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 : Pleasure Spiked with Pain – Training for the One Finger Lift
  Jeff Wilson (Basic Instinct Fitness)
  Up for a challenge?
  

• Looking At : Dec 3, 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 : 30 Days Of Vagus Nerve Stimulation (pigmie)

Very interesting approach. Tried it yourself? Thoughts?

Gymchat 278 – TBA

We’re still finalising the details for this week’s discussion. I’ll post them on the blog (and X, 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 253 we discussed Improving Recovery & Performance with New Warrior Training Systems’ Sincere Hogan and Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) 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 : https://straighttothebar.com/2014/08/14/video_for_gymchat_253_-_improving_recovery_performance_sincere_hogan/ .
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 : IMbody (Home Gym & Smart Coach)

Interesting combination. The IMbody is a smart mirror / home gym setup. Nice and compact. A little video :
The IMbody.

Tip of the Week : Use Checklists in your Training

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via X (Formerly Twitter), the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there’s always a way to improve what you’re doing.

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Checklists are one of those things that seem so simple as to be almost pointless. Not really worth the effort. However, they’re very powerful things indeed.
The basic logic behind using a checklist is pretty straightforward. As Adam Stoffa notes in the article Checklists and Complex Problems :

An example from training might be properly warming up. Everyone knows it’s foolish to engage in physical training without warming up first, but with time pressure, competing interests, or environmental stress, this step occasionally gets skipped. The risks associated with skipping this step, are significant. Pulled muscles are a major setback to a training program. When you balance the interests involved, saving a few minutes versus suffering a major setback, the risk associated with skipping this key step is unacceptably high. Therefore, item number 1 on your checklist could be:

1. Complete Warm Up Exercises

And yes, although it looks almost laughably simple, this absolutely works. The checklist approach is very highly recommended indeed.

Exercises Of The Week : Rice Digs (for Grip-Training Warmups)

A recent question on Joe DeFranco’s site reminded me of a great exercise for strengthing hands and wrists – as well as helping to relieve a little shoulder and elbow pain – Rice Digs. The exercise is an extremely simple one; pour some uncooked rice into a bucket and repeatedly burrow your hands into it. Make fists, rotate your wrists and generally move your hands around whilst they’re surrounded by rice.
To make it more difficult, use sand or even lead shot instead of the rice. Nice and painful. NB : All other things being equal, a finer material will feel more difficult. The shot just has less give, and will quickly prove challenging. Rice is a good starting point. Further reading Rice Digs are one of the excercises mentioned in Dave Tate’s 7 Exercises for Rapid Strength. Finger Extensor Training (Body Results) : notes the importance of training finger extensor movements (open your hands wide in the rice, rather than making a fist). As well as rice digs, it briefly discusses the use of heavy rubber bands and mason jars. Uechi-Ryu Karate video : The Jar Holds alone are worth watching.

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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 : ‘The Epigenetics Revolution’ (by Nessa Carey)

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. Nessa Carey’s ‘The Epigenetics Revolution’ is a fascinating look at this relatively recent (in terms of discovery, anyway) area of biology. What everything is, and how it all works. 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.