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 : Making Your Own Gym Equipment – DIY Grip Tools
Scott Andrew Bird
Ready for a little DIY? Perfect.- Looking At : Dec 15, 2013
Scott Andrew Bird
What’s been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.
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 : GripMonsters Challenges – 2 x Plates Timed Holds
Nice one Juha.
Gymchat 229 – How to Prepare for a Powerlifting Competition (Ben McLaughlin)
Powerlifting. Love it.
If you’re about to compete – whether you’re new to the training world or just beginning the journey – how do you prepare? What should you expect, how early do you need to start training specifically for the meet, and what should you be doing?
Taking us through the entire process is Powerlifter Ben McLaughlin, joined by Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you’ve got questions/comments for Ben or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.
Details –
Who : Powerlifter Ben McLaughlin and Josh Hewett
Topic : How to Prepare for a Powerlifting Competition
When : Wednesday Dec 18, 8pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We’ll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
See you there.
Previously : Last week we held Gymchat 228 – In-Season Training for Hockey (with Personal Trainers Conor Doherty and Josh Hewett). Great discussion.
If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.
NB : The training package that Conor mentioned in the chat will be available shortly (and yes, we’ll be reviewing it over on the main site). In the meantime, a few details.
Coming Up : This is the last Gymchat for 2013. We’ll be taking a couple of weeks off; beginning again in early 2014. Full details shortly.
And if you’d like to suggest a future topic or take part in one of the upcoming Gymchats, just drop Josh a line. We’d love to hear from you.
Tip of the Week: Fix Your Feet
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 is from Josh Hewett‘s excellent ‘Bulletproof Your Body‘ series. The real benefits of including your feet in your training.
Over to Josh :
You need to gradually strengthen your feet and slowly introduce them to greater range of motion.
Walking barefoot on soft sand or grass is a great way to start… plus it feels good!
If you have access to a beach or a well manicured lawn, slowly progress from
walking barefoot for a few minutes at a time and working up to a longer duration,
before introducing any more challenging barefoot activities.For walking on solid surfaces such as concrete, I suggest you wear appropriate
footwear that will provide minimal support while still allowing for greater natural
movement of your feet.
Good stuff. Note that this is only a snippet from the full piece – swing by Josh‘ blog for the entire article [.pdf]. A great read.
Re-Investigating : MILO
It’s that time of year again : time to set up a magazine subscription or two. Paper or digital downloads; there are plenty to choose from; and this is definitely one of my favourites. Love it.
I’m also keen to hear what everyone else is reading, in the way of training-related publications. What’s on your own list?
Quick update on the Hip Thruster we mentioned last week – fantastic thing.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
Exercise of the Week : Kettlebell Walking
It may look strange, but it’s a great exercise. Kettlebell Walking.
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.
Giving
If you’ve been training for a while, gradually cleaning up your diet, no doubt you’ve experienced the amazing power of transformation. It’s a tremendous feeling.
If you’re ready to give someone else a hand to transform their own lives – through education, sharing equipment, financial help – take a look at the full list of organisations on the Giving page. Cheers.