One of the many fascinating aspects of strength-training is that everyone has a slightly different approach; based on their own goals, available equipment and information. Love it.
This week we'll be returning to our discussion on training approaches, focusing on the many aspects of fitness that accompany the lifting itself. What's your current diet like, and do you take any supplements? What sort of music do you listen to whilst training, or do you prefer to lift in silence? Other than getting a good nights' sleep, how do you recover after a heavy session?

However you train, we'd love to hear about it. Join us for part five of the incredible How Do You ... series. Fantastic.

Helping keep us on track is Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. If you love talking about training (particularly the way you do things), join us on the Hangout. Details below.


Details -

Who : Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You
Topic : How Do You...V
When : Wed Aug 7, 9pm EST (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
URL : https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cn2hse6vrp35un7bric92qn19a0 (it'll also be in the Straight to the Bar Community on Google+)
How : Here are the details. Alternately, just mention to Kirk that you'd like to join us, and he'll help you get set up.

See you there.

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 : Glossary - Strength Training Equipment
  Scott Andrew Bird
  If you've been training for a while, you probably already know what everything does. However, if you've just started (or are setting up a home gym for the first time), take a look at this. a basic list explaining what's what.

  
  

• Looking At : Aug 4, 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 : Handstand - Banana vs Straight Form

Nice one guys.

Gymchat 208 - How Do You...V

One of the many fascinating aspects of strength-training is that everyone has a slightly different approach; based on their own goals, available equipment and information. Love it.
This week we'll be returning to our discussion on training approaches, focusing on the many aspects of fitness that accompany the lifting itself. What's your current diet like, and do you take any supplements? What sort of music do you listen to whilst training, or do you prefer to lift in silence? Other than getting a good nights' sleep, how do you recover after a heavy session?

However you train, we'd love to hear about it. Join us for part five of the incredible How Do You ... series. Fantastic.

Helping keep us on track is Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. If you love talking about training (particularly the way you do things), join us on the Hangout. Details below.


Details -

Who : Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You
Topic : How Do You...V
When : Wed Aug 7, 9pm EST (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
URL : We'll be announcing this shortly - both on the blog and in the Straight to the Bar Community on Google+.
How : Here are the details. Alternately, just mention to Kirk that you'd like to join us, and he'll help you get set up.

See you there.

Previously : In Gymchat 207 we talked about 'Body Transformation', with Strength and Conditioning Coach Jason Paris and Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Great discussion.

If you missed the broadcast, the video is available over on Kirk's Youtube Channel. That's also the best place to subscribe to the videos directly, and to see previous discussions.

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If you'd like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can send us a message privately here, or swing by our Community site on Google+. Look forward to hearing from you.

Tip of the Week: Training for Unusual Feats

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.

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When Jeff Wilson was training for the Soda Can Crush (video below), he quickly realised that his usual training approach wouldn't work. For one thing, you can't progressively crush a can of soda.

In the article Unusual Goals Require Unusual Measures, he explains exactly how to tackle something like this. Here's a snippet to give you the basic idea :

I knew that without actually being able to accomplish the feat that my training would have to take a drastic turn from what I had become accustomed to over the years. The seemingly supplemental exercises of my workouts would now become my core movements.

I scoured my repertoire (as well as the training logs of top gripsters world-wide) for hand, wrist and grip exercises to find those that closely mimicked the movement I would use for the crush - and I came to the conclusion that the final crush of an unbraced bend was strikingly similar. With some alterations to my particular style of bending I knew I could get huge carryover to the soda crush. I upped my bending frequency a bit and focused on generating as much power as possible through the final crush down as I could with each piece of steel I attempted. During my bending sessions I used high volume, isometrics and pre-kinking steel that was a little out of my league, but I didn't want to bend too often because going too overboard with unbraced bending can potentially set you up for some pretty nasty injuries. I knew that I also needed movements that I could safely perform on a very regular basis that would have big carry over to the can crush, while having very little risk of injury in order to accomplish my goal in a timely manner.

And the feat itself? Over to Jeff :

Love it.

Checking Out : 50% Off Dragon Door Kettlebells

Perfectly timed.

If you find yourself about to grab an extra kettlebell or three, now is a great time to do it. I'm looking to do the same thing myself, and I just noticed a one-day sale over on the Dragon Door Facebook page.

Beautiful.

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Quick update on the Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits we mentioned recently - superb idea.

As we noted, we'll be reviewing these shortly. And if you missed the announcement, here's a brief video to explain the basic idea :

For more information, head on over to the official site - renaissancefitnessinc.com.

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.

Body Transformation. How do you go from incredibly unfit to fit? Shed the excess fat, add a bit of muscle and so on?

This week we're going to be tackling this one from a number of angles. Sleep, nutrition, strength-training and a whole lot more.
Helping us is Strength and Conditioning Coach Jason Paris, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You. If you've got questions (or you're ready to make this transformation yourself), join us on the Hangout. Details below.

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 : Workout Locations - the Beach
  Scott Andrew Bird
  Outdoor training at its best.

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 28, 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 : Step Vault Tutorial (Parkour)

Great tutorial. Nice one Ryan.

Gymchat 207 - Body Transformation (with Jason Paris)

Body Transformation. How do you go from incredibly unfit to fit? Shed the excess fat, add a bit of muscle and so on?

This week we're going to be tackling this one from a number of angles. Sleep, nutrition, strength-training and a whole lot more.
Helping us is Strength and Conditioning Coach Jason Paris, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You. If you've got questions (or you're ready to make this transformation yourself), join us on the Hangout. Details below.


Details -

Who : Strength and Conditioning Coach Jason Paris, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You
Topic : Body Transformation
When : Wed Jul 31, 9pm EST (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
URL : We'll be announcing this shortly - both on the blog and on Google+ itself.

See you there.

Previously : In Gymchat 206 we talked about 'Sandbag Training', with Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey and Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Great discussion.

If you missed the broadcast, the video is available over on Kirk's Youtube Channel. That's also the best place to subscribe to the videos directly, and to see previous discussions.

---

If you'd like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can send us a message privately here, or swing by our Community site on Google+. Look forward to hearing from you.

Tip of the Week: Addressing Squat Weaknesses - Bending at the Knees First

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.

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When it comes to the squat, Powerlifter Rick Walker clearly knows what he's talking about.

If you've ever tackled this wonderful exercise yourself and felt that your form just didn't feel quite right, check out his article Addressing Weaknesses in The Squat. To give you an idea of what it's all about, here's how he corrects one of the more common problems found in squat technique - the simple act of Bending at the Knees First.

Over to Rick.

This is a common problem among many beginning squatters as the lifter is usually afraid of falling backwards with the weight. Instead of sitting back first, the lifter will bend at the knees to go down. This causes the knees to go forward well over the toes and often times causes the lifter to go up onto their toes in the hole. This is not only dangerous, but you are limiting how much you can squat. The pressure on the patellar tendons in this position is tremendous and leads to big time problems down the road.

Yes, some lifters, especially Olympic lifters, can adapt to these kinds of stresses from having their knees that far forward.

However, the goal here is to improve the squat and move more weight, and that will be accomplished by sitting back into the squat.

How to fix it

The lifter must learn to sit back and not down. This can take a long time to get them to do, and even longer to get them to do it under maximum loads. I start all newbie squatters on a box.

I use a very high box and a very light load, usually the empty bar with some light JumpStretch© bands attached for tension. The basic commands I give are for the lifter to sit back like he is searching for a chair that is behind him. Once the lifter can get down to the high box by sitting back, I lower it an inch and start all over. Eventually the lifter will be able to sit back to a parallel box and the movement will become second nature.

Another possible reason for the lifter's inability to sit back is hamstring strength. If the lifter has weak hamstrings, he won't be able to sit back into a squat without falling. It gets much worse as the weight increases. To address this, get the lifter on the glute-ham machine pronto!

This is the best way to bring up lagging hamstrings and prepare the lifter for handling more weight in the squat correctly. I have also found Romanian Deadlifts and reverse hypers to be effective for improving the sit back portion of the squat.

And yes, I can assure you that it works. Cheers, Rick.

Checking Out : Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors

This looks great.

Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors is the Randy Roach book that Adam talked about in Gymchat 205. As I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, a quick piece from the Amazon page will help explain what it's all about :

"Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors" is the rise and fall of what was truly once an extraordinary discipline associated with a term known as "Physical Culture". Experience what bodybuilding was originally and learn just exactly what "Physical Culture" really is.

Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors. Fantastic.

---

Quick update on the Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits we mentioned recently - superb idea.

As we noted, we'll be reviewing these shortly. And if you missed the announcement, here's a brief video to explain the basic idea :

For more information, head on over to the official site - renaissancefitnessinc.com.

This looks great.

Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors is the Randy Roach book that Adam talked about in Gymchat 205. As I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive, a quick piece from the Amazon page will help explain what it's all about :

"Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors" is the rise and fall of what was truly once an extraordinary discipline associated with a term known as "Physical Culture". Experience what bodybuilding was originally and learn just exactly what "Physical Culture" really is.

Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors. Fantastic.

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.

Sandbag Training. What's it all about, and how do you get started? Should you make your own, or are you better off buying one? Is sand always the best thing to fill them with?

Talking about these and a whole lot more is Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You. If you've got questions (or just want to show off your own gear), join us on the Hangout. Details below.

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 : Strains and Sprains
  Scott Andrew Bird
  You've probably had both. But what's the difference?

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 21, 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 : Ski Jumper Planks

Interesting exercise. Nice one Nick.

Gymchat 206 - Sandbag Training (with Matt Palfrey)

Sandbag Training. What's it all about, and how do you get started? Should you make your own, or are you better off buying one? Is sand always the best thing to fill them with?

Talking about these and a whole lot more is Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You. If you've got questions (or just want to show off your own gear), join us on the Hangout. Details below.


Details -

Who : Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You
Topic : Sandbag Training
When : Wed Jul 24, 5pm EST (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
URL : We'll be announcing this shortly - both on the blog and on Google+ itself.

See you there.

Previously : In Gymchat 205 we talked about 'Paleo Dieting', with Kettlebell and CrossFit Coach Adam Farrah and Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Great discussion.

If you missed the broadcast, the video is available over on Kirk's Youtube Channel. That's also the best place to subscribe to the videos directly, and to see previous discussions.

---

If you'd like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can send us a message privately here, or swing by our Community site on Google+. Look forward to hearing from you.

Tip of the Week: Rice Bucket Rehab

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.

---

In the discussion Recovery Work for the Hands we noted several superb recovery techniques, including the ever-popular Rice Digs.

If you've never tried doing these, the process is incredibly simple. From the post 'Rice Digs', a brief description :

Pour some uncooked rice into a bucket and repeatedly burrow your hands into it. Make fists, rotate your wrists and generally move your hands around whilst they're surrounded by rice.

NB : All other things being equal, a finer material will feel more difficult. Things like lead shot have less give, and will quickly prove challenging. Rice is a good starting point.

And to make things a little clearer, have a look at the video below. Great exercise.


From the post Rice Bucket Rehab :

Good stuff.

Checking Out : No Gym, No Time, No Problem

This looks great.

Top of my to-read pile is No Gym, No Time, No Problem; and when you see the list of authors (Geovanni Derice, Erik Rokeash, Jedd Johnson, Ryan Munsey, Mike Salvietti, Dan Huff, G.R. Hoff, Joe Meglio, Corey Macgregor, Connor Flahive) you'll understand just why. Suffice to say they know their stuff.


A snippet from the Amazon page will give you an idea of what the book's all about :

What happens when 5 Fat Loss Experts, 5 Strength and Conditioning Coaches and 2 Lifestyle coaches Meet-up at a random house in New Jersey and lock themselves in a room for 2 days?

They come up with The simplest and easiest Collection of Fitness programs designed for busy people with Limited Time, attention and resources.

No Gym, No Time, No Problem.

---

Quick update on the Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits we mentioned recently - superb idea.

As we noted, we'll be reviewing these shortly. And if you missed the announcement, here's a brief video to explain the basic idea :

For more information, head on over to the official site - renaissancefitnessinc.com.

This looks great.

Top of my to-read pile is No Gym, No Time, No Problem; and when you see the list of authors (Geovanni Derice, Erik Rokeash, Jedd Johnson, Ryan Munsey, Mike Salvietti, Dan Huff, G.R. Hoff, Joe Meglio, Corey Macgregor, Connor Flahive) you'll understand just why. Suffice to say they know their stuff.


A snippet from the Amazon page will give you an idea of what the book's all about :

What happens when 5 Fat Loss Experts, 5 Strength and Conditioning Coaches and 2 Lifestyle coaches Meet-up at a random house in New Jersey and lock themselves in a room for 2 days?

They come up with The simplest and easiest Collection of Fitness programs designed for busy people with Limited Time, attention and resources.

No Gym, No Time, No Problem.