapate on the other side of the coin is the bridge gap that blends the Hindu Push-Up (Dand) and the Hindu Saquat (baithak) into one superpower.

Performing this bad ass exercise has a somewhat meditative focus to it but with great intensity. Squat down as if doing the Hindu Squat, place the hands on the ground and explosively thrust the feet back diving the chest near the ground, arching your spine toward the heavens like a Viper striking before driving the hips (if possible). A solid rhythm is in place each rep and to be in as good of form as you can. Many wrestlers in this sport of wrestling don't do something 30-50 reps; They'll do insane numbers like in the triple and quadruple digits almost daily to develop a gas tank that would even test Captain America. 

However; it cannot be understood enough that the raw and ferocious power of the Sapate is first and foremost, an entity in the sacred environment of the Akhara. Kushti, as an art is more than just sport and competition, it is a discipline that is considered Holy. In Akharas around the region, before he even takes a step into the dirt ring, a wrestler or group of wrestlers bow before an alter that is dedicated to the Monkey God Lord Hanuman. The God that is the poster child of Strength, Humility and believe it or not Celibacy. 

The dirt pit or ring is filled of soft earth. It is treated with respect and holy devotion. Wrestlers will ritually rub the dirt and mud to their skin that supposedly protects their gripping ability, abrasions from the constant hand to hand techniques and in a way submerging themselves into the earth. 

When it comes to the Sapate itself, it is a key ingredient to this act of athletic endeavor that it takes on the form of of superior conditioning so a competitor can go sometimes for hours in matches. It's one of the grandaddy's of Physical Culture that blends traditional sport and combat which strips it down to the roots of what we can understand the essence of being an athlete. 

Give this move a go. You don't need to do as many as a wrestler but you can test what you're capable of in various ways. You can do a max set and increase little by little, or you can do it HIIT Style doing as many reps as you can for 30 Seconds, Rest for 90 Seconds and repeat that for a total of 8 rounds. Learn to get used to the movement itself, go a bit slow and find the rhythm, as you can get stronger and more durable, add some speed to it but don't lose your form. Remember to treat moves like these with Respect and it will reward you later. Be amazingly awesome and hope you enjoyed a little history.        

The Legend Of Danny Hodge: Toughness That Shattered Steel And Forged Iron Through Physical Dominance

In today's world of Social Media where you'll find so called "Tough Guys", you'll find many would actually tap out when the pressure gets real. You want to talk about toughness, it could be argued very few can be tougher than the Superman from Oklahoma. A man that was raw and stood on a mountain of incredible strength that very few if any can even comprehend.

Born in the midst of the great depression in 1932 in the town of Perry, Hodge wasn't the type of guy that chased fame and sure as hell didn't care about gimmicks. Danny was a man among men that was forged in the fire of a hardscrabble life. On the mat, in the ring and the incredible feats of strength he performed, it almost sounded like tall tales of American Myth. When you realize that it was real, it just makes things all the more jaw dropping. He wasn't some polished athlete, he was what the words "hard work" stood for; built himself on farm work, working in oil fields and had the spirit of a fucking lion that roared in the faces of broken bones, car crashes and whatever opponent wanted to test him.

His resume in amateur wrestling seems like a myth in a and of itself. At Oklahoma University, nobody could take him down and this isn't a metaphor, this is literal. In his insane 46 victories, 36 of them alone were pins. Not one, not two, but three NCAA Titles at 177 lbs. Was awarded Outstanding Wrestling honors and in a 10 Day Stretch, won the NCAA Title, AAU Greco Title & AAU Freestyle Title. All pins. Won silver in the 56' Olympics but there was some controversy due to political crap and questionable calls that robbed him of the Gold. 

Although not his particular style of grappling, Hodge was efficient in hooking and had such bad ass grip strength that he can turn pliers into scrap and crush apples into pieces with his bare hands. Even by his 80's, he was still able to accomplish these feats. Nature gave him the tools and life gave him the opportunity to weaponize them. 

In Pro Wrestling, he dominated in a time where it had more colorful characters than legit shooters who could perform. They were a dying breed and Hodge was one of the last men to step in the ring without some crazy gimmick or character. He was his own man and people still ate it up. A multi-time Junior Heavyweight champ in the NWA and wasn't the typical performer that would dance around or cut promos. He just got in the ring, stretched you if you didn't follow the script and made sure you were there to do a job and not go off the rails around the boys or the promoters. There's even a story where he taught a wanna-be a lesson in humility that was giving Jim Ross a hard time. The guy never stood a chance against Danny. 

He was also a Golden Gloves Boxer with an undefeated streak as well, going 17-0. There are great wrestlers and great boxers but very few if any had the honor of being a champion in both sports. He wasn't just tough, he was as resilient as they come with the way he was brought up and how he had to get himself out of situations that would make most men bury themselves in various dark entities. It was pure hell if there ever was one. Growing up with an alcoholic father and a mother that had severe depression, home burning down before he was 10 years old that left his mother burned around 70% of her body, it was these things that made him learn lessons beyond what a normal body should've. He pushed himself hard through it all, enlisting in the Navy and wrestled bears while building a body that was compact but packed a punch more than anybody can dream of. 

You want to talk about a test? Back in 1976, he drove home after a match and fell asleep at the wheel, crashed his car and going into a lake. He broke his neck and while most men would've been dead and gone, he survived and recovered. Although miraculous, it was also time for him to leave the boots in the ring. He still showed up in some capacity, inspiring other wrestlers and performing his strength feats to crowds and lived in in his hometown until death finally took him on Xmas in 2020 at 88 years old. Despite having dementia in his later years, he still had a presence, an aura that was uncanny and powerful. You weren't meeting just an old time wrestler, you were looking into the eyes of a man told death to fuck off for a long time. 

What made this man special went beyond his grip strength, accomplishments on the mat or in the ring, it was his attitude. Coming from a time of the Dust Bowl poverty stricken era, he kept fighting and made himself into a legendary figure that some of the best shooters of the modern era admired. He never used steroids or needed media attention; just pure power, determination and a grip that was astoundingly epic. He was a reminder of what real men were and built: Legacies that overshadowed the record books.

Today, the Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded to the best wrestler in NCAA Wrestling. What the Heisman Trophy is to College Football, Danny's award is to College Wrestling and it wasn't by accident. It was to showcase what dominance looks like. He set the standard, leaving a trail of crushed apples screaming opponents and an inspiration to athletes everywhere. Real power isn't loud, it's relentless and unbreakable. 

Train hard, be a force of nature and honor the legends that came before you. Be amazingly awesome. 

The Raw Power Of Catch Wrestling: A Look At The Nebraska Tiger Man John Pesek

We live in an era where man chase the latest gadgets and trends. Apps that give you all sorts of info that can lead to shortcuts in Fitness. Sometimes, it's cool to look back at a time when men built their might the old school way. The grit, the farm work, roughhousing and a simplistic but no bullshit approach to wrestle or fight that tested their wills and every fiber in their being. One of these men was John Pesek aka the Nebraska Tiger Man stood tall as a legend in that type of era. 

Born in 1894 on the farm near Ravenna, Nebraska, John wasn't the type of athlete that stepped foot in some controlled air conditioned gym or practiced some off the wall program. The man wrestled because in that time, that was one of the main activities a boy had to do. Just like Dan Severn did decades later in Michigan. He got into scraps with cowboys in the harsh prairie lands under what was called Rafferty Rules. In other words, just fucking survive and be dominant.

You wouldn't find this guy playing the role of a strong motherfucker, he just was. Came up the ranks training with another legend in the Catch Game, Joe Stecher. John in a short amount of time, earned a reputation for being one of the deadliest hookers of his generation in Catch As Catch Can Wrestling. For those playing the home game and don't know what a hooker is, I'm telling you right now it's not a prostitute, giggalo or escort. These guys weren't flashy showmen that can put on a performance, they were the cream of the crop when it came to submissions. I'm talking ankle breakers, cranking joints, tearing ligaments and making grown men scream in agony with vicious holds that turned the mat into a damn torture chamber. These were the men you never wanted to test.

Pesek had those quick reflexes mixed with farm strength and power that made him the stuff of nightmares for opponents. Guys like this weren't the ones that separated Strength Training from Fighting or whatever form of Conditioning. With them, you got the total package bro. With John, he worked the land, took on anyone that dared to find out what he or the opponent were capable of and developed a physique for the time that can dish out and take a hell of a beating that would put most men even today in the hospital. He even had the distinct honor of being a "policeman" for Billy Sandow and Ed Lewis. A policeman was the guy who was more of a mercenary that was sent in to take care of challengers that didn't follow the script in worked matches. When it was called for a shoot (meaning the real thing), Pesek would deliver. He tore guys a part, put them in the ER and commanded respect the hard way. 

-Here's a fun tale of some old school wrestling that shows the legitimacy of John's abilities    

He had a real shoot against not just another incredible wrestler of the time, but a 1920 Olympic Silver Medal winner in the name of Nat Pendleton (although there's controversy surrounding the loss which several high level people believed he won the gold medal). Back in 1923, promoters wanted a legit contest to help settle some business. So, they opened up the cage and let the tiger loose. Not only did Pesek just dominate Pendleton with leg locks and full on control, he killed the match in just under 41 minutes within two straight falls. You have to remember now, Nat was a tough wrestler, tough as hell in his own right but even he was no match for the Nebraskan farm boy in the realm of Rough & Tumble style of wrestling. That's one of the beauties and dangerous forms of Catch, it rewarded men that could really go, not just look the part and play by the rules. 

Like many of those transitioning from the real contests to the crazed spectacle, Pesek was smacked right in the middle of it. He was one of those guys however that didn't love the way things shifted. He was a true hooker and shooter where he preferred the skills, raw strength and enduring pain that decided a winner. Crossed paths with Joe Stecher multiple times, even pulled a double cross that showed he wasn't into playing the game of the promoters. He wasn't called the Nebraskan Tiger Man for nothing, it wasn't just some off the wall nickname, it was real and like a Tiger, he couldn't be tamed. That, was what made him an icon of his generation. 

Later on in his life outside of the ring, he bred Greyhounds and wanted to live on his own terms. He passed on in 1978 but his spirit still carries a powerful entity in anyone with intensity and ferocity. He didn't need Social Media attention or have the perfect program, he had balls the size of grapefruits, heart of a mighty Tiger and skills that very few or arguably ever could match. It's something we should all learn. Get at it, be real and be amazingly awesome. Those old timers are watching.     

Light Conditioning And A Finisher

 Yesterday wasn't too bad of a day, mostly chilling out and resting up on some things but like always, got to get some training in you know. Worked on my Neck Mobility and Joint Loosening but then later on, did some Dopa Band Intervals with a "little" finisher.

Wasn't feeling 100% myself so I took it "easy" and did 20 minutes of Intervals focusing on 5 exercises for 45 on, 15 off 4 times. Figured I'd do some boxing and wrestling techniques like alternating punches, step skis, squats, wave pulls and waves holding a boxing stance with the dukes up. Normally, it's 30-45 minutes of intervals but this was more just to keep me moving and getting a little energy up. 

The finisher was quite interesting. Tied the band, pull it over till it was behind my neck, got on all 4's and did Resistance Banded Bear Crawls. Crawl until the band reached as best as it can go (for me at least), walk back and repeat. Did 4 sets of 5 of these. One of those last ditch efforts to really tackle some post workout work. Lungs were firing, endorphins kicked in and feeling great. No music, no partner, just me and the band.

Some days aren't always going to have you feeling invincible, it's more of a test of wills and what you are capable of in the moment. You don't have to be extreme all the time like some people shove down your throat about. Matter of fact, that's more hindering than productive. I mean, if you want to test how fast it'll take before you get an injury, that's up to you but it's important to understand your body's awareness and what's possible in a point in time. 

Daily exercise isn't about how hard you can push it, it's about teaching your body signals to when you can go hard and when to back it up a bit. I enjoy doing things daily, some like training 3-4x a week and that's great. People get worked up about recovery and all that. Yes, there's importance on being able to be efficient in your sessions but life doesn't always give you that luxury. The true best form of recovery is sleep, hands down. Mine could use a little more work but I'm still able to go daily, even if its just Isometrics or some squats and step ups.

Should there be a form of daily exercise? Absolutely, but it doesn't have to be in the gym; it can be climbing stairs in your building, stretching, going on a hike, swim in the pool, some light crawling, Isometrics for a few minutes or whatever you enjoy doing. If you like to dance, fucking do it. Shit, the last time I didn't do any form of exercise was during the Bush Administration when I couldn't walk just yet but if you need to let your body take a load off for a day or two, go for it, it may suit you better than it would for others. You have options and get to learn what you're capable of when things are called upon or need that few minutes to get something going. Look into Micro Workouts and get ideas on what you can do within any time in the 24 hours you have in your day. 

Go hard one day, lighten up another, work on a project, do a challenge day or just do a few minutes of crawling. You can have a great deal of knowledge, it's a matter of applying it to your lifestyle, the rest is pretty easy once you understand how things can work for you. Life may throw you curveballs at times but don't give up on what you can accomplish even in tough times. Be amazingly awesome and do what's possible for you. Don't forget to go to dopamineo.com and use my code POWERANDMIGHT to get some kick ass bands and make your workouts as hard or as light as you like. 

If you'd want to get in touch with me, check out my Linktree below where you can find all my socials and email. Looking forward to hearing from you and if you'd like to have a comment shown on the blog here, read up on the comment policy. 

Hindu Pushups: Forgotten Old-School Bodyweight Exercise For Upper Body Conditioning

If you’ve spent any time digging through the pages of Power and Might or other old-school training archives, you know the greats didn’t mess around with fluff. They wanted exercises that built real-world strength, endurance, and joint integrity in one shot. Enter the Hindu Pushup — also called the Dand — the backbone of Indian pehlwani wrestling for over a thousand years. This isn’t just another pushup variation. It’s a full-body conditioner that turned generations of Kushti wrestlers into broad-backed, barrel-chested powerhouses long before the barbell was popular.  

A Quick History Lesson  

The Dand traces back to ancient India, where it was part of the daily vyayam, or physical training, of pehlwani wrestlers. The most famous practitioner? The Great Gama, undefeated wrestling champion who reportedly performed 2,000-3,000 Dands and 3000-5000 Hindu Squats daily. By the later part of the 20th Century, Physical Culturists like Karl Gotch and Matt Furey brought the Dand stateside, preaching it as the antidote to stiff, barbell-bound physiques. The old-time strongmen understood: you don’t need fancy equipment to build a body that can perform.  

The Influence on Modern Training  

You’ll see the Hindu Pushup’s DNA all over modern fitness if you look close. Yoga’s Sun Salutation? The downward-dog to upward-dog transition mirrors the Dand’s flow. Even some military calisthenics drills borrowed from it in certain variations. Why? Because it works. Unlike a bench press that locks you into one plane, the Dand forces your shoulders, spine, hips, and ankles to move through a loaded, dynamic arc. Old-school coaches called it “active flexibility under tension” — strength that doesn’t make you stiff.  

How to Perform the Dand  

Start with the hands and feet on the floor, hips high, head between your arms like a downward dog. 

From here:  

Swoop: Bend your arms and dive your head forward, skimming your chest just above the floor.  

Scoop: As your hips drop, press your chest up and arch your back, ending in an upward-dog position.  

Return: Reverse the motion by pushing your hips back up to the start.  

Here's a visual demo....

That’s one rep. The movement should be smooth, almost wave-like. No pausing, no jerking. Breathe in as you go down and into the arch, breathe out as you push back.

Here's a demo of doing the exercise with added resistance using the Dopamineo Band.

Benefits That Build a Battle-Ready Body  

Shoulder Health & Mobility: The sweeping arc takes your shoulders through full flexion to extension under load. This is prehab and strength in one. Old-time lifters swore it kept their rotator cuffs bulletproof.  

Spinal Durability: You get thoracic extension, lumbar control, and hip hinging every rep. It’s decompression and strength for your spine — something crunches and planks can’t touch.  

Work Capacity: High-Rep Dands build serious muscular endurance. Lungs, triceps, chest, lats, and quads all fire together. Gama’s 3,000-rep sessions weren’t for show; they built gas tanks that didn’t quit.  

Posterior Chain Wake-Up: Unlike flat pushups, the Dand loads your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back as you drive the hips up. It ties the front and back of your body together. 

Let’s be clear: this is a traditional wrestling exercise taught to youth worldwide for a very long time. Anyone who twists that into something inappropriate is telling on themselves. Matt Furey even illustrated it in cartoon form for Combat Conditioning so kids could build healthy habits. Don’t let bullshit "gurus" steal proven training from the next generation.

Why It Still Matters for Health & Strength  

Most modern trainees are desk-bound, chest-tight, and hip-locked. We bench, we curl, we sit. The Hindu Pushup is the reset button. It opens the chest, pumps blood through the shoulders, and restores that athletic “flow” the old-timers had. You can do it anywhere — no gym, no worries. Add 50-100 Dands at the start of your day or do them in sets, as many as you can in a row, in a HIIT type format or on your off days from weight training. Either way, these are awesome for keeping things intact and staying in shape for the long haul. 

The iron game has come full circle. Fads come and go, but the Dand remains. It built champions 100 years ago, and it’ll still be building them 100 years from now. Put away the gimmicks. Get on the floor. Do the work. Be amazingly awesome and wish you success in your endeavors. 

Ad Santel: A Catch Wrestling Juggernaut Who Crushed Japan's Judo Masters And Secured An Unbreakable Legacy of Mat Domination

How's it going everyone? Hopefully you're out there killing it this week, sweat dripping, muscles screaming, and that unbreakable fire burning within. Yesterday I wrapped up one of my go-to Dopa Band Circuits, 20 Rounds but added in explosive sprints as a finisher that left me high as a kite yet feeling like I had been through a war zone. It slammed me right back into that old school mentality like those nasty catch wrestlers from the past. These legends didn’t train for show. They trained to survive, to dominate, and to prove their style could humble anyone. That’s exactly what Ad Santel did. This German-American beast didn’t just wrestle, he took on Japan’s elite judoka and jiu-jitsu black belts in straight-up shoot fights and left them battered, tapping, or flat on the mat. If you’re chasing that raw, functional power in your own training, Santel’s story is pure fuel in and of itself. Catch-as-catch-can isn’t ancient history. It’s the blueprint for understanding what it takes to build the kind of body and mind that refuses to break.

Born Adolph Ernst on April 7, 1887, in Dresden, Germany, Santel crossed the ocean and exploded onto the American wrestling scene. At 5’9” and a rock-solid 185 pounds, he wasn’t some towering giant. He was compact fury – quick, explosive, and loaded with leverage that turned bigger men into ragdolls. He debuted in 1907 under ring names like Al Santel or Mysterious Carpenter, but by the 1910s he was the fucking man to beat. He claimed the World Light Heavyweight Championship in catch wrestling and defended that strap for years against the best the era had to offer. This wasn’t scripted entertainment. These were legit challenges – no rounds, no bullshit, just two men locked up until one submitted or couldn’t continue. Santel held his own against heavy hitters like Joe Stecher, Gus Sonnenberg, John Pesek, and even went the distance with Ed “Strangler” Lewis later on. But his real legendary status? That came from crossing oceans and styles.

I want you to paint a picture in your mind's eye: it’s the 1910s, and Japanese judo and jiu-jitsu are being hyped as unbeatable arts. Black belts from the Kodokan were rolling through America, challenging anyone who dared. Santel said “bring it” and stepped into the fire. On November 1915, he took out Senryuken Noguchi in San Francisco. Then came the big one on February 5, 1916 – Tokugoro Ito, a legit 5th-degree black belt judoka. Under judo rules, Santel slammed the man so viciously Ito couldn’t stand back up. Santel stood tall and declared himself World Judo Champion on the spot. The rematch in June? Ito caught him in a choke and got the win. But that first victory? It sent shockwaves. Newspapers described Ito tossing Santel around like a sack of flour early on, only for Santel’s catch transitions and raw power to flip the script. DDDAAAMMMNNN son, that’s the kind of grit that turns doubters into believers.

He kept rolling. Taro Miyake, another Japanese star, got handled in Seattle. First a draw, then Santel hit him with a half-nelson slam that left Miyake dizzy and out for half an hour. Daisuke Sakai, yet another 5th dan. Santel submitted him twice with a nasty biceps slicer that had the crowd gasping. These weren’t flukes. Santel’s catch wrestling, that blend of hooks, rides, and bone-crushing control – exposed the holes in pure judo when everything was on the table.

Fast forward to 1921 and this is where it gets good: Santel assembles a crew, Henry Weber and Matty Matsuda head straight to Japan. They hit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine in front of 10,000 screaming fans. Neutral rules: judogi jackets on, but all catch holds allowed. March 5 against Reijiro Nagata? Headlock Submission. The next day versus Hikoo Shoji, they draw, but Shoji’s face is swollen and busted – Santel even helped the guy off the mat like a true warrior respecting the battle. Then in Nagoya he avenges a teammate’s loss by smashing Hitoshi Shimizu. These matches weren’t exhibitions. They were wars that forced the Kodokan to rethink everything. Some Japanese fighters got expelled just for training with him. One man from Dresden changed the global grappling game forever.

Santel’s toolkit was like a swiss army knife. Slamming takedowns that used every ounce of leverage to plant opponents on their backs. The half-nelson slam? A finisher that could rattle brains. Biceps slicers for those brutal submissions. Neckscissors and headlocks that squeezed the fight right out of you. No flashy spins or showboat moves – just efficient, vicious reality that worked when the sweat was flying and the crowd was roaring. He wasn’t the biggest or the strongest on paper, but his conditioning let him go for hours and still come out on top. That’s the catch wrestling edge: control the mat, chain your holds, and outlasting your opponent.

After retiring in 1933, Santel passed the torch. He helped train Lou Thesz for a period in California, drilling that catch foundation that helped make Lou a household name. Thesz later called it “an incredible gift.” Santel lived until 1966, passing at 79 in Alameda, but his impact never faded. In 2024 he got inducted into the International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. And yeah, there’s that old rumor about him getting paid to rough up Georg Hackenschmidt before the Gotch rematch – unproven, but it fits the era’s gritty backstage drama. Bottom line: This crazy bastard bridged worlds. He showed catch wrestling could humble the “unbeatable” and planted seeds that still grow in modern submission grappling and MMA.

Here’s the part that should light a fire under your ass today. The man's dominance wasn’t magic – it was conditioning forged in the trenches. Long matches, global travel, facing elite opposition night after night. That demands a gas tank that doesn't have the word tired in the Dictionary. High-rep circuits, grip endurance that never quits, and the mental steel to push when every fiber wants to quit. You don’t get that from pretty gym routines. You grind it out in the backyard, garage, the beach or even in a hotel room just like the old-timers.

That’s why Dopa Bands are the perfect modern weapon for anyone chasing catch-inspired power. Variable resistance on pulls, squats, rows, and explosive drills mimics the dynamic strength you need for slams, scrambles, and marathon rolls. No gym membership. No excuses. Just pure functional might you can take anywhere. Whether you’re drilling guard work or building that never-quit endurance for your next open mat session, these bands let you train exactly like Santel lived: raw, relentless, and results-driven. These 500-1000 Rep Workouts I've been doing since January, have made the difference in how I proceed to be in the best shape possible. Like Ad, I'm not the strongest, the fastest or look like a bodybuilder but I sure as hell want to be in the best condition as possible and haven't felt like I peaked yet.

Look, the old-school catch wrestlers didn’t chase fame or trends. They chased who they can beat. Ad Santel embodied that spirit – a compact German-American juggernaut who stared down entire martial arts systems and came out victorious. He didn’t just win matches. He proved that heart, technique, and savage conditioning will always beat hype.

So what are you waiting for, bro? Throw in some band circuits today. Drill those transitions until they flow on instinct. Push through the burn until your body adapts and your mind gets unbreakable. Respect the history, value the lessons and live with Power and fucking Might every single day.

Head over to dopamineo.com right now and grab a set – or two – of Dopa Bands. Use code POWERANDMIGHT and get yourself hooked up. Then get after it. Train like the old timers. Dominate your competition. Because catch wrestling didn’t die in 1933. It lives in every rep you grind out today.

Keep killing it, everyone. Stay strong, be amazingly awesome and I’ll catch you in the next one. Shoot me a comment and let's hear from you. 

NO GAS, NO RUN: The Guide To Catch Wrestling Conditioning, Combat Science And Building The Engine

Many spent years studying the old ways of training; the raw, unfiltered truth of what it means to be unbreakable on the mat and in life. Karl Gotch, the God of Wrestling himself, drilled it into every man he trained: conditioning isn’t a side dish. It’s your greatest hold. Skill without the engine is worthless. You gas out, you lose. You run for miles hoping cardio saves you, you miss the point entirely. Gotch didn’t build wrestlers who looked pretty in the mirror. He forged monsters who could grind for hours, bridges popping, squats exploding, bodies moving like coiled steel.

That’s why I’m fired up about what’s coming. NO GAS, NO RUN: The Guide to Catch Wrestling Conditioning, Combat Science, and Building the Engine is dropping soon, and it’s the real deal. This isn’t another fluffy program with treadmill sprints and fancy gadgets. This is pure Gotch distilled, bodyweight brutality, combat-specific science, and the exact blueprint for constructing an engine that never quits.

No more gassing halfway through a roll because your lungs betray you. No more pounding pavement thinking “more miles equal tougher.” Gotch taught the Indian Kushti way, the Great Gama style where the engine is built through relentless Hindu squats, neck bridges that turn your spine into iron, push-ups that teach leverage, animal crawls that wake up every fiber, and circuits that mimic the mat war. You train to leave gas in the tank, not burn it all in warm-up. That’s the “NO GAS” secret. You finish stronger than you started. Your heart, lungs, and grip become weapons that outlast any opponent.

The “NO RUN” part? Pure genius. Running builds runners. Catch wrestling demands wrestlers. This guide flips the script with combat science that Gotch guarded like gold: precise progressions, recovery intelligence, and drills that translate straight to pins, escapes, and submissions. You’ll learn how to build that engine in small spaces—just like Gotch did in hotel rooms across Japan and Europe. No excuses. Just results.

This isn’t about getting “in shape.” It’s existential. Every rep becomes a drop of water in the rain. One alone seems small. Stack them day after day—consistent, faithful, fierce—and you carve canyons in your limits. Life throws storms. The mat tests your soul. With this engine, you don’t break. You reshape everything around you. Weakness dissolves. Doubt evaporates. You rise as the force that mountains can’t stop.

I’ve tested pieces of this philosophy in my own training with the 500+ rep circuits in the park with the Dopa Bands. It works. It transforms. And now this guide packages the full system: step-by-step conditioning ladders, combat science breakdowns, engine-building templates that scale from beginner to beast. Whether you’re a grappler chasing catch wrestling glory, an MMA fighter needing real durability, or just a warrior who refuses to gas out in life, this is your fucking map.

The greats knew it like Frank Gotch, Lou Thesz, Ed Lewis, Billy Robinson and Gama. They all carried that same fire. Gotch passed the torch onto men that tackled wrestling with a vengeance. This guide carries it forward. No hype. No shortcuts. Just the rugged truth that turns ordinary men into legends.

The wait is almost over. When it lands, dive in. Commit like your life depends on it because on the mat, it does. Stack those drops. Forge that engine. Leave the gas for your enemies. Pre-Order NOW!!!

Rise up. The mat is calling. Train with passion. Build the unstoppable. Get after it. Become the river. Be amazingly awesome.

Want to send me a message? Go to my LINKTREE where all my socials and email are. 

George Tragos: A Legendary Hooker That Laid A Foundation For American Catch Wrestling

George Tragos isn't a big name you hear even in most circles today especially in wrestling but let's help change that. To start, let's just point out that this wasn’t just some pretty boy showman prancing around under the lights. This dude was a goddamn hooker in the truest, most vicious sense of the old-school catch-as-catch-can wrestling game. A Greek immigrant who crossed the ocean with nothing but raw power, unbreakable technique, and a mean streak that that stretches to mars and back. He didn’t just wrestle, he broke men. He taught life lessons that left bruises and wisdom in equal measure. Most importantly may we add, he took a skinny kid named Lou Thesz and helped develop him into one of the greatest professional wrestlers who ever laced up boots. Without Tragos, nearly the entire lineage of real grappling in America looks a hell of a lot weaker.

Born March 14, 1897, in the rugged hills of Katsaros, Messinia, Greece, Tragos grew up breathing the same ancient air that birthed the Olympics. Back then, wrestling wasn’t entertainment, it was survival. It was honor. It was the ultimate test of a man’s will. Young Georgios (as he was known) absorbed Greco-Roman technique like it was mother’s milk. He dominated local tournaments, stacked amateur titles in Greece, and earned his spot on not one, but two Olympic teams for his homeland. Think about that for a moment: a teenager from a tiny village standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the best grapplers on the planet, throwing men around with hips like pistons and shoulders like cannonballs.

But Greece couldn’t hold him. In 1910 he emigrated to the United States, landing in a country hungry for real tough guys. By 1922 he was already coaching amateur catch wrestling at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Think about that timeline – the Roaring Twenties, Prohibition, gangsters, and Tragos quietly building killers in the heartland. He didn’t just teach wrist locks and half nelsons. He taught hooks. Those nasty, fight-ending submissions that separate the pretenders from the legends. Hooks that could tear ligaments, pop joints, and make a man tap or sleep before the referee even blinked. This was one of the most feared wrestlers of his time.

Then he stepped into the pro ranks himself. Debut 1922, mostly working the St. Louis territory where the crowds knew real wrestling from the circus acts. Tragos became the pro middleweight champion and earned a reputation that traveled faster than any railroad. The term Hooker wasn’t a compliment back then and sure as hell didn't mean prostitute, it was a warning, to let you know if you crossed one, they will put the fear of God in you if you crossed or tested them. One story that still gets whispered in old wrestling circles tells it all. Some young hotshot decided to test the brutal Greek in the gym. Tragos knew what he had to do, locked in I believe a double wrist lock, and drove it home before the kid could even scream “uncle.” Ripped muscles, torn tendons, separated bone – the arm got infected and the poor bastard had it amputated. Legend says he didn’t lose a wink of sleep. That’s the kind of ruthlessness this guy was. No mercy. No apologies. Downright psychotic.

His real legacy wasn’t the titles he won or the arms he ruined. It was the beast he created in a young Lou Thesz. Thesz himself said it best: “George Tragos was a great wrestler and a great human being. I’ve learned more from him, about life as well as wrestling, than I could ever possibly repay.” 

Tragos didn’t just show Thesz moves – he poured the entire ancient science of catch wrestling into him. The intricate counters. The psychology of the ring. How to chain submissions so seamlessly that your opponent never knew he was caught until it was too late. Greco-Roman base meets American catch-as-catch-can grit. Tragos bridged the old world and the new. He taught this future legendary figure the same way the old masters taught him – through pain, repetition, and relentless pressure.

Could you imagine those sessions? Hour after hour in smoky St. Louis gyms. Thesz, still a teenager, getting twisted, stretched, and submitted until his body screamed. But Tragos was there every step, refining that iron will. The same will that let Thesz hold the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for years and years. Three-time champ that was held across different eras. The man who carried professional wrestling on his back during its golden age. All of it traces back to the brutal Greek who saw potential in a raw kid and refused to let it go to waste. If Thesz was ever tested in his career, those instincts from those times with George would kick in almost automatically. Unlike Tragos, Thesz didn't want to hurt anyone unless it was a last resort. 

Tragos himself traveled the Midwest as a true professional. He coached young men wherever he went. He lived the wrestler’s life – hard roads, harder matches, and an even harder code. He passed away on September 5, 1955, in St. Louis at just 58 years old. Right on the cusp of the television explosion that would make wrestling a national obsession. He never got to see the full spectacle his pupil helped create, but his fingerprints are all over it. Thesz may have been more known to be the student of Ed Lewis, but before Ed, Thesz was learning the dark and brutal entities of what a Hooker was in those days.

And that’s why the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame carries his name. Posthumously inducted in 1999 alongside his greatest student, the hall sits inside the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Every year the best of the best – guys with amateur roots who made it in the pros – get honored there. The George Tragos Award goes to wrestlers who take that same competitive fire and adapt it to mixed martial arts or other combat sports. It’s fitting. Because Tragos wasn’t just a wrestler. He was the prototype for the modern hooker.

Compare him to the legends I’ve written about before. The Great Gama with his endless Hindu squats and dands – pure conditioning beast. Ed “Strangler” Lewis, the gorilla-built stamina monster who could wrestle five partners for hours and still be fresh. Joe Stecher and his deadly scissors. The Greek Legend sits right there with them, but in a different lane. He was the teacher. The bridge. The guy who took the old Greco-Roman purity and weaponized it with American catch brutality. He didn’t need 5,000 daily squats to prove his worth (though I bet he could have done them and not be winded). He proved it every time he stepped on the mat and made bigger, stronger men quit.

In today’s world of Instagram athletes and choreographed spots, guys like this feel like ghosts from another dimension. No flash. No drama. Just hooks, heart, and hellish training. He reminded everyone that real wrestling isn’t about entertainment – it’s about dominance. It’s about being the last man standing when the lights go out and the crowd goes home.

If you’re training today – whether it’s catch wrestling drills, old-school isometrics, band-resisted leg work to build those Stecher-style scissors, or just grinding out heavy pulls – channel George Tragos. Lock in that wrist like it’s your last match. Build the kind of strength that doesn’t just look good in the mirror but can actually end a fight.

He didn’t chase fame. He chased mastery. And in doing so he created a legacy that outlives every title, every win, every broken limb. The hall of fame, the students, a catch wrestling bloodline, a lot of it flows from that Greek immigrant who refused to be soft.

Be amazingly awesome and kill it in your endeavors. 

If you wish to get contact with me, here's my LINKTREE for all my Socials and Email.

A Conditioning Powerhouse: DopamineO Bands As A Tool For Lifelong Strength And Health And How Would It Do In The Bronze Age Of Physical Culture

That's quite a mouthful of a title don't you think?

This isn't about some trendy little gadget. I’m not here peddling the latest gimmick or some gym membership. No way bro. I’m all about tools that build the kind of rugged, unbreakable body that lasts a lifetime—the kind the old physical culturists may have used if they had access to in their time. Right now, in 2026, that tool is the DopamineO Band.

You've been reading about the crazy workouts I've done with these. HIIT Style within 30 minutes, Circuits for up to as many as 20 Rounds, even knocking out reps using sometimes two decks of cards in a row because why the hell not? These aren’t your cheap rubber tubes that snap mid-set and leave you with a welt across the face. These are engineered silicone tubes—solid core, not hollow junk—with a formula that laughs at heat, water, sweat, and time. Lifetime durability with proper use, a full one-year warranty, hypoallergenic, and they come with lifetime access to over 300 training videos. Five resistance levels from Fly (perfect for kids or rehab) all the way up to Heavy that’ll smoke a 220-pound beast. Whether you’re 80 pounds or 250+, there’s a Dopa Band built exactly for you.

I want to get into the conditioning benefits, because that’s where these bands separate themselves from most pieces of equipment on the planet. Traditional weights are great, don’t get me wrong and they can be beneficial when done right and without ego lifting, but the resistance remains the same. Dopa Bands give you variable resistance: easy as you move closer to it, brutal at the peak contraction when you bring it further away. That means your muscles are under tension exactly where they need it most, building strength-endurance like little else. You’re not just moving; you’re training the way wrestlers and old-time strongmen actually moved—explosive, full-range, never stopping.

Throw a Dopa Band around a tree at the park or anchor it to your door at home and you’ve got a full gym. Pulls, pushes, squats, rows, face pulls, core crushers, wrestling-specific drills—you name it. The constant tension fires up your stabilizers, improves mobility and durability while packing on functional muscle. I’m talking real-world power that carries over to the mat, the job site, or just chasing the kids around without blowing out your back.

Now, long-term fitness and health? This is where the Dopa Band becomes potentially a lifestyle weapon. Most guys train hard in their 20s and 30s, then their joints start screaming by 40 and they quit. Not with these. The elastic resistance is joint-friendly as fuck, no heavy iron crashing down on your spine or knees. You can train daily, even multiple times a day, because recovery is faster and injury risk drops through the floor. I’ve used them for micro-workouts when I need a pick me up, five minutes here, ten minutes there and the conditioning compounds like compound interest.

Your heart gets stronger through high-rep circuits and HIIT. Next to bodyweight training in this manner, this is the next best thing. Blood flow improves. Grip strength benefits as well (especially if you pair it with the Gi Simulator Trainer for specific work like BJJ or Judo). Hormones stay optimized because you’re moving heavy resistance without the cortisol dump of marathon barbell sessions since some gym goers feel the need to train for more than 2 hours. And mentally? There’s a reason they’re called DopamineO—the endorphin rush from crushing a band circuit even within 15 minutes flat is addictive in the best way. Consistency becomes effortless. You train everywhere—hotel room, backyard, airport lounge—and that consistency is what builds the body that lasts decades, not years. It can even be a phenomenal finisher to your gym routine.

I’ve said it before and I’ll scream it from the fucking rooftops man: conditioning is king. You can have all the raw strength in the world, but if your engine craps out after three minutes or less, you’re done. The Dopa Band fixes that. You build incredible stamina while building muscle that won't look like something out of a comic book but a real world functioning physique. Long-term health? Lower blood pressure from the cardio effect, better posture from the pulling movements, stronger bones from the progressive overload, and a nervous system that stays sharp because you’re constantly adapting to new angles and tempos. This isn’t hype, this is what happens when you use the right tools every single day.

Now here’s the part that gets me fired up every time I think about it: imagine if the old timers, the legends of physical culture and catch wrestling from the early 20th century had these bands.

Eugen Sandow, the father of modern bodybuilding and physical culture. The man popularized Free Weights and other things of that era. A portable Dopa Band set would’ve let Sandow train on the road during his world tours—hotel rooms, backstage at theaters, anywhere. Variable resistance perfect for his “muscle control” routines. He could’ve isolated every angle of the chest, shoulders, and arms with band flies and presses that hit harder at the top where it counts. Sandow preached health and aesthetics over pure brute strength; these bands deliver both without the joint tax of heavy iron. He might’ve lived even longer and influenced an entire generation to train smarter, not just heavier.

Frank Gotch 

Joe Stecher 

Ad Santel

Lou Thesz

All of them. These were mat-tough legends who built their bodies through labor, conditioning drills and basic training. No fancy gyms. A Dopa Band would’ve been perfect for them: little equipment needed, unlimited workouts, and the ability to train specific weaknesses on the fly. Stecher’s famous scissors? Band-resisted leg curls and adductor work to make them even deadlier. Gotch’s chain wrestling? Band drills for explosive hip escapes and bridging. They traveled constantly, bands fit in a suitcase and never break. Injuries that sidelined them for weeks? Rehab with the Feather or Light band and they’re back in days (possibly).

The old physical culturists were geniuses of will and volume, but they were limited by the technology of their time. No portable variable resistance. No lifetime-durable tools that let you train every day without wrecking yourself. If DopamineO bands had existed in 1900-1920, these men would’ve been even more dominant, it's not even a debate (unless you believe it to be). Their conditioning would’ve been off the charts, their careers longer, their influence wider. Sandow might’ve written an entire book on “Band Culture.” And the rest of us would’ve inherited an even richer legacy of functional, lifelong strength.

Look, I’m not saying drop the barbells or your regular gym work. I'll still hit the weights a couple times a week myself. But for pure conditioning, portability, and long-term health—the Dopa Band is unmatched. It’s what the old timers would’ve killed for. It’s what we need right now. Bodyweight Training is the foundation, there's never been a doubt or even a debate about that, bands like these are the next evolutionary step where they work the body in aspects that Bodyweight and Weights can't hit. That's not a knock down, it's part of the journey. 

Grab yours today at Dopamineo.com and use the discount code POWERANDMIGHT for 10% off. Military bundles and other discounts available too. Whether you’re building the body of a modern wrestler or just want to move and feel strong into your 70s and beyond, these bands deliver.

Train hard, stay consistent, and keep being amazingly awesome. The old timers are watching. Make ‘em proud.

If you wish to get in touch with me, send me your comments (FYI, Anonymous Comments are automatically deleted) or use my linktree that you can click on the right hand side of the blog where it has my email and social media. I no longer have the Contact Form up. Subscribe & Follow to get posts sent to your email. Have a great day everyone. 

The Strangler Vs The Great Gama: Arguably The Greatest What If In Wrestling History?

 

If there were two men who solidified wrestling into a status that was beyond legendary, it was Ed Lewis & The Great Gama. One was undefeated his entire career, the other was part of a trio that shaped the bridge between actual contests in Catch Wrestling to the spectacle we know today as professional wrestling. 

The history between these larger than life titans is not only unbelievable but it begged the question among the inner circle of wrestlers as to why these guys never squared off to see who is the true GOAT. With it never coming to pass, it's only speculation for reasons beyond our own consciousness and research to how good they actually were.

To start off, let's get a glimpse of Gama....Born as Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt in what was British India that became Pakistan. Growing up, he was already being groomed into wrestling through his family that had a high stakes in the sport of Kushti. Before he even was a teenager, he already dominated other wrestlers by his level of conditioning and outworked many experienced masters in a contest consisting of squats, push-ups, mace and club swinging. Wrestling was his life, his job and his source of fame. 

The man was a beast at the peak of his career standing roughly 5'7 but weighed at best 270 lbs of pure wrath. His strength was jaw dropping to the point of being able to throw guys much taller and at times bigger than him. The amount of Bethaks (The Hindu Squat) & Dands he performed were documented as many as 5000 & 4000 each practically daily while doing runs, wrestling as many as 40 sparring partners and devouring one opponent after another in competition that lasted often less than a few minutes at a time, consistently in seconds. 

The most famous wrestler he faced was a champion in his own right named Stan Zbyszko who was probably the closest wrestler outside of Gama's native India to give him a hard time but as fate would have it, As powerful and solid he was as a wrestler, he still couldn't get the Punjabi Monster down for the count. It was surreal to how this man kept up such a record for so long that what happened to guys like Gotch, Hackenshmidt and others of that era that never faced him? His record as far as history is concerned is still in tact and will mostly stay there for all time, like Cy Young's Baseball Wins Record or Joe Montana's Undefeated Record as a Quarterback in the Super Bowl. 

Moving onto what many arguably say is the greatest American Wrestler of all time or should I say the greatest Catch Wrestler of all time, Ed "Strangler" Lewis.....Born as Robert Julius Fredrick in the rural towns of Wisconsin, he became a man that would shape the very foundation to what would become what we know today as Professional Wrestling. His style was considered boring to paid audiences but to the wrestlers that sparred, competed and watched him work, he was a living masterpiece of an athlete. He was also the man that would succeed Frank Gotch after his death in 1917. A dangerous Hooker by trade (meaning he could cripple opponents with submissions that tore ligaments, bones and dislocations to practically any part of the body. He didn't look like he was carved into a Greek God by any stretch of the imagination, he was built closer to a gorilla at a whopping 260 at his peak at 5'10 but what seperated him from other wrestlers was his stamina. Despite his appearance, he could outwrestle just about anybody that came across him. To such a degree that Lou Thesz (Ed's Protégé) has said that when Ed had sparring partners, using as many as 5 for 5 minutes each for hours, he would just as fresh at the end then when he started.

Mike Chapman who has written countless books on the sport of wrestling has said that even in his mind that Ed was the best period. He could beat anybody, anywhere at any length he wanted to. What truly needs to be noted is that Ed rarely if at all lost in a legitimate contest and most of his loses came from performing matches throughout the 20's and 30's. When it came down to it, he only lost because he allowed it, if he wanted to rough a guy up especially of championship caliber, Ed could do it and make his opponent work like a mule until he wore him down. His match against Joe Stecher was considered at that time and I believe since, the longest match in Catch History. They went at it for 5 1/2 hours to a draw. By the time it was all said and done, the audience was practically gone and 4 referees were exhausted (one at a time bowed out). 

Because of the press and the need for action, Ed had partnered up with two other guys; Billy Sandow and Toodts Mont to form what became famously known as the "Gold Dust Trio" where they turned the slow scientific matches into a much faster paced spectacle where time limits became the it factor and inventing "show holds" meaning holds that they can put on that could get the audience riled up along with flashy moves of the time like the Drop Kick for example. Traveled around putting on cards that took them into the stratosphere of making bank. Eventually the trio separated due to conflicts of interests and having Mont being quite the backstabbing greedy businessman he was. For the record, Toodts was a capable and legit wrestler himself and Sandow (no relation to Eugene) was a smart businessman. 

For Ed as time went on, although still able to go at a high level, was having health issues due to trachoma, heavy drinking and womanizing that would make Babe Ruth blush. His body began to wear down and what once was a powerful barrel chested master, became a morbidly obese of a man that could barely travel, let alone wrestle. He did live life to the fullest that's for sure and his successor in Thesz proved that with great knowledge from the true masters, wrestling will never die. The closest peers Ed had in his prime would be Ad Santel, Ray Steele and George Tragos. Look into these guys and you'll understand why the Hookers were feared men of the mat. 

Now, let's get down to it, who really was the GOAT of wrestling out of these two monsters? Well, like I said, it's speculative but let's see what we can make of it. First off, their styles are completely different from one another; Gama's ability was to throw, toss and takedown opponents that had a combination of Freestyle & Greco-Roman. Ed, was a well known Submission Specialist, meaning he could tie a guy up anyway he wanted and put him in holds that were known to be illegal or crippling to a degree where he could put you in the hospital just by tearing a knee or dislocating a shoulder in several ways. 

Both had a ridiculous amount of stamina from their perspective ways of conditioning and strength training as well as grappling itself. In some retrospect, Ed has more of an advantage because if it were a legit Catch Contest where submissions were allowed, Gama most likely wouldn't know how to handle him, he can't rely on his strength and cardio alone and Ed would have the ability to set him up well even if Gama thinks he's got him on the ropes so do speak. So there's that when it comes down to it.

If it were a a contest that was suited to Gama's style, I don't believe he would have that high of advantage but here's a thing that we never got into. They're 12-13 years apart in age so Gama may have an advantage due to experience of his style of the sport. Ed was a solid shooter, he had to be because it was just second to being a Hooker and if a Hooker couldn't go with a Shooter, it would be embarrassing and that wrestler may get blacklisted because Hookers were meant to be the better wrestler. So in a shoot, Gama would have somewhat of a piece ahead of Ed but I only say that because the contest would go a lot longer than Gama would be used to. Sure he can go for hours if he wanted to but if you look into his competitive history, his matches never went longer than 15 minutes at best I believe. Ed can work a guy in any way he wanted so toe to toe, he would give Gama a run for his money and test his durability. 

Safe to say in some aspects, they're pretty even in terms of being able to go at it and give each a hard fought match. I would say in most cases, it would be a draw but if it came down to submissions, Ed would have Gama within an ankle lock or Double Wrist Lock within 20-30 minutes tops. If submissions weren't allowed and based on age and experience, Gama is the victor but not by much, he would have to work his ass off to get Ed down or thrown. I could see a match of that caliber go at best 3 hours before Gama had him down. There would be a chain of moves and because of Ed's Defensive abilities, he would have Gama making changes that he could adapt to but not easy to conjure up. 

That's really my take on it considering their history and their impact on the sport. No bias, no rage baiting or anything. Just a pure observation of their legend as wrestlers and where that match might have stood on the premise of their respective status. I can't really pick who could really win but from the observations I made above, I think I analyzed it pretty well. Hope you enjoyed this piece and let me know in the comments what you think or leave a comment on social media after I post it. Be amazingly awesome and let's keep Wrestling History in our minds and share it. 

The Legendary Beast: Joe Stecher, The Scissors King Who Crushed The Wrestling World

Hey guys, I'd like to share with you about a real legend in the world of Catch Wrestling, Joe Stecher. If you're into old-school mat wars, or want to know what it's like to have that unbreakable farm-boy strength, this guy's story is gonna fire you up. I mean, in an era when wrestling was raw, no-holds-barred shoot fights that could last hours, Stecher wasn't just competing; he was dominating like a force of nature. Born on a dusty Nebraska farm, this dude turned his body into a weapon that terrorized the ring for decades. His savage techniques, those epic rivalries, and why his legacy still kicks ass for anyone grinding in the gym today. 

Let's go back in time: It's April 4, 1893, in Dodge, Nebraska. Little Josef Stecher pops into the world, the son of Bohemian immigrants scratching out a living on the plains. Farm life back then? Brutal as fuck. You're hauling hay, wrestling livestock, and building that functional strength that no fancy gym machine can replicate. Joe wasn't some pampered athlete; he earned his physique the hard way. By high school in Fremont, he was already a multi-sport monster – crushing it in baseball, swimming like a shark, and yeah, pinning fools on the wrestling mat. But here's the kicker: his legs. Talk about Legendary. Working the fields gave him thighs like steel cables, and he honed that power into something deadly.

Stecher turned pro in 1912 at just 19 and he explode onto the scene. This kid racked up 51 straight wins – no bullshit, straight falls against grizzled vets. He was dismantling guys like Jess Westergaard, Ad Santel (the man who supposedly was paid to tear up Hackenshmidt's knee in a training session), and Marin Plestina in under 15 minutes each. We're talking pure catch-as-catch-can mastery: hooks, holds, and submissions that left opponents gasping. But the real breakthrough? July 5, 1915, in Omaha. With the great Frank Gotch watching from ringside – yeah, the unbeatable Iowa legend himself – Stecher takes on American Heavyweight Champ Charlie Cutler. At 22 years old, Joe snatches the World Heavyweight Title with his signature move: the body scissors. Imagine clamping your legs around a guy's torso like a vice, squeezing until ribs crack and breath fails. That was Stecher's nuclear weapon, and it made him a star.

Stecher held the world title three times, totaling damn near 2,000 days as the top dog. His first run was a whirlwind of defenses, but the shadows loomed. Gotch's retirement left a void, and everyone wanted that dream match. Instead, Stecher clashed with rising beasts like Ed "Strangler" Lewis. Shit, their rivalry? Pure fire. On July 4, 1916, they went at it for five and a half fucking hours – one of the longest match in wrestling history. No pin, no sub, just a grueling draw that tested every ounce of endurance. Stecher's legs held firm, but Lewis's headlock game was no joke. They traded the belt back and forth like heavyweight boxers swapping haymakers.

Then there's Earl Caddock, the WWI hero and farm-strong grappler from Iowa. Their 1920 showdown at Madison Square Garden? Epic as Goku vs Vegeta. Over two hours of technical warfare, with Stecher finally locking in those scissors for the win and reclaiming the title. Caddock was tough – a legit shooter with army-honed grit – but Joe outlasted him through sheer mental warfare. That's a key lesson here: wrestling ain't just physical; it's breaking the other guy's will. Stecher embodied that. He'd grind you down, hour after hour, until you tapped or snapped.

Speaking of techniques, let's break this down like a workout circuit. Stecher was a scientific wizard of the mat, well known as a Hooker – not some sloppy brawler. His base? Catch wrestling fundamentals: control the mat, chain holds, and transition like a predator. But those legs, man. The body scissors wasn't just a hold; it was a finisher that could crush organs. He'd wrap 'em around your midsection, head, or neck, applying pressure that made grown men quit. Farm work built that power – think endless squats hauling bales, turning quads into pistons. He also mastered arm bars, toe holds, and ground control, always one step ahead. In 100's of matches, his record was insane: 317 wins, 31 losses. That's not luck; that's relentless prep and adaptability.

Rivals? Stecher had a murderers' row. Besides Lewis and Caddock, there was Stanislaus Zbyszko, the Polish powerhouse with a Greco-Roman vibe. In 1925, at 32, Stecher schooled the 47-year-old Zbyszko to snag his third title. Wayne Munn, Jim Londos – he faced 'em all, often in front of massive crowds. These weren't scripted spectacles; they were shoots where one wrong move meant injury or humiliation. Stecher's ferocity? Unmatched. Lou Thesz, the successor to Ed Lewis, sparred with him in the '30s and said even retired, Joe mopped the floor with him. That's longevity – staying elite through smarts and conditioning.

By 1934, Stecher hung up the boots after wrestling's gold dust era faded into the Depression. Sadly, mental health struggles landed him in a VA hospital for 30 years, but his skills never dulled. He passed in 1974 at 80, but his induction into halls of fame – National Wrestling, International, you name it – cements his spot among the immortals. Alongside Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, he was a 1920s icon, proving wrestling was America's gritty passion play.

So, what can we take from this beast today? In a world of Instagram posers and ego-lifting bros, Stecher screams functional strength. Build legs like his – hit those animal crawls, heavy carries, and band work until you burn. But more? That mental edge. He wrestled hours without breaking, turning pain into fuel. Next time you're gassing out on the mat or under the bar, channel Joe: squeeze harder, get into that Super Saiyan mindset. It's not about gym PRs; it's real-world might that carries over to life. Wrestling, MMA, or just daily grind – Stecher's blueprint is gold.

Be amazingly awesome, keep killing it, and honor the old guards by testing your own abilities. 

Legs Like A Beast That Last

 The Bigfoot Walk Challenge. Do you have the balls to hammer this for 3 straight minutes or more without crumbling? This weird and to be honest awkward looking exercise is criminally underrated for building real leg power. Yeah, it looks ridiculous – like you're trying to sneak around in some monster costume – but holy shit, the burn it delivers is no joke. Believe me, after doing it, even for me it made me a believer.

Most guys look at it and think, "Where's the weight? Where's the full squat depth? This can't be doing anything." Then they actually give it a go. Boom, quads and glutes light up instantly. Keep going for a real duration (30 seconds or less for most people that start on it, and they're already gasping), and you'll feel that deep, screaming tension that tells you this thing is the real deal. No bullshit, you have my word. Here's the truth, many "advanced" lifters are too stubborn or brainwashed to admit: a ton of what passes for smart training is just dogma wrapped in ego. The need and obsession to pile on more plates, chasing full ROM like it's the holy grail, and worshipping the back squat and deadlift as the only lower-body and back movements that are worth praying to.  

Time to face the music. Most athletic movements – especially in stand-up fighting, martial arts, sprinting, or any sport where you actually have to move explosively – happen in partial ranges. Not ass-to-grass heroics (have you seen a wrestler or even baseball player work in a full squat?). Not locked-out max-effort grinds. They're dynamic. Constant tension, weight shifting, quick adjustments. Sound familiar? That's exactly what the Bigfoot Walk forces you into.  

You're staying in that quarter-to-half squat sweet spot, legs under constant fire, shifting from one side to the other like you're stalking prey or circling in a ring. This isn't some isolation machine stuff, it's functional leg endurance that translates directly to the mat, the cage, or the street. Athleticism isn't just about your 1RM. It's about strength-endurance, being able to stay powerful rep after rep, minute after minute, without gassing out. Yet the old paradigm has everyone chasing low-rep heavy singles like that's the only path to greatness. If you're a powerlifter, that's great or doing things for strongman comps but it rarely transitions into the real world. When you move furniture, it becomes a whole new ball game.

Conditioning your legs in this kind of partial, tension-loaded position builds that springy, agile, explosive base that loaded barbell squats often miss. You get more pop in your step, faster recovery between bursts, better stability when you're shifting weight mid-movement. There have been guys who can back squat 500+ pounds but when they try to maintain power output for even 60 seconds in something like this, it will show things they're not going to like. Their legs are strong in some capacity. But in real movement? It's a wake up call bro. This bastard exposes that gap fast.  

How to do it? Drop into a comfortable athletic stance, knees bent maybe 20-45 degrees (whatever feels strong but challenging), chest up, core tight. Then start "walking" forward while staying low, driving through the heels, keeping that constant knee flexion. No standing up tall between steps. For beginners, a foot forward would have you noticing things, as you get stronger, up the length of a step but not to the point where you might as well be lunging, this isn't what we're getting after. 

Feel the quads and glutes ignite right away? Good – that means your legs have serious work ahead. Burning after 20-30 seconds? Still a lot of room to grow. Always room for improvement. If you can cruise through 60 seconds feeling like it's nothing, you're getting somewhere. I'll do this for 5 minutes at a time sometimes twice a day and it's incredible. Been a minute but it's still one of my favorites to get into.

The main goal for martial artists, fighters, or anyone who wants usable athletic legs: this should feel effortless under a minute. Like you could keep stalking around indefinitely without your legs turning to jelly. When that burn hits hard, embrace it. That's your signal – the legs need this exact stimulus. 

Hammer the Bigfoot Walk consistently (start with a couple sets for as long as you can, rest 2-3 minutes, build up duration), and you'll notice real changes: quicker footwork, more explosive takedown defense, better gas tank in rounds, even carryover to power output because you're training the exact ranges and tensions you use in combat. Whether for 5 minutes straight or going for 3 sets of 3 minutes, you're getting some strong ass legs. 

Compare that to grinding heavy back squats week after week. Sure, you'll get bigger numbers on the bar... but how often do you actually hit full depth in a fight or in sparring? How often do you need to generate force from a dead stop with a bar on your back? Exactly.  

This exercise is simple, requires zero equipment, can be done anywhere, and it brutalizes your legs in the way that actually matters for performance. Raw, honest work that builds legs that work when shit gets real. Grab a timer, drop low, and start walking like Bigfoot on a mission. Time yourself. Be honest about how long you last before the burn forces you to stand up. Then come back harder next session.  

Build that engine. Build that endurance. Build legs that don't quit when the fight drags on. Keep killing it, stay amazingly awesome, and let me know in the comments how long you lasted on your first go. You Got this.

For more exercises that will build durable and conditioned legs, head on over to Movement 20XX and learn the valuable training system that will work your body in a way that's fun, challenging and most of all about as natural as you can get. 

A New Addition To Dopa Conditioning Is Going Green

 Training is about discovery and learning how to handle certain methods not just in research but also in what your capabilities are. You've seen enough posts of the Dopamineo Band I use since I enjoy it so damn much but something within me decided to step things up a notch.

Last night, I made the decision to order their newest band that may or not be around much longer which is the Chosen Higher Band. It's the same material, same length but the resistance is much lighter and it's suited to just about about everyone since it's a one size fits all type of band. The reason why I got this wasn't to replace the black one I have, it's to utilize another approach to my conditioning with the bands by working technique, control and some power/explosiveness with one band and really hammer out my speed, reflexes, quickness and agility with the other. 

I look at it as doing one or the other on certain days and if anyone is up for training with me and doing a workout with the bands together, I'll give you the green band whether you're advanced or just a beginner with this kind of training and we can tackle a kick ass session together. It's a win-win in my book. The band is great for adults, teens and kids who are looking to stay fit and build up their condition and stamina. 

This particular band is awesome for working techniques in various sports like Wrestling, Boxing, Judo and even Football. College level athletes use bands like these to drill and work on moves that can be used in regular games. Some of the best wrestlers in the world work with bands like these as high up as the Olympic & World level and quite a number have won medals in the process and credit these bands for developing their technique, leg drive, speed and durability. Little kids can even use this thing for youth sports training and even get excess energy out that can be a part of doing bodyweight and playing on the playgrounds. 

One of the best perks of having bands like these is that it's virtually indestructible. They've even had contests from various practitioners on who can snap the band. As far as I know, none of them were able to do it and these bands already can be put through the grind. If I venture to guess who can possibly snap a band, maybe Brian Shaw or a strong wrestler with insane grip and shoulder strength. Other than that, this thing has been tested in ways 95-98% of other bands would snap within seconds of even on the first use. Myself, I have pounded this band on concrete, dirtied it up, stretched it to the best I can from sprints and explosive training and still don't see a scratch or even a tear in this fucking thing. These bands, make chest expanders and even ones powerlifters use for training look weak. 

Working with the band has helped my training outside of it very well and strengthens my mobility and flexibility. At 41 and seeing many athletes my age already having knee replacements, hip replacements, ankle tears, joint problems and are in constant pain, I feel it's my duty to help those minimize those things to living pain-free as best as possible along with my own training. You've heard enough of my story and some of the things I've been through and you know that I've had enough dealing with pain that I wouldn't wish on anybody and don't want to experience it again. I don't believe in going to such extremes anymore of doing things that challenge the risk to reward ratios. With the band and even bodyweight I'll do high rep work (in total) but not make it my whole existence, I want to walk out of a session with gas left in the tank, not feeling so sore I can't move well hours or even a day later and also don't need to push it to the point of feeling pain. That whole "no pain, no gain" thing is bullshit, it may be something bad ass you want to think of in your 20's, maybe 30's but 40 and beyond, it'll be harder to heal up again and injuries are at a greater risk of happening. I'd rather have a brutal session that makes me feel great and alive than to go so hard that my bones are tested to see if they snap. 

Conditioning is your greatest asset along with long-lasting and temporary strength but that's for any age. As we get older and priorities change even by the smallest fraction, the ability to get up off the floor, being mobile, limber and agile becomes assets that you'll want to have moving forward. That doesn't mean you can't have insane sessions, as long as you can keep at it without needing to go to the ER or be sore that it takes away certain aspects of your daily life for a period, do what's possible. I have believed in since I was 21 years old that daily training is valuable and in part necessary to have a long and quality life, but it is important to understand when to go hard and when to back off a bit and focus on things that keep you moving. 

Made many mistakes along the way but as of right now, I'm where I'm supposed to be at this point in time and I'm loving that I don't live in pain, able to climb stairs with ease, walk for miles with a vest on and workout anywhere I want. This band will be a great addition (not supplementary) to my arsenal of continuous training and building knowledge of what I can do as time goes on. Come and grab one before it's gone at Dopamineo.com. Use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT to get 10% off the order, that's $8.30 from the full price so nearly 10 bucks off just using my code. What have you got to lose? 

Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it in your journey. Live pain-free and own your workouts.