Ben's Power And Might Writings

Hybrid Isometric Training: Two Worlds Linked Together To Create Insane Strength

2026-04-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

How's it going everyone? Hope you're well and ready to get into one of my favorite subjects/methods in the world of Physical Culture: Isometrics.

In most cases, people often think isometrics means one thing: freeze in place and hold. That’s only half the story. If it’s the only half you train, you’re leaving strength on the table that can benefit you beyond what you were taught.

Matt Schifferle of the Red Delta Project breaks down a style of isometrics into two camps in Overcoming Isometrics: Yielding and Overcoming. You’ve done both or one or the other at one point in time, even if you didn’t call them that. Here's a lesson in what these two super powers are.....

-Yielding isometrics are the ones many would know. You hold your position against gravity. Pause at the top of a pull-up or sitting in a horse stance and fight to keep from dropping. The resistance is quantifiable but it’s static.

There is a small problem though.

Your muscles adapt to the load fast. Neural drive stagnates. You build endurance in that exact angle, but your mind-to-muscle connection doesn’t have to work very hard. You’re just... holding. And holding alone can compromise neural synergy — the skill of firing everything together under chaos.

-Overcoming isometrics flip the script. Now you’re the one creating resistance. Think pushing against a doorframe or trying to curl an immovable bar. No gravity, no weight. The load is only as hard as your intent.

That can also have some issues.

If your focus slips for half a second, the resistance vanishes. You can trick yourself into thinking you’re working hard when you’re really just leaning on the wall. Without gravity or an external load, it’s tough to know if you’re actually forcing adaptation. Intensity becomes a mental game, not always a physical certainty.

(He talks more about Neural Drive, Strength, Endurance in other chapters so it gives you more ideas of where they come from)

So on one side of the coin, you’ve got one method that’s quantifiable but static and on the other, one that’s dynamic but not unmeasurable.

What if you didn’t have to choose?

-Enter hybrid isometrics.

This is Schifferle’s bridge between the two worlds. You combine these 2 beasts together. Gravity gives you a real, measurable load to fight. Then you add a second source of resistance you have to overcome — a strap, a yoga band, an Iso-Loop — and now you’re pushing or pulling against something that won’t move.

Think of it this way: If you're a Dragon Ball Z fan and you've seen Goten & Trunks use Fusion, they form the hybrid being Gotenks.

Go into your mind and see this from a training perspective: You’re in a split squat. Your bodyweight is the yielding component. Gravity is pulling you down, and you’re resisting it. Now loop a nylon strap under your front foot and drive up into it with your hands like you’re trying to rip it apart. That’s the overcoming component. You’ve got gravity keeping you honest, plus an immovable force demanding max intent.

The benefit? You’re not just holding anymore. You’re fighting while you hold. That combination hammers your muscles harder than either method alone. It forces your nervous system to recruit more fibers, to coordinate under load, to create tension in multiple directions at once. It's quite difficult to hold most of these for more than a minute at best.

Matt points out that these are more advanced than basic holds. You’re putting your body against gravity and against a prop. That double demand pushes you past the sticking points you hit with yielding or overcoming on their own.

Why does that matter for real-world strength? Because life isn’t a paused rep. Picking up a couch, holding a door while you shove a box through, wrestling a dog into the tub — you’re yielding to one force while overcoming another. Hybrid isometrics trains that exact quality.

You don’t need a gym full of gear. A $10 yoga strap turns just about any bodyweight hold into a hybrid. Plank while trying to pull the strap apart. Wall sit while driving your knees out into a loop. Hold the bottom of a push-up while trying to screw your hands into the floor. The load is real. The intent is max. And your nervous system has nowhere to hide.

Yielding teaches you to survive.

Overcoming teaches you to attack.

Hybrid teaches you to do both at the same time. That’s where real fucking strength you can actually use gets built.

Be amazingly awesome and get strong as hell that is functional and powerful. It isn't some new trend or fad, this is time tested and proven that although it's a different style of Strength Training, it carries over to other areas of life outside of workouts and fitness training in general.

The Journey Of Being In Your 40's

2026-04-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Before we get into this, I just want to say that I hope everyone will get a chance to see the new and updated design of the blog. New logo, bio, comment policy and a few other tweaks. A friend of mine got in contact with me and wanted to help me out with rebranding or even giving the blog a makeover. The things he has shown and helped me with, I'm very grateful to him. He takes the credit for the designs and background. He knows who he is and just want to say thank you for all you've put into giving this platform a bad ass look. A great friend indeed.

Now that we've got that out of the way (I'm still getting chills with the new logo), let's have a little fun with aging shall we? For real though, 41 isn't old, it's only old if you make it out to be. I haven't felt like I peaked yet and still have far more left in me. Now you may have more experience and know you're not in you're not in your 20's or 30's anymore but that doesn't mean things go down hill after 40.

It is a journey that teaches us new things, finding what's possibly beyond the horizon. You learn to adapt, improvise and find out what some of your true strengths are. We learn how to work around our weaknesses the best we can and even turn those into strengths we didn't think were possible before. From a training point of view, some have been around the game for decades while others are just starting out or getting back into it after being away from it for so long. It doesn't matter how much experience you have or if you're a complete Probe (If you've ever watched NCIS, you know what this means), the journey is where you're at right now and what you can do moving forward.

Not all of us are the strongest or the fastest but that doesn't mean we can't improve who we can become and get stronger and faster for ourselves. You don't need to look like anybody else, they're already taken. We can admire them, learn from them and even try to emulate them but in the end, all we can do is be a little better than yesterday even down to the smallest fraction that nobody else will notice.

There are those who are 40+ and had more injuries in their life than the average person can count on one hand. Sometimes, there are things we can never come back from because of the severity but in most cases, we can do our damndest to make ourselves better so our lives can have a better quality. I've seen guys in wheelchairs do things that are fucking incredible, seen guys who look more like spiderman than the hulk catch/flip heavy ass kettlebells and even rack pulled 1000+ lbs. Seen guys over 40 carry a yoke while its on fire and then shoot arrows. There are many things we can do that people tell us couldn't happen after we reach 40.

We all have our own routes to take, sometimes we hit forks in the road, sometimes we need to change course to get to where we're going because some routes aren't always the same. The road maps, GPS, personality and other things are part of where we go in life. Some just want to maintain and even find new ways to train so they can be able to keep going, some will train harder than they ever did in their life because they didn't want to be the youngest in a nursing home while others are just trying to get out of bed in the morning and battle their mental demons so they can function.

In a fitness aspect, 40 and beyond is a new or even continuous path to where you can become the best version of yourself. You may stumble, you may even have a setback or two but you keep fighting so what you're able to do becomes effortless. Being better than everybody else isn't the flex some think it is, there's always going to be someone better, stronger, faster and durable than you so why fight to be better than 8+ billion people. Seriously, what kind of life is that? Be the best version of you, be the first that changes what was and what will be so you can thrive in your own life. Train for a competition, do things that maintain your strength, work on your attitude towards certain methods and learn what it means to discover your own powers, your own obstacles to overcome and kick ass beyond what you've done before or haven't been able to do yet.

I'm in my early 40's and still have things to learn, methods that may become a part of my vocabulary and training routines that can turn me more into a machine than I could ever be in my 20's and 30's. I'm not going down without a fight. I'm still young but also experienced many things that people don't know about and on a journey that hasn't faded. I have stumbled but always got back up, I do have certain regrets but those also taught me how to be a better man through hard lessons and soul searching. I want to be a little better, even if its microscopic, there is still something I can do to keep myself going. That's my fight, my way of overcoming things in life and how I continue to fucking roll through the bullshit.

What's your fight? What have you overcome to get to where you are now? How has your journey gone that gives you purpose to keep going? You have more in you than you realize and I believe you can do great things when you make those demons your bitch. Keep fighting and don't let those who tear you down get to you because if you let it, you'll be in a black hole that's infinite. Get out and do what's possible for you. You got this.

Be amazingly awesome and don't think of your 40's as the end, but as a beginning to what you can do as time goes on.

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

2026-04-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

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.

We're Men...We're Men In Tights

2026-04-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

We roam around the forest looking for fights.

IYKYK. God I love that movie. Watched it yesterday just to get a good laugh in cause why the hell not? It's still a favorite ever since I was 9 years old. Mel Brooks is a fucking legend and to still be here at 99 is awesome.

That's the thing about life man, we need to laugh, feel good and have a blast because it gives us hope. Doing what we can to laugh cause in the words of Roger Rabbit "Sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have".

I had a great time at the park sometime after watching the movie and getting in those 500 Reps with the Dopa Band. Even tried out a new exercise for myself that hit the Core. I'll be filming it soon so you can get an idea on it. For a Post Workout session, thought I'd get some filming in and although it took a bit of work to find decent angles with the Tripod, think it turned out ok. Tested out some waves, the propeller and a couple sprints. One included starting on the ground and popping up into a sprint, then a quick Bear Crawl.

Having an imagination is a beautiful thing, you find creative ways to do things and think outside the box. It makes the time go by fast and you discover some aspects of training that may be interesting to others. Hell, even got a great comment on the video that made my day. I love giving people that joy and something to look forward to. That's the true reality of fitness, not beating people down and verbally abusing them to get them into shape, it's encouragement and showing that you don't need to be a drill sergeant or some lame poor excuse of a fitness "expert" telling you you're a loser if you don't follow his method. I'll let you in on a little secret, guys like that aren't very original, they're small, broken, chooses to make their pain everyone else's problem, they easily get pissed off and overcompensate for their insecurities. They're not that strong either and talk like the Peanuts Teacher, just blabbering.

Getting in shape is never a bad thing, but you don't have to be extreme about it. You don't need to go so hard and think that's the only way to get results. Always leave gas in the tank. Building strength takes time, work and things may not always go the way you planned. Train for what you can do long term, not push to the brink of looking like the walking dead and think you can keep doing that for next 20-30 years. I have pushed myself quite a bit especially lately but I always walk away knowing that I did what I could in those moments and know I could do a little more but save that energy for another time.

Conditioning is your greatest asset because it gives you a sense of purpose of being able to go when times are tough. Think of it from a wrestler's perspective: If you get tired within less than a few minutes or even seconds, you're a goner by being pinned easily, practically dead giving up an arm or an ankle for a submission or even knocked out from a slam. It's part of life too; getting tired quick can lead to injuries on the job, not be able to defend yourself when it counts or defend somebody else, being able to play with your kids or grandkids or even be able to chop and haul firewood to a campsite if that's a thing you do.

Do what you can, progress with technique, control and breathe with great focus. Training to last takes patience and practice but it's worth having those reserves when they're needed in whatever you do. Want more ideas on what you can do to last.....Do some awesome bodyweight training and may I recommend circuits that you can learn from Darebee.com. A full fledged FREE website with all sorts of programs, workouts, guides and more. You can't beat that. If you want to amp it up and want to broaden your horizons, get some Dopa Bands at Dopamineo.com. Use my code POWERANDMIGHT and use the same bands that have made Olympic Athletes, MMA Fighters & World Champions the stuff of legends in their chosen field. Men, Women, Children, all are welcome to use these bad boys to get in the kind of shape that turns heads, have jaws drop and have the type of condition and durability that seems surreal.

Be amazingly awesome and keep at it. You got this and I believe in you.

Dopa Brutality From A Possible Psychotic Mind

2026-04-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

When you think about what you want to do for a workout, sometimes you have to come up with challenges or go deep into your mind and find that brutal level of "Oh This Is Fucking Happening". On Tuesday, I might as well have been on a whole other realm because that workout, just about killed me.

I had mentioned in my post about Ad Santel (Catch Wrestling Icon) that I did the Dopa Band Circuit & Sprints in honor of the old timers and tested my conditioning with pure vengeance. Today, I'm going to cover it and give some insights to what it felt like and what the aftermath was.

Training by yourself and learning your capabilities tests what you are willing to put in in order to get the best out of it. This was not only challenging but it gave me a profound perspective to what it takes to "Stretch Your Limits" as the guys at Dopamineo would say. Conditioning is a powerful asset but in this case, it set a higher bar to why it's so powerful.

Earlier in the morning, I did some Neck Mobility and Joint Loosening to get my body going for the day. Had some food and a while later went to the park to set things up and hammer one of the craziest sessions that someone can possibly do and to do at nearly 42. I set the goal in mind, I left it all out there and gave it everything I could without hurting myself or training to failure. Here was the workout with the Dopa Band.....

5 Exercises

10 Chest Pulleys

10 Wave Pulls

10 Hook Under The Arms Squats

10 Alt Front Raises (AKA Skis)

10 Propellers

20 Rounds. The Finisher: Wrapped the Band around my waist, set my timer for 5 Rounds of 30 Sec on, 30 Sec Off and blasted off doing short but very explosive sprints.

The 1000 total reps (with little rest at all) was already nutty enough and was a bit fatigued but I wanted to step up my game and see how I can push myself adding the Sprints. In life, at times we have to keep going and to do what must be done, even when we're on the brink of exhaustion. Not saying this happens all the time or should be done all the time but there might be a time where you have to dig down and find that inner strength to fight that could be life saving.

The high I was feeling after catching my breath breathing like a maniac who had just been in a war zone was incredibly relaxing that it lasted for hours. It was just pure bliss, didn't feel anxious, nervous, worried or have a care in the world. Just in a mediative state of happiness and clarity.

In reality, the only thing Psychotic about me is the workouts, not someone who is clinically psychotic and needs to be locked up somewhere. There are people out there with whacked out and screwed up entities that need to be dealt with but then again there are those who "claim" to be psychotic but do nothing but rant and act superior living out some delusional fantasy.

This workout was something I never tested out before and granted I've done sprints and a number of workouts that went up to 1000 Reps whether it was a circuit or doing the deck of cards twice in a row but never mixed the two beasts together to form a nasty session that would make the average guy quit within a few minutes. A wrestler or even someone in MMA most likely can do far better at this than I ever will but to me, this was something I wanted to find out for myself what my abilities could do when I put my mind to it. Will I do this kind of training again? One day maybe but for now, stay on track to becoming a master of these bands and conditioning myself for the long haul.

Find what can be a challenge for you and see what you can do. We all have our own journey and we all have our own challenges but we are also more capable than we even give ourselves credit for. In a nutshell, we are our own worst critic, even more than the ones who despise and hate on us but can't stop reading or discussing about us. Be amazingly awesome and kick ass in all your endeavors. Go to Dopamineo.com and grab a band or two and get up on that horse to get in bad ass shape, use the promo code POWERANDMIGHT. Be mindful, be resilient, breathe and take control of your fitness journey.

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

2026-04-08T04:09:00.000-07:00

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.

The Anatomy of Online Obsession: When Someone Can’t Let Go

2026-04-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

There’s a particular kind of online fixation that goes beyond simple disagreement or criticism. It becomes a full-time occupation. One person fixates on another who has stopped engaging with them, never responds and has blocked every possible channel of contact. Yet the fixation continues — emails under fake names, public blog posts, YouTube videos, and crude personal attacks that grow more repetitive and unhinged over time.

This pattern is disturbingly common in several corners of the internet, and it reveals a lot about the psychology of the person doing it. The behavior usually starts with public criticism. Then it escalates. The obsessed individual begins monitoring the target’s every post, every update, every training session. They read it, twist it, and turn it into fresh material for their own content. The target becomes the central character in the obsessed person’s narrative — a villain, a clown, a “court jester,” or whatever role fits the script. Even when the target stays completely silent, the posts keep coming. The rants get cruder, the insults more personal, and the fixation more obvious.

In this case, the harasser has used multiple aliases (Mike Watson, Lola, Habib Sir, and others) to send degrading emails filled with homophobic slurs, sexual mockery, and dominance fantasies. He has posted dozens upon dozens of blog entries and videos that directly reference the target, often within hours of the target publishing something new. He has used the target’s images and training content in fetish-related contexts without consent. He has made claims about installing tracking software, having “moles” spying, and other diabolical "threats". When comments and contact forms are reopened, he immediately floods them with short, juvenile insults.

None of this is normal criticism. It is compulsive and disturbing.

The Psychological Pattern

What we’re seeing is a classic case of Obsessive Fixation combined with One-Sided Delusional Relating. The harasser has constructed an imaginary ongoing relationship in his head. He refers to “our discussions,” predicts the target’s future actions, and scripts entire conversations that have never happened or spoken. In his mind, the target is obsessed with him, raging about him at night, simping to him, or secretly admiring him. Reality — complete silence and total non-engagement — is rewritten to fit the harasser's fantasy.

This is reinforced by Narcissistic Traits and a deep need for control. Every new post from the target becomes a threat to his superiority, so he must immediately tear it down. The more the target moves forward calmly and practically, the more it highlights the contrast: one person is building, the other is stuck reacting. That contrast appears to fuel rage and jealousy, which then gets expressed as crude sexual degradation and dominance fantasies (“Emperor Sir,” “Master,” “slaves,” etc.).

The behavior is also self-reinforcing. Each rant gives him a temporary emotional hit or fix (Like A Drug) — superiority, validation, a sense of power. But because the target never responds, the hit or fix fades quickly, so he has to create the next one. Over time, the content becomes more repetitive and unhinged because he is no longer creating for an audience — he is performing for himself and exposes his own pettiness and insecurities.

Why This Is Disturbing

This kind of obsession is disturbing for several reasons:

- It shows a complete disregard for consent and boundaries. The target has said “no” in every possible way — blocks, silence, deleted comments — yet the harasser continues to attempt to insert himself into the target’s life.

- It sexualizes and degrades the target in public, often in ways designed to humiliate and shame.

- It reveals a mind that has trouble separating fantasy from reality. The harasser talks as if real conversations and relationships exist when they do not.

- It wastes the harasser’s own life. Months or longer of energy that could have gone into real work, real relationships, or real growth are instead poured into attacking someone who isn’t even paying attention.

For the target, the experience is exhausting. Even when direct contact is cut off, the public rants and the knowledge that someone is obsessively watching can create hypervigilance and stress. The person starts to wonder, “Is he still reading this? Is he going to twist it again?” That mental load is real, even when that person never responds.

The Takeaway

If you ever encounter this kind of fixation — someone who won’t stop watching, won’t stop posting, and won’t respect your silence — remember this: their behavior is about them, not you. It is not a reflection of your worth or your work. It is evidence of their own emptiness and inability to let go.

The strongest response is almost always the same: document everything, set ironclad boundaries, and refuse to feed the cycle. Do not reply. Do not check their content. Do not give them the reaction they crave. Starve the obsession of oxygen.

Real strength is protecting your peace and continuing to move forward while someone else chooses to stay stuck in bitterness and fantasy.

The person doing this is not winning. They are trapped and it will be their undoing if they don't change.

Stay focused. Stay strong. Keep building and be amazingly awesome.

Feel free to message me if you've ever experienced this and would like help or even a little guidance. You are not alone.

The Brutal Dopa Band Deck Of Cards Workout On Easter

2026-04-06T05:03:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a great Easter and had plenty of food and love to go around. For me, it was mainly just kicking back and reflecting on things but needed a small recharge. That was until I decided to get my ass to the park in the late afternoon and devour a deck of cards workout with the Chosen Higher Dopa Band. A part of me didn't want to do it and was feeling a bit worn down mentally but I knew if I got into it, things would shift.

This past week was a whirlwind of emotions and mental rollercoasters. Had to take care of something going on with family and needed to keep an eye on things for a couple days and check in with them on Saturday. Still got my training in and killing it with my conditioning, isometrics and the Hindu Squats. So for my Easter workout, went to the park, set up my band, laid out the deck and proceeded to kill 800 reps of the Deck. 5 Exercises (Chest Pulleys, Wave Pulls, Skis, Uppercut To Squat & The Propellers). Black cards were doubled the amount of reps and the Jokers were 100 Reps (25 Chest Pulleys, 25 Wave Pulls & 50 Propellers).

Doing workouts like this isn't for the weak or even normal minded. I never considered myself normal in the first place but when it comes to training, I like taking things to a different level. I didn't go at the pace I normally with this particular method but I wasn't resting much either and it was becoming meditative after a few cards. The movements, the pacing and flow all were coming together, plus getting in the fresh air in a semi sunny setting wasn't too bad either. Barefoot on the grass, feeling the earth and letting my instincts of the exercises take over. Sweating like it was a waterfall in the Rainforest, focused as if I was on a mission and adjusting the band at times because the knots do slide and becomes a bit uneven but that takes seconds really.

I'm not setting world records, nor am I making a statement that Dopa Bands are the best thing since the invention of the Wheel, I just wanted to train, have fun and get some of that emotional stress out of my system. Feel that natural dopamine high and have a productive session. It's freedom, it's learning what I can do when I'm not always in the right head space but it's also my ability to push through things and do what I know I'm capable of. I love this shit and it has put me on a path that is a continuation of my journey.

Have a great Monday everyone. Be safe, train well and hard to burn off some of that Easter Feast. Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it in your endeavors. Hit me up in the comments or shoot me a message using the Contact Form. Would love to read your progress. Be sure to go to Dopamineo.com and grab a band or 2. Use my code POWERANDMIGHT.

Last thing before heading out here, go and check out Lost Empire Herbs' Newest Addition from an old formula.....Hercules Pre-Workout Formula now comes in Capsule form so you don't have to chug and get the bitter taste from the powder. 90 Capsules per Bottle. Let that fire burn from within and get ready for some awesome workouts without the crash later.

Quads For Days???

2026-04-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I don't think too much of my legs that way, they're not that big by standards of either Powerlifting, Strongman or even Bodybuilding. I do what's possible to train with intent and keep them in condition as best as I can. I don't even attempt to try to build huge legs anyway. You read my last article on the type of boxers I wear right? About having to wear 2XL just to feel comfortable LOL.

For real though, with all the shit that I've put my body through, I'm grateful to have built the legs that can go and carry me. I have no knee pain, I may have issues in the areas below the knees but you already know the story on that. I don't have calves that are impressive to anybody and no, I don't have thighs that can squat 500 lbs but that's ok. After thousands of squats, step ups, many sprints, sandbag training, isometrics along with other things, these are what came of all of it and I'm happy.

I also don't make it a habit to show off my legs because that's just not me. I've only shown them off maybe a couple times or so intentionally because I wanted to give people an idea that you can build athletic legs without needing to look like a bodybuilder or some pro athlete. With the ongoing workouts with the Dopa Bands, my legs feel amazing and with testing out different squat variations, sprints, lunges and other things, it keeps my training interesting. Those killer circuits, the grueling Deck Of Cards workouts and the insane HIIT workouts just fires them up and be ready for whatever lies ahead.

If I had to compare my legs to certain things (hypothetically speaking), I'd say I'm closer to legs that were of athletes in the 20's and 30's. Not always looking like they were carved from granite but were solid and made to have lasting strength. If there was any athlete of that time that had the best conditioned but powerful legs that wasn't a wrestler, strongman or acrobat was Lou Gehrig. The best 1st Baseman in Baseball who played for the Yankees his entire 14 year career. Not many realize this but Lou had legs that were Thoroughbreds. Underneath that uniform were legs that were made to chase down Gazelles. The Iron Horse. If ALS hadn't got wind of him, he could've gone another 5-6 years in the Majors and still be among one of the greatest power hitters.

If anyone had legs for days, was Gama or Ed Lewis, both wrestlers were machines on the mat and could outwork practically anybody. Ed's stamina was legendary when it came to those hours in matches and in workouts and Gama just didn't know the meaning of the word tired yet had the legs of a Tree Trunk. Their conditioning is nothing short of remarkable.

Now, having big legs doesn't always mean you're going to be having endurance that would make Herschel Walker exhausted. Some of those cartoonish looking legs like a Ronnie Coleman or Dorian Yates in their prime were just edging to have injuries being done on them. That much muscle was not meant for a man and it's crazy how big guys like that got. Did they train hard, absolutely and I'll never take that away from them but the mere fact that they did suffer in the hands of what they were trying to accomplish gave them issues that will have them in discomfort or pain the rest of their lives. Dorian out of the two is in healthier shape than Ronnie is these days and it's sad that they had to go through all that.

My legs have been through a lot. Maybe not as badly as others but I take pride in training them so as time goes on, I can hike, swim, climb stairs and be able to be the cool uncle or cousin that can keep up or be able haul furniture without dying. Conditioning is my biggest priority and the physique that comes with that is just part of the package. I'm not trying to win medals or brag I have better legs because I don't. I want to last and be able to outwork/keep up with guys half my age if possible. I also believe in keeping the joints strong because muscles are great and all but the things holding everything together makes the huge difference.

Many don't realize how important Isometrics are for the legs. They build the kind of armor for the bones and tendons that would give Colossus a run for his money. Those Wall Sits, Lunge Holds, Hybrid Style Isometrics, all hit the legs with a vengeance but build the kind of strength that reduces pain and adds that spring in your step. Check out Overcoming Isometrics and look into the chapter on Squat Chain Isometric Exercises along with the Hybrid Isometric Exercises chapter (That alone is worth the price of the book.

Train your legs, train them hard but be mindful. You don't have to go extreme like some caffeine addicted Twig with a foot fetish believes needs you to do (quite frankly, guys like that shouldn't be teaching fitness in the first place since they have no fucking idea of how to program anything of value and provide zero evidence that what they believe is healthy, just biased bullshit that is more harmful and counterproductive). Train to stimulate, not annihilate. Be amazingly awesome and wish nothing but success in your endeavors.

Let me hear from you in the comments or send me a note in the Contact Form on your training. Looking forward to your messages.

The Clothes I Wear Whether I'm Training Or Not

2026-04-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

For many, many years, the clothes I would wear always had a similar pattern: T-Shirt, Shorts and Athletic Shoes. It never really changes unless it's some kind of occasion. I don't even really wear Jeans anymore because it was always frustrating to find ones that fit. My waist was ok and I could fit into them but when it came to my thighs, they always seemed like they were going to rip the fabric.

Sure I wear sweats from time to time like anybody else and I have the two pair of pants that I wore for my wedding being Han Solo & Indiana Jones. They weren't very comfortable but I did what I could do and I can still fit into them even after losing more than 30 lbs since then.

Basketball and regular type shorts were my thing ever since I was a kid, they made me move around better and I felt comfortable. Dressing like a Californian or someone who looks like he's dressed for summer almost all year round can give you some looks here and there especially if you live in places like Idaho where it's not always ideal to wear shorts in the winter time but with me it happened often.

The sizes of my clothes have varied over the years but these days, I usually wear XL T-Shirts (2XL depending on the elasticity of the fabric) XL shorts where ones don't compress my legs and 2XL Boxers. The boxers were always weird with me for as long as I can remember. I have to wear elastic or stretchy type Boxer Shorts because like with the Jeans, my waist would fit synergistically but not my thighs and hamstrings. Some Boxers I had to get rid of because my legs would be compressed and they feel as if they're being choked or squeezed. When I was 275, I could wear 2XL and be fine. Now, at around 230 (last I checked was just below 229) I still have to wear 2XL Boxers because of those damn Tree Trunk California Redwood Thighs I have. I went to the store recently and bought some XL with the fabric I like and tried them on. They're great in the waist and fit perfectly but my legs still feel some compression, not as bad as they would've been but Fucking A man LOL.

I did used to wear 3XL shirts at one point in my life and I hated having that big of a shirt. When the weight came down and dropping a size or two, I was happy with it. The last time I wore 3XL was maybe 7-8 years ago when I was at my heaviest but I also wore them in my late teens and around 20 cause I got up to 255-260 when I was weight training more frequent and had an idea of going into Drug Free Powerlifting. The smallest size I ever wore comfortably in the last 22-23 years has been a Large at best. At almost 42, being in the best condition and having a better physique since I turned 40, wearing a XL the majority of the time is good for me. Depending on the fabric and elasticity sometimes wearing a 2XL helps and it just makes me look like a linebacker.

When it comes to my workouts, I just wear my street clothes. I never really got into the Gym Clothes thing, I let the Guys who're gym rats have that. Most of the T-Shirts I wear (if you haven't seen my videos) are usually ones with Superheroes, Viking, Metal/Rock, Wrestling or at times just plain White or a long sleeve with a 2XL shirt over it. If I were to wear a Large shirt, those are usually the "Muscle Shirts" where some show more of my physique which my wife likes and people tell me I look like a Bouncer in them. I don't do it all the time but its fun when it's called upon.

In the last 3 years or so I started wearing Do Rags instead of usual beanies or baseball hats. I still wear them sometimes but Do Rags I enjoy wearing. My late Step-Dad In law wore them and I got along with him good since we were both into comics and Superheroes so I wear them in his memory. Designs of Fire, Skull & Bones, Raiders, Plain Blue or Orange and others. I probably have about 20 or more of these things. They're light, comfortable and I get a kick out of many of the Designs. Wish they had one of the San Francisco Giants. That would be awesome.

With the way fitness goes sometimes, it's not always easy to find clothes that fit but, you do what you can and find things that suit who you are. Be amazingly awesome. Shoot me a comment or use the contact form. Be respectful and looking forward to hearing from you.

A Psychotic Twist On The Dopa Band Deck Of Cards Workout

2026-04-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I wanted to push a bit and did my 1000 Rep Circuit of 5 Exercises....

Chest Flys

Wave Pulls

Butterfly Power Squats

Ski Jumps

Propellers

10 Reps each for 20 Rounds. Sometimes you have those days where you want to make things interesting and do what's possible in the moment. The high afterwards was indescribable. The sweat coming down like Niagara Falls and the workout itself was fun but a good challenge. Yesterday however; I thought about what I wanted to do, my goal was to get at least in 500 reps with the band. Maybe a circuit or deck of cards style.

Before I even set up the strap and the band, I was reading NO GAS, NO RUN: The Guide to Catch Wrestling Conditioning, Combat Science, and Building the Engine on my Kindle and I'm on the chapter about Karl Gotch's Bible which is also called The Deck Of Cards Protocol. I was reading through it and within maybe a couple paragraphs, that's what I wanted to do. At least from a certain point of view (as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say) with the band.

In the chapter, I will say that it refers to giving the options of picking 2 upper body and 2 lower body exercises (For Karl it was usually Push-Ups & Squats which anybody worthy of training should learn) and gave out the spreadsheet of what goes with each suit and all that. The one that had a lightbulb go off in my head was when he (or Jake at least) talked about the Jokers and do the upper and lower body exercises within that card. This is where I wanted to make it a challenge for myself.

So normally, I do the 5 exercises, numbered cards stood as is, face cards were 10 reps, Aces were 16 and Jokers were 50 reps of the Propeller Exercise. Sometimes I would do 1 Full Deck but if I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll do the deck twice in a row for 1000 Total Reps. I decided to put a twist on the script so do speak and get to do less than if I wanted to do it twice in a row but do way more than 500 for a Full Deck once. So here was my brainstorming idea (and those of you who have the Dopa Bands or thinking about getting one, this is borderline psychotic and a heel of a challenge)......

I would do the 2 upper body and 2 Lower Body exercises but like I read in the book, I doubled the reps for the lower body exercises and keep the upper body numbers as is. The Jokers however, were a bit nuts to think about and I find it gives that blend of what I would normally do and amp it up a bit. So instead of just doing the Propellers, I added the two upper body exercises as well. Here's what my protocol came out to be.

Hearts were Chest Flys, Diamonds were Wave Pulls, Spades were Hook Under The Arms Squats, Clubs were Ski Jumps and Wild was Propellers, Chest Flys & Wave Pulls.

2-10 As Is

Face Cards Are 10

Aces Are 16

Jokers Are 50/25/25

So say you flip a 9 of hearts, you would do 9 Reps of the Chest Fly, flip a face card of the Squats, it would be 20 reps. The Jokers, do 50 Propellers, 25 Chest Flys and 25 Wave Pulls. Fairly simple once you understand the concept. The only rest is flipping the next card or possibly adjusting the band since the knots may have a tendency to slide out.

When you count the total number of reps for a Full Deck, it comes out to 800. In this specific workout I did, I misread an Ace card and thought it was Chest Flys but it was Diamonds, sometimes that happens when your brain and body are going at a pace. Ended up doing that card twice so my total came out to 816 reps LOL. A simple mistake made the workout slightly harder which isn't a bad thing. I got a kick out of it and took it in stride. This is just an idea of what you can do with the Bands, you can pick whatever exercises you want to do that suits your current goals or conditioning for your sport.

It has been said before and it will be said again....Doing a Deck Of Cards Workout isn't just about a few exercises chosen at random times, it's a teacher to help you learn to expect the unexpected. Not everything in life is going to go according to plan because if you're always expecting a plan to come to fruition, there can be a curveball thrown your way and it throws off the entire process. You plan the same exercises, the same order, same rest periods and same amount of time (roughly). For many, it's an order of things, using what is too comfortable even though you're getting a workout in. With the Deck, that shit goes out the motherfucking window. You can do a series of cards where it can go back and forth between upper and lower body, get more of one or the other in a series or you may find the the Wild cards in the middle or towards the end and you're already exhausted and have to do the hardest one. You never know what will come next so you must be ready at all times.

The world isn't scripted like in the movies, not everything is going to flow and have the ending that most likely is expected to happen, it gets messy, out of order and chaotic often times but it's important to be ready for when those things come about and do what you can to get through them. It's that discipline and toughness to withstand what could come out of nowhere and power through it with a fucking vengeance.

Get your hands on some Bands and test out this workout yourself, or you could do Bodyweight, your pick, your workout. The Band is a tool like anything else, what you do with it will make the difference in how you go forward with your goals and aspirations. Go to Dopamineo.com and get one of the most premier resistance bands in the world, use the code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Used by Olympic Athletes, MMA Champions, Youth Programs, The Military, Law Enforcement, Seniors and many more. When you add these to your arsenal, you will discover a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. Be amazingly awesome.

Hindu Squats: An Ancient Conditioning Exercise Worthy Of Learning

2026-03-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

How's it going everyone? Hopefully you're having a great Sunday. A couple of my 500-rep circuits with the band recently has had at least one addition to the training, after completing the exercises with the Dopa Band, I would drop it and switch to straight Hindu Squats for sixty brutal seconds. Legs burning, heart hammering, and it made me remember that this isn’t some trendy bodyweight hack. This is pure, time-tested might straight from the akharas of old India. If you’re chasing conditioning that actually lasts, Hindu Squats deserve a permanent spot in your arsenal. They build legs like tree trunks, lungs that never quit, and a mental edge that turns pain into power. Round after round, doesn't get easier, just more interesting.

Let’s travel back in time together shall we? To a time where the Great Gama, the Lion of Punjab, wasn’t just a wrestler, he was a legend who went undefeated his entire career. How? The man hammered out up to 5,000 Hindu squats and 3,000 push-ups every single day before breakfast (As the legend goes). No fancy gym. No machines. Just dusty earth, his own bodyweight, and unbreakable discipline in those traditional wrestling pits. Pehlwans in the akharas trained the same way for generations: bethaks (their name for these deep, explosive squats) to forge the kind of lower-body endurance that let them grapple for hours without gassing. Gama stood 5’7” and weighed 260 pounds of dense, functional muscle. He didn’t look “shredded” for Instagram, nor did he look like some meathead like the Liver King, he looked like he could run through a wall and keep going. That’s the historical blueprint. Real strength isn’t trendy; it’s ancient.

From a conditioning standpoint, Hindu Squats are straight fire. Unlike regular barbell squats that lock you into a fixed path, these bad boys are dynamic. You sink deep, heels lift, arms swing back for momentum, then explode up onto your toes. Quads, calves, ankles, and hips all get hammered in one fluid motion. Do them for high reps—hundreds, not sets of ten—and your heart rate skyrockets into cardio territory without ever stepping on a treadmill. Balance, coordination, and mobility improve fast because you’re training a full ROM your body was built for. Knees stay healthy when you control the descent. No equipment, just you vs. gravity. It’s old-school volume that builds the kind of stamina modern gym rats chase with fancy apps and still never find. If you do have certain issues like with ankle flexibility or can't go all the way down to touch your heels with your glutes, go as low as you can and work with that.

Here’s something inspirational, straight from the heart: Hindu Squats teach you that true power comes from within. You’re not just moving weight—you’re creating the same unbreakable spirit as Gama. Look into your mind's eye. You’re twenty minutes in, thighs screaming, and instead of quitting you smile because you feel the shift. That’s the moment you level up. It’s like going Super Saiyan—raw energy exploding from the inside out. Or healing like Wolverine after a beatdown: battered but coming back stronger every time. No shortcuts (though my Dopa Bands make a killer addition). Just consistent, gritty work that turns average into legendary.

So ditch the bullshit. Start with a few sets of 10-20 a day. Build up to 500 (either in a row, in sets or use a deck of cards). Feel your legs wake up, your lungs expand, your mind sharpen. Ancient warriors knew the secret. Modern conditioning proves it still works. You’ve got the blood of conquerors in your veins, now go fucking earn it.

Keep killing it. Be amazingly awesome and do your Squats.

Shoot me a comment or use the contact form and let me on your training and how you're doing. Looking forward to hearing from you. If you would also like to add me to your social media, here's my LINKTREE where it has all my socials.

Edit......

Here's a great comment I received on Facebook that was very inspiring. Sometime after I posted it. Thank you very much to the person who said this. Well appreciated.

Step Ups Used As A Recovery Tool???

2026-03-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

The last couple days, doing 100's of squats for the first time in a while with the recent addition to Hindu Squats with my band training has been an experience. Some soreness but not enough to question things and kill progress. The first day, my band circuit included 100 total squats with the 10 rounds of 1 Min Hindu Squats, next day, just did upper body mostly with the band and did the Hindu Squats for the lower body. Still intense AF.

Feeling the soreness in my thighs and low back, I wanted to see what Step Ups would do after taking time to research some things, so last night, I did 500 Step Ups before going to bed and took a cold shower afterwards. Not only did I feel great but I woke up today with hardly any soreness at all, like I recovered pretty damn fast like Wolverine or something. This got me into researching even more about Step Ups being not just a great leg workout but even a recovery tool from doing lots of squats.

In my research, I was learning because of moving unilaterally with Step Ups, it keeps the blood flow running smoothly, even from the lactic acid build up from squats (bodyweight or weights) while improving muscle imbalances. It gives off vibes of Prehab work for the knees and hips which also doesn't overload the spine or low back. This is essential for recovery. Still targeting the quads, hamstrings and the glutes but with a gentle aspect to it.

Squats are essential to overall training for the legs which helps with hormone balancing, strength, mobility and even flexibility but Step Ups either with Squat Training or by themselves act as a buffer or teammate you may say in order to get the full package deal for building long term health in the lower body. One shouldn't exist without the other and when you utilize what is possible to work the legs in a smart and proficient way, you're developing the body with greater emphasis beyond muscle building. This doesn't mean you go extreme and do tons of reps or weight, finding the balance of working those muscles while also using active recovery or being able to strengthen the tendons and ligaments goes a long way to gaining the health benefits.

As you have read from previous articles, I'm more for the Step Ups because of their way to hit imbalances that my legs have from those injuries all those years ago and at one time, I was considering stop doing high volume or even doing enough work to stimulate muscle growth in the legs from Squats doing variations of them. As time goes on and seeing the benefits of working the lower body in a smart and realistic way for me, I'm adapting to both using strategic entities that keeps me interested in them to do what is essential for the long run.

Usually in my workouts, I expend a great deal of energy because I don't rest much between sets/rounds or whatever and being in my 40's, having to use that energy strategically keeps me in good condition and in no pain whatsoever. I may feel stiff at times, that's expected as you get older but some good stretching and movement to get the blood flowing keeps things going and to have such energy is a blessing. Those Step Ups are even awesome to help get that excess energy out and being able to calm down. When you have such energy, you want to use it wisely. If you have restless energy that could be dire like Insomnia or the jitters, being able to exercise can help level out those things.

Having incredible energy in your 40's and beyond is bad ass from a positive point of view because it shows that you are able to take care of yourself and your body regulates hormones and recovery well. Sometimes that energy can be more than you want it to be so we need to find a balance so we don't get that feeling of thinking we can stay up all night and party all day vibe or theory for that matter. We still need to be able to sleep and be able to function. For me, on those days where I need to get that energy out, there is Step Ups and other "fun things" but in this manner for training purposes, Step Ups and a cold shower, knocks my ass out in minutes when I get into bed after drying off, putting on clothes and letting everything sink in.

Take the time to incorporate Step Ups either as a stand alone on days off from your regular routine or as a finisher for your leg days, don't push it though. Leg Day for some means walking like you just fought off the Zombie Apocalypse. Get a feel for them. You don't have to do what I do, do what works for you. Start with a few reps per leg and keep the height of the step at a comfortable level because too high for too many reps can lead to tightness or even pain in the hips and knees. If you're say like 5'5, you don't want to be doing step ups that is meant for someone at 6'5, keep the level to no more of the knee going above the belly button or just around the pelvic line. If you're having issues in the hip and knee area, depending on your height but still want to try step ups, for most people an 8-10 inch step is more than enough. Don't hurt yourself and this is merely a suggestion, not a "have to" or something that is risky.

Be amazingly awesome and go kill it it in your goals. Hope you build legs that can carry you and be used to keep yourself healthy for many years to come. With the updated comment policy I put in place, send me a note and let me know about your training, or use the contact form to send me an email. Please read the policy carefully. You can also go to my LINKTREE and check out all my socials. Add me onto your social media and let's keep in touch.

An Addition To The 500 Rep Circuit

2026-03-27T03:36:00.000-07:00

There was something within me that wanted to add a "small" element to my circuit training with the Dopa Band and wanted to hit a different level of my conditioning training. In my regular circuits if you're new to this Blog is to do 5 Exercises, 10 Reps each for 10-20 Rounds. Only rest is marking down the circuit. Exercises aren't always the same or in the same order cause I like having a fresh way of going and keeping certain basic exercises of the Dopamineo System.

Yesterday, I decided for this added element was Hindu Squats. Been a bit since I've done a full workout with them but I know I'm capable of doing them and pretty well after many years of doing thousands of them. Here's how it went:

5 Dopa Exercises

Step Skis where you take a step and then throw the arms up in neutral or hammer grip like fashion with the Band

Hook Pulls

Hooked Arm Position Squats

Chest Presses

Propellers

Put the band down and do 60 seconds of Hindu Squats.

Repeat this process 10 times. Only rest was marking it down.

Doing a minute of Squats doesn't sound like much but round after round with already going through the other exercises, you're getting some build up going with the lactic acid and it becomes harder. My key to performing them proficiently was to focus on breath control and speed that was at a comfortable clip but still getting the heart rate up. I was going about the rate you see HERE (A bit faster maybe)!!!

It was a beautiful day out, a bit chilly so I had on my hoodie, sweats, shorts, t shirt and my shoes. Went to the park, found a tree I liked, hooked up the band with the Genius Strap, put on some tunes and went after it. Had my watch on me to time the Hindu Squats. Did what I could to keep form at a good level of alignment, breathe with focus & intent and everything was smooth sailing. It wasn't easy though. If you believe this is "Easy Peasy", come and train with me sometime and you'll find it's not as easy as it looks (Then again, there are those who don't even have the balls to put their money where their mouth is).

Anyway, it was a pretty damn good workout and I felt it big time especially in my legs but hey, that's to be expected you know. Sun was shining, practically had that entire place to myself and was having the time of my life. This was a great challenge and it was great to be doing those squats again. Think my inspiration came from reading the new book I mentioned a couple articles ago called NO GAS, NO RUN: The Guide to Catch Wrestling Conditioning, Combat Science, and Building the Engine. Channeling Karl Gotch man and thinking what some of this book has engraved into my brain already.

Working a circuit like this tests limits of most men. It may not be a challenge for a wrestler since those guys are fucking animals but for someone who enjoys fitness and wants to amp their game a little bit, something like this can make you huff and puff in not time. As Billy Robinson said "There's no rest in wrestling", neither is this type of training in some capacity. Like I said, the only "rest" you get is marking it down and/or adjusting the band if needed.

Karl Gotch has said "Conditioning is your best hold", in this case, I say "Conditioning is your best asset" in which I mean you can be as strong and fit looking as you can be, but if you start to wear down in less than a few minutes, all that strength is merely temporary. You want to last as long as you need to cause in life, having gas in the tank can have an impact on how you help others and yourself.

Be prepared to get your ass kicked and get yourself a band at Dopamineo.com. Use the code POWERANDMIGHT to chalk down some bucks. Grab a bundle, that saves you even more. These bands are virtually indestructible and can take a beating. I know cause the Black Band I have hasn't been scratched, torn or snapped and I put that thing through the ringer with hard workouts. Have an amazingly awesome day and keep killing it.

Want to chat me up, go to my LINKTREE where you'll find my email and all my socials. Tell me about your training and let me know if there's something I could to help you in your journey whether it's helping find resources for your goals or a few tidbits on what is possible to get you just a little stronger or durable.

Blissful Hell: 45 Minutes of Interval Training With The Dopa Band

2026-03-26T03:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I wanted to test my conditioning and see what was possible to be able to do my Interval Workout with the Dopa Band longer then I normally do. Most of those workouts go for 30 minutes keeping at the pace of 5 exercises, each for 45/15. Added an extra 15 minutes to hit 45.

I wasn't going Sonic The Hedgehog on this but I didn't go as slow as a snail either. I had a target pace for each exercise. Didn't count the reps, just kept working the muscles and focus on my breathing and form. If my hands started to slide, just to a quick readjust and kept at it. This pacing was getting my heart rate jacked up for sure but it wasn't making me want to collapse.

Set my strap on the tree at the park, hooked up the band, got the timer going and went at it. Before I even left to go do it, I kept debating with myself if I should just do it for 30 minutes or do the 500 Rep Circuit. For several minutes I was having a mental battle until I started up the timer and figured "Fuck it, stretch the limits" and I went for it. I'm glad I did.

Each round wouldn't be easier than the next but with my breath control, it helped keep my body moving with solid form and let the speed of the movements flow naturally. It became meditative and the world around me was a blur but I was aware of what I was doing in the workout. I picked up the pace on some exercises in the later rounds but I wanted to stay strong even when fatigue set in at times. When I noticed there were 2-3 rounds left, it was like a second wind came over me and was cruising through them with complete control and intent. 5 Exercises, each for 45/15, 9 times. Brutal.

At the end, when that high kicked in. Holy shit. Everything felt calm, peaceful, vibrant and strong. It was like being on a whole other planet where nothing went wrong, there was no chaos, no stress and sure as hell no overthinking shit. It was a moment of pure clarity and in the present. Beautiful man. When you can have that kind of workout where you're busting your ass and you're being rewarded with that beautiful feeling, there's nothing like it. Being in that present moment and just letting it sink in. Those 45 minutes were tough at times but I knew I had it in me to complete it and know I've done enough that gave me something to accomplish and be able to go back home feeling like I just became a billionaire.

That's the type of mindfulness these bands can provide when you put in the work, finding out what you're made of and killing it more than you thought you would. Workouts like this will do wonders once you've built up to being able to handle it. At first, going for 15-30 seconds and resting for a minute for a few rounds is more than enough. Every few workouts or so, add a bit more time, rest less and before you know it, you're rocking it working like a madman and resting only to change positions.

Pick exercises you want to do and work them while being in control. The band will let you know if you're fucking up, it doesn't discriminate. If you don't respect it or get sloppy, it's going tell you something and you'll feel it. Key things here: Control, Breathe and Move with focused intent. With those three things and using a progressive system, you can skyrocket your conditioning to levels you didn't think existed. Your body will be more fluid, durable, mobile and flexible, not to mention explosively strong, fast and powerful.

Come and grab a band at dopamineo,com. Use my code POWERANDMIGHT and go kill it just about anywhere you can set it up. Stretch your limits and remember those three key things. I'm rooting for you and I'd love to hear about your training or if you have any questions about the bands. Head over to my LINKTREE where you can find my email and social media outlets. Looking forward to chatting with you.

Shifting The Focus Without The Gym Anymore

2026-03-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

The gym has its perks for many people and it has helped those get in shape for what they want to accomplish. Some of us however, don't have that drive or passion to be in one. For nearly 3 months, it had some good moments but I finalized the canceling of my membership. Learned a couple things but ultimately, this gym didn't have what I already was working with and parted ways.

Talking to the manager after blowing up his phone, emailing and DMing, got things squared away and was asking the usual questions of why I was leaving and tried to pitch services on Personal Training and Classes in order to get me to reconsider. Wasn't having it and have enough knowledge that I know what I want in my training and the place couldn't provide it.

The guy did ask me something that I thought was a cool compliment. He had asked if I was a wrestler because he had seen some of the things I do in there and was impressed with the lifts and my explosiveness. Even complimenting my form on certain lifts including the sandbag they had and it was nice of him to say all that. I told him, no about being one. I admire the sport (especially Catch Style) and train in some form like one without being a competitor. That was pretty awesome that he assumed I was and I didn't think I had that kind of aura that would someone like that think that way. He was the second guy to assume I was a wrestler so maybe I give off some kind of vibe or something.

I was already focused on my conditioning with the bands and working on Isometrics for keeping up my strength. Going to the gym to do a few lifts was fun don't get me wrong. Still able to bench close to 300 lbs and play around with heavy dumbbells and that 455 rack pull was unbelievable to pull off (pun intended). It just didn't give me anything to move forward with those things and I feel grateful that my training outside of the gym gave me the ability to still do those things and even be a little stronger with very little specialization.

Being able to train anywhere I want is a gift I will always carry and I encourage anyone to learn how to do it. Hell, my first start was in the gym back when I was 13 year old kid in the 90's. It doesn't matter if you go to a gym or not, do what makes you happy, driven and benefits your goals and desires for a better body, better health and getting stronger in whatever it is you want to go after. If all your training goals rely on the gym, it's not a bad thing but don't dismiss what can be learned when you don't always have access to one. It's a process to understand what Physical Culture is, not Gym Culture because they are two different mindsets. One is a study of what came before, learning the ins and outs of what men did within or far out of the norm of a gym that it almost seems foreign to some. Gym Culture relies heavily on the building itself along with ego driven men and women that focus on three things; barbells, dumbbells and machines. Very few gyms have things that give off real world application and Gym Culture has a lot of issues when it comes to this day and age that I don't want to partake in anymore. That's my take on it, you don't have to take my word for it.

Training is my life, my purpose and to keep learning it for as long as I'm alive. As you know by now, I take bits and pieces of a little of everything that interests me in this world of fitness and making it something for me. After many, many years of study, there isn't one method that is a favorite but more on the lines of what can be useful to me in this point in time. I love doing things that carry over to other areas of my life but I also love doing things that give me peace and calmness getting that excess energy out or blowing off steam, I love that I can use whatever around me and make it easy or as hard as I want. It's second nature to me and I get a lifetime pass of going to school everyday to find something bad ass to learn. That's the true power of Fitness.

The gym is a learning curve, what you can do outside of it is a much bigger challenge with its own rewards and possibilities. It's a fulfilling practice that is a continuous journey of your own battles, wins and accomplishments. When you can work with both, that's a lethal amount of knowledge. Some are better off doing gym stuff, others outside of it like me & others and some are best with doing both so they can find their own way of getting the most out of themselves.

Be amazingly awesome and keep killing it with your goals. To get in touch with me go to my LINKTREE.

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

2026-03-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Drip Drip Drip....Drops Of Water In the Rain: An Unyielding Philosophy of Consistent Workouts

2026-03-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

I love the rain. That soft, persistent rain that kisses the earth without apology. Doing workouts gives off very different vibes and letting things flow. No spotlight. Just me, the ground and the quiet symphony of drops falling all around. I've done some training with the hammers and even bodyweight during those days in the summer or even spring, as sweat mixed with rain on my skin, the truth burned brighter than ever, every single workout is a drop of water in the rain. One alone seems insignificant. But keep them coming, relentless, patient, faithful and you become the force that reshapes mountains, carves canyons, and floods the world with unstoppable power.

Look at that water above—tiny trickles born from countless raindrops merging, gathering momentum, becoming something alive and eternal. That's you when you refuse to skip. That quick 5-minute isometric hold while the world rushes by? A drop. The garage bodyweight circuit at dawn before the chaos begins? Another drop. The lunch-break band pulls that nobody sees? Drop after drop. They fall quietly. They don't demand applause. Yet together they build rivers that nothing can stop.

I've been at this physical culture game for many, many years. Training raw, outdoors, away from mirrors and machines because being real and thinking outside the box isn't built in flashes; it's more about persistence. Early on in my late teens I chased the hurricane: brutal sessions that left me feeling like shit, ego swollen and my body wasn't getting the type of recovery that aligned with what I was shooting for at the time. I'd train like a madman one day, then limp for a week or even had a day where I felt like a broken 80 year old man that took longer to get out of bed than an episode of Big Bang Theory. That was destruction disguised as progress. But people like Bruce Lee showed me that water was a philosophy to look at. Steady rain wins. It doesn't rage; it endures. It finds every weakness in the rock and widens it with gentle, ceaseless pressure until the impossible yields.

As time went on and my training was gaining momentum, guys like Garin Bader taught me new ways to look at Bruce Lee's way of things. Hence, CoreForce Energy.

See that man hanging in the rain-soaked park? Defiant. Unbroken. Training through the elements because he knows the drops are stacking. That's the spirit. Your body listens to consistency the way stone listens to water; slowly, inevitably, profoundly. Tendons thicken into cables. Joints heal and fortify. Weak links dissolve. The old aches fade because you've been nourishing the foundation with daily drops instead of drowning it in sporadic floods.

This is bigger than muscles. It's existential. Life will throw storms at you. Layoffs, heartbreak, days when gravity feels heavier than usual. Water doesn't argue with the terrain; it flows, adapts, overcomes. Your workouts become that same force. When doubt creeps in ("Is one session really worth it?"), remember: one drop joined the river today. It merged with yesterday's effort, last week's grind, last year's commitment. You're not just getting stronger—you're becoming the river. Purpose flows through your veins. Discipline becomes instinct. Weakness erodes like riverbanks giving way to the current.

Even in the downpour, people keep moving—laughing, running, living. Rain doesn't stop the committed; it reveals them. Training in drizzle or shine strips away excuses and exposes the truth: greatness isn't about perfect conditions. It's about showing up when the sky is gray and the motivation is thin, adding your drop anyway. Do that long enough, and one day you wake up and realize the man in the mirror isn't the same fragile version from years ago. He's carved. He's deepened. He's mighty.

History echoes this. The Mighty Atom didn't bend steel in one explosive effort—he built the power through daily isometric pressure, drop by drop. Old-time wrestlers held positions until time itself submitted. Nature's masterpiece—the Grand Canyon—wasn't blasted in a weekend. It was sculpted by patient rain and other things over eons. Your potential is that stone. Your consistency is the rain. Keep falling on it. The transformation is inevitable.

And here's the fire: when you embrace this philosophy, every rep ignites something primal. You feel alive in a way no shortcut ever delivers. The burn becomes a baptism. The sweat, holy water. You discover depths of resilience you never knew existed. You carry groceries like they're feathers. You wrestle life without flinching. You rise each morning with the quiet roar of a river inside you; calm on the surface, unstoppable beneath.

So rise up. Let the next workout be your drop. Make it fierce. Make it faithful. Stack them without apology. Watch how small acts compound into legendary strength. Watch how ordinary days birth extraordinary men. The rain is falling right now—through your window, in your mind, across your future. Answer it. Add your drop. Become the flood that reshapes everything.

The river is waiting to be born through you. Get after it. Become unstoppable. Be amazingly awesome.

If you wish to get a hold of me. Go to my LINKTREE where you can find all my socials and email.b

Out In The Open Air On A Saturday Morning

2026-03-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

This morning, I went out to the park with my Dopa Band, hooked it up with an anchor to my favorite tree, put on some tunes and had at it. Did my 500 Rep Circuit of 5 Exercises for 10 Reps each for 10 Rounds. A little chilly still but it was nice to get some fresh air and work up a bit of a sweat.

Spring is almost here and it was fun to get out and have a blast doing what I love to do. It's important to be productive instead of obsessing and ranting about other grown men and think there's any value to it (it isn't). Training is about self discovery, finding things that give you purpose and enjoying the journey. If you feel the need to run your mouth on the internet and waste space with negative bullshit instead of doing something meaningful with your life, more power to you but it shows your lack of discipline and morality.

No rest days, at least for me, can't speak for everyone else but I believe in doing something daily whether for a few minutes or however long you want. Doesn't have to be extreme all the time like some dude with a death wish claims you should do, keep it light some days and go hard when the opportunity arises. Challenge yourself but always leave some gas left in the tank, helps with recovery. Going extreme too often leads to injuries much quicker and it's no badge of honor to push yourself so hard that you may end with no cartilage or something that will have you living with pain the rest of your life.

The weekend doesn't mean you stop training but if you need to back off a bit to help avoid a potential injury, do so and maybe focus on mobility training and movement flows. Some days will be easier than others but with consistency, awareness and adaptability, doing some form of training everyday has amazing benefits. Not everyone is going to get a full hour or something straight for a workout during the week or even the weekend, do what's possible and learn the value of Micro Workouts. Little bits of exercise throughout the day or doing something when you're short on time but want the benefits of staying fit and healthy.

Going to the park, breathing in the open air, listening to nature (at least the birds chirping while being on grass) and doing something that fulfills your soul is a kick ass thing to do. Have fun, play and be human, not some clown that acts like he's above everyone else, talks down to people who live happy lives and writes countless irrelevant crap that people will eventually get tired of, it's pathetic and sad to live like that, seriously, how miserable and sick do you have to be to act like that and think it's some kind of flex? Guys like that need to seek some professional help and pull their head out of their ass.

Life can be brutal at times, some go through hardships you will never understand but when there's chaos, there is beauty in the world too. It's not always easy to find but once you do, hold onto it and cherish it. Sometimes we need a little bit of chaos but not to the point where we can't live without being horrible to one another. It sucks where certain aspects of the world has gone, we lose our heroes, have a man that doesn't even remember he's president and learn things that make you want to smack some douche canoe upside the head or better yet give him an ass kicking for calling maids slaves. Fucking stupid. Cheer somebody on that made a new PR, found the job they wanted, victorious in a tournament, got a new promotion, standing up to a bully or even give them a hug for beating cancer and thriving.

When it comes to fitness; whether you lift weights, do bodyweight, both, do a little of many different methods or you're training for competition, enjoy the journey, be positive about your results and make your goals your bitch. Granted there are some things some shouldn't be doing for obvious reasons but just know that we all have our own paths, some are a little over the top, some are starting out and others do what's possible in the moment and all we can do is just hope they don't get hurt or do something that they will regret.

There are people out there who want to tear you down because they got nothing better to do and destroy anything that gives you hope of making something of yourself. Some (from my own experiences) are so overly obsessed they make up the dumbest shit just so they can make a lousy and pitiful few bucks that is nothing more than a 10 cent copy and pasted fitness book or whatever unoriginal crap. Look like they would get tired doing 5 pushups that definitely needs work and act like they know how to put on muscle but can't get past being seen like a corpse with hair that got electrocuted. You're nothing special and it's sad you resort to asinine tactics that has you losing subscribers and business daily. Not even worthy of a name here since he goes by three different people that talk and act exactly the same. Like I said, unoriginal.

Little by little, let's not let those people in the above paragraph stop us from what we love to do and live with purpose. Live with passion and live with greater humility. You got this and keep being amazingly awesome. Be sure to check out Dopamineo.com and use the code POWERANDMIGHT to shave off some bucks on your order. If you wish to get a hold of me, go to my LINKTREE where all my socials and Email are. Looking forward to hearing from you. Have a great weekend everyone.

How The Hell Do You Go Get Fired On Your Day Off???

2026-03-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

I love the movie Friday. Ever since I was about 11-12 years old. Chris Tucker's character Smokey was fucking hilarious. Now that a memory was unlocked on a Friday, today's post is no more controversial or special than any other but I wanted to just have a little fun. You may learn something, be inspired or just like having something to read somewhere....

This morning, I wanted to get in my daily Dopa Circuit Workout and since my energy was there, the pace was on par and was feeling at my best (at least from waking up), I did 1000 total reps. 5 Exercise, 10 reps each for 20 rounds. Little rest by only marking it off. Even by the 7th or 8th round I was like "oh yeah, it's on like Donkey Kong."

Fitness comes in many forms, it's about self discovery, learning and seeing what's possible in those little moments of victory. Even the smallest fraction of progress still leads to the big picture. The weather is slowly getting warmer out here and it's getting to be that time of year where outdoor training will be more frequent. Not just with the bands, I'll be getting out the hammer and tire out of storage and lugging them to the park to get some old school strength building again. That's going to be a blast and since it's almost Baseball season, my SF Giants Hammer will be a symbol of the summer of epicness.

I feel more free when I get to do outdoor stuff. Training with the equipment I want and not have to clean up like at a gym or needing to be around anybody. Normally, I don't care about others training around me but having an area all to myself just hits different. Yeah, I'll use our Complex's rec center but I would hardly call that a gym, it's more like storage space for cheap equipment that some like to use at opportune times. In the rec center, all I do now, is set up my anchor around the pull-up/dip station, hook the bands up and then go at it with whatever I'm going for that; a circuit, HIIT or a deck of cards workout. At home, I'll do Isometrics, Step Ups, Squat Walking, Joint Loosening & working my neck. I have all that I could possibly need.

Playing with Barbells and Dumbbells are fun to do but I just don't have a passion to use them as often. Shit, I can probably go the rest of my life without touching them, I did it for years and it didn't have me losing strength with them, even without training with them much, I can still move decent weight and be good. My real form of Strength Training is Isometrics, my sandbags, hammer and bodyweight movements. Hell, even Chest Expanders are far better to me strength training wise than regular weights. My big focus is conditioning and getting leaner little by little. I'm currently at around 232 lbs and I feel great. Getting back into Isometrics has been a solid highlight recently. Doing both Intense 7-12 sec Isos and doing Hybrid Isos for a couple sets of 30-45 sec each (especially the Hybrid Squat) gets me more of that spring in my step and loosens me up pretty damn good. I love it.

I even was getting into Step Ups again doing 500 at a time for sets of 25 per leg with no rest. Not going so fast but not moving like Flash in Zootopia either, a comfortable pace that hits that sweet spot and having my cardio blast off. I would do them to get some excess energy out before bed, hit up a cold shower to balance out my body temperature and fall asleep relaxed. I'm not about max lifts or shooting for some advanced level of exercise, keeping things basic and explosive when possible and let everything flow. Mobility is also another one of my priorities more than testing the limits of my strength, I don't care much for being sore so I only go as far as needed without having to look like I came back from a fight with the Walking Dead.

I train for longevity, not vanity or trying to prove I'm better than anyone else unlike some guys I've known. Some are nothing more than egotistical poor excuses of a human being who act like you need to be extreme in order for anything to work when in reality, they look like a corpse with bad hair and can't keep up that's worth anything. Seriously, there are far more qualified people who have muscle that is realistic and structured. Guy's like Matt Schifferle, Logan Christopher, Brooks Kubik, Al Kavadlo and Chrys Johnson. These guys have more to offer through their programs that don't take things to the extreme and have more humility than some clown that seems like he couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. You know the type, those same clowns that claim they can do 25 pull-ups in a single set but can't actually prove it and expects anybody to just take their word for it. Same ones as well that talk tough but have no game nor can back anything up that craves attention and fakes reviews in order to sell copy and pasted work.

Seeing the real deal up close with my own eyes, it's pretty easy spotting a fake influencer these days and it's fucking sad there are those who resort to thinking being brutal, verbally abusive and acting like he can outwork anybody when they can't even outwork a beginner is just pitiful. It's true and when you've seen first hand what people like that are, it makes you appreciate those who are the REAL DEAL!!!

Hope everyone has a great Friday and hope your weekend is amazingly awesome. Thank you for taking the time to read this and be sure to check out the Big Sale going on at Lost Empire Herbs with their 20-40% discounts sitewide. Get your hands on some bad ass bands at Dopamineo.com (use the code POWERANDMIGHT) for you or your family, sports programs, MMA schools or youth programs. If you wish to get a hold of me beyond this blog go to my LINKTREE where you'll find all my socials and my email. Stop by and say hi, add me to your list and subscribe to my youtube.

March Madness Just Dropped Like a 300 Pound Sandbag at Lost Empire Herbs: Score 20%-40% OFF Sitewide from March 17-24, 2026 and Unleash Your Inner Beast Without Emptying Your Wallet

2026-03-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Guys, check this out

If you’re like me – grinding through workouts, chasing that unbreakable strength, and refusing to let age or modern junk food slow you down – then listen up. March Madness isn’t just about basketball brackets and buzzer-beaters this year. It’s crashing the natural health game like a freight train with Lost Empire Herbs’ March Madness Sale running full force from March 17th to March 24th, 2026.

This is huge man, 20%-40% OFF sitewide on every single potent herbal formula they’ve got. No gimmicks, no “buy one get one half off” bullshit that leaves you short. Straight-up massive discounts across their entire lineup so you can finally stock up on the ancient wisdom that’s been turning regular guys into legends for years.

I’ve been riding with Lost Empire Herbs since their early days, and let me tell you straight: this sale is a full on game winning three pointer at the buzzer moment you’ve been waiting for. Prices like this don’t stick around. The clock is ticking – only eight days to load your cart and transform how you feel, train, and dominate life. If you’ve been eyeing their testosterone boosters, energy elixirs, or recovery powerhouses, now’s the time to pounce before the sale vanishes like a weak set on leg day.

I'm going to be real with you. Most supplement companies peddle cheap filler with flashy marketing. Lost Empire Herbs? They’re different. Family-owned, obsessed with sourcing wildcrafted and organic herbs from pristine spots like the Tibetan Plateau, third-party lab tested for purity, and backed by a full year money-back guarantee. These aren’t lab-created chemicals – they’re concentrated extracts drawing on thousands of years of Chinese herbal mastery fused with modern spagyric tincture tech. The kind of stuff the old physical culturists would’ve killed for if they had access.

And right now, during March Madness, you get to grab it all at a steal. Whether you’re a 40+ dude chasing natural testosterone like I am, a guy smashing HIIT sessions, or someone just wanting steady energy without the crash, this sale has you covered. Sitewide means everything – singles, bundles, tinctures, powders, you name it. The deeper your cart goes, the bigger those savings stack up to 40%.

I remember the first time I tried their Stag Swag Tincture. In the words of Smokey And Craig "DDDAAAMMMNNN", that blend of Deer Antler, Pine Pollen, Cistanche, He Shou Wu, Wild Yam, and Pearl Powder hit me like a freight train of youthful fire. At my age, energy dips and recovery slows, but after a couple weeks of consistent drops under the tongue? Workouts felt stronger, that frisky feeling was fire and that energy had Super Saiyan vibes. It’s not hype – it’s real-world power for men who refuse to settle. During this sale you’re looking at serious savings on the full bottle or the Men’s Hormone Package bundle. Stack it and save even harder.

Then there’s Pine Pollen – the natural testosterone superstar. Powder or tincture form, this stuff is packed with phyto-androgens that support hormone balance, vitality, and raw drive. It’s like nature’s own rocket fuel. No synthetic crap, just pure pollen from wild pine trees. Perfect for stacking with your current regimen, and at 20-40% off? It's affordable to run it daily and feel the difference in days.

Don’t sleep on the Phoenix Rejuvenation Formula either. This fiery blend is built for total body reset – energy, mood, stamina, the works. Customers rave about it (thousands of reviews don’t lie), and right now it’s on deep discount. Imagine waking up ready to crush the Iron or those crazy circuits without dragging your ass. That’s the Phoenix effect, bro.

Athletes and gym rats, meet Hercules Pre-Workout Formula. Not some jittery caffeine bomb that leaves you crashing later. This is clean herbal power – Tongkat Ali, Cistanche, and more – dialed in for explosive strength, focus, and endurance. I’ve done it to prepare for those grueling hour long DDP Yoga sessions or even those 500 rep circuits and felt unstoppable. During March Madness you can stock the whole Athletics category and still have cash left for new training gear.

Women aren’t left out either – Lost Empire has killer options in their Women’s Health and Mood lines. Ashwagandha Spagyric Tincture for stress melting, or the Women’s Wellness Stack bundle now slashed even further. The brand treats everyone serious about natural health the same: with respect and real results.

Here’s a kick in the ass that makes this sale different from every other “discount week” out there. Lost Empire Herbs doesn’t cut corners ever. Their extraction process is top-tier – you taste the potency the second that dropper hits your tongue or that powder mixes in. Independent lab reports are public on every product page. Sourcing is transparent. And the education? Free guides on testosterone, morning routines, and performance herbalism drop right in your inbox when you order. It’s not just buying herbs; it’s joining a movement of people who train hard, eat clean, and refuse to age like the average Joe.

I’ve built my own training around this type of philosophy – Isometrics, HIIT with resistance bands, rain walks for mental reset, the whole old-school package. My body can go but with the herbal foundation from Lost Empire, I'm lit up like the 4th of July dude. Stag Swag and Pine Pollen gave me an edge to keep adding rounds to my circuits, hit new personal records on bodyweight pulls, and stay lean while holding onto hard-earned muscle. That’s the real talk. These herbs don’t replace hard work – they enhance it. They turn good efforts into legendary results.

And right now the timing couldn’t be better. Spring is here. The days are getting longer. You’re probably already feeling that itch to ramp up training, clean up the diet, and chase bigger goals in 2026. Why fight it with half-measures when you can load up on the best natural tools at 20-40% off? Imagine finishing March with a cabinet full of fresh tinctures and powders ready for the next six months. No more “I’ll order next paycheck” thoughts. The sale ends March 24th – after that, full price returns and you’ll be kicking yourself while watching everyone else pull ahead.

Plus, shipping is free on orders over $100 in the US. Bundles like the Men’s Hormone Package or Ultimate Sleep Bundle are already discounted on the site, then you layer the March Madness savings on top? You’re talking life-changing value. And remember that 365-day guarantee – try them risk-free. If they don’t blow your mind (and they will), send them back. It's likely you'd never hear of anyone doing that with these formulas. The results speak too fucking loud.

Look, I’m not here to sell you random crap. I share what actually works in my own life because I want other badasses to win too. Lost Empire Herbs has been one of my secret weapons, and thousands of others – gym fanatics, weekend warriors, high-performers over 40, even folks just wanting better sleep and steady mood. Their community is full of real stories: more drive, better workouts, stronger libidos, sharper focus, and that unbreakable “I own the day” feeling.

Head straight to Lost Empire Herbs right now (or before you finish reading this post). Browse the full lineup. Load up on Stag Swag, Pine Pollen, Phoenix Formula, Hercules, Tongkat Ali 100:1, Cistanche, Nettle Root, He Shou Wu – whatever your body’s been screaming for. Watch the cart total and smile as those 20-40% savings hit. Checkout is smooth, delivery fast, and support team is legit.

This March Madness Sale runs March 17th through March 24th only. That’s it. No extensions. No rain checks.

Don’t sit on the sidelines watching the game. Get in the arena. Grab your stack today and start feeling the ancient power surge through your veins. Your workouts will thank you. Your energy levels will thank you. Your future self will thank you.

Let’s make 2026 the year we all rise like the old legends – stronger, more vital, and unstoppable.

March Madness at Lost Empire Herbs isn’t just a sale. It’s your invitation to dominate naturally.

Click the link, smash that cart, and let the transformation begin.

You’ve got eight days.

What are you waiting for, bro?

Go get it. Be amazingly awesome and wish you nothing but the most success.

To get in contact with me, go to my LINKTREE. Has all my Socials and Email.

Strength Training Anywhere Using Isometrics

2026-03-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

When it comes to strength training, there are plenty of ways to do it but one of the most grossly underrated forms of it is Isometrics. You don't need to move at all, just contract at any given angle and breathe into it. Simple enough right? For sure but how long the intensity and contraction goes depends on what you shoot for. Guys like Steve Justa was famous for practicing Isometrics in many different ways from long duration holds that lasted at times for 3 minutes to what he called Pulse Reps or Isometrics where you contract for 2-3 seconds and repeat for reps on countless exercises from squats to arm wrestling pulls, deadlifts, pushing and twisting. Another was The Mighty Atom that used Isometric Training to build that power to bend and twist horseshoes, bend and even bite down nails, break chains and other things.

Isometrics are more than just strengthening for things like weights and steel bending, they are a crucial element to prevent injuries and problems in the joints, tendons and ligaments. Many these days shrug it off as boring and believe they don't do much but as we age, it's going to become possibly your best friend. When you train them consistently, they help you move better and even enhance your flexibility and mobility. They give you that suit of armor from within that format of strengthening the body that reduces the chances of osteoporosis, tendonitis, tennis elbow, arthritis and maybe MS but that may be stretching.

Some of the strongest men on the planet used Isometrics to amplify their feats beyond logical understanding. Even the great Warren Lincoln Travis who was known for lifting extremely heavy weights in partials used Isos as one of his major components. Even was a counterpart to the Mighty Atom, although their strengths were night and day, they both understood what they were best at and were the strongest in. WLT was a lifter and Atom was a Steel Bender, very different types of strength but both were phenoms at what they did.

For everyday people? Isometrics can have an impact on their daily lives where they can handle groceries, moving furniture, open a jar of pickles, mow the lawn, chop wood, climb stairs and all kinds of things. When you push/pull/squat/grip in all sorts of directions, you're building strength that has true function and importance. If you're a gym goer, you can do isometrics by holding weight at certain angles like the mid point of a db or bb curl like you're carrying a tray, hit a stopping point in your squat to build strength for that position, even on machines where you can hold the mid or end point of a lift and hold it. Many different ways you can do Isometric Training.

One of my favorite things to use is the World Fit Iso Trainer where you can mimic just about about any movement in the gym isometrically. My basic exercises is the curl, deadlift, zercher squat, overhead press, lunge and seated row. Those alone have helped me prevent knee pain, elbow problems, shoulder issues and other things. You can even use it to strengthen pull-ups, assisted pistol squats, rows, push-ups and more like the TRX. Take it with you anywhere and enjoy workouts that don't put wear and tear on your joints.

Be amazingly awesome and be successful in your goal setting, wish you nothing but the best in what works for you.

Want to get in touch? Check out my LINKTREE for all my Socials and Email.

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

2026-03-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

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.

What I Get Out Of Doing 30 Minutes Of HIIT With Dopa?

2026-03-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

When it comes to conditioning, it is where I find things the most challenging these days. With circuits, the exercises vary but the amount of work stays within a 500-1000 rep range. Sometimes I take breaks between circuits, sometimes I don't where I just mark it down and proceed to keep going. However; the Interval Workouts are the ones that truly test me.

I do them maybe no more than twice in a week which considering the way I do it, even a fit guy I've met in our Complex Rec Room has said he couldn't do what I do. Doesn't mean I'm better than him, it's a nice compliment but his training is different from mine and he's doing things for a guy his size that is awesome and he's roughly 60 lbs lighter than me. I'm still maintaining size, strength and cardio because of workouts like this and has made me better as time goes on. It's even helping me lean out more little by little. For 30 minutes, I'm kicking my ass but always leaving with some gas left in the tank.

The way I've programed it is simple but not easy. 5 Exercises which includes usually a push, pull, squat and core along with the propeller exercise which targets practically everything and adds the agility and coordination aspect to the workout. Each exercise is 45 seconds of work with 15 seconds rest and will do them a total of 6 rounds which adds up to 30 minutes. I don't count reps, I keep going for as many as I can do, sometimes (especially in later rounds) my hands start to slide away from the knots so I have to readjust which really only takes seconds and get back at it. Some of these exercises can be very hard to maintain form because you're feeling the burn from having to keep going. It's not always pretty looking and my focus has to be on point as much as possible.

One of the keys that really makes these workouts test your endurance is how you breathe. As you get into later rounds, controlling the breathing can become a challenge and might slow down the pace a bit so you can stay efficient and not every exercise will have the same breathing patterns. Sometimes because of lactic acid build up like in the shoulders, legs or even your grip cause you got to hold on the entire time, you may have to take a step back or two (even by an inch or so) towards the anchor point to reduce a bit of the stress but still have the energy to keep fighting. It is a lung strengthener that's for sure but a thing to remember is to keep your breathing under control as best as you can and be able to "relax" so to speak as you move through one exercise after another.

When I say "relax", I don't mean to just let yourself be loose and just flop around, you still have to engage muscles but in a state like the breathing where the movements and patterns become automatic and your mind prevents the muscles from fatiguing quickly. When you're sweating hard and the band becomes slippery at times, we can't completely prevent things from sliding and having to readjust, but we can utilize what is possible, adapt quick and keep on going. Those 15 seconds of rest isn't about stopping to catch a couple breaths, it's really to take a small window to move into position for the next exercise.

The early days of working the band and doing Intervals, it was to get the timing down and learn how work with what I can do and rest for equal amounts of time or even longer. As time went on and I got more conditioned, I would add rounds, add more time, lessen the rest and test my abilities. Workouts at times last 10 minutes, 15, 20 and so on and would see the intervals that wrestlers would use and work around that. Once I can do the 45/15 protocol for a half hour, that was my sweet spot. 45 x 5 equals 225 seconds of work, multiply that by 6 and you get a total of 22 1/2 minutes of work and less than 8 minutes of rest total. That's pretty brutal and if you believe that's easy peasy or some bullshit, you haven't learned the meaning of hard work. It's pushing limits of your capabilities and not just your lung capacity, but your mental toughness, adapting to fatigue and strengthening your will to keep going. I would love to train with somebody with these bands and see how they handle a workout like this.

What am I getting out of it? Like I said, it's a sweet spot for me but also because I'm not counting reps, I'm building the capacity to keep things flowing as best as possible even when that burn comes into play. Reps can go as high as 50 in some cases but I don't know for sure, I just keep going LOL. I like finding out what I'm capable of and seeing what is possible when fatigue sets in and aspects of my mind and body want to quit. These workouts always feel different every time. I believe in having gas in the tank when I'm done. The funny thing is, despite having anything left in the tank, the burn and build up always hits differently, sometimes early on, other times towards the end but it never reveals itself until it smacks you in the face. It teaches you to expect the unexpected and to not panic when it starts getting really tough. At times, I'll think of Bud Jeffries in my head telling me I got this or thinking of a wrestler who makes workouts like this normal for them and I'm fighting to stay alive and they cheer me on.

Do I ever get sore from these workouts? Believe it or not, no. It doesn't mean I didn't work hard enough, these are tough as shit but because of how I apply certain things; like pacing, breathing and quick adjustments, my body is able to recover very well when in most cases for many, they would need a day or two just to feel whole again but for me, I bounce back pretty fast and can do circuits or decks of cards the next day and be fine. My conditioning is at it's peak at the moment. Nowhere near the level of a pro athlete or even a well conditioned wrestler, but for someone who trains and works on his health and well being, I'm in pretty damn good shape and feel incredible. This is the type of training I like where I can push myself without losing ground and making other tasks seem easier. Hiking is not a problem for me, if someone needs help with moving into a place, I have the stamina and strength to go as long as needed, chopping firewood? Fun as hell to do.

Keep being amazingly awesome and head on over to Dopamineo.com to get your bands. Use my code POWERANDMIGHT to get an added discount on your order(s) which can be great for deals that are already added for bundles and military discounts. Conditioning is your greatest asset, don't neglect it.

Hope you enjoyed the article and since I have changed the settings to not having comments on here anymore, if you wish to contact me, go to my LINKTREE where you'll find my email and all my social media outlets.

A Mindset Beyond The Gym

2026-03-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

There are people who are so adamant about training in the gym, they often times become conditioned to believe that's the only place one should be training at. Not true whatsoever. Every individual who trains in the gym have their reasons, some are good, some out of desperation and others go because it is therapeutic for them. The gym has its place and if it works for someone, make it worthwhile. However; it isn't the only option.

For me, I'm just not part of that culture. I don't even feel my full potential is in those places, not anymore at least. I'm in the process of canceling my own membership because I just don't have that passion or drive to go to a building where I feel out of place, not being myself or do what works best for me. It was fun for a while and picked up on a few things again but that fire died out a long time ago and I was just going through the motions exercise wise.

Training outside the gym has always been my thing for the last 20+ years. Strength Training through Isometrics, Sandbags, Hammers, Band and Bodyweight feels more primal and exciting to me. Barbells and Dumbbells are cool to play around with but nothing gave me that true power and fire than the things I just mentioned. The world is our gym, we have the ability to create any workout we want with the right knowledge and tools. Having a home gym in my opinion is a far better option because you can set it up any way you want, lift with what you have and never have to worry about other people around you. I like training at home, the park, the beach, in a hotel room or wherever. I don't have to wait around for anyone and I don't want anyone to have to wait on me to use something. Plus, I'm not the most social guy when it comes to the gym anyway, yeah I give others props for their training but in reality, I've always lived by my motto "Either join me, or stay the fuck away from me" when it comes to the things I do.

I met a few guys at the gym that were cool and had some solid strength for the things they did. They complimented me a time or two telling me that my strength was impressive to them and doing some crazy weights without using straps, my grip strength I think impressed them the most but it is what it is. It just didn't give me what I wanted out of it and I was fighting myself to either go and fight to get a good workout in or whatever. It also took a lot of time out of my day where normally, I would train for less than a half hour and either be back home in a few minutes or just go about the rest of my day at the house or whatever. I was walking 45 minutes to an hour to go to the gym, which in and of itself might as well be my cardio, lift some weights for another 45 minutes to an hour, do a possible finisher for about 20 minutes (only done it a couple times) and then have the energy to walk all the way back home. That's over 3 hours of my day just to try to get some training in. That's not who I' am and what is worthy of me to do. On top of that, I was going after goals outside of the gym that took up even more energy than I wanted to.

I wanted my energy to be useful, not burned out of necessity just so I can try to do stuff in a little building LOL. Some days I would go with my wife so we can go together and she can do her thing and I'll help her out every now and then but even then, I barely even knew what I wanted to do, I can work any exercise in there if I wanted to and knew how to do them but being out of the gym culture game most of my adult life, I had no structure or plan for anything, I just picked up weights and if I went heavier, cool or do pull-ups and dips. I had greater structure outside of it and I just don't want to fight that, you know what I mean?

Fitness is a journey that takes you on many paths, if its in a gym, that's awesome and wish everyone nothing but success but some of us have a journey that doesn't include that and making something of ourselves that takes us beyond that mentality of being in the gym. That's just my take on it and have greater freedom to roam. I want to have that energy to do what I love, be there for others and not be so damn exhausted for just a small window of exercise, I want to be able to keep going and not push myself to the brink of possibly injuring myself. If I truly wanted to get into an exhaustive phase, I'd rather it be on the mat wrestling or some other martial art and/or moving furniture. Something along those lines or hell be able to hike and swim, I love that shit. Fuck, I rather get winded after messing with a sledgehammer than mess around with a barbell.

All in all, that part of my journey, is not a priority for me anymore and I want to make things happen the way I feel I was meant to do. The gym will always have a place in my heart, it was my first area of training when I was a teenager during and after high school briefly and will always tell people, if you're going to be going to the gym, make it successful for you and learn the basics from the old timers and not some textbook influencer who's most likely on steroids telling you the latest trends. Train with passion, train with that fire within and give each session the best you have that day, even if you're not 100%. If that's your style of training, don't ever let it go. Be amazingly awesome and kick ass in your journey.