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 :
Happy Bastille Day – What is the Deal with Red Wine?
Maik Wiedenbach
Maik takes a great look at the ‘French Paradox‘ : particularly when it comes to wine & longevity.
Looking At : Jul 15, 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 : Learning the Planche? Try this.
If you’re progressing toward the planche, try this exercise. On a Pommel Horse, or anything else that provides plenty of stability and a little clearance. Nice one.
Gymchat 178 – Exercise and the Brain
As you’re no doubt aware, a regular dose of exercise has many, many benefits.
This week we’re taking a look at just one of those; an aspect of physical fitness that’s often overlooked. The impact of exercise on the brain.
What happens to the brain during periods of exercise, and during recovery? How can you adjust your own fitness regime (and your lifestyle in general) in order to maximise these benefits? From the other side of things, can you use a regular dose of exercise to help heal the brain after an injury? Improve memory? Increase IQ?
Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than personal trainer Kirk Fontaine. Fantastic.
Details –
Who : Personal trainer Kirk Fontaine
Topic : Exercise and the Brain
When : Wed Jul 18, 9pm EDT (here’s how to find out when that is in your timezone)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Link : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/ieWBkYrftys
For everyone who’s joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask Kirk 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 : Recovery Work for the Hands. Some superb ideas in there.
For those who missed out on the conversation, here’s the transcript. Was a great one.
Tip of the Week: Rice Bucket Rehab
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.
In last week’s discussion on Recovery Work for the Hands we noted several superb recovery techniques, including the ever-popular Rice Digs.
If you’ve never tried doing these, the process is incredibly simple. From the post ‘Rice Digs‘, a brief description :
Pour some uncooked rice into a bucket and repeatedly burrow your hands into it. Make fists, rotate your wrists and generally move your hands around whilst they’re surrounded by rice.
NB : All other things being equal, a finer material will feel more difficult. Things like lead shot have less give, and will quickly prove challenging. Rice is a good starting point.
And to make things a little clearer, have a look at the video below. Great exercise.
From the post Rice Bucket Rehab :
Good stuff.
Checking Out : Body Hero
This is a great mix.
As much as I like Dragon Door’s HardStyle Magazine, it tends to focus on a fairly narrow area of training. Their new offering – Body Hero – contains a much broader array of information on physical transformation. Everything from bodyweight conditioning to mental toughness.
It’s a great blend.
To see what I mean, take a look at the first issue. Body Hero.
Quick update on the superb Fixing Elbow Pain we mentioned recently. There’s a full review here, but suffice to say that if you’ve ever experienced conditions like Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow, it’s essential reading.
Love it.
Exercise of the Week : Log Flips
Dan Lapic‘s posted some very creative exercises over the years, including this one – the Log Flip. 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 Downloads from the Strength Kit
I recently added a number of resources to the Straight to the Bar Strength Kit, and as a Strength & Fitness Newsletter subscriber you’re more than welcome to download as many of them as you like. Several great eBooks, podcasts and videos – all absolutely free.
Just head over here, save them to your hard-drive, and dive in.
Good stuff.
NB : This is an ever-changing list. If you’d like to put your own work in front of a fantastic strength-focussed audience, let me know.