This Week on Straight to the Bar
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 :
Lift Weights? So What!
Logan Christopher
There’s a difference between lifting weights and exploring strength. Over to Logan.
Health & Fitness Research
Various authors
There’s been some fascinating research lately in the world of Health & Fitness – here’s just a sample.
Ready to add your own opinion, workout log or training article? Just head over to the Forums, Training Logs, or swing by the Article Submissions page. They’re fantastic ways to share your ideas.
NB : if you enjoy the articles, show the authors your appreciation by voting (using the Like, Digg and Retweet icons). Cheers.
Video : Battle Ropes
I love rope training, and this video shows just a few ways to put them to work. Good stuff.
Coming Events
Twitterchat 64 – Performance-Enhancing Supplements : Protein, caffeine, creatine – what do you have before, during and after your workout; specifically to squeeze the most out of the work you put in?
This week we’re taking a look at Performance-Enhancing Supplements (legal ones of course) – what’s currently used, the thinking behind them, and which ones are effective. Whether it’s a pre-workout cup of coffee or a dose of HMB.
Helping us to navigate this fascinating world is Food & Fitness‘ own Anthony Paradis (@foodnfitness). Fantastic.
Details –
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Performance-Enhancing Supplements
When : Wed May 5, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : include #sbgym in your tweets.
To see when it’s on in your timezone, head over to the twitterchat calendar.
See you there.
Quick update on last week’s twitterchat : I’ve been receiving a stack of positive feedback on the ‘Kettlebell Training for Beginners‘ discussion, and it’s greatly appreciated. And particular thanks to Jackie (aka Girlwithnoname) – was a great chat.
NB : If you’d like to be a guest on a future twitterchat, let me know. It’s great to hear how other people are training.
Getting Ready For :
Ultimate Warrior Workouts – Fitness Secrets of the Martial Arts
To say I’m looking forward to this is an understatement.
I’ll post a full review shortly (the book isn’t actually available until tomorrow, but you can pre-order it here). In the meantime, here’s a brief description of what’s inside :
World-renowned fitness coach Martin Rooney will take you where no warrior has gone before. On an epic international quest, Rooney traveled to top-fight destinations around the globe to study and train under the last living masters in the eight core disciplines of Mixed Martial Arts. More than 1,000 full-color photos reveal hundreds of the original training secrets he discovered along the way, from the slopes of Japan’s Mt. Fuji and the beaches of Brazil to the streets of Russia. With nearly fifty varieties of push-ups, dozens of kettlebell exercises, and hundreds of unique training techniques, Ultimate Warrior Workouts also offers:
- A complete six-month workout program
- Cutting-edge nutrition ADVICE and a sample diet plan
- “Warrior Challenges” to assess your fitness level
- The history and philosophy of the arts that comprise mixed martial arts
Listening To : Endurance
What are you listening to?
I’m a huge fan of audiobooks – it’s a fantastic way to increase your ‘reading‘ time, as you can do it whilst doing other things – particularly the descriptions of explorations and discoveries from a range of athletes and adventurers.
Currently I’m re-reading (re-listening to, really) the book Endurance, by Alfred Lansing, which details Ernest Shackleton‘s incredible 1914 South Pole expedition. A brilliant read.
How about you – what’s on your ‘books to listen to‘ list?
Exercise of the Week : Box Jump from Foam
Looking for a challenging way to vary your jump training? Try a few of these. Good fun.