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 : The Ab Wheel
  Scott Andrew Bird
  Great bit of gear.
  

• Looking At : Nov 24, 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 : This is What Exercise Does to Your Muscles (Institute of Human Anatomy)

Great information.

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 167 we discussed Setting Up the Home Gym with Combat athlete Andrew Nalepa. 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 : FLEXICON (Home Gym Device)

Interesting idea. The FLEXICON is an all-in-one setup for the home gym, utilising resistance bands rather than plates or a weight stack. Unusual combination. A little video :
The FLEXICON.

Tip of the Week : Returning to Heavy Training – Inspecting the Equipment

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. This tip is an answer to the question ‘If you’re using your old gear, how do you test things to make sure they’re still safe and working correctly?‘, directed at Vic Magary during the Heavy Training after a Break Gymchat. A great discussion.

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“I think the most important thing to inspect would be the J-cups where you set the bar. Also simply taking a wrench to all of the bolts of a rack to make sure they are good and tight. Depending on the type, you may want to double check the collars. I’d think the barbell and plates would be fine even after a few years as long as they were subject to normal conditions.”

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 Of The Week : Bottom Squat

The bottom, or bottom-up squat (sometimes called ‘dead stop squat‘) is simply a squat performed starting from the lowest position. This is usually done in a power rack from pins that mean your thighs are horizontal.


How does this change things? It affects the squat in a couple of ways, which may or may not be appropriate for your training. Personally I love them. The differences :

 

• There’s no walk-out. In this way it’s like having your own monolift. Of course the walk-out itself is a very worthwhile exercise, and there’s nothing stopping you from doing them separately.
• Starting from the bottom eliminates the stretch relex. There’s no chance to build up elastic potential energy (thanks John) for the trip up, so you’re starting cold. This can make them a little tougher, and is the main reason I like them.

Remember that the stretch reflex can be very useful at times. Bottom squats are great things, but not always appropriate. If you’re training to be explosive from a dead stop (as in Olympic Lifting), they might be worth giving a go. On the other hand, if your chosen sport keeps you moving around the majority of the time, the usual varieties of top-down squats may be more beneficial. Personally, as I enjoy weight training purely for fun, I employ both bottom-up and top-down methods. It’s up to you.

More information, references and other fun things to try

The picture is from Bud Jeffries’ 1,000lb bottom squat. His challenge for anyone to duplicate this is ongoing.

This thread on the Go Heavy forums put me onto an article in Powerlifting USA, by Kenny Croxdale and Tom Morris. Excellent reading.
If you’ve stopped doing pistol squats because they’re no longer challenging enough, try these. John Davies has found a way to eliminate the stretch reflex in the basic pistol, and turned it into an unholy beast.

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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 : ‘Fit for Life: A New Beginning’ (by Harvey Diamond)

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. I found myself in a conversation the other day on RFK Jr’s MAHA ideas for the US. As a result, I was pointed to Harvey Diamond’s ‘Fit for Life: A New Beginning’. An interesting 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.