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 Bodyweight Aficionado’s Guide to Gear
Jason Kirby
A few extras that can add a whole lot of possibilities.
Looking At : Feb 9, 2014
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’re keen to do more writing in 2014 and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here’s how.
Video : Kettlebell Hand Switches with Jeff Martone
Nice one Jeff. Great information.
Gymchat 235 – Supplementation for Focus & Stress Relief (Kurtis Frank)
Is it possible to improve mental focus or reduce stress with nutritional supplements?
There have been a number of claims surrounding these areas – particularly concerning both Rhodiola Rosea and Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR). This week we’ll be examining these two in detail; discussing exactly what works (and the research surrounding it) and what doesn’t. Helping us uncover this fascinating topic is Examine.com‘s own Kurtis Frank, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
If you’ve got questions/comments for Kurtis or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat. And if you’d like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the ‘share‘ button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.
Details –
Who : Examine.com‘s own Kurtis Frank, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett
Topic : Supplementation for Focus & Stress Relief
When : Wednesday Feb 12, 9:00pm 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 : In Gymchat 234 we discussed Fitness Industry Posers (Education vs Experience) (with Powerlifter Bill Piche and Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett). Great conversation.
If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.
Tip of the Week: Checking Your Squat Depth
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 a thread on the VirtualMeet Forums, looking at a device called the Safety Squat. Very interesting idea.
Over to James Chochlinski :
The safety squat arrived yesterday. No instruction manual, just a picture. Tried some squats with it using just the bar. Seems to work similarly to the youtube video sensor. Placement just above the knee requires deeper squat to trigger the sensor; Not as deep when placed higher up on the thigh. It’s just a level sensor, so the difference is due to the shape of my thigh. Happy with the safety squat so far.
James was also kind enough to share some video of the device in action :
The obvious use is for powerlifters when training for a meet. However, on Google+, Raymond Ho shared an alternative way to put it to work :
The idea is actually good. I see people when they start loading up the bar (which is too heavy for them) they start to get higher out of the holes until it looks more like a partial rep. and if you squat by yourself then it stops you from cheating.
Sounds great.
I’m curious : has anyone here used a device like this, and what are your thoughts on the idea?
Checking Out : How to Transform Your Physique
This looks great.
How to Transform Your Physique is one of the many resources that Josh Hewett and Bill Piche mentioned in last week’s Gymchat – Gymchat 234 : Fitness Industry Posers (Education vs Experience). Was a great discussion.
We’ll be posting a full review shortly, in the meantime here’s a quick comment from Bill’s own site to give you an idea of what this book is about :
What you’ll find in this excellently composed e-book is a simplified, easy-to-understand road map guiding you in living up to what its title promises. That is, to “transform your physique”. This really is an honest, no B.S. approach.
How to Transform Your Physique
Quick update on the Hip Thruster we mentioned recently – fantastic thing.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
Exercise of the Week : Wrist Pushups
Via Fight Geek : a demonstration of wrist push-ups. Good stuff.
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.