Looks great.

We discuss cycling quite a bit on Straight to the Bar - it's a great way to get a little exercise whilst on your way to wherever you're going. Love it.

Still, we get quite a few questions regarding the tracking of the bicycles. To monitor your own journeys, and to help prevent theft.

The iTrakit takes care of the latter (though I suspect it does a little of both) : the 'theft dissuasion' part. Hidden inside the frame, discreetly.

A little video will show you what I mean :

The iTrakit.

Must be incredibly satisfying, particularly after the 'you'll never walk again' comments. Nice one.

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 : Evolution of Sandbag Training Part 2
  Josh Henkin | Follow @joshhenkin
  Ready for some new ways to put the sandbag to work?

  
  

• Looking At : Jun 30, 2019
  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 : Back in the Gym, Post Surgeries (Ronnie Coleman)

Must be incredibly satisfying, particularly after the 'you'll never walk again' comments. Nice one.

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.

Paul Teixeira.

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: Try a Caffeine Nap

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.

Caffeine Napping.

For a start, they take place at different times of the day.

I'm curious though - has anyone here sampled a Caffeine Nap? I'd love to hear your thoughts; particularly if it's a regular thing.


From the article 'Caffeine Napping' :

Sleep researchers at Loughborough University were looking at various ways to keep motorists awake on long journeys. The winner - perhaps somewhat surprisingly - was the 'caffeine nap'.

The idea is simple : drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a brief (15-20min) nap. This helps clear the body of adenosine, a chemical commonly believed to make you drowsy.

Very interesting indeed.

Checking Out : iTrakit (GPS bike tracker)

Looks great.

We discuss cycling quite a bit on Straight to the Bar - it's a great way to get a little exercise whilst on your way to wherever you're going. Love it.

Still, we get quite a few questions regarding the tracking of the bicycles. To monitor your own journeys, and to help prevent theft.

The iTrakit takes care of the latter (though I suspect it does a little of both) : the 'theft dissuasion' part. Hidden inside the frame, discreetly.

A little video will show you what I mean :

The iTrakit.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

This is an interesting area.

Although I'm not exactly convinced by the whole 'punch the boss' angle, the 'Move It Speed''s sensors & smartphone integration aspects are certainly promising. Would love to see them used in several other pieces of equipment.

And to give you an idea of the 'Move It Speed' itself, a bit of video :

Move It Speed.

Nice one.

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 : Jaw Lifting - What, Why and How
  Ryan Pitts | Follow @strongergrip
  How to do it the Right way.

  
  

• Looking At : Jun 23, 2019
  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 Importance of Core Strength (ThenX)

Nice one.

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.

Josh Hewett.

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: Tie Your Water Consumption to the Number of Calories You Burn

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.

Water.

From the article 8 Glasses of Water Per Day?, a bit of history that'll make the whole thing a lot clearer :

Most people are aware that the drinking of plenty of water is advisable, and anecdotal evidence suggests that more = better (up to a point). However, where did the current guideline of '8 cups per day' come from?

According to Valtin (i) the origin is probably the 1945 recommendation made by the Food and Nutrition Board of the US National Research Council. This stated :

A suitable allowance of water for adults is 2.5 liters daily in most instances. An ordinary standard for diverse persons is 1 milliliter for each calorie of food. Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.

The 2.5 litres was changed to 8 x 8 fluid ounce cups in later recommendations, but is otherwise unchanged.

Incidentally, if you're wondering how to work out the number of calories you're burning these days - here's how to work it out.

Checking Out : Move It Speed (Intelligent Punching Bag)

This is an interesting area.

Although I'm not exactly convinced by the whole 'punch the boss' angle, the 'Move It Speed''s sensors & smartphone integration aspects are certainly promising. Would love to see them used in several other pieces of equipment.

And to give you an idea of the 'Move It Speed' itself, a bit of video :

Move It Speed.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

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 : Lift Weights? So What!
  Logan Christopher | Follow @strongmanlogan
  Time to get serious.

  
  

• Looking At : Jun 16, 2019
  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 : Magnus Midtbø Destroys New Grip Strength Test (Jujimufu)

Very interesting grip tools : weighted rock climbing grips (the Beast Fingers Grippūl Two, aka 'Beast Grips 420 Blazet').

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.

Conor Kelly.

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: Dynamic Thumb Training with the Titan's Telegraph Key

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.

TTK.

Still, there's always a different way of looking at things. Here's an excellent example of that - Jedd shows just how a piece of equipment like the TTK can be put to a slightly uncommon use. I'll let him explain.

From the article Getting the Most out of Your TTK :

Thumb training can be broken up into at least four different types: Dynamic, Static, and Extensor, and Multi-Planar.

The focus of this article will be Dynamic thumb training with the Titan's Telegraph Key, or TTK.

One way to mix things up a bit is to make the Range of Motion longer by adding something underneath the finger-side handle. A catalog is a perfect choice for this. This makes the hand work through a longer range of motion the muscles are not used to. The first time I did this, I was sore for several days from the new stimulus. This technique has worked great for me in my quest for lifting heavier and wider block weights.

A brief demonstration :

Love it.

Checking Out : Backmate (Doorway-Mounted Self-Massager)

Looks great.

As you can see from the above video, the Backmate is an incredibly simple idea. Completely portable (it doesn't require any fixed mounts - it expands to fit the available doorway), it looks ideal for travelling.

The Backmate.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.