Results matching “Bird”

Monday, 23 Feb 2009 - Issues

Video - Chain Yoke


Looking for a simple way to test out some yoke work? Rig up one of these. Great idea.

Greg Matonick

Adam pointed me in the direction of old-time strongman Greg Matonick, who enjoys some pretty astonishing feats. In addition to the usual forms of lifting, bending and tearing; Greg destroys everything from coins (with his teeth) to horseshoes (teeth again). Good stuff.

Got a site, event or product you'd like to recommend? Drop us a line.
Jason Kirby
Jason Kirby.
OK so lets face it, the bodyweight crowd out there doesn't really need to purchase any equipment that couldn't either be made or found, but presuming you're one of those people who wants all the latest and greatest gear, or just someone looking to add a few more tools to the toolbox and try something new. Here are a few pieces of equipment definitely worth looking into, and can add almost an unlimited amount of ideas and variation to your training regime.
So skipping the obvious tools like gloves, belts, straps, ipods, and nonsense of that nature lets choose to look at some of the best ideas out there that require little space, a small budget, and a bit of creativity. Going in no particular order I will give the pros and cons of some of the best equipment I have found out there, broken up into categories.

Suspension Equipment

This comes in all shapes and sizes but there are about 3 really decent pieces of equipment and after trying them all I will have to put my vote on two of them.
TRX
TRX.
TRX Suspension Trainer- this is essentially a webbing system with some foam hand grips, and foot cradles that can be hung on almost anything sturdy enough to hold you, and an optional doorway mount can be purchased if you have no choices left but your door.

Pros: The sky is the limit with this piece and while not everything that can be done with this is difficult you can make up your own exercises or opt to intertwine the straps together and go from two grips to just one. The difference can be huge. I will say that bulgarian split squats, leg curls, flys, power pulls, and t's are personal favorites that can be made more or less challenging depending on the angle you are standing or leaning.

Cons: The price is a bit high for a piece of webbing and all the claims about it being created by a Navy Seal are extremely annoying. If you need ideas you can purchase DVDs, posters, or a virtual trainer, but again you are paying way more than you should be.

EXF Rings- this brings us to the next nifty piece and that is a set of gymnastic rings. Simple and effective, they come in two colors, red and black, and can be hung in similar nature as the TRX although I recommend using something like a truss, pull up bar, power rack, or cable crossover station.

Pros: if you think bodyweight training isn't difficult try holding an iron cross or doing a one arm chin (OAC). The rings add an element of instability that just can't be replicated with free weights. Looking to shore on some size to your shoulders, chest, and back, then flys, push ups, dips, chin ups, and even levers can do just that.

Cons- while not as expensive as the TRX these are not cheap given their simple nature, they are also a bit harder to set up if you're indoors and do not have a sturdy object to attach them too.

Jungle Gym
Jungle Gym.
Jungle Gym- this is essentially a cheaper version of the TRX and an affordable alternative too. Virtually all of the same exercises can be used as well.

Pros- its almost half the price and is even lighter and more portable.

Cons- with price reflects quality, these things aren't as sturdy or as comfortable, but hey, who said exercising had to be comfortable.


Regeneration Tools


There are as many variations as the foam roller, myo ball or massage stick as there are colors in a paint store, but keeping it simple there are a few brands that are worth delving into. The beauty of self-myofascial release is that apart from the speedy recovery time in between workouts, it also loosens up scar tissue, connective tissue, and kneads the muscles, sort of like a sport massage, except its' just you.

PB Elite
PB Elite.
Foam Roller- K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Stupid! You don't need anything fancy, but what you buy is what you get. I prefer Perform Better's PB Elite Molded Foam rollers, since they last much longer and are a bit stiffer.

Pros- They feel great, they loosen up sore areas, can help with thoracic mobility and they can be used for additional balance training.

Cons- For a piece of foam they aren't that cheap, but unless you want to buy a 6 inch PVC pipe which can be much less forgiving, or go the tennis ball route this is not a bad choice at all.

Myo Ball- essentially a mini, foam, gel, or air ball that may or may not have spikes that does essentially the same job as a foam roller. I like Perform Better's Spikey Ball.

Pros- the spikes get you even deeper, and feel amazing on tired feet.

Cons- the small ball takes longer to get your whole body.

STS Bar
STS Bar.
Massage Stick- I've used tons of these things and I prefer Perform Better's Tiger Tail or the Core Performance STS Bar. They essentially both do the same thing but the STS bar can be attached to elastic band or a cable pulley and used for torso training.

Pros- the stick is much more portable than the previous tools, and can hit places that the ball and roller just plain can't.

Cons- couldn't really think of any, this isn't really necessary, if money is an issue stick with the foam roller.

Monday, 16 Feb 2009 - Issues

Video - Overhead Squat Progression


This is a great video on the overhead squat progression from this week's Minute of Strength. Nice one.

NB : if you're looking for more info on the Jefferson Squat (part of the progression), head over here.

Aaron 'The Mighty Mac' Mckenzie

'The Mighty Mac' is certainly no slouch when it comes to old-time strongman feats. For a solid dose of bending, tearing and other fun things, swing by Mighty Mac's blog. Good stuff.

Got a site, event or product you'd like to recommend? Drop us a line.
Painted Kettlebells
Painted Kettlebells.
A great week here on Straight to the Bar. The highlights :


Here's a great exercise combo from Joe Hashey's Bull Strength manual - 'stone' lifting and Moving Men. Good stuff.

Monday, 9 Feb 2009 - Issues

Video - DIY Stones with Eye Bolt


This is a very interesting idea, small (relatively) home-made stones with a removable eye-bolt for lifting. Nice one.

Max Brawn

Max Brawn is :

'a social community for fitness fanatics, strength trainers, bodybuilders, powerlifters, weight lifters, and anyone else looking to get in shape and forge the body of their dreams'

by Muscle & Brawn's Steve Shaw. Good stuff.


Got a site, event or product you'd like to recommend? Drop us a line.

Hammer Grip Pickups - SttB Articles


From the ever-inventive Joe Hashey (just take a look at the superb Bull Strength manual), a very interesting exercise - the Hammer Grip Pickup.

Monday, 2 Feb 2009 - Issues

Video - Decline GHRs


This is a superb piece of equipment, used here to demonstrate the particularly challenging Decline GHR. Love it.

Explosive Mechanics

Explosive Mechanics is Jared Bidne's athletic training centre, incorporating a range of dynamic strength and conditioning techniques. To get an idea of just how creative their approach is, head over to the video section. Good stuff.

Got a site, event or product you'd like to recommend? Drop us a line.
Scott Bird. Artwork by Vince Palko.
Yes, I love the deadlift.
There were some fantastic articles in the 5 Years of Straight to the Bar competition, thankyou.

To vote for your favourite (full list below), either send me a message on twitter, via email or leave a comment below - sometime during the next 7 days. I'll tally up the results and post them here.

Now, the list :

As you can see, there are some great articles in there. Enjoy.

Australia Day 2009 - SttB Articles

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460  

Pages

Powered by Movable Type 5.2.7