Thanks again to everyone who watched and sent in questions for the discussion Gymchat 240 - Periodization [with Strength Coach Karsten Jensen, joined by 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 : Checklists and Complex Problems
Looking At : Mar 16, 2014Over 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.
Taking us through the entire process is Strength Coach Karsten Jensen, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
NB : In addition to the questions, we'd love to hear your comments & suggestions. If there's a particular area you'd like Karsten and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and drop us a line.
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.
Who : Strength Coach Karsten Jensen, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett
Topic : Periodization
When : Wednesday Mar 19, 9:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
See you there.
If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.
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.
This tip comes to us following a discussion I had over the weekend (I was helping a friend choose a power rack), and is a snippet from the article 'Buyers' Guide : the Power Rack'. Determining the width you'll need.
Although the width of a barbell never changes (within one type, that is - standard bars are about a foot shorter than their Olympic counterparts), the width of racks vary from brand to brand. The rack's minimum width will depend largely on what you're going to do with it.
Sumo squats and rack pulls will take the most room; somewhere around 40" would be an absolute minimum, but your best bet is to measure your own squat (outside one foot to outside the other).
If you intend to bench press in the rack, or use the bench as a seat for other exercises (such as the overhead work I mentioned earlier), make sure the bench fits. If you're buying them both at the same time, great. Test them out.
One more thing to note with the bench inside the rack - if you plan to use dumbbells from the bench, make sure there's plenty of room to drop the dumbbells once they get heavy. Oh, and something to protect the floor (in the drop zone) is always a good idea - a couple of rubber mats will do nicely.
Over the weekend I found myself discussing calisthenics with a friend of mine, which resulted in two things :
1. an impromptu workout
2. a re-reading of Al Kavadlo's superb book, Raising the Bar : The Definitive Guide to Bar Calisthenics.
If you haven't already, check it out. Love it.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
Taking us through the entire process is Strength Coach Karsten Jensen, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
NB : In addition to the questions, we'd love to hear your comments & suggestions. If there's a particular area you'd like Karsten and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and drop us a line.
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.
Who : Strength Coach Karsten Jensen, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett
Topic : Periodization
When : Wednesday Mar 19, 9:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
See you there.
It's safe to say that there are a lot of articles on this site. The most recent are in the Articles and Weekly Summary categories; I've also listed some personal favourites below. Dive in.
Ready to build your own? It's a great way to try new forms of training.
Fantastic to watch, learn and do.
This is where the fun (and real strength) begins. Love it.
The 'normal' things you'll see in the gym.
Time to get the sweat flowing.
Ever get that 'just run over by a truck' feeling?
Eating well makes a massive difference to your overall training.
There's always a new way of looking at it.
Like to contribute something? I love hearing about how other people are training; if you'd like to write an article, record a video or tell us about a site you've discovered, get in touch.
Thanks again to everyone who watched and sent in questions for the discussion Gymchat 239 - How to Get HUGE! [with Strongman and Strength Coach Craig Bongelli, joined by 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 : Evolution of Sandbag TrainingLooking At : Mar 9, 2014Over 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.
Squatting your bodyweight - max reps in 5 minutes. Simple idea, great contest.
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 (during the discussion itself) and jump in the Q&A.
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.
Who : Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett
Topic : Fitness Business Strategies
When : Monday Mar 10, 9:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
See you there.
NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like Craig and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself) and jump in the Q&A.
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.
Who : Strongman and Strength Coach Craig Bongelli, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett
Topic : How to Get HUGE!
When : Wednesday Mar 12, 9:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
See you there.
If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.
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.
This tip comes to us from the enigmatic Gerard F, and is a snippet from a series of very interesting conversations surrounding the insights of the 'Iron Guru', Vince Gironda. In particular, this thread on Google+.
The full quote is :
Use a weight you can control, and control the weight you use.
This applies to a lot of things, but in this case we were talking about the bench press. Gerard noted :
At best the Bench Press is an "OK" exercise even when done correctly, but nearly everyone performs it based on the wrong concept. Using 8-12 reps its OK, but what happens is, when the reps get tough, your form goes bad, the back arches and/or your torso torques; stress goes from the chest to the triceps to the shoulder/cuff, and your strong side lifts the load that your weak side can't handle.
Over bench pressing gives you a circle looking chest, that's when the shoulders and tris are developed because the chest can't handle the weight, and what happens is the shoulder and tris are targeted more than the pecs.
Very interesting. Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Before you ask - why now? A DVD that's more than a decade old?
It's one of the first videos I watched when I began training in earnest. There's a full review here.
I'm watching it again because I now have a decade of training under my belt, and some of the details described may be things I can only fully appreciate now. The thinking underlying the equipment used and the techniques discussed.
Westside Dead Lift Secrets. Love it.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like Craig and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself) and jump in the Q&A.
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.
Although I was lucky enough to read the original book many years ago, I'm extremely keen to dive in to this version - the 2012 reprint - as soon as possible. I suspect that things will look quite different now; after training for a number of years.
