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 : Strains and Sprains
  Scott Andrew Bird
  Causes and treatments.
  

• Looking At : Jan 12, 2025 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 : “If you quit, you die” Troy Tries – Pahlavani (The Father Figure Coach)

Great explanation of the various tools, and of the overall approach.

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 175 we discussed Stretching with Great Weight Lifting‘s John Cammidge. 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 : Unitree PUMP MAX (Gym Equipment)

Interesting idea. The Unitree PUMP MAX is a variable resistance device for your cable work, with some rather intriguing modes. The video will show you what I mean :
The Unitree PUMP MAX.

Tip of the Week : Fix Your Feet

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 from Josh Hewett‘s excellent ‘Bulletproof Your Body‘ series. The real benefits of including your feet in your training. Over to Josh :

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You need to gradually strengthen your feet and slowly introduce them to greater range of motion. Walking barefoot on soft sand or grass is a great way to start… plus it feels good! If you have access to a beach or a well manicured lawn, slowly progress from walking barefoot for a few minutes at a time and working up to a longer duration, before introducing any more challenging barefoot activities. For walking on solid surfaces such as concrete, I suggest you wear appropriate footwear that will provide minimal support while still allowing for greater natural movement of your feet.

Good stuff. Note that this is only a snippet from the full piece – swing by Josh‘ blog for the entire article [.pdf]. 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 : One-Handed Rack Pull

Aside from a few bodyweight-only exercises, I like to treat the abdominals as any other muscle group – with as heavy weights as possible. This is particularly true of the obliques, and a favoured movement is the one-handed rack pull. This is essentially the same as a dumbbell side bend, only using a barbell. The length of the bar makes it that much harder to control – consequently there is a lot more grip and wrist work involved than the humble side bend. It’s also much more fun.

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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 Thin Line : Hope vs. Reality in the Era of Weight-Loss Drugs’ (by Scaachi Koul)

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. Scaachi Koul’s ‘The Thin Line : Hope vs. Reality in the Era of Weight-Loss Drugs’ takes a fascinating look at the societal impacts of the various GLP-1 antagonist drugs (think things like ‘Ozempic’). Incredible potential – both benefits and harms. 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.