
Kat ‘The Mighty Kat’ Ricker
Belt It In.

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 : Day at Wellness District LA (Katie Type A)
Very interesting look at the Wellness District LA biohacking expo. Nice one. Incidentally, I completely agree with Katie’s assessment of the future of personalised healthcare.
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 259 we discussed How to Choose the Right Gym for YOU, with Personal Trainer Jaime Smith, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett. Great conversation.
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.
Checking Out : CZUR Mirror (Smart Posture Corrector)
Interesting idea. This is a deceptively simple combination with an awful lot of promise – both for this device in particular, and the space in general. Especially the ‘how’s my form‘ questions during a workout. The CZUR Mirror, it constantly keeps an eye on your posture, alerting you whenever action needs to be taken. A companion smartphone app tackles these alerts, as well as the suggested actions and a history of events; so you can assess progress. To give you an idea, a spot of video :The CZUR Mirror.
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.
Tip of the Week : Sleep Hygiene
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.One of the areas that Josh Hewett and Sincere Hogan covered in Gymchat 253 was the general approach to sleep hygiene. Though the specifics will obviously vary from person to person, Sincere outlines the basic idea [48min in]: 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 : Wudang Demonstrations
Via Wudang Taoist Kung Fu School : Several Wudang demonstration videos, and great music. Enjoy.
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.