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 :
Switching to a Paleo Diet
Matt Hunt
In the lead-up to this week’s twitterchat (see details below), Matt has begun a little experimentation himself.
Health & Fitness Research
Various authors
There has been some fantastic research posted recently, both on the forums and the Facebook page. Dive in.
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‘ button beneath each post). Cheers.
Video : Tire Rotation by USAJG
This is a beautifully simple idea. Love it.
Twitterchat 107 – Nutrition For Fat Loss
When I started lifting weights a little over 7 years ago, I wasn’t exactly thinking about what I ate. No matter what it was, I was certain the training was going to make up for it.
Over the years I’ve gradually learnt the benefits of eating cleanly, and made the occasional tweak to my diet. It now falls into the ‘Primal, and very, very clean‘ category.
More recently, I’ve begun exploring the scientific side of nutrition – the fine-tuning that’s possible with a little effort in the right areas. And yes, it makes a massive differece.
This week we’re looking closely at this third aspect, Nutrition For Fat Loss. How to work out what your body needs, when, and in what form. Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than Food and Fitness‘s Anthony Paradis (@foodnfitness). Fantastic.
Details –
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Nutrition For Fat Loss
When : Wed Mar 2, 9pm EDT (1am UTC)
How : Include #sbgym in your tweets.
If you’ve never been to one of these twitterchats before, here’s how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.
And 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 : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion on Recovery : Improving Monophasic and Biphasic Sleep. Some superb ideas in there.
For those who missed out on the conversation, here’s a brief summary. Was a great one.
Considering : MiR 20LBS Adjustable Weighted Vest
I buy the majority of my stuff online, and regularly find myself trawling places like Amazon in search of discounts. One I just came across – the MiR 20LBS Adjustable Weighted Vest.
Although it’s a whopping 60% off the usual price, I’m still wont to read a review or two. In particular, this one stood out :
I am a 34 year old U.S. Army soldier in currently stationed in Afghanistan, so you can guarantee that if I am taking time to write a review (down time that I could be using to sleep or write my family) that It will be accurate review based upon actual facts and not emotions.
Setup: I received my MiR 20LBS Comfortable Exercise Adjustable PRO Weighted VEST 5 days ago. I bought it new on sale for $26.99 (marked down from $69.99). It took about a week to get here. Shipping cost me more then what I paid for the vest ($29.99), but it’s what I expected it to cost for a 20lb package to be shipped to Afghanistan.
Results after 5 days(approx. 64hrs of wear): So far I am very impressed with the vest, it fits well and is easy to adjust and seems to be made out of really durable material. I tried jumping up and down rapidly for 30 secs and the vest barely moved. The vest is a little bulky under my uniform but I see that as a small price to pay for increase speed and endurance. I only wear it continuously 12-14 hrs a day but since I only got it five days ago I am taking it slowly by letting my body get use to the weight before I start actually exercising with it on. The only down side I see is the burst of energy I feel when I take it off before I go to sleep. I can’t wait to take it on a run! Check back for my update when I start exercising and am able to see what this baby can really do!
Sounds great. Anyone here tried one?
Quick update on the AtLarge BCAA+ : Thanks to everyone who grabbed some, it’s great stuff. The discount still applies for another couple of weeks, so if you missed out (or would just like to grab some more), here are the details :
Head over to the AtLarge BCAA+ page, grab a bottle or three, and use the coupon code SB25 when ordering. Tell Chris that Straight to the Bar sent you. He’ll look after you.
Exercise of the Week : Seated Rope Pull
Here’s another great way to put a length of rope to work – the Seated Rope Pull. Good fun.
Note that there are several ways to make this a little more challenging : increase the weight, reduce the time, use a thick rope and pull the weight uphill. Here’s Dave Lemanczyk demonstrating all of them at once. Nice work.
Good stuff.
Incidentally, if you’d like to get in touch regarding this or any other aspect of strength, you can send me an email here. Look forward to hearing from you.
Free eBooks from Straight to the Bar
As a Strength & Fitness Newsletter subscriber you get several great eBooks, absolutely free. Just head over here, save them to your hard-drive, and dive in.
Good stuff.
NB : This is an ever-changing list of books. If you’d like to put your own work in front of a fantastic strength-focussed audience, let me know.