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 : Soothing Music and a Handful of New PRs
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Relax, breathe deeper, perform better.

  
  

• Looking At : May 3, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Aging Research in the Age of COVID-19 (Brent Nally and Dr Aubrey de Grey)

Very interesting conversation.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Logan Christopher.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week: Ice for Better Sleep

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

Sleep is easily my favourite form of recovery. Huge fan of a well-timed nap, and the associated dietary fine-tuning. Love it.

This tip comes to us from the Gymchat on sleep as a recovery method, and is a comment by Personal Trainer Derek Peruo on how he helps his new clients get a solid dose of shut-eye. Very interesting approach.

Just Resting.

For sleep, I usually recommend zinc and magnesium. If those don't help, I also recommend an ice pack to the back of the neck right before bed.

The ice pack lowers core temperature and promotes the release of melatonin.

And yes, all of those things work extremely well. Good stuff.

Checking Out : Huami Amazfit X (Curved, Fitness-Focused Smartwatch)

Promising indeed.

We first mentioned this one a while ago, and it's great to see that it's now up on Indiegogo. The Huami Amazfit X - a curved, fitness-focused smartwatch. Great combination.

The form factor looks ideal, and it includes the usual suspects when it comes to the fitness-tracking side of things.

A little video :

The Huami Amazfit X.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Interesting idea.

Although I'm not exactly a fan of the 'late night infomercial' vibe of the video (below), the product itself is intriguing. Particularly the stretching aspect.

The NEXX is a pillow-sized neck therapy device, with a focus on the cervical traction approach to things. A spot of neck stretching and massage.

A little video to show you what I mean :

The NEXX.

Interesting discussion - especially the exercise & supplementation points.

It's fair to say that I take a lot of photographs. Having been started about 39 years ago (my dad was a professional photographer, got me a camera and showed me what to do), the bug has well and truly bitten.

Most of the photos I take are of Australian Heritage - much of it around Sydney - covering the past 200 years or so. It's when the country moved from aboriginal to aboriginal + European; it's the gradual birth of the Australia that we see now.

You'll find them all over on scottbirdphotography.com . You're also welcome to swing by the daily newsletter - , and the various photo-centric lists on Twitter.

Finally, there's the sign-up to my main newsletter below. This is simply to let you know when something new is on the way - an upcoming talk, workshop, calendar, book or whatever. Add your details at :

cheers.

Scott

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 Lost Art of Overhead Pressing
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  How much? Time to find out.

  
  

• Looking At : Apr 26, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : How to Make Sense of the Constantly Shifting Info on the Coronavirus (Peter Attia on Impact Theory)

Interesting discussion - especially the exercise & supplementation points.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Frank DiMeo.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week : Neck Bridge Progressions

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

This tip is in the form of a video which we first saw back in 2008; I was reminded of this technique after a brief discussion of neck training over on Google+. It's a very interesting series of neck bridge variations.

Over to Martin Rooney :

Good stuff.

Checking Out : NEXX (Home Therapy Neck Device)

Interesting idea.

Although I'm not exactly a fan of the 'late night infomercial' vibe of the video (below), the product itself is intriguing. Particularly the stretching aspect.

The NEXX is a pillow-sized neck therapy device, with a focus on the cervical traction approach to things. A spot of neck stretching and massage.

A little video to show you what I mean :

The NEXX.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Looks great.

Sleep is important at the best of times, especially during the lockdown. It's easily my favourite form of recovery.

The Carbon SnoreX is a cool, bacteria-resistant pillow with a somewhat distinctive shape. Although the 'anti-snoring' aspect may be getting all the attention, it's a combination of the above that appeals to me personally.

A little video :

The Carbon SnoreX.

No home gym available? Try some of these. Bodyweight only.

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 : Row, Row, Row
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  There are many ways to perform the humble row.

  
  

• Looking At : Apr 19, 2020
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  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're keen to do a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : The 10 Greatest Home Exercises of All Time (Athlean-X)

No home gym available? Try some of these. Bodyweight only.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and a full list here). And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.

Fadel D.

NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week : Holding the Bar in the Front Squat

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

This tip is not so much 'How to Hold the Bar in the Front Squat' (though the article shows no fewer than 10 ways to do just that), as much as a simple demonstration that there are often many ways to achieve the same result in strength training. If what you're doing isn't working (or you simply don't enjoy it), try something else.

From the article Holding the Bar in the Front Squat :

Front Squat.

If the Mike Boyle article on T-Nation has you considering the Front Squat, you may be mindful of just how awkward it can be to hold the bar. Like Zercher Squats, they're often overlooked simply due to the difficulty.

There are several ways to hold the bar for the Front Squat. If one method doesn't feel right, or your current flexibility or injury precludes it, try one of the others. It really is a great exercise.

Checking Out : Carbon SnoreX Pillow (Cooling Pillow with Anti-Snore Tech)

Looks great.

Sleep is important at the best of times, especially during the lockdown. It's easily my favourite form of recovery.

The Carbon SnoreX is a cool, bacteria-resistant pillow with a somewhat distinctive shape. Although the 'anti-snoring' aspect may be getting all the attention, it's a combination of the above that appeals to me personally.

A little video :

The Carbon SnoreX.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.