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 : 8 Glasses of Water Per Day?
Scott Andrew Bird
Perhaps.Looking At : Feb 12, 2023
Scott Andrew Bird | follow @scottbird
What’s been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.
What the various numbers actually mean, how to use them in order to improve things, and the importance of tracking in general.
Previously : In Gymchat 206 we discussed Sandbag Training with Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey and Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Great conversation. And if you missed it the first time (or just want to go over a particular point again), check out the full video over on Kirk’s Youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etf3tOh3EUY.
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.
The Shelfy.
Gem From The Vault : 8 Glasses of Water Per Day?Scott Andrew Bird
Perhaps.
Looking At : Feb 12, 2023Scott 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 : The Most Important Number For Your Health (Andrew Steele & Rohin Francis)
What the various numbers actually mean, how to use them in order to improve things, and the importance of tracking in general.
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 206 we discussed Sandbag Training with Strength and Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey and Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Great conversation. And if you missed it the first time (or just want to go over a particular point again), check out the full video over on Kirk’s Youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etf3tOh3EUY.
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 : Shelfy (Food Preservation Device)
Interesting idea. The Shelfy is a food preservation device for your refrigerator – a combination of anti-bacterial materials and inbuilt air filtration. A smartphone app completes the picture. A spot of video will show you what I mean :The Shelfy.
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 : Strengthen Your Neck, Reduce Pain, Increase Lifts
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. This tip is from Josh Hewett‘s excellent ‘Bulletproof Your Body‘ series. The ‘right‘ way to strengthen your neck. Over to Josh :When starting a neck strengthening program, you must be careful to be very progressive… start slow and easy and work your way up to more challenging exercises over time. For example, you can begin your exercise program by doing simple chin tucks while sitting or standing. (See video) Once you get comfortable with basic sitting/standing chin tucks, you can try doing the exercise lying down. Build up to doing around 10 reps, holding for 5 to 10 seconds each rep. The goal is to increase the muscular endurance of your muscles as well as their strength. Your neck is designed to carry the weight of your head all day, not to lift trains or buses!
Good stuff. Note that this is only a snippet from the full piece – swing by Josh‘ blog for the entire article. A great read.
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 Of The Week : The Pull-A-Burp
Looking for a particularly evil bodyweight exercise? Try the Pull-A-Burp, a superbly cruel combination of a Pull-up and a Burpee. According to Kelly Mills :
Do a push-up, jump to your feet, squat nice and low and spring up to the bar and pull yourself up. Then drop down, and jump down to a push-up again. Sound hard? Now do ten.Love it.
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.
