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 Bulgarianization Experiment
  Al Heinemann (Terminal City Barbell Club)
  Interesting.
  

• Looking At : Mar 22 2026 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 : Battling a $2000 AI Tennis Machine (Ali Spagnola’s Fitness Outrageous)

Over to Ali.

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 247 we discussed The Power of Visualization with Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and 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/2014/05/21/video_for_gymchat_247_-_the_power_of_visualization_jen_mulhall/ .
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 : InGym (Smart Gym Equipment)

Interesting idea. The InGym is a motorised assistant for your home gym, turning into something approaching a Smart Gym setup. The video will show you what I mean :
The InGym.

Tip of the Week : Checking Your Squat Depth

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 comes to us from a thread on the VirtualMeet Forums, looking at a device called the Safety Squat. Very interesting idea.

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Over to James Chochlinski :  

The safety squat arrived yesterday. No instruction manual, just a picture. Tried some squats with it using just the bar. Seems to work similarly to the youtube video sensor. Placement just above the knee requires deeper squat to trigger the sensor; Not as deep when placed higher up on the thigh. It’s just a level sensor, so the difference is due to the shape of my thigh. Happy with the safety squat so far.

James was also kind enough to share some video of the device in action : The obvious use is for powerlifters when training for a meet. However, on Google+, Raymond Ho shared an alternative way to put it to work :

The idea is actually good. I see people when they start loading up the bar (which is too heavy for them) they start to get higher out of the holes until it looks more like a partial rep. and if you squat by yourself then it stops you from cheating.

Sounds great. I’m curious : has anyone here used a device like this, and what are your thoughts on the idea?

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 : How to Balance Weight Training and BJJ (Mike)

Weightlifting and martial arts training is the way to turn yourself into a beast of a human being. You will get stronger along the way and get the necessary cardio in place to get completely shredded and feel amazing about yourself. The hardest part about this is balancing your time in a way that still supports other aspects of your life. Making sacrifices is part of the process. In this article, we discuss how to balance BJJ and lifting!

How to Balance BJJ and Lifting

Balancing your martial arts training and still finding time to make it to the gym is a balancing act that is not easy to accomplish for most people. I speak from experience on this topic.

When coming to this crossroad you have to look at your schedule and identify the holes that are in it to fit some weight training in. Working out on a daily basis is not going to hurt you in the long term. As long as you are not maxing out on every lift, you will be okay. Mix this in with the cardio you get at your martial arts gym and you will end up shredded in no time!

read on.

Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘Bounce Forward : How to Build Resilience and Thrive Through Life’s Curveballs’ (by Domonique Bertolucci)

We’re diving back in to the ‘mental toughness’ area once again, this time with Domonique Bertolucci’s ‘Bounce Forward : How to Build Resilience and Thrive Through Life’s Curveballs‘. Wonderful insights. — 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.