Gem From The Vault : The Zercher Squat
Scott Andrew Bird
Wonderful exercise.- Looking At : Jul 9, 2023
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 : Outstanding Results in New Human Study (Dr Brad Stanfield)
Promising indeed.
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 229 we discussed How to Prepare for a Powerlifting Competition with Powerlifter Ben McLaughlin and Josh Hewett. Great conversation.
And if you missed it the first time (or just want to go over a particular point again), check out the full video over on Josh’s Youtube channel :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4BbhGodUnQ.
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 : Core One (OTC Hearing Aids)
These look (and hopefully sound) great.
This is certainly a rapidly-growing space – relatively low-cost hearing aids. The Core One is a pair of in-canal devices, with inbuilt noise reduction features. A companion smartphone app controls everything.
A little video to show you what I mean :
The Core One.
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: Dynamic Thumb Training with the Titan’s Telegraph Key
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.
I love a dose of grip work; it’s a great way to challenge yourself. It’s also a particularly fun way to train.
Still, there’s always a different way of looking at things. Here’s an excellent example of that – Jedd shows just how a piece of equipment like the TTK can be put to a slightly uncommon use. I’ll let him explain.
From the article Getting the Most out of Your TTK :
Thumb training can be broken up into at least four different types: Dynamic, Static, and Extensor, and Multi-Planar.
The focus of this article will be Dynamic thumb training with the Titan’s Telegraph Key, or TTK.
One way to mix things up a bit is to make the Range of Motion longer by adding something underneath the finger-side handle. A catalog is a perfect choice for this. This makes the hand work through a longer range of motion the muscles are not used to. The first time I did this, I was sore for several days from the new stimulus. This technique has worked great for me in my quest for lifting heavier and wider block weights.
A brief demonstration :
Love it.
Exercise Of The Week Strength History : Maurice Tillet
Maurice Tillet (aka The French Angel) was a wrestler in the 1930s-’40s. In his 20s he developed acromegaly, gradually disfiguring his body and leading to his ‘ogre’ personality in the ring.
On August 1, 1944, The French Angel defeated Steve “Crusher” Casey for the American Wrestling Association World Championship.
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/Listening For The Week : ‘The Mind Manual – Mental Fitness Tools for Everyone’ (by Dr Alex George)
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.
It’s wonderful to see a book on this area – the ‘mental fitness‘ side of things. Whether you’re mentally in a good place right now (and would like things to stay that way), or things are a bit more of a challenge – this book is ideally placed to be able to help.
Powerful, detailed and well worth reading. Dive in.
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.