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 : Thomas Topham – The First Modern Strongman
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The start of it all.

Looking At : Jun 5, 2022
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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 First Human Trial Of A Virus That Kills Cancer (Dr Ben Miles)

This video takes a look at the Phase 1 trial of Vaxinia (and oncolytic viruses in general), which hold enormous promise in the fighting of various cancers. Wonderful.

Gymchat 278 – TBA

We’re still finalising the details for this week’s discussion. I’ll post them on the blog (and Twitter, 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 159 we discussed Recovery Methods : Sleep II with a ton of Strength-training fans. Great conversation.
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 : Sleepmi (Anti Snoring Device)

Interesting device. The Sleepmi is a wearable device (worn beneath the chin during sleep) which aims to greatly reduce any snoring it detects. A pulse or two is sent out whenever it does. A targeted, timely massage. A little video :
The Sleepmi.

Tip of the Week: Becoming Aware of Your Transverse Abdominis

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there’s always a way to improve what you’re doing.

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There’s an awful lot more to abdominal work than exercises like the humble crunch. Everything from Louie‘s infamous ‘Stand-Up Abs‘ to the many, many varieties of the squat.
Before doing any of that, however, it helps to understand a little about the various muscles being worked. For that, it’s over to Kat ‘The Mighty Kat‘ Ricker.
For starters, from Kat’s superb article Specific Training for the Transverse Abdominis: Belt It In, here’s a quick way to learn to feel what your TA is doing :

Begin by becoming aware of this muscle. Sit upright on a bench. Have a partner face you, place both of his hands on your shoulders, and gently push you backward (gently!). Your goal is to maintain your upright position, not allowing your spine to extend/your back to arch. Your TA will kick in to achieve your goal.

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.

Exercise of the Week : Reaching Push-Up

I love coming across new exercises, or re-discovering older ones. Yesterday I watched an old show on Jackie Chan’s stunt training, and noticed a push-up variation that doesn’t seem to get much attention : the Reaching Push-Up (pictured). Simply move your hands out in front of your body and perform push-ups as normal. As with the ab rollout (if using the full ROM), this push-up variation places more stress on the lower back; whilst giving the abs and shoulders a little more to think about. Very unusual.

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Incidentally, if you’d like to get in touch regarding this or any other aspect of strength, you can contact me here. Look forward to hearing from you.

Fitness Reading For The Week : The Science of Food: An Exploration of What We Eat and How We Cook (by Marty Jopson)

It’ll come as no surprise that we discuss a lot of fitness-related books; on this site as well as the various networks noted in the sidebar. I was chatting to a nutritionist last night, and it’s fair to say that she spends a fair bit of time in the kitchen (she isn’t alone there – I suspect many of us are similarly food-obsessed). One of her book recommendations – and the one I’m about to dive into myself – is The Science of Food: An Exploration of What We Eat and How We Cook by Marty Jopson. Wonderful. Incidentally, I’ve got an evergrowing list of ‘books to read‘, and I’m always looking to add to it. Suggestions welcome. There’s also a list of our all-time fitness suggestions over there. Dive on in.