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 :
Bulking – How To Do It Properly
Maik Wiedenbach
The ‘right‘ way to get huge.
Looking At : May 27, 2012
Scott Andrew Bird
We’ve been discussing some very interesting techniques, products and services recently. Here are the highlights.
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’d like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here’s how.
Video : Accessory Training for the Planche
Good stuff.
Gymchat 171 – Online Training III
If you’re a strength coach or personal trainer, do you offer any online services as part of your training? If you’re an athlete, have you ever used any; or would you like to find out a little more about them?
We first looked at this topic a little over a year ago, following a discussion on Setting Up a Strength Training Facility. If you’re a personal trainer or strength coach, this is an ideal opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of offering online services.
Everything from custom program design to teleseminars and video training.
And if you’re curious about online training from the other side of the fence (as the client), this is a great chance to find out a little more. Join Derek Peruo and I for Online Training III. Fantastic.
NB : if you’re a Strength Coach or Personal Trainer currently offering online services, I’d love to add you to the ‘Recommend Trainers‘ area of the forums. The first 5 people to contact me will be given free access (usually $99 per year) to this section.
Just send me a message privately, and we’ll sort everything out.
Details –
Who Renaissance Fitness‘ Derek Peruo
Topic : Online Training III
When : Wed May 30, 9pm EDT (here’s how to find out when that is in your timezone)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Where : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/F2H9seiUWEJ
If you’ve never been to one of these discussions before, here’s how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.
For everyone who’s joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask Derek any training-related questions you like.
See you there.
Quick update on last week’s gymchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion : Intermittent Fasting. Some superb ideas in there.
For those who missed out on the conversation, here’s the transcript. Was a great one.
NB : if you’d like to add a fitness-related event (either a competition you’re taking part in, or something you’re helping to organise there), just login to the forums and add it to the calendar. Cheers.
The Hunt for Broken Links
Straight to the Bar has been around for more than 8 years now, and there are a lot of articles/videos/photos/reviews to say the least. Nearly 6,000 in fact (there’s a full list here).
Unfortunately, this number also means there’s inevitably a video that’s no longer available, or a link to a site which has just moved. Whatever it is, I’m always looking to fix it as quickly as possible.
To help me find the problems : if you spot something that isn’t quite working right – a video that’s been removed, or a link that no longer works – let me know. Leave a comment, or send me a message on Google+, Twitter or Facebook (all of the details here). As a bonus, you’ll receive a selection of strength-training goodness shortly afterward. Not to mention my eternal gratitude.
Thank-you.
Tip of the Week: Try a Caffeine Nap
Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via twitter, Google+, the forums, the blog; and now the newsletter. Wherever you are, there’s always a way to improve what you’re doing.
I initially wrote this back in 2006 during a brief period without coffee (I tried giving it up, but ultimately switched to the current ‘one cup per day’ routine), and it’s still a very intriguing idea. Although I take the occasional nap and get a regular caffeine fix, I rarely combine the two.
For a start, they take place at different times of the day.
I’m curious though – has anyone here sampled a Caffeine Nap? I’d love to hear your thoughts; particularly if it’s a regular thing.
From the article ‘Caffeine Napping‘ :
Sleep researchers at Loughborough University were looking at various ways to keep motorists awake on long journeys. The winner – perhaps somewhat surprisingly – was the ‘caffeine nap‘.
The idea is simple : drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a brief (15-20min) nap. This helps clear the body of adenosine, a chemical commonly believed to make you drowsy.
Very interesting indeed.
Checking Out : How to Make Atlas Stones
This looks superb.
Long-term readers won’t be surprised to hear that we’ve talked about stone training a lot over the years (just take a glance at the list of articles tagged ‘stone lifting‘).
As you might expect then, I’ve been looking forward to this DVD for quite some time. Jedd Johnson / Steve Slater‘s ‘How to Make Atlas Stones‘.
I’ll post up a review during the week, but suffice to say that if you enjoy a bit of stone work from time-to-time, this DVD should definitely be in your collection.
Good stuff.
Quick update on the superb RMAX Fathers Day Specials we mentioned last week. Whether you’re buying gear for yourself or for your father (or a bit of both), you’ll love the things they’ve got discounted. Clubbells, instructional DVDs and a whole lot more.
Dive in.
Exercise of the Week : Plate Seesaw
If the recent collection of Plate Exercises got you in the mood for some fairly unusual grip work, you’ll love this. The superbly simple Plate Seesaw.
From John Brookfield‘s excellent Grip Tip series, the Plate Seesaw. Definitely a keeper.
The article Plate Seesaw will explain the full process, but here’s a snippet to give you an idea :
To start, hold the weight at your side in a pinch-grip position with the back of your hand facing forward. Now flex your wrist backward so that the weight is pointing backward. From here, lower the weight to the starting position and raise the weight to the front by flexing your wrist forward. You are actually doing a form of a traditional wrist curl, first to the back, then to the front.
NB : this one’s based on a simple concept, but it’s much, much harder than he makes it look. Love it.
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.
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.