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 : Evolution of Sandbag Training, Part 2
  Josh Henkin (Ultimate Sandbag Training)
  Love using sandbags.
  

• Looking At : Sep 28, 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 : A Helmet Won’t Save Cyclists From Bad Driving — Here’s Why (AverageManOnaBike)

Interesting. When it comes to cycling safety, are you on the ‘Pro-Helmet’ or ‘No Helmet’ side of things?

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 221 we discussed The Paleo Approach to Health & Physique Transformation with Kettlebell and CrossFit Coach Adam Farrah and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. 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 : Biroller Detachable 360 Spin (Split Ab Roller)

Interesting idea. The Biroller Detachable 360 Spin is a split abroller, somewhere between a pair of ab wheels and a couple of furniture sliders. The video will show you what I mean.
The Biroller Detachable 360 Spin.

Tip of the Week : Training for Unusual Feats

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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When Jeff Wilson was training for the Soda Can Crush (video below), he quickly realised that his usual training approach wouldn’t work. For one thing, you can’t progressively crush a can of soda. In the article Unusual Goals Require Unusual Measures, he explains exactly how to tackle something like this. Here’s a snippet to give you the basic idea :

I knew that without actually being able to accomplish the feat that my training would have to take a drastic turn from what I had become accustomed to over the years. The seemingly supplemental exercises of my workouts would now become my core movements. I scoured my repertoire (as well as the training logs of top gripsters world-wide) for hand, wrist and grip exercises to find those that closely mimicked the movement I would use for the crush – and I came to the conclusion that the final crush of an unbraced bend was strikingly similar. With some alterations to my particular style of bending I knew I could get huge carryover to the soda crush. I upped my bending frequency a bit and focused on generating as much power as possible through the final crush down as I could with each piece of steel I attempted. During my bending sessions I used high volume, isometrics and pre-kinking steel that was a little out of my league, but I didn’t want to bend too often because going too overboard with unbraced bending can potentially set you up for some pretty nasty injuries. I knew that I also needed movements that I could safely perform on a very regular basis that would have big carry over to the can crush, while having very little risk of injury in order to accomplish my goal in a timely manner.

And the feat itself? Over to Jeff :
Love it.

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.

Exercises Of The Week : Are HIIT Workouts Effective for Weight Loss? (Mike)

Are HIIT Bike Workouts Effective for Weight Loss? HIIT workout is considered a very high-intensity cardio workout that is followed by rest for a longer period. One of the main reasons why HIIT workout is highly practiced is because of weight loss. When you want to lose weight, you are building up lean muscles by burning calories. The best method to do a HIIT workout at home is to split up your time in 30 minutes of workout followed by 30 minutes of rest. Remember that after an intense workout your muscles need rest for their recovery. Besides that, if you want to get indulged in any type of workout, you need to get a suitable gym outfit first, which should provide you comfort throughout your training or fighting session. Born tough gym attire is super durable and comfortable and is available at the cheapest price. There are various HIIT workouts that you can do at home, which include the following workout. Read on.

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Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘The Oxygen Advantage’ (by Patrick McKeown)

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. Yes, it’s a re-read. A recent discussion on breathing techniques led me to mentioning this book in particular, and I ended up re-reading it myself. Happens. Just in case you missed it originally : — Patrick McKeown’s ‘The Oxygen Advantage (Patrick McKeown)‘ takes a wonderful look at the physiological processes of breathing, as well as specific breathing techniques to simulate high-altitude training. Incidentally, I’ve got an evergrowing list of ‘books to read‘, and I’m always looking to add to it. Suggestions welcome. There’s also a list of our all-time fitness suggestions over on Goodreads. Dive on in.