Love running when you travel? The side effect of that is not only stumbling across some incredible sites, it's accidentally ending up in some fairly unsavoury areas.

This is an interesting way to tackle these situations (the unsavoury ones, that is), the Athena Roar :

NB : although this version's strongly focussed on the safety aspect, I'd love to see many of the common fitness-monitoring functions built in to the device. And, of course, a way to export all of that data.

The Athena Roar Wearable Safety Accessory.

straighttothebar.com/articles/reading.

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 : How to Get Your Gym on the Map
  Yael Grauer | Follow @yaelwrites
  Want more clients for your fitness business?

  
  

• Looking At : Oct 15, 2017
  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 : Growing A Wide V-Taper Back

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.

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 : The Benefits of Getting Your Shoes Fitted (Rather Than Fitting Them Yourself)

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.

There were a number of great points raised in Gymchat 185 - Training for Marathons & Triathlons, including this suggestion from Chas. There are real benefits to having your shoes fitted, rather than simply picking the ones you think will work well.

Well said.

Checking Out : Athena Roar

Love running when you travel? The side effect of that is not only stumbling across some incredible sites, it's accidentally ending up in some fairly unsavoury areas.

This is an interesting way to tackle these situations (the unsavoury ones, that is), the Athena Roar :

NB : although this version's strongly focussed on the safety aspect, I'd love to see many of the common fitness-monitoring functions built in to the device. And, of course, a way to export all of that data.

The Athena Roar Wearable Safety Accessory.

straighttothebar.com/articles/reading.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Great information.

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 : Suspension Training 101
  Derek Peruo | Follow @DerekPeruoCSCS
  Where do you start?

  
  

• Looking At : Oct 8, 2017
  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 : Silent Mike and the 'Ed Coan Deadlift'

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.

Adam Farrah.

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 : The Stages of Workout Nutrition

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 a brief look at the major stages of workout nutrition, and their goals. A bit of fine-tuning here can go a long way indeed.

From Gymchat 133 - Workout Nutrition :

Kurtis Frank.

Any meal can contribute to a workout (glycogen replenishment mostly), but generally workout nutrition is broken into three segments. The pre-workout, the intra-workout (optional dependent on goals), and the post-workout.

Pre-workout is literally just a meal you eat before you hit the gym. It holds more importance than other meals (say, breakfast if you train in the PM) since the nutrients you ingest at this meal will still be floating around in your blood when it comes time for a workout.

Intra-workout is typically something you bring to the gym to sip on, and where stuff typically gets all fancy with supplementation and is the area most people like to talk about. (This includes post-workout shakes consumed immediately after training)

Post-workout is when you get home and make a nice meal. There are typically higher rates of muscular metabolism and generally more metabolic direction to muscle and away from fat mass (compared to other meals). So nutrients post workout tend to be put to better fates than other meals.

Checking Out : Anchor Point Training's 'Unbreakable' Bands

These look great.

Anchor Point Training's 'Unbreakable' Bands are - as you've doubtless ascertained from the name - resistance bands designed for frequent use.

I'll be putting them through their paces shortly; in the meantime, here's a bit of video to show them in action :

Anchor Point Training's 'Unbreakable' Bands.

straighttothebar.com/articles/reading.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Interesting idea.

The Blazepod is a simple light, designed to be tapped at the end of each rep (depending on the exercise) in a workout. The video below shows it in action :

Designed to challenge your speed and reaction times - using basic visual cues - it looks like a great way to put yourself to the test.

The Blazepod.

straighttothebar.com/articles/reading.

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 : Kipping Pull-ups
  Al Kavadlo | Follow @alkavadlo
  Cheating, or just a different approach?

  
  

• Looking At : Oct 1, 2017
  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 : Foot Pressure & Knee Movement in the Squat

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.

Sincere Hogan.

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: Getting Back Into It

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.

Returning to Heavy Training After a Break

In Gymchat 136 - Heavy Training after a Break, Vic noted :

I lost a LOT of strength on some lifts. It was surprising. That's why that initial 3 weeks of lighter work was important to me - it was smart to underestimate my strength at first.

And

It's important to consciously do less those first few weeks. I was off for almost 2 years - as a rule I did not put any more than 135lbs on the bar the first week. I did not push any sets to failure the next two weeks while still staying at 5 reps or less for most sets.

Good stuff.

Checking Out : The Blazepod

Interesting idea.

The Blazepod is a simple light, designed to be tapped at the end of each rep (depending on the exercise) in a workout. The video below shows it in action :

Designed to challenge your speed and reaction times - using basic visual cues - it looks like a great way to put yourself to the test.

The Blazepod.

straighttothebar.com/articles/reading.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.