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 : A Brief History of Circuit Training and Peripheral Heart Action (PHA)
  Scott Andrew Bird
  Ready for a round or three?
  

• Looking At : Jul 28, 2024 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 : Calisthenics & Powerlifting – Any Carryover? (Larry Wheels & Chris Heria)

Does calisthenics work carry over to powerlifting? Larry Wheels & Chris Heria find out.

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 148 we discussed Training for Football II with the wonderful Justin Andrushko together with Personal Trainer ‘Captain‘ Kirk Fontaine. 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 : Snorles (Anti-Snoring Tongue Trainer)

Interesting idea. The Snorles is a muscle trainer for your mouth, for daytime use. About 20min a day for a month or so. Unusual, though certainly intriguing. A little video :
The Snorles.

Tip of the Week : It’s Never Too Late to Start

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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We’ll be discussing this in a lot more detail in an upcoming Gymchat (and if you’d like to be involved, let me know); the idea of starting your strength-training well into your senior years.
We’ve looked at a number of older athletes over the years (for an idea of how many there are, just take a glance at the ‘still got it‘ tag on the blog), and this quote sums up my thinking perfectly.
From the post ‘Exercise in Healthy Older Adults‘ :

Age is not a contraindication to exercise, which can usually be initiated safely in older persons.

In short, it’s never too late to start.

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 Step-up : a Real Squat Alternative?

In the 1920s – particularly in the US – weight training began gaining favour with the public at large, and the Step-up began finding itself in various books and magazines. However, the back squat gradually started to dominate (largely due to the efforts of the German Henry ‘Milo’ Steinborn and Joseph Curtis Hise) and the Step-up was all but forgotten.
What is it? The Step-up – as the name implies – is nothing more complex than stepping up onto an object, then stepping back down from it. Although it is an incredibly simple exercise, there are a few things to be aware of. Factors to consider Perhaps the most important of these is the height of the step. The basic exercise works the hips and thighs, and the step height adjust things in favour of the quadriceps or hamstrings. A higher step works the hamstrings harder, a lower step targets the quads (1). According to Anatoly Bondarchuk, the ‘normal‘ or ideal step height (for those with perfectly balanced quad and hamstring strength) is such that when the leading leg has the foot flat on the step, and the corresponding thigh parallel to the ground, the trailing leg has the toes just touching the ground (but the heel elevated) (1). This will naturally vary from person to person, and the use of a weight plate is common to bridge small gaps (it’s unlikely that your training partner will have exactly the same requirements as you). In addition to the step height, speed and number of reps both play crucial roles in determining the effectiveness of this exercise (for your personal goals). The usual rules apply – in general the reps will be lower and the breaks longer when training for maximum strength, and the reps higher/breaks shorter for hypertrophy goals. The starting/finishing distance of the feet from the step also makes a difference, with a larger gap emphasising the Gluteus Maximus and a smaller gap emphasizing quadriceps (2). Muscles used The target muscle group is usually the quadriceps, though the weighting of this can be adjusted by altering the step height and gap as indicated above. Other muscle groups involved are (2) : Synergists * Gluteus Maximus * Adductor Magnus * Soleus * Gastrocnemius (Second Leg) Dynamic Stabilizers * Hamstrings * Gastrocnemius (First Leg) Stabilizers * Erector Spinae * Trapezius, Upper * Trapezius, Middle * Levator Scapulae * Gluteus Medius * Gluteus Minimus Antagonist Stabilizers * Rectus Abdominis * Obliques As you can see, this is well and truly a compound exercise, and targets similar muscle groups to the squat. Variations Bodyweight step-up The simplest form is a bodyweight-only step-up onto anything of a reasonable height (usually something below knee height). The speed, number of reps and step height will all play roles in the effectiveness of this exercise for your goals. Because of this flexibility the step-up can be used as a warmup, conditioning or strength training exercise. Dumbbell step-up As per the bodyweight step-up, performed whilst holding a dumbbell in each hand. Barbell step-up As per the bodyweight step-up, performed whilst holding a barbell across the shoulders in the same manner as for a back squat. Step-ups wearing a weight vest As per the bodyweight step-up, performed whilst wearing a weight-vest (such as the this one from CAP Barbell). Former East Bengalese marathon runner Sri Chinmoy switched to weight-lifting in the mid 1980s (when he was in his 50s); setting a personal record for Step-ups done whilst wearing a 50lb weight vest by regularly performing 100 in 1996 (aged 65). Once again, the usual rules of rep ranges and breaks apply. Inspired by Chinmoy’s effort, the slightly more spritely Ashrita Furman (6) completed 2,574 step-ups (bodyweight only) onto a 15″ bench in one hour, later that same year. Read on …

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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 : ‘Functional Training and Beyond: Building the Ultimate Superfunctional Body and Mind’ (by Adam Sinicki)

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. If you’ve ever seen any of ‘The Bioneer’ videos on Youtube, you’ll be well aware of Adam Sinicki’s ‘a little bit of everything’ approach. His book ‘Functional Training and Beyond: Building the Ultimate Superfunctional Body and Mind’ explores this approach in great depth, detailing the how and why of various approaches to training. A wonderful read. 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.