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 : DIY: Home-made Gym Equipment II
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  The DIY fun continues.

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 25, 2018
  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 : Brian Shaw Rolling a Frying Pan (Jujimufu)

I never get tired of seeing this feat. Love it.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ 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.

Barry Gibson.

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 : Bending Steel = Increased Strength Endurance

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.

Adam with a reconfigured #5 Draft Horse Shoe.

The increase in strength and power naturally will carry over to an increase in your endurance. Anyone who has bent a nail will tell you the first time they bent it was so tiring. I have watched people sweat bullets bending their first respectable nail. As time goes on you gain huge reserves of power. A personal testament to this level of power for me was October 2007 when I bent 150 60D nails in one hour using the double under (DU) grip. That represented a massive improvement from Jan 2007, when bending 10-15 nails left my hands extremely fatigued.

Good stuff.

Checking Out : The Drive Podcast (Peter Attia, MD)

The Drive.

Looks like I've got a little catching up to do.

Peter Attia's 'The Drive' Podcast.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Interesting idea.

We've certainly been discussing air pollution a fair bit this week, and I just came across this offering - the The Atmotube 2.0. Long-term readers may remember the first incarnation of the device.

Although I've got plenty of 'does it integrate with ... ' questions, I'm keen to try one out. And in the meantime, a spot of video :

The Atmotube 2.0 - Portable Air Pollution Monitor.

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 : Heavy Sandbag Training - Part I
  Michael Amos
  Building the Sandbags.
  

• Looking At : Nov 18, 2018
  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 Ideal Workout Split - For You (Athlean-X)

Not growing as quickly as you could?

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ 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.

Batou (Ghost in the Shell).

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 : Use Checklists in your Training

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.

Seeing Complexity. Photo by Michael Heiss.

However, they're very powerful things indeed.


The basic logic behind using a checklist is pretty straightforward. As Adam Stoffa notes in the article Checklists and Complex Problems :

An example from training might be properly warming up. Everyone knows it's foolish to engage in physical training without warming up first, but with time pressure, competing interests, or environmental stress, this step occasionally gets skipped. The risks associated with skipping this step, are significant. Pulled muscles are a major setback to a training program. When you balance the interests involved, saving a few minutes versus suffering a major setback, the risk associated with skipping this key step is unacceptably high. Therefore, item number 1 on your checklist could be:

1. Complete Warm Up Exercises

And yes, although it looks almost laughably simple, this absolutely works. The checklist approach is very highly recommended indeed.

Checking Out : Atmotube 2.0 (Portable Air Pollution Monitor)

We've certainly been discussing air pollution a fair bit this week, and I just came across this offering - the The Atmotube 2.0. Long-term readers may remember the first incarnation of the device.

Although I've got plenty of 'does it integrate with ... ' questions, I'm keen to try one out. And in the meantime, a spot of video :

The Atmotube 2.0 - Portable Air Pollution Monitor.

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 : 10 of the Best - Parkour Television Commercials
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  These are incredible.
  

• Looking At : Nov 11, 2018
  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 : Improving Brain Health, Reducing Dementia Risk (Max Lugavere)

Great information.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ 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.

Barry Gibson.

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 : Lateral Sled Work

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.

This tip comes from the Gymchat Bite on Sled Training, with Strength Coach Frank DiMeo and Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett. How Frank performs Lateral Work with a Sled :

Good stuff.

Checking Out : Altifarm (Indoor Herb Garden)

We've been talking recently about the various ways to fine-tune your diet, and 'growing your own herbs & vegetables' is certainly high on the list. The The Altifarm is a great way to do just that.

Designed especially for indoor/small space use, it's essentially an organised stack of adjustable height planter boxes.

A little video will show you what I mean :

The Altifarm.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Interesting idea.

We've been talking recently about the various ways to fine-tune your diet, and 'growing your own herbs & vegetables' is certainly high on the list. The The Altifarm is a great way to do just that.

Designed especially for indoor/small space use, it's essentially an organised stack of adjustable height planter boxes.

A little video will show you what I mean :

The Altifarm.

Interesting idea.

The DreamOn 'Watch' is a wrist-worn device, designed to help you get to sleep. Curious to try one (though somewhat skeptical); particularly interested in the ability to export the sleep data to other apps.

In the meantime, a little video of the device :

The DreamOn Sleep 'Watch'.

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 : Pull Like A Strongman
  Max Misch
  Time to test yourself.
  

• Looking At : Nov 4, 2018
  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 Fix Wrist Pain (FitnessFAQs)

Great information.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ 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.

Derek 'D-Rock' Peruo.

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 : Returning to Heavy Training - Inspecting the Equipment

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.

This tip is an answer to the question 'If you're using your old gear, how do you test things to make sure they're still safe and working correctly?', directed at Vic Magary during the Heavy Training after a Break Gymchat. A great discussion.

Vic Magary.

"I think the most important thing to inspect would be the J-cups where you set the bar. Also simply taking a wrench to all of the bolts of a rack to make sure they are good and tight. Depending on the type, you may want to double check the collars. I'd think the barbell and plates would be fine even after a few years as long as they were subject to normal conditions."

Checking Out : DreamOn (Sleep 'Watch')

The DreamOn 'Watch' is a wrist-worn device, designed to help you get to sleep. Curious to try one (though somewhat skeptical); particularly interested in the ability to export the sleep data to other apps.

In the meantime, a little video of the device :

The DreamOn Sleep 'Watch'.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.