This Week on Straight to the Bar
I'm constantly amazed at just how much my training is influenced by the people on this site. Whether you're looking for a new piece of equipment, an unusual exercise variation or just an idea of how others approach things, you'll enjoy these :- Gem From the Vault : An Introduction to Blobs
Alfred Page
Ready to get started? Dive in. - Looking At : Nov 4, 2012
Scott Andrew Bird
We've been discussing some very interesting techniques, products and services recently. Here are the highlights.
Over to you. I'd love to hear what you think : leave your comments on the above articles, and share them with your friends/colleagues/clients and so on.
NB : If you'd like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.
Video : Pinching 4 x 10kg Plates
Nice one Juha.
Gymchat 190 - TBA
However you take part, enjoy.
NB : If you'd like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can contact us here. Look forward to hearing from you.
Details -
Who : TBA
Topic : TBA
When : Wednesday, 9pm EST
How : Google+ Hangout. Follow either Kirk or Scott for details on the live feed.
See you there.
Tip of the Week: Why Warm Up?
Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via twitter, Google+, the forums, the blog; and now the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.
This tip comes to us from Kirk Fontaine, and is a snippet from the discussion Stretching & Warming Up. Was a great one.
In response to a couple of questions on 'Why Warm Up?' :
If you are to participate in exercise the first thing you need to do is warm up. The warm up is important to prepare your mind and body so that you can get the very best out of the exercise. The effect of a warm up on preventing injury is not clear however research does suggest increased muscle temperature decreases the risk of muscle tear.Warming up will :
- Increase your heart rate to give you increased blood flow around the body to the muscles
- Improve oxygen delivery to the muscles
- Stimulate faster muscle contraction
- Improve the joints' ability to endure stress.
Good stuff.
Re-Reading : The Grip Masters Manual
I love this book.Yesterday I was chatting about can-crushing with a friend of mine (it's a superb feat - here's a bit of video if you've never seen it), and Jeff's can-crushing exploits reminded me that this is just one of the many fantastic feats and training ideas John Brookfield shares with the world. If you're looking for world class grip strength, make sure you've got a copy of this.
Quick update on the The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning we mentioned last week - an incredible collection.As you'll see, this book manages to distil an awful lot of RKC wisdom into a single package. A snippet from the Dragon Door site will give you the overall idea :
Since 2001 and the world's first Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) Instructor Certification workshop, thousands of individuals--martial artists, first responders, military, and fitness and strength professionals, have learned how to use kettlebells quickly and safely. And then introduce the remarkable benefits of the kettelbell to a global community of kettlebell enthusiasts.Many of these RKCs have created a wide variety of effective workout programs for their clients, customers, teams, and units. So, who better to answer the question "How do I use kettlebells to get the best possible results for ME and MY goals?" than these same RKCs?
We asked the RKC Instructors to submit their most prized workouts, so you can not only see, but also use proven programs that have been successfully used by these qualified experts. The result became The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning, replete with time-tested, results-producing kettlebell workouts that can satisfy the needs of newbie and pro alike, for years to come.
Some workouts are used to develop strength. Some are used for conditioning. All have produced results either for the instructors themselves, their clients, or both. Enjoy the pain!
Once again, it sounds fantastic. And if you check it out, drop me a line - I'd love to hear what you think. Cheers.