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 : Strains and Sprains
Scott Andrew Bird
You’ve probably had both. But what’s the difference?- Looking At : Jul 21, 2013
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 : Ski Jumper Planks
Interesting exercise. Nice one Nick.
Gymchat 206 – Sandbag Training (with Matt Palfrey)
Sandbag Training. What’s it all about, and how do you get started? Should you make your own, or are you better off buying one? Is sand always the best thing to fill them with?
Talking about these and a whole lot more is Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You. If you’ve got questions (or just want to show off your own gear), join us on the Hangout. Details below.
Details –
Who : Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey, Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine and You
Topic : Sandbag Training
When : Wed Jul 24, 5pm EST (here’s how to find out when that is in your timezone)
URL : We’ll be announcing this shortly – both on the blog and on Google+ itself.
See you there.
Previously : In Gymchat 205 we talked about ‘Paleo Dieting‘, with Kettlebell and CrossFit Coach Adam Farrah and Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Great discussion.
If you missed the broadcast, the video is available over on Kirk’s Youtube Channel. That’s also the best place to subscribe to the videos directly, and to see previous discussions.
If you’d like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can send us a message privately here, or swing by our Community site on Google+. Look forward to hearing from you.
Tip of the Week: Rice Bucket Rehab
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.
In the discussion 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 : No Gym, No Time, No Problem
This looks great.
Top of my to-read pile is No Gym, No Time, No Problem; and when you see the list of authors (Geovanni Derice, Erik Rokeash, Jedd Johnson, Ryan Munsey, Mike Salvietti, Dan Huff, G.R. Hoff, Joe Meglio, Corey Macgregor, Connor Flahive) you’ll understand just why. Suffice to say they know their stuff.
A snippet from the Amazon page will give you an idea of what the book’s all about :
What happens when 5 Fat Loss Experts, 5 Strength and Conditioning Coaches and 2 Lifestyle coaches Meet-up at a random house in New Jersey and lock themselves in a room for 2 days?
They come up with The simplest and easiest Collection of Fitness programs designed for busy people with Limited Time, attention and resources.
Quick update on the Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits we mentioned recently – superb idea.
As we noted, we’ll be reviewing these shortly. And if you missed the announcement, here’s a brief video to explain the basic idea :
For more information, head on over to the official site – renaissancefitnessinc.com.
Exercise of the Week : Threading Elbow Lever Bridge
Here’s another one to try out – the Threading Elbow Lever Bridge. Looks great.
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.
A Daily Dose
Love this stuff? Same here. If you’re looking for a daily dose of strength-training goodness, grab the Straight to the Bar Daily.
Absolutely free.
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’ve doubtless noticed, in addition to the main site is a Community on Google+, Facebook and Twitter. Wherever you are, a daily dose of strength isn’t all that far away.
To help run all of these sites, we’re on the lookout for several new Moderators. To welcome new community members, bring up new items to discuss and generally keep the conversations on track.
If you’re already spending a bit of time at any of the above sites, and would like to offer your services as a Moderator, just drop us a line below. And thanks for that, it really is appreciated.
Contact either :
Kirk Fontaine, Community Manager, Straight to the Bar
or me :
Scott Andrew Bird, Editor, Straight to the Bar
Thanks again. Look forward to hearing from you.