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 :
Gem From the Vault : The Step-up : a Real Squat Alternative?
Scott Andrew Bird
What do you do when squats just aren’t happening? Step-ups.- Looking At : Nov 11, 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 : Andy Bolton – Key to a Big Deadlift
Good stuff.
Gymchat 190 : Olympic Lifting (Karsten Jensen)
No matter what your strength-training goals are, there’s always room for a little Olympic Weightlifting. It’s great stuff.
This week we’ll be discussing exactly what it is, and the many ways to take advantage of all that it has to offer. Helping us tackle this one is Strength & Conditioning Coach Karsten Jensen, as well as Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Should be a great one.
NB : If you’re keen to fire in a question or three, be sure to get there early. In addition to Karsten and Kirk, only the first 8 people to join us on the Hangout (and here’s how) will be able to join in the conversation. Everyone else will be able to watch, but not ask questions.
See you there.
Details –
Who : Karsten Jensen, Kirk Fontaine, and You
Topic : Olympic Lifting
When : Wednesday Nov 14, 9pm EST
How : Google+ Hangout. Follow either Kirk or Scott for details on the live feed.
See you there.
If you’d like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can contact us here. Look forward to hearing from you.
Giving: Movember
We’ve noted a number of fantastic health-related charities on this site, and topping the list is the incredible Movember. Love it.
Movember is simply an event held each November – for the entire month – involving the shaving/growing of moustaches; to raise awareness of prostate cancer testing and research. The goals are simply to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths.
Taking part in this wonderful initiative this year is moderator of the video Gymchats, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. The video below explains the basics of what he’s doing : and to financially support him in this quest head on over to his donation page. Greatly appreciated.
Fantastic.
Tip of the Week: Improvements in Fitness Trained Autistic Clients
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.
This tip comes to us from Eric Chessen, and was part of last year’s conversation on Fitness & Autism. Great discussion.
From the Fitness & Autism discussion, in response to the question :
What kind of short term and long term improvements do you see in your autistic clients once you start training them?
It depends on the individual, but it is never only physical improvement. That’s why I created the PAC Profile, because we’re never just looking at physical ability, but adaptive and cognitive abilities as well. In the short-term, I’ve had athletes begin to really enjoy movement and improve in their gross motor skills, strength, stability, and stamina.
In the long term it becomes a lifestyle, and the athletes begin to embrace movement and fitness.
Good stuff. Whether you know autistic individuals or not, it’s great to know what’s possible.
Checking Out : Kettlebell Juggling 2
This is superb.
If you managed to get your hands on the first of these incredible packages, you know just what to expect. And in volume 2, Logan certainly delivers. Kettlebell Juggling 2.
If you didn’t get a chance to check out the first offering, well, suffice to say that if you’ve ever thought about trying a spot of kettlebell juggling – this is the perfect way to learn how it’s done. Love it.
Quick update on the The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning we mentioned recently – an incredible collection.
As you’ll see, this book manages to distil an awful lot of RKC wisdom into a single package. A snippet from the Dragon Door site will give you the overall idea :
Since 2001 and the world’s first Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) Instructor Certification workshop, thousands of individuals–martial artists, first responders, military, and fitness and strength professionals, have learned how to use kettlebells quickly and safely. And then introduce the remarkable benefits of the kettelbell to a global community of kettlebell enthusiasts.
Many of these RKCs have created a wide variety of effective workout programs for their clients, customers, teams, and units. So, who better to answer the question “How do I use kettlebells to get the best possible results for ME and MY goals?” than these same RKCs?
We asked the RKC Instructors to submit their most prized workouts, so you can not only see, but also use proven programs that have been successfully used by these qualified experts. The result became The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning, replete with time-tested, results-producing kettlebell workouts that can satisfy the needs of newbie and pro alike, for years to come.
Some workouts are used to develop strength. Some are used for conditioning. All have produced results either for the instructors themselves, their clients, or both. Enjoy the pain!
Once again, it sounds fantastic. And if you check it out, drop me a line – I’d love to hear what you think. Cheers.
Exercise of the Week : Virtual Shovelling
Virtual Shovelling – interesting idea.
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.
Want to Help Out?
As you might expect, at Straight to the Bar we’re always looking for new ways to share the love of strength-training with the world. Via the main site, the weekly Gymchats, this newsletter and a whole lot more.
We’ve got a new project coming up (a couple actually), and we’re looking for someone to help out with the graphics side of things. In return we offer not only our eternal admiration, but the sincere appreciation of the entire strength-training community. And, of course, the myriad connections and opportunities that go along with that.
If you’re a designer (think illustrations more than physical products) and have more than a passing fondness for the world of strength training, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.