Gem From The Vault : 10 of the Best – Parkour Television Commercials
Scott Andrew Bird
A few personal favourites.Looking At : Jun 11, 2023
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 : How to Naturally Increase Oxygen – 2 Breathing Exercises (YOGABODY)
Very interesting – and great exercises.
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 225 we discussed How to Master the Inner Game with Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett. 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 Josh’s Youtube channel :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNFbJYUhqKI.
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 : Arnold (Documentary On Netflix)
This is a superb 3-part documentary (one episode per career) on the incredible Arnold Schwarzenegger. If you have access to Netflix, this is highly recommended indeed.
NB : I generally avoid watching trailers until after I’ve seen the series/movie itself. However, if you want a taste of what’s on offer :
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: Becoming Aware of Your Transverse Abdominis
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.
There’s an awful lot more to abdominal work than exercises like the humble crunch. Everything from Louie‘s infamous ‘Stand-Up Abs‘ to the many, many varieties of the squat.
Before doing any of that, however, it helps to understand a little about the various muscles being worked. For that, it’s over to Kat ‘The Mighty Kat‘ Ricker.
For starters, from Kat’s superb article Specific Training for the Transverse Abdominis: Belt It In, here’s a quick way to learn to feel what your TA is doing :

Begin by becoming aware of this muscle. Sit upright on a bench. Have a partner face you, place both of his hands on your shoulders, and gently push you backward (gently!). Your goal is to maintain your upright position, not allowing your spine to extend/your back to arch. Your TA will kick in to achieve your goal.
Good stuff.
Exercise Feat Of The Week : Stone Carrying
A spot of stone carrying. Good fun.
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.
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘Smarter Not Harder : The Biohacker’s Guide to Getting the Body and Mind You Want’ (by Dave Asprey)
It’ll come as no surprise that we discuss a lot of fitness-related books, courses & podcasts; on this site as well as the various networks noted in the sidebar.
Interesting read. Although the biohacking approach is somewhat controversial, the constant fine-tuning of your own health is not. And this is very much the book’s focus.
Dive in.
Incidentally, I’m always looking to add to the ‘books to read‘ list. If you’ve come across something which you’d love everyone else to check out, drop me a line.
There’s also a list of our all-time fitness suggestions over there. Dive on in.