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 :
From the Archives : Addressing Weaknesses in The Squat
Rick Walker
I got several questions during the week on squatting, and this piece answers most of them. How to find out what’s wrong, and how to fix it.
Straight to the Bar Flickr Group
Various authors
There have been several great photos posted here recently (you’ll see some of them in the sidebar), notably by Zach Wheeler, Davie Easton and Wild Kiwi. If you haven’t already, add some of yours. Love seeing where/how everyone trains and competes.
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 : I’ve set up a new commenting system for Straight to the Bar, which makes it even easier to share your views with the world. You can log in using your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Disqus accounts. Much simpler.
Video : The Desecrator
A quick dose of DIY equipment. Nice one Daniel.
Twitterchat 124 – Advanced Bodyweight Training
I love bodyweight training. You can do it almost anywhere, and you’ve always got the equipment with you.
This week we’re looking at some of the advanced forms of bodyweight work. Variations of common exercises, progressive training methods and additional equipment that can provide even more possibilities.
Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than We’re Working Out‘s Al Kavadlo (@alkavadlo). Fantastic.
Details –
Who : Strength-training fans
Topic : Advanced Bodyweight Training
When : Wed Jun 29, 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 Nutrition for Beginners II. Some superb ideas in there.
For those who missed out on the conversation, here’s a brief summary. Was a great one.
Tip of the Week: Choosing a Training Partner
Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via twitter, facebook, the forums, 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 via the inimitable Fight Geek (@thefightgeek), and is part of his superb article Training Partners. Enjoy.
Watching this commercial got me thinking about training partners. Training partners are an essential part of most sports. They provide encouragement, friendly competition, the odd rebuke and of course–help you train the aspects of your sport you can’t train by yourself. Or that’s what they’re supposed to do. Unfortunately, sometimes training partners can prevent progress rather than foster it. So it’s important for athletes to be discerning. Over the years I’ve learned two important lessons about training partners . . .
- You will become like the person you train with.
I can’t over-emphasize this point. If your training partner is a lazy, ignorant, excuse-filled, thumb-sucking, moron–you’d do better to train by yourself (unless Homer Simpson is your athletic ideal). Only a high-quality training partner can provide high-quality training. Sounds obvious, but I’ve seen more than a few athletes blow their careers (and health!) by selecting the wrong training partner. This point leads on to the next . . . - To get an awesome training partner, you have to be an awesome training partner.
For the vast majority of my ‘training life‘ I’ve had great training partners. I’m convinced one of the reasons I’ve been so ‘lucky‘ is that I’ve made it my business to work on my partners development just as much as I work on my own. I’ve always viewed training with others as a means of mutual improvement.
Checking Out : Introduction to Strongman Training DVD
This is a fantastic DVD.
Put together by none other than Jedd ‘Napalm‘ Johnson and Steve Slater (if you’ve ever made your own stones, you’ll know Steve well), the Introduction to Strongman Training DVD is an extremely comprehensive look at this incredibly versatile approach to training. Full review shortly, but to get an idea of what’s included, here’s Jedd :
http://dieselcrew.com/strongman-training.html
As you can see, it’s a very detailed look at this fantastic form of training. Whether you’re keen to incorporate some Strongman work yourself, or are coaching others; the Introduction to Strongman Training DVD is a brilliant place to start.
Absolutely love it.
Quick update on the The Ultimate Sandbag : A couple of weeks ago we noted the incredible Ultimate Sandbag. Beautiful thing.
Whether you’re looking at it as a conditioning or strength-building tool (or both), swing by the Straight to the Bar Guide to Sandbag Training. Loads of information there, examples and ideas.
Dive in.
Exercise of the Week : The Swearing Push-up
We’ve looked at a number of push-up variations over the years (and will discuss a couple of the more advanced versions in the twitterchat), including the aptly named Swearing Push-up.
Stability ball, chains, and a few choice words.
Good fun.
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 Straight to the Bar eBooks
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.
Time for Some New Gear? Here’s What to Get, and How to Use It
Thanks to everyone who’s sent in feedback (via email, Facebook and Twitter) about the Straight to the Bar Guides – it’s greatly appreciated.
For everyone who hasn’t seen them yet, the Guides will help you decide what to get (and where), and how to train with it. There’s some great information in there.