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 :
Conor’s Corner : Slide Board Training For Hockey
Conor Doherty
Powerful tool.
Looking At : Dec 16, 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 : DIY Tire Sled
Looking for a simple (and inexpensive) DIY Equipment project for the weekend? How about a Tyre Sled?
Nice one Frank.
Gymchat 195 : TBA
The Gymchats : We’re still finalising the details for this week’s discussion – I’ll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ etc) shortly.
NB : If you’d like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, just leave a note on the Gymchats Page over on Google+. Alternatively you can contact us privately, over here. Look forward to hearing from you.
Tip of the Week: Contrast Bath Technique
Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via twitter, Google+, 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 Bill Long’s great article Road to Recovery : Contrast Baths; and explains the basic technique.
Over to Bill :
Fill two tubs, one with hot water and the other with cold water. The temperature of the tubs should be about 55F/13C for the cold and for the hot tub make it as hot as you can handle. Now get into the cold water first and flex your muscles slowly and rotate your joints in small movements as best you can in the tub. Do this for 2 minutes. Then get out of the cold tub, transfer to the hot tub and do the same as before. But for only a time period of 30 seconds. Rotate back and forth for a total of 15 minutes ending in the cold tub. If you do not have access to these big tubs you can always do this at your home.
Takes a little getting used to, but the results are well worth it. Good stuff.
Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits
These sound great.
Personal Trainer extraordinaire Derek ‘D-Rock‘ Peruo is currently putting together various supplement kits, designed to provide regular doses of everything needed to help attain a particular goal. The video below will give you the overall idea :
For more information on the kits themselves (available soon!), pricing and so on – head over to the site at :
http://renaissancefitness.wordpress.com
And yes, we’ll be reviewing these just as soon as they’re available. Fantastic.
Quick update on the Straight to the Bar Strength-Training Resources 2012 we mentioned last week – some superb gear in there. Dive in.
It’s quite simply a gathering of the best books, DVDs, equipment etc we’ve noted in the newsletter this year. Whether you’re looking for a last minute gift idea or stocking up the home gym, it’s well worth checking out.
Exercise of the Week : The 6-Count Burpee
Steve Maxwell discusses a fantastic (and challenging) bodyweight exercise – the 6-Count Burpee (aka 6-Count Body Builder). Nice one.
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.