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 : The Ab Wheel
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Beautifully simple.

  
  

• Looking At : May 24, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  What's been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.

  
  

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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Intermittent Fasting - How it Affects Sleep (What I've Learned)

I was chatting with a friend the other day about the various benefits of Intermittent Fasting and Time Restricted Eating, and he asked about sleep. For everyone wondering about the same thing, this video explains the various sleep-related impacts.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Eric Chessen.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week: Becoming Aware of Your Transverse Abdominis

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

There's an awful lot more to abdominal work than exercises like the humble crunch. Everything from Louie's infamous 'Stand-Up Abs' to the many, many varieties of the squat.

Before doing any of that, however, it helps to understand a little about the various muscles being worked. For that, it's over to Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker.

For starters, from Kat's superb article Specific Training for the Transverse Abdominis: Belt It In, here's a quick way to learn to feel what your TA is doing :

Tara Scotti.

Begin by becoming aware of this muscle. Sit upright on a bench. Have a partner face you, place both of his hands on your shoulders, and gently push you backward (gently!). Your goal is to maintain your upright position, not allowing your spine to extend/your back to arch. Your TA will kick in to achieve your goal.

Checking Out : 'The Dinosaur Files' for May 2020

The latest issue of Brooks Kubik's 'The Dinosaur Files' (May 2020) is now available. An instant .PDF download. Perfect.

If you've never read one, these are monthly newsletters which comprise a mix of pieces by Brooks, well-known old-time strongmen and the Dinosaur Training community. As an example, here's a brief look at a previous issue :

It's a great mix.

You can grab the latest incarnation here :

brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles-may2020.html .

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

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 : 8 Glasses of Water Per Day?
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Burn more, drink more.

  
  

• Looking At : May 17, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  What's been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.

  
  

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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Joe Rogan Experience #1474 (Dr Rhonda Patrick)

Fascinating discussion.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Sincere Hogan.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week: Ice for Better Sleep

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

Sleep is easily my favourite form of recovery. Huge fan of a well-timed nap, and the associated dietary fine-tuning. Love it.

This tip comes to us from the Gymchat on sleep as a recovery method, and is a comment by Personal Trainer Derek Peruo on how he helps his new clients get a solid dose of shut-eye. Very interesting approach.

Just Resting.

For sleep, I usually recommend zinc and magnesium. If those don't help, I also recommend an ice pack to the back of the neck right before bed.

The ice pack lowers core temperature and promotes the release of melatonin.

And yes, all of those things work extremely well. Good stuff.

Checking Out : CalfPRO (Leveraged Calf Stretching Tool)

Looks great.

The CalfPRO is a deceptively simple calf-stretching tool, designed for regular pre-training use. And unlike many of the calf-stretching methods, it fortunately doesn't bend your toes back.

A little video will show you what I mean :

The CalfPRO.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

As it's getting in to the colder part of the year here (Sydney, Australia), last night I found myself chatting to a friend about the Wim Hof Method. If you know the name but very little of what's involved (fairly common situation, which may/may not be considered a good thing, depending on your viewpoint); this video explains it - and the medical research behind parts of it - in detail.

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 : I Love the Smell of Coffee in the Morning
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Quality, not quantity.

  
  

• Looking At : May 10, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  What's been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.

  
  

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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Dissecting The Wim Hof Method (Medlife Crisis)

As it's getting in to the colder part of the year here (Sydney, Australia), last night I found myself chatting to a friend about the Wim Hof Method. If you know the name but very little of what's involved (fairly common situation, which may/may not be considered a good thing, depending on your viewpoint); this video explains it - and the medical research behind parts of it - in detail.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Bud Jeffries.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week: A Routine for Neck-Training Beginners

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

I love a dose of neck training. Using a neck harness, a fitness ball, bodyweight exercises and so on. There are certainly more than a few ways to do it.

This tip comes to us from one of the Gymchats on this area, and is a routine aimed at complete neck-training beginners who are looking to get started on this wonderful journey. Over to Andrew Nalepa.

Andrew Nalepa.

Good news for anyone who is beginning neck training, "you" are pretty much all you need. I like Mike Bruce's beginner program on Straight to the Bar, but another really simple beginner program is this :

Lay on your back on the floor, or on your bed, and just raise your head, curling your chin to your upper chest, as many times as you can. Then lay on your stomach, and raise your chin to the ceiling as many times as possible. Then lay on your side and curl your ear toward your shoulder as many times as you can, and then lay on your other side and do the same thing.

Many people who have never done any neck training have difficulty just laying on their back and curling just their head 20 times. It is a really simple starting point just using gravity. To progress, you could do more reps, do more sets, or start holding a book to your head as you do your repetitions.

Checking Out : Bebird X17 Pro (Smart Visual Ear Cleaning Rod)

Looks great.

The range of simple, in-home medical devices continues to grow, and here's another one to add to the list. The Bebird X17 Pro is an ear-cleaning wand with a built-in camera, and a smartphone app so you can see what you're doing. A whole lot easier than the cotton-tip alternative.

A little video :

The Bebird X17 Pro.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

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 : Soothing Music and a Handful of New PRs
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Relax, breathe deeper, perform better.

  
  

• Looking At : May 3, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  What's been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.

  
  

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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Aging Research in the Age of COVID-19 (Brent Nally and Dr Aubrey de Grey)

Very interesting conversation.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Logan Christopher.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week: Ice for Better Sleep

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

Sleep is easily my favourite form of recovery. Huge fan of a well-timed nap, and the associated dietary fine-tuning. Love it.

This tip comes to us from the Gymchat on sleep as a recovery method, and is a comment by Personal Trainer Derek Peruo on how he helps his new clients get a solid dose of shut-eye. Very interesting approach.

Just Resting.

For sleep, I usually recommend zinc and magnesium. If those don't help, I also recommend an ice pack to the back of the neck right before bed.

The ice pack lowers core temperature and promotes the release of melatonin.

And yes, all of those things work extremely well. Good stuff.

Checking Out : Huami Amazfit X (Curved, Fitness-Focused Smartwatch)

Promising indeed.

We first mentioned this one a while ago, and it's great to see that it's now up on Indiegogo. The Huami Amazfit X - a curved, fitness-focused smartwatch. Great combination.

The form factor looks ideal, and it includes the usual suspects when it comes to the fitness-tracking side of things.

A little video :

The Huami Amazfit X.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

It's fair to say that I take a lot of photographs. Having been started about 39 years ago (my dad was a professional photographer, got me a camera and showed me what to do), the bug has well and truly bitten.

Most of the photos I take are of Australian Heritage - much of it around Sydney - covering the past 200 years or so. It's when the country moved from aboriginal to aboriginal + European; it's the gradual birth of the Australia that we see now.

You'll find them all over on scottbirdphotography.com . You're also welcome to swing by the daily newsletter - , and the various photo-centric lists on Twitter.

Finally, there's the sign-up to my main newsletter below. This is simply to let you know when something new is on the way - an upcoming talk, workshop, calendar, book or whatever. Add your details at :

cheers.

Scott

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 : The Lost Art of Overhead Pressing
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  How much? Time to find out.

  
  

• Looking At : Apr 26, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  What's been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.

  
  

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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : How to Make Sense of the Constantly Shifting Info on the Coronavirus (Peter Attia on Impact Theory)

Interesting discussion - especially the exercise & supplementation points.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Frank DiMeo.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week : Neck Bridge Progressions

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

This tip is in the form of a video which we first saw back in 2008; I was reminded of this technique after a brief discussion of neck training over on Google+. It's a very interesting series of neck bridge variations.

Over to Martin Rooney :

Good stuff.

Checking Out : NEXX (Home Therapy Neck Device)

Interesting idea.

Although I'm not exactly a fan of the 'late night infomercial' vibe of the video (below), the product itself is intriguing. Particularly the stretching aspect.

The NEXX is a pillow-sized neck therapy device, with a focus on the cervical traction approach to things. A spot of neck stretching and massage.

A little video to show you what I mean :

The NEXX.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.