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 :
Hyponatremia: What is it?
Kirk Fontaine
What’s it all about, and how does it impact your workouts?
Looking At : Aug 19, 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 : Power Row (Upper Body Sled Pull)
Ready for a little upper-body speed work?
Nice one Brent.
Gymchat 183 – Goals & Goal Setting
Training goals. Do you need to set them? How do you go about it?
This week we’ll be exploring this fascinating area of training; Goals & Goal Setting. The various ways to create them; how to track your progress, and what to do when you get there.
Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than Grapplefit‘s Barry Gibson. Fantastic.
Details –
Who : Grapplefit‘s Barry Gibson
Topic : Goals & Goal Setting
When : Wed Aug 22, 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/S7LKhR4cnN3
For everyone who’s joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask Barry 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 : Exercise and Aging. 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: The Power of Naming Your Workouts
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.
Here’s a simple technique which greatly increases the potential of your workouts. Kira describes the full process in the article Give Your Workout a Name!, but here’s a quick story to give you the basic idea :
A few years ago, a couple of young dudes I trained with (Muay Thai), wanted to do some extra conditioning work. I offered to take them on a run up Puke Hill on the weekends.
After a few nervous side-glances, both of them asked, “Why is it called Puke Hill?” After striking a suitably melodramatic pose, I just smiled and then walked away.
When they finally got to do the run, I noticed three distinct changes to the way they normally trained:
- Intensity – It was the hardest I’d seen either of them train.
- Team-work – When one of them almost gave up, the other one slowed down and ran beside his friend–helping him to complete the last set of sprints.
- Accomplishment – After the run, neither whined or complained. In fact, despite their exhaustion, both had shit-eating grins plastered across their ugly faces.
Of course Puke Hill is just a hill. Sure it was steep, and using it for interval-sprints was quite challenging, but what hill sprints aren’t challenging? So here’s the point of my story: I believe that by simply giving the run a name, my two padawans trained harder, worked together better, and gained a greater sense of individual and shared achievement.
Good stuff.
Checking Out : Primal Move Certification Program
This looks great.
If you’re interested not only in learning how to move better but also in teaching others those skills, check out Dragon Door’s Primal Move Certification Program. Very interesting indeed.
The video below will help explain what it’s all about :
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 : Burpee Box Jumps
Superb.
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.
Kettlebell Exercise Demonstrations & Tutorials
We’ve looked at a lot of kettlebell exercises and variations over the years – in the form of tips, tutorials and demonstrations.
Where do you find them all? Right here – a complete list of Kettlebell Exercise Demonstrations & Tutorials.
Enjoy.
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.