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 : A Brief History of Circuit Training and Peripheral Heart Action (PHA)
  Scott Andrew Bird
  Good fun.
  

• Looking At : Apr 26 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 : The Most Important Thing You Can Do To Build Strength (Institute of Human Anatomy)

How to increase size, strength, endurance, or some combination.

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 253 we discussed Improving Recovery & Performance with New Warrior Training Systems’ Sincere Hogan, 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/2014/08/14/video_for_gymchat_253_-_improving_recovery_performance_sincere_hogan/ .
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 : Travel Roller (Foam Roller For Your Spine)

Looks great. The Travel Roller is a miniature foam roller for your spine. small & lightweight, it looks ideal. Will be testing one shortly. In the meantime, a little video :
The Travel Roller.

Tip of the Week : Use a Weight You Can Control

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 enigmatic Gerard F, and is a snippet from a series of very interesting conversations surrounding the insights of the ‘Iron Guru‘, Vince Gironda.

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The full quote is :  

Use a weight you can control, and control the weight you use.

This applies to a lot of things, but in this case we were talking about the bench press. Gerard noted :

At best the Bench Press is an “OK” exercise even when done correctly, but nearly everyone performs it based on the wrong concept. Using 8-12 reps its OK, but what happens is, when the reps get tough, your form goes bad, the back arches and/or your torso torques; stress goes from the chest to the triceps to the shoulder/cuff, and your strong side lifts the load that your weak side can’t handle.

Over bench pressing gives you a circle looking chest, that’s when the shoulders and tris are developed because the chest can’t handle the weight, and what happens is the shoulder and tris are targeted more than the pecs.

Very interesting. Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

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 Strengthen Ankles – Balance, Stability, & Mobility (The Bioneer)

A great look at the various functions of the ankle, and how (and why!) to strengthen them. Love it.

Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘The Comfort Crisis : Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self’ (by Michael Easter)

Having recently read his book on rucking, I decided to dive into one of Michael Easter’s earlier projects – ‘The Comfort Crisis : Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self‘. Wonderful. — 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.