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 : Sandbag Training Protocols
  Matt Palfrey (Sandbag Fitness)
  Great way to train.
  

• Looking At : May 10 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 : HARDCORE HOME GYMS EP. 21 – Martin Seck’s Martial Arts Home Gym (Jujimufu)

Love this series – great to see how various people train.

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 256 we discussed Injury Prevention & Management with Exercise Physiologist John Paul Catanzaro, and Strength Athlete & 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/2014/09/11/video_for_gymchat_256_-_injury_prevention_management_john_paul_catanzaro/ .
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 : MedBed (Red Light Therapy Mattress Cover)

Interesting idea. The MedBed is a red light therapy device in the form of a mattress cover. Unusual combination. I’ll certainly be checking it out when it launches. In the meantime, a little video :
The MedBed.

Tip of the Week : Buying a Power Rack – Determining the width you’ll need.

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 following a discussion I had over the weekend (I was helping a friend choose a power rack), and is a snippet from the article ‘Buyers’ Guide : the Power Rack‘. Determining the width you’ll need.

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Although the width of a barbell never changes (within one type, that is – standard bars are about a foot shorter than their Olympic counterparts), the width of racks vary from brand to brand. The rack’s minimum width will depend largely on what you’re going to do with it.

Sumo squats and rack pulls will take the most room; somewhere around 40″ would be an absolute minimum, but your best bet is to measure your own squat (outside one foot to outside the other).

 

If you intend to bench press in the rack, or use the bench as a seat for other exercises (such as the overhead work I mentioned earlier), make sure the bench fits. If you’re buying them both at the same time, great. Test them out.

One more thing to note with the bench inside the rack – if you plan to use dumbbells from the bench, make sure there’s plenty of room to drop the dumbbells once they get heavy. Oh, and something to protect the floor (in the drop zone) is always a good idea – a couple of rubber mats will do nicely.

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 : How good is bodyweight training for MMA? (Mike)

We all can agree to the fact without any argument that the primary reason why an athlete wants to become strong is to be effective in their respective sport. The most common way of developing strength is indeed lifting weights. But we have come across countless MMA fighters, who can back squat enormous loads easily but stumble like jelly when it comes to performing simple bodyweight exercises because they lack stability & body control.

The strength that can’t be expressed on fighting grounds is useless for a fighter. It’s where bodyweight workouts come in. Incorporating them strategically in your training, the regimen will help in developing awareness & proprioception that you need for gains.

Bodyweight workouts are seen to be effective & efficient especially when it narrows to building strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility. Bodyweight exercises also help in preventing injury and give your body a break from the wear & tear that occurs as a result of weightlifting.

read on.

Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘Habits for Greatness : 30 Lessons from the Greats to Live Your Best Life Now’ (by Dr Tim Sharp)

This week we’re taking another look at the mental side of things, with Dr Tim Sharp’s ‘Habits for Greatness : 30 Lessons from the Greats to Live Your Best Life Now‘. A great read.