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 :
As a fan of anything that encourages people to cycle/walk/run more often, I love seeing London’s ‘Low Traffic Neighborhoods’. Would love to see similar approaches in many areas.
Previously : In Gymchat 252 we discussed Alpha Aesthetics (Personal Development In The 21st Century) with Omar ‘Bromar‘ Atlas, joined by Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete 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/2014/07/22/video_for_gymchat_252_-_alpha_aesthetics_personal_development_in_the_21st_century_with_omar_atlas/ .
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.
The Levitask Vision Chair.
Gem From The Vault : Owning an Underground Gym – Some Insights
Al Heinemann (Terminal City Barbell Club)
Nice one.
Looking At : Apr 19 2026
Scott Andrew Bird | follow @scottbird
What’s been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.
Video : The Most Controversial Street in London (Evan Edinger)
As a fan of anything that encourages people to cycle/walk/run more often, I love seeing London’s ‘Low Traffic Neighborhoods’. Would love to see similar approaches in many areas.
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 252 we discussed Alpha Aesthetics (Personal Development In The 21st Century) with Omar ‘Bromar‘ Atlas, joined by Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete 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/2014/07/22/video_for_gymchat_252_-_alpha_aesthetics_personal_development_in_the_21st_century_with_omar_atlas/ .
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 : Levitask Vision Chair (Posture-Friendly Chair)
Interesting idea. The Levitask Vision Chair is a posture-friendly chair; for something between sitting and standing. The video below will show you what I mean :The Levitask Vision Chair.
Ever Tried Kettlebells?
If you've seen people using them but never taken the plunge yourself, here are the ones I use personally. You can also pick up a book/DVD/course if you want to learn how to put them to work.
Tip of the Week : Beginner Neck-Building Program
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 the obscenely strong Mike ‘The Machine‘ Bruce, and is a snippet from his superb article Building A Neck Of Steel. Take a look.Neck work – whether you’re a beginner, or have been training for years – doesn’t need to be that complicated. And if you’re new to the area of neck strengthening, this is a great place to start. Over to Mike :
Following is a beginner program to help get you started from Pencil Neck to Neck of Steel.
Now that’s a neck harness lift.
- Neck Curls on a flat bench with weight 1-2 sets of 20-30 repetitions
- Neck Harness work [same as above]
- Side of Neck on a flat bench [same as above]
Do this every other day for the first month. Then you can increase the workload to every day you train. Or increase the weighted repetitions to 5 sets of 50 repetitions. Once you can attain 100 straight repetitions in the 3 exercises then it is time to increase the weight.
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.
Exercises Of The Week : Insane Reverse Benching With Cambered Bar (Mike O’Hearn)
Haven’t tried this particular variation before. You?
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘This Is Your Brain on Depression : Creating Your Path to Getting Better’ (by Faith G. Harper PhD LPC-S ACS ACN)
Dr Faith G. Harper’s ‘This Is Your Brain on Depression : Creating Your Path to Getting Better‘ explains the brain science behind depression, and the various treatment options currently available. Nice one. — 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.