This site's been around since 2004, and in that time I've helped a number of strength-focussed individuals (from professional athletes to people who just like looking after themselves) to share their passion online. This includes everything from the basic 'setting up a website' to 'treating it as a business' and earning good money in the process.

In this article, I'll outline the many affiliate products I promote on the site. If you're new to the idea of helping to sell other people's products, the idea is simple : each time someone buys one of the products, you earn a commission. Typically between 10 and 50%.

NB : if you're keen to learn everything there is to know about this wonderful process, I highly recommend Rosalind Gardner's The Super Affiliate Handbook. Brilliant resource.

Strength Tools

• Beast Sled
• Get Strength (Front Squat Harness)
• London Kettlebells
• Dragon Door Kettlebells
• Pepperjam Network (Mbody)
• RMAX
• StrongerGrip

Conditioning Tools

• Bodyweight Culture (Universal Strength Apparatus)
• Gymboss
• Henkin Fitness Systems (Ultimate Sandbags)
• Fitness Anywhere (TRX)
• Monkey Bar Gym
• Ring Training
• Battling Ropes
• Valslides

Rehab & Prehab

• The Rotater
• Z-Health

Diet and Nutrition

• Paleo Brands
• Precision Nutrition

I love learning, and have always been surrounded by a fantastic collection of books, videos and magazines.

This is certainly the case when it comes to health & fitness works - it's fair to say that I've checked out a lot of them over the years. Sharing everything from basic exercise techniques to the many, many ways to fine-tune your diet.

Here are a few personal favourites.

The Primal Blueprint

Mark Sisson

Hardback | Paperback
Confused about what to eat, how much to eat; even when to eat? This book will help you get the most out of your food plan.

Superb.

Diesel Crew Bending eBook

Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson

eBook
If you're new to the world of nail bending, this is the perfect book to get. It'll show you the exact techniques you'll need to get started right away. Written by world-class bender Jedd Johnson.

Card Tearing eBook

Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson

eBook
This is a fantastic book. If you've ever considered learning this incredible strength feat, the Card Tearing eBook is the perfect place to start. Love it.

Functional Correction Manual

Tim Hull

Paperback
If you ever wake up with that 'just run over by a truck' feeling, you need a copy of Tim Hull's Functional Correction Manual. Not only will it help you to locate and repair the problem, it'll give you a hand in preventing it happening in the future.

Superb book.

Precision Nutrition

Dr John Berardi

Paperback
When it comes to body transformation - whether that's a increase in strength, packing on a bit of muscle or losing a bit of excess fat - this is the perfect place to start. Dr Berardi's Precision Nutrition.

Bruce Lee : The Art of Expressing the Human Body

Bruce Lee & John Little

Paperback

If you've ever watched a Bruce Lee film and marveled at his strength, speed, agility, endurance, flexibility or muscularity, this book should take pride of place in your collection. Unlike many other writings covering everything from Lee's training methods to nutrition, this book is based not on the recollections of people around him; but on Lee's own notes. Brilliant.

Strength Training Anatomy

Frederic Delavier

Paperback

This is a fantastic book. As Josh explains, it superbly shows what's going on while you train. Love it.

101 Fitness Myths

Maik Wiedenbach

Kindle eBook

A superb combination of fitness mythbusting and no-nonsense advice. If you're not quite sure where to start, grab this.

Of course, there are also a number of DVDs. Again, here are a few personal favourites.

The Complete Guide to Kettlebell Lifting

Steve Cotter

Just got your first kettlebell and wondering how to use it? Steve's your man.

The Encyclopedia of Clubbell Training

Scott Sonnon

When it comes to learning how to use Clubs and Maces (or the Clubbells in this case), a little instruction goes a long, long way. And this is certainly the way to do it.

Feats of Strength

Logan Christopher & Bud Jeffries

Bending, tearing and a whole lot more. Love it.

Intervention

Dan John

This is the inimitable Dan John at his storytelling best, sharing an enormous amount of training wisdom in the process. Fantastic.

The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling

Logan Christopher

Comprising no fewer than three content-packed DVDs, Logan shares a wealth of exercises, variations and training methods in The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling. It really is essential viewing for anyone looking to get into this amazing activity.

Industrial Strength Grip II

'Unbreakable' Adam Glass

If you've ever seen 'Unbreakable' Adam T Glass in action, you'll appreciate just how valuable this is. Brilliant.

No matter what your strength-training goals are, if you're looking to become stronger, these are well worth checking out. Dive in.

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 :

• Keeping the Conversation Going : The Return of Comments
  Scott Andrew Bird
  I've been waiting for this for a long, long time. Love talking about training.
  
• Facebook Helps You Lose Weight? What!?!
  Ferris Stith
  An interesting way to use financial motivation for physical transformation.
  

Ready to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.

NB : I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment beneath the article itself, and share your views with the fantastic strength-training community. Cheers.

Video : Muscle-up Variations (Italian)

Pitbull Training's Coach Miletto demonstrates several variations of the superb Muscle-Up. Very interesting indeed.

Twitterchat 109 - The Future of Fitness

What will the fitness industry be like in 5 years? 20 years? 100 years?
This week we're having an open discussion on that very topic - The Future of Fitness - the things that you think are likely to happen. The equipment we'll probably use, the kinds of medical technologies that may have an impact; and how we might share our successes and failures. Whatever the future holds.

Fantastic.


Details -

Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : The Future of Fitness
When : Wed Mar 16, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.

If you've never been to one of these twitterchats before, here's how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.

And to see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.

See you there.

Quick update on last week's twitterchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion on Sled Dragging. Some superb ideas in there.

For those who missed out on the conversation, here's a brief summary. Was a great one.

Looking Forward To : Andy Bolton's 2011 Seminar DVD

This looks great.

Whenever there's talk of insane levels of strength, you certainly hear the name Andy Bolton. Freakishly strong.

This DVD (package, really) is based on this year's seminars, as well as a few things he's picked up over the years. Covering everything from assistance work and grip training to the big three themselves, this is a very interesting compilation.

Comes out tomorrow.

Quick update on the AtLarge BCAA+ : Thanks to everyone who grabbed some, it's great stuff. The discount still applies for another few days (up until the end of March 20th), so if you missed out (or would just like to grab some more), here are the details :

Head over to the AtLarge BCAA+ page, grab a bottle or three, and use the coupon code SB25 when ordering. Tell Chris that Straight to the Bar sent you. He'll look after you.

As you might expect, I've visited a lot of sites over the years, and created profiles on a number of them. Here are just a few :

• Blogger
• del.icio.us
• Digg
• Flickr
• Flickr (Straight to the Bar Team)
• Facebook
• iTunes Ping
• Kiva (Straight to the Bar Team)
• LinkedIn
• Myspace
• Netscape
• SmugMug
• Stumbleupon
• Squidoo
• Technorati
• Seti
• Straight to the Bar Forums
• Twitter
• YouTube

If you're just beginning your fitness journey, you know what it's like. There are a lot of questions.

Here are several ebooks we've looked at over the years which will help you learn what to do, what to eat, which equipment to use, and where to go when you get stuck.

And yes, they're all free.

 

10 Essential Conditioning Tools

Scott Andrew Bird and Kira Robert Clarke

Whether you're getting ready for a fight or just keen on looking after yourself, you'll be pleased to know that there are a number of conditioning tools out there. Here's a brief look at what's available, and where to get them.

14 Things You NEED for your First Strongman Contest

Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson

Getting ready to compete in your first Strongman contest? Brilliant.

Freak Strength

Zach Even-Esh

Ready to get obscenely strong? Here's how.

Grrl's Valentines Day Wishlist

Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker

What to buy a woman who loves training? Kat has a few ideas.

How to Paint a Kettlebell

Scott Andrew Bird

A great way to customise your workout equipment.

Active Recovery Training

Ty

No matter what sort of training you favour, there's no doubt that recovery can play a huge role. Here's a brief look at several forms of recovery work to make the experience both more effective and more enjoyable.

What Really Works

Josh Hewett

This is a superb overview of exactly what's involved in serious training. If you're ready to become stronger, faster and generally more capable; this is a great place to start.

---

Of course, there are many, many more. Which ebooks have you found most helpful when beginning your fitness journey? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

To grab all of these - instantly - simply sign up below. As a bonus, you'll automatically be subscribed to the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter, which contains highlights from Straight to the Bar, details of upcoming gymchats (online group discussions) and a wealth of content not found anywhere else.

Perfect.

I write regularly for a number of sites; on a variety of cooking, environmental and strength-training topics. Here's just a sample :

Blogs

I write for a number of blogs on a regular basis (primarily on environmental and fitness topics), as well as providing ad-hoc articles to many others. A few of my favourite pieces are :

• The Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food (part I, II)
  
• Saving Water (part I, II, III, IV, V, VI)
  
• Inspiring Transformations
• What to look for when buying fish
• Making the most of Libraries and Family Tree Research Centres
• Getting your first kettlebell

In addition to these, I'm the editor of (and regular contributor to) :

• Straight to the Bar
• Strength Tweets
• Scott Bird's Family Tree
• Cameraderie
• Go The Mighty Eels

and many forums, boards and social networks.

eBooks

I've written several ebooks, most of them elaborating topics which are mentioned on Straight to the Bar. These include :

• Buying your first kettlebell (a revised version of the article I wrote for Harrow Drive, reprinted with permission)
• 10 Essential Conditioning Tools
• How to paint a kettlebell

I'm the editor of the strength training site "Straight to the Bar":http://www.straighttothebar.com/. I believe that the human body is an amazing machine, and the site looks at the fastest, strongest and most powerful athletes in a range of fields.

My goal on this site is simple - to help people change their own lives through information and inspiration. I've been extremely fortunate over the years and genuinely enjoy every aspect of my life; hopefully my articles will help you reach a similar point.

**A bit about me personally**

I've been surrounded by cameras and computers for a little over 20 years now, and am passionate about each. Perhaps this is unsurprising; my father was a professional motor racing photographer for many years and my mother shared her love of language, reading and writing. A quick glance at my bookshelves confirms that she succeeded.

The two passions - photography and computing - have seen me engaged in everything from travel photography (I love travel, so this was a natural combination) to 9-5 banking work. Perhaps 8-6 would be more accurate.

Lately I've returned to the areas of language, reading and writing. The expression of ideas is a vital concept, and these areas - together with the photography - cover that perfectly.

I love talking about training.

Since the very beginning of this blog (Jan 2004), I've been looking for ways to keep this conversation going, in as many ways as possible. The forums, weekly twitterchats, YouTube videos and photos on Flickr. And of course, Facebook.


Alongside those - and predating them in many cases - were comments beneath the blog articles themselves. These provided invaluable feedback to the various article authors, as well as becoming conversations in their own right. It offered a tantalising glimpse into the strength-training community.

Unfortunately, due solely to spam, I was forced to close down these comments in 2007. Although there are many other ways to talk about training (particularly the ones mentioned above), I always missed the kinds of insights they brought. Sometimes immediately, and sometimes long after the article was written. Always extremely informative.

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 :

• High Fat Diets, Carbohydrate Intake, Water Consumption
  Various authors
  Just a few of the fascinating topics that cropped up following the discussion on fat loss. Would love to hear your thoughts.
  
• TNS Gripper Day
  Matt Hunt
  The gripper work continues. Fantastic.
  

Ready to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They're fantastic ways to share your ideas.

NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the 'Like' button beneath each post). Cheers.

Video : Chain Loaded Ab Wheel

Chains and an ab wheel. Love it.

Twitterchat 108 - Sled Dragging

Sled dragging is not only a great way to work out, it's downright fun.
Whether you're training indoors or out in the sun, a little sled work is fair game. This week we're looking closely at this particular method of training; what it is, the equipment involved, benefits and so on. Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than the incredible Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson (@JeddJohnson). Fantastic.
Details -

Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Sled Dragging
When : Wed Mar 9, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.

If you've never been to one of these twitterchats before, here's how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.

And to see when it's on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.

See you there.

Quick update on last week's twitterchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion on Nutrition For Fat Loss. Some superb ideas in there.

For those who missed out on the conversation, here's a brief summary. Was a great one.

Checking Out : Kettlebell Snatch Domination

This looks fantastic.

I'm a big fan of Logan's work, and this is certainly no exception. Slightly unorthodox, challenging, and very, very effective.

In Kettlebell Snatch Domination, Logan explains (and demonstrates) how to use the Kettlebell Snatch very much to your advantage. How to gain both strength and endurance. Fat loss. Gripping techniques. And much, much more.

There really is a lot more to this apparently simple exercise than you might think.


Overall, very, very impressive. Full review shortly, and in the meantime - here's the man himself : Logan Christopher. Superb.

Quick update on the AtLarge BCAA+ : Thanks to everyone who grabbed some, it's great stuff. The discount still applies for another couple of weeks, so if you missed out (or would just like to grab some more), here are the details :

Head over to the AtLarge BCAA+ page, grab a bottle or three, and use the coupon code SB25 when ordering. Tell Chris that Straight to the Bar sent you. He'll look after you.

Want to take your conditioning workouts up a notch? Throw in a bit of thick rope work. Love it.

What to get

The equipment is pretty simple. I personally use ropes from a local nautical supplies place; I've also heard good things about these. However you like to shop, a good rope is never too far away.

In terms of rope types/sizes/lengths, I won't attempt to detail all possible combinations here. All of the suppliers listed below have been selling ropes for some time, and are well placed to discuss the options with you. As long as you have room to hang/swing/drag it, you'll be fine.

Where to get it

Rope isn't exactly light, and shipping can really add up when large distances are involved. Accordingly, we work with suppliers all over the world.

Choose the one nearest you, and save yourself a dollar or three.

United States

• Monkey Bar Gym
• Battling Ropes at Grapplers Gym
• Immortal Martial Arts, Inc.
• McMaster-Carr
• eBay

UK

• eBay

Australia

• Rope 'N' Chain Company
• eBay

Additionally, there are several suppliers mentioned here. If you come across another one you're happy with, add their name.

NB : If you're a rope supplier and would like to see your name on this list, let us know.

What to do with it

There are many, many ways to train with a length of rope. Here are a few of my favourites :

• Weighted Rope Jumping
  First up, a rather unusual exercise (this was specifically for a World Record attempt, but the basic idea is sound). Grab a weight vest, ankle weights or your training partner :

  
  



• Short Power Rope : Rope Circles
  
  Here's a simple way (but a whole lot more challenging than it looks) way to put a short length of rope to work.
  
  


• Bulgarian Bag Rope Swings

  
  Grab a Bulgarian Bag, Kettlebell or anything else with a bit of weight. These are downright fun.
  
  


• Rope Climbing Technique : The Cinch and Pinch
  
  If you're just beginning your rope-climbing journey (or are ready to start), here's an essential piece : the way to climb a rope using the 'Cinch and Pinch' technique. Beautiful.
  
  


• Rapid Rope Climbing
  Once you get comfortable with your technique, you may like to consider something like this. A little speed work.
  
  
  

There are also a number of superb rope exercises on the MBG DVD. Highly recommended.

Final thought on rope training

I love thick rope work - one of the most enjoyable ways to train. Give it a shot.