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
  Scott Andrew Bird | follow @scottbird
  Serious strength.
  

• Looking At : Apr 28, 2024 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 : 10 Concepts for a Longevity-Focused Gym (Dr Brad Stanfield – @BradStanfieldMD)

Interesting list. Anything you’d add/change?

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 134 we discussed From Diabetic to Fit (Steve Cooksey) with Diabetes Warrior‘s Steve Cooksey, and ‘Captain‘ Kirk Fontaine. 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 : Breth (Smart Breathwork Device)

Interesting idea. The Breth is a smart breathwork device with haptic feedback, and an assortment of breathing modalities. A smartphone app completes the picture. A little video :
The Breth.

Tip of the Week : Using (and Making) a Fat Bar

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 Max Shank, in the form of a video from the article The Fat Bar. Take a look.

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This video shows the bar in action. To read how it helps, and how to make one; head over to the article The Fat Bar. Nice one. Over to Max :

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 : Serratus Crunch

Whilst poring over Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s Encyclopaedia of Modern Bodybuilding this morning I noticed this exercise – the Serratus Crunch. And yes, it involves the chinning bar.
The Serratus (sometimes known as the ‘boxers‘ muscle) is perhaps best thought of as the ‘3 fingers‘ on your side, below each arm. Its job is to hold the scapula (shoulderblade) against the thoracic wall (rib cage). The Serratus Crunch comes in two main forms, each of which is described below. Hanging version This is the one described in Arnold’s book, and the one most likely to find a place in my own routines. Hanging from a chinning bar (using a shoulder-width, pronated grip), simply raise your legs directly to one side, and then the other. Lift them as high as possible, and try to keep the movement slow and under control. Lying version I came across this in Christiane Lamy‘s article 9 Ab exercises for more sex! (seriously, that’s what it’s called). In this version a standard crunch is performed, with the only difference being the position of the arms; they are held vertically and holding a dumbbell, kettlebell or other heavy object in each hand. Warning: they’re harder than they look. Enjoy.

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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/Listening For The Week : ‘Neuroscience for Dummies’ (by Frank Amthor)

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. We’ve noted several brain-centric disorders over the years, as well as a number of books & podcasts which describe them in great detail. If it’s an area of interest (it certainly is here, as you can doubtless tell), check out a book such as Frank Amthor’s ‘Neuroscience for Dummies’. Great overview. 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.