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 : Owning an Underground Gym - Some Insights
  Al Heinemann
  The first 18 months of the Terminal City Barbell Club.

  
  

• Looking At : Sep 21, 2014
  Scott Andrew Bird
  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 more writing in 2014 and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : Ascending Pull Up Ladder

Great exercise, and an interesting bit of technique fine-tuning. Nice one.

Gymchat 258 - Fitness Business Strategies (Matt Palfrey)

Matt Palfrey.

Either way - how do you promote it? Attract new customers? Learn about what works, and what doesn't?


This week we'll be discussing this area in detail, answering all of the above and a whole lot more. Joining us is Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, together with Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.


NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like Matt and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Hangout and ask it directly.

And if you'd like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the 'share' button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.

Details -

Who : Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Fitness Business Strategies
When : Monday Sep 22, 8:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, join the hangout (just add Top Form Fitness to one of your circles, and Josh'll send out the URL when the Hangout starts), or jump in the Q&A on the Event page itself. We'll also post the full video on the main site shortly after the Gymchat.

Eric Seifert.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.

Tip of the Week: Getting Back Into It

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

Returning to Heavy Training After a Break

In Gymchat 136 - Heavy Training after a Break, Vic noted :

I lost a LOT of strength on some lifts. It was surprising. That's why that initial 3 weeks of lighter work was important to me - it was smart to underestimate my strength at first.

And

It's important to consciously do less those first few weeks. I was off for almost 2 years - as a rule I did not put any more than 135lbs on the bar the first week. I did not push any sets to failure the next two weeks while still staying at 5 reps or less for most sets.

Good stuff.

Checking Out : StrongerGrip BandGrips Handle and StrongerGrip BandAnchor

StrongerGrip BandGrips.

Ryan goes into a bit more detail over on the Strongergrip Blog, but in short : you'll want these. Beautifully simple idea.


These will be available in a couple of days. In the meantime, the pre-order page briefly explains what they are :

It is a handle that conveniently allows a resistance band to attach and a 1-1/8" diameter handle to pull. The handle also is perfect size for FatGripz and other thick grip sleeves.

StrongerGrip BandGrips. Beautiful.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Thanks again to everyone who watched and joined in the discussion Gymchat 257 - Muscle Activation Techniques [with Core Strength's Eric Seifert and Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett] - much appreciated. If you haven't seen it yet (or simply want to go over a particular point again), here's the entire video.

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 : A Word of Advice for Training - The Importance of Fundamentals
  Justin Andrushko
  Understanding the basics.

  
  

• Looking At : Sep 14, 2014
  Scott Andrew Bird
  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 more writing in 2014 and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : Band Assistance (for Pull-Ups, Dips & Push-Ups)

This past weekend I was showing someone here how to perform Band-Assisted Pull-Ups. If you'd like to give them a try yourself - and if pull-ups are currently just out of reach, they really do help - Ross Enamait demonstrates the procedure here. Nice one.

Gymchat 257 - Muscle Activation Techniques (Eric Seifert)

Eric Seifert.

What about active vs passive stretching - should you be doing one or the other, and when?

We'll be touching on all of these areas and a whole lot more in this week's discussion. Tackling this will be Core Strength's Eric Seifert, joined by Strength Athlete & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. Fantastic.


NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like Eric and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Hangout and ask it directly.

And if you'd like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the 'share' button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.

Details -

Who : Core Strength's Eric Seifert, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Muscle Activation Techniques
When : Monday Sep 15, 8:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, join the hangout (just add Top Form Fitness to one of your circles, and Josh'll send out the URL when the Hangout starts), or jump in the Q&A on the Event page itself. We'll also post the full video on the main site shortly after the Gymchat.

John Paul Catanzaro.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.

Tip of the Week: Fast or Slow Reps?

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

One of the areas that Josh Hewett and John Paul Catanzaro covered in Gymchat 256 - Injury Prevention & Management was the general approach to choosing rep speed based on your goals. John Paul outlines the basic idea :

Good stuff.

Checking Out : Resistance Bands

One of the many great band exercises - Band Resisted Chin-ups.

If the video above got you considering some resistance bands (and they're well worth having - incredibly versatile things), you'll be pleased to know that there are a number of varieties available. I personally use the Iron Woody ones, and I've also had good experiences with these.

As for what to do with them : in addition to the assistance exercises that Ross noted, check out a few of the videos on the guide page. If you want a way to make a particular exercise gradually easier/more difficult through part of the range, bands are ideal.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Eric Seifert.

What about active vs passive stretching - should you be doing one or the other, and when?

We'll be touching on all of these areas and a whole lot more in this week's discussion. Tackling this will be Core Strength's Eric Seifert, joined by Strength Athlete & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. Fantastic.


NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like Eric and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Hangout and ask it directly.

And if you'd like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the 'share' button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.

Details -

Who : Core Strength's Eric Seifert, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Muscle Activation Techniques
When : Monday Sep 15, 8:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, join the hangout (just add Top Form Fitness to one of your circles, and Josh'll send out the URL when the Hangout starts), or jump in the Q&A on the Event page itself. We'll also post the full video on the main site shortly after the Gymchat.

Thanks again to everyone who watched and joined in the discussion Gymchat 256 - Injury Prevention & Management [with Exercise Physiologist John Paul Catanzaro and Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett] - much appreciated. If you haven't seen it yet (or simply want to go over a particular point again), here's the entire video.

Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning (Zach Even-Esh).

I've long been a fan of Zach's approach to training (for a bit of an overview, check out Gymchat 217), and suffice to say I'm looking forward to this one. Full review shortly, in the meantime a couple of lines from the main page :

"From the minute I began reading I was completely captivated. The mixture of life lessons along with powerful workout information is what makes this book truly phenomenal and one that belongs on any strength enthusiast's book shelf." -- AJ Roberts

Zach Even-Esh's 'Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning'.

John Paul Catanzaro.

And if you're fortunate enough to have avoided injuries completely, what sorts of things can you do to ensure it stays that way?

This week we'll be joined by Exercise Physiologist John Paul Catanzaro, together with Strength Athlete & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett looking closely at these and a whole lot more. Fantastic.


NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like John and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Hangout and ask it directly.

And if you'd like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the 'share' button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.

Details -

Who : Exercise Physiologist John Paul Catanzaro, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Injury Prevention & Management
When : Wednesday Sep 10, 8:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, join the hangout (just add Top Form Fitness to one of your circles, and Josh'll send out the URL when the Hangout starts), or jump in the Q&A on the Event page itself. We'll also post the full video on the main site shortly after the Gymchat.

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 : 30 Day Challenge - Becoming a Morning Person
  Scott Andrew Bird
  Is it possible to switch from being a 'night owl' to an early riser? Yep.

  
  

• Looking At : Sep 7, 2014
  Scott Andrew Bird
  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 more writing in 2014 and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : 907x5 Deadlift with Reverse Bands

George Leeman doing a little band work. Good stuff.

Gymchat 256 - Injury Prevention & Management (John Paul Catanzaro)

John Paul Catanzaro.

And if you're fortunate enough to have avoided them completely, what sorts of things can you do to ensure it stays that way?

This week we'll be joined by Exercise Physiologist John Paul Catanzaro, together with Strength Athlete & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett looking closely at these and a whole lot more. Fantastic.


NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like John and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Hangout and ask it directly.

And if you'd like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the 'share' button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.

Details -

Who : Exercise Physiologist John Paul Catanzaro, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Injury Prevention & Management
When : Wednesday Sep 10, 8:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, join the hangout (just add Top Form Fitness to one of your circles, and Josh'll send out the URL when the Hangout starts), or jump in the Q&A on the Event page itself. We'll also post the full video on the main site shortly after the Gymchat.

Adam Farrah.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.

Tip of the Week: Fine-Tuning Your Lifestyle

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

One of the areas that Josh Hewett and Adam Farrah covered in Gymchat 255 - Pillars of Paleo was the general approach to fine-tuning your lifestyle. Though the specifics will obviously vary from person to person, Adam outlines the basic idea :

Good stuff.

Checking Out : Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning (Zach Even-Esh)

Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning (Zach Even-Esh).

I've long been a fan of Zach's approach to training (for a bit of an overview, check out Gymchat 217), and suffice to say I'm looking forward to this one. Full review shortly, in the meantime a couple of lines from the main page :

"From the minute I began reading I was completely captivated. The mixture of life lessons along with powerful workout information is what makes this book truly phenomenal and one that belongs on any strength enthusiast's book shelf." -- AJ Roberts

Zach Even-Esh's 'Encyclopedia of Underground Strength and Conditioning'.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.