Gem From The Vault : Bars, Plates, Hooks and Collars
Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
What does what?Looking At : May 9, 2021
Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
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 a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.
Video : Biotech – Human Modification and Augmentation (Isaac Arthur)
This is a wonderful look at the various ways in which we can (now, and in the coming years) enhance humans – both biologically and technically. Various forms of gene editing, nanobots, mind-machine interfaces and so on. Fantastic.
Gymchat 278 – TBA
We’re still finalising the details for this week’s discussion. I’ll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook etc) shortly. In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show – (there’s an example below, and a full list here). And if you’ve got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we’d love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.Previously : In Gymchat 234 we discussed Fitness Industry Posers, 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’ll find the entire video here. NB : if you’d like to take part in a future episode – either as an interviewee, or as a guest host – just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.
Ever Tried Kettlebells?
If you've seen people using them but never taken the plunge yourself, here are the ones I use personally. You can also pick up a book/DVD/course if you want to learn how to put them to work.
Checking Out : Sentien Audio (Bone-Conducting Headphones With Adjustable Sound)
These look great. Remember the Olive Pro? Similar idea. The Sentien Audio Headphones provide customisable audio, adjustable via a smartphone app. Ideal for those who are a little hard of hearing, or regularly in noisy environments. A little video :The Sentien Audio Headphones.
Tip of the Week: Ice for Better Sleep
Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there’s always a way to improve what you’re doing.
Sleep is easily my favourite form of recovery. Huge fan of a well-timed nap, and the associated dietary fine-tuning. Love it.
This tip comes to us from the Gymchat on sleep as a recovery method, and is a comment by Personal Trainer Derek Peruo on how he helps his new clients get a solid dose of shut-eye. Very interesting approach.
Over to Derek :
For sleep, I usually recommend zinc and magnesium. If those don’t help, I also recommend an ice pack to the back of the neck right before bed.
The ice pack lowers core temperature and promotes the release of melatonin.
And yes, all of those things work extremely well. Good stuff.
Unlock Your Hips, Unlock Your Squat
I get a lot of questions regarding the impact of ‘unlocking your hips‘ on heavy squatting. Rick Kaselj goes into it in plenty of detail in the ‘Unlock Your Hip Flexors‘ program; and I’ve also posted a brief video below which demonstrates/explains some of the exercises.
Both (working with Ryan, and Rick’s program) are highly recommended. And as always, we love hearing your feedback – if you sample any of the above exercises or the ‘Unlock Your Hip Flexors‘ program, we’d love to hear about it.
Exercise/Feat of the Week : One Hand Deadlift
Via Eastside CrossFit : The front version of a One Handed Deadlift. Superb.
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.