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 Ab Wheel
Scott Andrew Bird
Beautifully simple.- Looking At : Nov 2, 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 : Low Back Tweak Fast Fixes – Kelly Starrett and Jenny Labaw
Gymchat 262 – Learning from Experts Outside of Your Discipline (Frank DiMeo)
When you’re focussed on strength, does it really help to devote time to learning other topics?
Absolutely. This week we’ll be exploring what/how often/why; no matter what those other topics are. Helping explain how all this works is Strength Coach Frank DiMeo, together with Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
NB : We love hearing from as many people as possible. Join Frank and Josh on the Hangout, or fire in your questions via the Q&A. Full details below.
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 : Strength Coach Frank DiMeo, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Learning from Experts Outside of Your Discipline
When : Monday Nov 3, 8:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, join the hangout (just add Top Form Fitness to one of your circles, and Josh’ll send out the URL when the Hangout starts), or jump in the Q&A on the Event page itself. We’ll also post the full video on the main site shortly after the Gymchat.
Previously : In Gymchat 261 we discussed How To Increase INTENSITY (with Powerlifter Fadel D and Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete 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.
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.
Checklists are one of those things that seem so simple as to be almost pointless. Not really worth the effort.
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:
- 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 : Diamond-Cut Abs
Looking forward to this one.
We’ll be discussing the topic of ‘finding things to read‘ in this week’s Gymchat, but suffice to say that the next one on my own list is Danny Kavadlo’s Diamond-Cut Abs. Looks great.
To give you an idea of what it’s all about (although the title probably says quite a lot), a piece of one of the reviews on the main page :
The section on nutrition is awesome, stressing the “practical over the theoretical” (p32). He doesn’t worry about fat grams, macros, calorie counting or weight scales (unless it involves throwing them out) but rather wholesome and natural foods – nothing processed.
This is where his experience comes into play. While the information about proper eating wasn’t necessarily new to me (it may be for others), it was the results he achieved eating in certain ways that convinced me to ditch the meat scales, spreadsheets and everything else I used to count macros and incorporate his approach in my diet.
Danny Kavadlo’s Diamond-Cut Abs. Good stuff.
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 : Backflip Burpees
Via Fight Geek : this is certainly one way to get the blood pumping. Backflip Burpees.
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.
New Guide : The Straight to the Bar Guide to Fat Loss
We’ve received some fantastic feedback following Vic Magary‘s Gymchats on Fat Loss, cheers. Greatly appreciated.
If fat loss is one of your own fitness goals, and you haven’t yet watched the discussions, you’ll find them all here. I’ve also added several other fat loss resources we’ve noted over the years – all of them highly recommended. Dive in.
Straight to the Bar Strength Calendar
Taking part in, helping out with or going to watch an upcoming strength competition?
Tell us about it.
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.
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.