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 : Training for the Planche
  Al Kavadlo
  Up for a challenge?
  

• Looking At : Nov 30, 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 : I’m Shocked By This AI Gym (Ali Spagnola’s Fitness Outrageous)

Interesting combination (although I’d suggest that the effort involved in ‘non-AI gyms’ is part of the point).

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 230 we discussed World’s Strongest Disabled Man with Strength Athlete and Personal Trainer Jeff King, and Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. Great conversation. NB : 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/2014/01/10/video_for_gymchat_230_-_worlds_strongest_disabled_man_jeff_king/ .
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 : Kineon Move Plus 2.0 (LED & Laser Therapy Device)

Looks great. Remember the Kineon Move Plus Pro? This is the next generation – the Kineon Move Plus 2.0. As before, it’s a light therapy device for the rapid relief of pain; so you can get moving again. And yes, it’s designed with a regular gym-goer or athlete firmly in mind. The upgrades are more easily seen than explained :
The Kineon Move Plus 2.0.

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.

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 : 5 Tips for Easier Pull Ups (Marine Sgt Michael Eckert)

A wonderful glimpse at an oft-overlooked area of training.

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Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘The Emergency Mind : Wiring Your Brain for Performance Under Pressure’ (by Dan Dworkis)

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. This week we’re diving back in to the world of mental toughness with Dan Dworkis’ ‘The Emergency Mind : Wiring Your Brain for Performance Under Pressure’, looking at the skills required in order to go from ‘casual’ to ‘calm and focused’ almost instantly. Written by a physician in an emergency department, although it obviously applies to many other environments. Dive in. 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. 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.