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 Future of Workout Clothing
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Where's it all going?

  
  

• Looking At : Jun 19, 2016
  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 : Juggling With A Punch

A quick way to open a few drinks.

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.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.


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, Google+, the blog; and now 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 : Street Workout (Al and Danny Kavadlo)

Street Workout.

Street Workout is the latest offering from the wonderful Kavadlo brothers, and is certainly an extremely thorough covering of calisthenics work. The exercises themselves, underlying concepts and complete programs.

If you're at all serious about bodyweight work, I can't recommend this highly enough.

Fantastic read.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

The enigmatic Marco Pessoa.

Hey Scott, great to hear from you, and also to be apart of the fitness and strength community. I also did Martial arts when I was 10 yrs old, until I was 18 (I unfortunately couldn't continue because of my physical disability). Now today, I do weight training and isometrics and I just want to become stronger and bigger. Thank you for responding to my email. Have a great day.
Sincerely,
Marco Pessoa

Cheers Marco, greatly appreciated. Love hearing from people starting - and continuing - their training journey. It's a wonderful thing.

I'd love to hear more about your integration of the iron with isometrics - as do a great many members of the community here I suspect. Come and join us in the Google+ area.

We've discussed a number of fitness devices over the years, including a few that keep track of your sleep.

Here's another one to add to the ever-growing list - the FitSleep :

indiegogo.com/projects/fitsleep-our-tracker-is-your-personal-lullaby--2#

Nice and simple.

Incidentally, my own routine is to use the MotionX app on my 'phone. Same idea - keeps track of how deeply asleep you are, and wakes you up when you're inbetween cycles (shortly before the time you set the alarm). Makes a huge difference.

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 : A Brief History of Circuit Training and Peripheral Heart Action (PHA)
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  How it all began.

  
  

• Looking At : Jun 12, 2016
  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 : Stability Ball Push Up Progressions (Brent Brookbush)

Nice one Brent.

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.

Karsten Jensen.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.


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, Google+, the blog; and now 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 : The FitSleep

We've discussed a number of fitness devices over the years, including a few that keep track of your sleep.

Here's another one to add to the ever-growing list - the FitSleep :

indiegogo.com/projects/fitsleep-our-tracker-is-your-personal-lullaby--2#

Nice and simple.

Incidentally, my own routine is to use the MotionX app on my 'phone. Same idea - keeps track of how deeply asleep you are, and wakes you up when you're inbetween cycles (shortly before the time you set the alarm). Makes a huge difference.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Listening to Roger Lawson's podcast.

I love listening to (and watching, in some cases) a huge range of podcasts. To relax, to be entertained and of course to learn something specific.

Wonderful things.

Soon to re-join the ranks will be the inimitable Roger Lawson. No doubt he'll share the details on his blog/on Twitter/on Google+ an so on; in the meantime, here's a selection of audio he's done in the past :

roglawfitness.com/audio-lovin

Dive in.

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 : Owning an Underground Gym - Some Insights
  Al Heinemann | Follow @alheinemann
  The first 18 months of the Terminal City Barbell Club.

  
  

• Looking At : Jun 5, 2016
  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 : 100kg Two Hands Flask Pinch Lift (Jedd Johnson)

Nice one Jedd.

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.

Karsten Jensen.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.


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, Google+, the blog; and now 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.

Looking Forward To : Roger Lawson's Upcoming Podcast

Listening to Roger Lawson's podcast.

I love listening to (and watching, in some cases) a huge range of podcasts. To relax, to be entertained and of course to learn something specific.

Wonderful things.

Soon to re-join the ranks will be the inimitable Roger Lawson. No doubt he'll share the details on his blog/on Twitter/on Google+ an so on; in the meantime, here's a selection of audio he's done in the past :

roglawfitness.com/audio-lovin

Dive in.

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 : The Importance of Fundamentals
  Justin Andrushko | Follow @JustinAndrushk1
  Understanding the basics.

  
  

• Looking At : May 29, 2016
  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 : Integrating Physical Therapy and Powerlifting

Great combination.

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.

Pierre Johnson.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.


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: Lifting Without a Spotter

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.

Andrew Nalepa.

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when lifting by yourself. In the Setting Up the Home Gym Gymchat, Andrew noted his own guidelines for Lifting Without a Spotter. Good stuff.

From Gymchat 167 - Setting Up the Home Gym :

My personal general rules for lifting without a spotter:

Don't do:

• 1. Anything I haven't done before.
• 2. Anything that could get me killed.
• 3. Anything that I am not 100% sure that I will get all the reps.
• 4. Anything that I cannot do with good form.

Do:

• 1. Anything that doesn't violate the "don't do" and will get me stronger!

Love it.

Re-Reading : Becoming a Supple Leopard - 2nd Edition

Becoming a Supple Leopard.

Remember Kelly Starrett's wonderful Becoming a Supple Leopard? The updated version - the 2nd Edition - is about to hit the virtual shelves. Looking forward to it.

A quick overview to give you an idea of what the book's all about :

It's Kelly's approach to mobility. A detailed understanding of how the body works; in order to improve athletic performance, reduce injury time and a whole lot more.

Becoming a Supple Leopard - 2nd Edition. Fantastic.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.