Calisthenics. Wonderful area. Question is, how do you progress?

This week we're diving deep into this one, looking at everything from 'what it is' and 'how to get started' to the all-important 'how to progress the exercises'. Tackling this one is none other than Personal Trainer Al Kavadlo, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Al or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Personal Trainer Al Kavadlo and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : Progressive Calisthenics
When : Monday Nov 11, 4pm 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.

A deceptively simple question - what's the difference between exercising and training?

This week we'll be looking closely at this subtle distinction, and how to approach things in the most effective way possible. Tackling this one is Powerlifter & Strength Coach Ryan Burgess, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Ryan or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Powerlifter & Strength Coach Ryan Burgess and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : The Difference Between Exercise & Training (Why You Should TRAIN!)
When : Wednesday Nov 6, 9pm 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.

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 : Conditioning Without Trying - Walking 10,000 Steps Per Day
  Scott Andrew Bird
  It really doesn't have to be complicated.

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 3, 2013
  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'd like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : Rope Climbing Alternatives

Nice one Ross.

Gymchat 222 - The Difference Between Exercise & Training (Why You Should TRAIN!) (Ryan Burgess)

A deceptively simple question - what's the difference between exercising and training?

This week we'll be looking closely at this subtle distinction, and how to approach things in the most effective way possible. Tackling this one is Powerlifter & Strength Coach Ryan Burgess, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Ryan or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Powerlifter & Strength Coach Ryan Burgess and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : The Difference Between Exercise & Training (Why You Should TRAIN!)
When : Wednesday Nov 6, 9pm 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.

Previously : A couple of weeks ago we held Gymchat 220 : High Intensity Training - HIT (with Chris Lutz and Josh Hewett). Great discussion.

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

---

Coming Up : we've got several fantastic discussions lined up for the next few months, details shortly. One of those is an area I'm intrigued by personally, the Future of Fitness. Fascinating topic.

To give you an idea of what we'll be talking about and why it's essential (especially if you're a fitness professional yourself, or planning to be), here's a quick primer. And if you'd like to join us on the panel, just drop Josh a line. We'd love to hear from you.

Tip of the Week : Bending Steel = Increased Strength Endurance

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.

---

A friend of mine asked me over the weekend why I bend things. It's partly because it's fun, and partly, well, I'll let Adam explain.
There are many great reasons for bending things, as 'Unbreakable' Adam Glass notes in the article Why Bend Steel? Apart from the simple 'because it's downright fun' :

The increase in strength and power naturally will carry over to an increase in your endurance. Anyone who has bent a nail will tell you the first time they bent it was so tiring. I have watched people sweat bullets bending their first respectable nail. As time goes on you gain huge reserves of power. A personal testament to this level of power for me was October 2007 when I bent 150 60D nails in one hour using the double under (DU) grip. That represented a massive improvement from Jan 2007, when bending 10-15 nails left my hands extremely fatigued.

Good stuff.

Revisiting : Lift the Blob

Quick update on the Lift the Blob package we mentioned recently - fantastic collection.

I'd love to hear how you go with it, when it comes to tackling this challenging feat you really can't go past Lift the Blob. Superb.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be on-the-road (back Nov 14) - experiencing the joys of hotel workouts and somewhat sporadic internet connections. In the meantime, here's a gem from the archives :
What Really Works? Effective Strength Training Principles (Josh 'Do it with Hewett' Hewett)

NB : Josh is a fantastic communicator . To find out more about his thinking behind training and nutrition, check out his other articles here, at Top Form Fitness and of course the weekly Gymchats. Fantastic things.

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 Little Yoke Work - 10 Exercises for a Bigger Neck
  Scott Andrew Bird
  Whether it's for protection, stability, or simply to look good in a suit - a strong neck's a great thing to have.

  
  

• Looking At : Oct 27, 2013
  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'd like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : 5 Step "No Bar" Body Conditioning Routine

Nice one guys.

Gymchat 221 : The Paleo Approach to Health & Physique Transformation (Adam Farrah)

The Paleo Diet - what exactly is it, and how can it help with both health and physique transformation?

This is a fascinating area, and we'll be diving deep into it in this week's discussion. Tackling it is none other than Kettlebell and CrossFit Coach Adam Farrah, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Adam or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Kettlebell and CrossFit Coach Adam Farrah and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : The Paleo Approach to Health & Physique Transformation
When : Wednesday Oct 30, 9pm 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.

Previously : Last week we held Gymchat 220 : High Intensity Training - HIT (with Chris Lutz and Josh Hewett). Great discussion.

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

---

Coming Up : we've got several fantastic discussions lined up for the next few months, details shortly. One of those is an area I'm intrigued by personally, the Future of Fitness. Fascinating topic.

To give you an idea of what we'll be talking about and why it's essential (especially if you're a fitness professional yourself, or planning to be), here's a quick primer. And if you'd like to join us on the panel, just drop Josh a line. We'd love to hear from you.

Tip of the Week : Use Checklists in your Training

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.

---

Checklists are one of those things that seem so simple as to be almost pointless. Not really worth the effort.

However, they're very powerful things indeed.


The basic logic behind using a checklist is pretty straightforward. As Adam Stoffa notes in the article Checklists and Complex Problems :

An example from training might be properly warming up. Everyone knows it's foolish to engage in physical training without warming up first, but with time pressure, competing interests, or environmental stress, this step occasionally gets skipped. The risks associated with skipping this step, are significant. Pulled muscles are a major setback to a training program. When you balance the interests involved, saving a few minutes versus suffering a major setback, the risk associated with skipping this key step is unacceptably high. Therefore, item number 1 on your checklist could be:

1. Complete Warm Up Exercises

And yes, although it looks almost laughably simple, this absolutely works. The checklist approach is very highly recommended indeed.

Revisiting : Lift the Blob

Quick update on the Lift the Blob package we mentioned recently - fantastic collection.

I'd love to hear how you go with it, when it comes to tackling this challenging feat you really can't go past Lift the Blob. Superb.

The Paleo Diet - what exactly is it, and how can it help with both health and physique transformation?

This is a fascinating area, and we'll be diving deep into it in this week's discussion. Tackling it is none other than Kettlebell and CrossFit Coach Adam Farrah, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Adam or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Kettlebell and CrossFit Coach Adam Farrah and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : The Paleo Approach to Health & Physique Transformation
When : Wednesday Oct 30, 9pm 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.

During the past week we've discussed a number of great links; on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.

High Intensity Training (HIT) - what exactly is it, and should it be part of your training routine?

This week we'll be explaining exactly what HIT is, and how everything works; as well as some of the fascinating research into this area in particular. Tackling this is Personal Trainer Chris Lutz, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Chris or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Personal Trainer Chris Lutz and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : High Intensity Training - HIT
When : Wednesday Oct 23, 9pm 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.

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 Hack Squat
  Scott Andrew Bird
  History and technique for this wonderful exercise. Love it.

  
  

• Looking At : Oct 20, 2013
  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 : Barstarzz In Paris (at the King of Push and Pull event)

Nice one guys.

Gymchat 220 : High Intensity Training - HIT (Chris Lutz)

High Intensity Training (HIT) - what exactly is it, and should it be part of your training routine?

This week we'll be explaining exactly what HIT is, and how everything works; as well as some of the fascinating research into this area in particular. Tackling this is Personal Trainer Chris Lutz, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Chris or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Personal Trainer Chris Lutz and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : High Intensity Training - HIT
When : Wednesday Oct 23, 9pm 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.

Previously : Last week we held Gymchat 219 - Assessing Current Fitness Trends (with Adam Klymkiw and Josh Hewett). Great discussion.

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

---

Coming Up : we've got several fantastic discussions lined up for the next few months, details shortly. One of those is an area I'm intrigued by personally, the Future of Fitness. Fascinating topic.

To give you an idea of what we'll be talking about and why it's essential (especially if you're a fitness professional yourself, or planning to be), here's a quick primer. And if you'd like to join us on the panel, just drop Josh a line. We'd love to hear from you.

Tip of the Week : A Moment of Silence

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.

---

How do you mentally prepare for a workout? Listen to heavy music and generally get psyched up?

Try doing the opposite. Parth explains.


In the article Silence for Intense Workouts, Parth shares an interesting idea :

There is a moment right between my warm-up, and workout. Sometimes it is brief, perhaps lasting a few seconds, but other times it is long, lasting almost ten minutes. It is a moment of silence. Of reflection. The quiet before a storm. The soothing nature of the wind, steadily picking up the dead leaves off the tree and dropping them gently on the ground before the final gust of wind begins the season of autumn.


This is my moment of ZEN. To make sure that I am mentally THERE. I don't want to be thinking about my job interviews, about that girl I like, or about that thing I wanted to buy but was too broke 'cause I still live with my parents. No, it all goes away.

And yes, the music can come on right after this. Works well.

Revisiting : Warrior Power T's

Remember these? Fantastic things.

We first looked at these around 4 years ago, and they've been part of my training arsenal ever since. Comprising push-up handles with a very small connection to the ground, they make almost any variety of push-up just a little more challenging. A quick video to give you an idea :

The Warrior Power T's - love 'em.

---

Quick update on the Lift the Blob package we mentioned recently - fantastic collection.

I'd love to hear how you go with it, when it comes to tackling this challenging feat you really can't go past Lift the Blob. Superb.

During the past week we've discussed a number of great links; on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.