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 Fat Bar
Max Shank
Looking for a way to challenge your grip? Throw in a little thick bar work. Good fun.
Looking At : Jan 26, 2014
Scott Andrew Bird
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 more writing in 2014 and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here’s how.
Video : Mobility for Powerlifting
Good stuff Clint. Excellent advice.
Gymchat 233 – The Basics of Getting STRONG (Tyler Thor Jefferis)
A deceptively simple question – how do you become seriously strong? Through competitions, equipment, training techniques – or a bit of each?
This week we’ll be discussing this area in detail, explaining exactly how to go from being ‘about as strong as the people around me‘ to ‘the strongest person I know‘. Taking us through the entire process is Powerlifter Tyler Thor Jefferis together with Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
If you’ve got questions/comments for Tyler or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat. And if you’d like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the ‘share‘ button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.
Details –
Who : Powerlifter Tyler Thor Jefferis and Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett
Topic : The Basics of Getting STRONG
When : We’re holding this one a little earlier in the week. It’ll be on Tuesday Jan 28, 9:15pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We’ll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
See you there.
Previously : In Gymchat 232 we discussed Self-Hypnosis [Controlled Relaxation] For Strength Gains (with Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett). Great conversation.
If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here. And if you’d like to work with Jen 1 on 1, you’ll find her at Thrive 365.
Tip of the Week: Finding a Good Training Partner
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 to us from the Gymchat on ‘Motivation‘, and is part of a longer discussion of training partners. Enjoy.
Over to Roger :
Finding a good training partner is rough and really all depends on the person’s temperament. Some like to train with someone who is far above them as motivation to get better while others like someone who is at their level or slightly beyond them, otherwise they get discouraged because the gap is so wide (a prime example of that negative self talk).
I would start by just searching the gym for someone who does a similar style of training (or something completely different if you’re in to trying new things) that you do or someone who has attributes that you’d like to have (e.g. freaky strong, etc) and strike up a chat with them. You already have at least the gym in common, so start there.
Good stuff.
Checking Out : Stretching Your Boundaries – Flexibility Training for Extreme Calisthenic Strength
This looks fantastic.
Making its way instantly to the top of my ‘books to read‘ list is Stretching Your Boundaries – the latest offering from the inimitable Al Kavadlo. And as the name implies, Stretching Your Boundaries is Al’s own thinking on the use of stretching with bodyweight training. Perfect.
Full review shortly; in the meantime though, here’s a quick comment from the Amazon page to give you an idea :
What is fantastic about this book is the first part – a complete manifesto about stretching and stretch safety. If you had any doubts about stretching, this part of the book is worth the money alone.
Stretching Your Boundaries.
NB : the links above are for the Kindle edition; a paperback version is available over on the Dragon Door site.
Quick update on the Hip Thruster we mentioned recently – fantastic thing.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
Exercise of the Week : Band Hand Walk on Bar
Love this idea – perfect for high-rep work at the end of a solid bench session. The Band Hand Walk on Bar.
Incidentally, if you’d like to get in touch regarding this or any other aspect of strength, you can contact me here. Look forward to hearing from you.
Kettlebell Exercise Demonstrations & Tutorials
We’ve looked at a lot of kettlebell exercises and variations over the years – in the form of tips, tutorials and demonstrations.
Where do you find them all? Right here – a complete list of Kettlebell Exercise Demonstrations & Tutorials.
Enjoy.
A Daily Dose
Love this stuff? Same here. If you’re looking for a daily dose of strength-training goodness, grab the Straight to the Bar Daily.
Absolutely free.
Free Downloads from the Strength Kit
I recently added a number of resources to the Straight to the Bar Strength Kit, and as a Strength & Fitness Newsletter subscriber you’re more than welcome to download as many of them as you like. Several great eBooks, podcasts and videos – all absolutely free.
Just head over here, save them to your hard-drive, and dive in.
Good stuff.
NB : This is an ever-changing list. If you’d like to put your own work in front of a fantastic strength-focussed audience, let me know.
Giving
If you’ve been training for a while, gradually cleaning up your diet, no doubt you’ve experienced the amazing power of transformation. It’s a tremendous feeling.
If you’re ready to give someone else a hand to transform their own lives – through education, sharing equipment, financial help – take a look at the full list of organisations on the Giving page. Cheers.