This Week on Straight to the Bar
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 :
Grip Training Essentials : Plate Wrist Curls
Matt Hunt
A fantastically simple way to strengthen your wrists. Love it.
Salt – Friend or Foe?
Maik Wiedenbach
Maik takes a look at this much maligned combination of electrolytes. Good stuff.
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’d like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here’s how.
Video : Club Swinging Introduction
This is a fantastic video.
Mark de Grasse pointed to this lecture by the incredible Richard ‘Army‘ Maguire, held at Dan Inosanto’s school in 2010. He outlines both the history and key benefits of a dose of club training; as well as demonstrating several basic techniques. Good stuff.
NB : it’s certainly comprehensive, and runs a little over half an hour. If you’ve got a spare 30mins though, it’s well worth watching. Love it.
Gymchat 175 – Stretching
Stretching. We all feel as though we should do some, but we’re not quite sure when. Or how.
How do you get started? Before or after your workout? Is it really worth the effort?
This week we’re going to discuss the various ways to get your stretch on, when to do it and the benefits of doing so. Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than Great Weight Lifting‘s John Cammidge.
Join John and I for Gymchat 175 – Stretching. Fantastic.
Details –
Who Great Weight Lifting‘s John Cammidge
Topic : Stretching
When : Wed Jun 27, 9pm EDT (here’s how to find out when that is in your timezone)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Where : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/URxB5xGCCVW
If you’ve never been to one of these discussions before, here’s how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.
For everyone who’s joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask John any stretching-related questions you like.
See you there.
Quick update on last week’s gymchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion : Training Around Injuries. Some superb ideas in there.
For those who missed out on the conversation, here’s the transcript. Was a great one.
Tip of the Week: Overhand Card Tearing
Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via twitter, Google+, the forums, the blog; and now the newsletter. Wherever you are, there’s always a way to improve what you’re doing.
When it comes to the various feats of performing strongmen & women, one that frequently comes to mind is the tearing of a deck of cards. In the article Overhand Card Tearing, Bikes Cut the Correct Way, Adam explains the basic technique for doing exactly that :
Hold it firmly.Hold the deck firmly with your weak hand (right side shown for me) with the deck firmly and horizontal to the floor.
Pinch the deck.Pinch the deck with the strong hand with the thumb and index finger. It’s the same grip you use to use a remote control.
Pull towards your chest.Pull your strong hand (pinch side) towards your chest. The index finger splits the deck. You must pinch hard!
Turn your weak hand towards the floor.Continue to pull hand towards your chest, turn your weak hand towards the floor. The deck will rip – not twist – if you have a tight grip. The tear line will be clean.
Separate the deck.Continue to pinch the deck hard and pull back towards your chest until you separate the deck. The line will be a clean cut right through the deck. With this method you can put the cut anywhere you want on the deck.
Tearing cards.It takes pain tolerance and hand strength with this method. Keep practicing. THERE IS NO TRICK. Rub some lip balm on your hands after you tear if the skin is raw.
I can now rip decks of bicycles in less than 3 seconds, and quarter them in a second with this grip. It makes you strong.
NB : it’s certainly possible, but by no means easy. If you enjoyed doing that and would like to take it a step further, check out Jedd’s superb Card Tearing eBook. Invaluable resource.
Checking Out : Techniques for Light Indian Club Swinging (DVD)
If you watched the ‘Army‘ Maguire video above, no doubt you’re keen to dive in and learn the essential skills behind these tools. No matter what their weight.
Although there are many instructional videos on clubs of all kinds, I’m particularly keen to check out Army’s own DVD – Techniques for Light Indian Club Swinging. Looks superb.
Quick update on the superb Fixing Elbow Pain we mentioned recently. Suffice to say that if you’ve ever experienced conditions like Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow, it’s essential reading.
Love it.
Exercise of the Week : One Hand Lift
‘Unbreakable‘ Adam Glass demonstrates a number of fantastic grip feats & exercises in this video, including one of my own favourites – the superbly simple One Hand Lift. Good stuff.
NB : if you’d like to have a go at this yourself, all you need is a handle, a loading pin and a stack of plates. Beautiful.
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.
Free Straight to the Bar eBooks
As a Strength & Fitness Newsletter subscriber you get several great eBooks, absolutely free. Just head over here, save them to your hard-drive, and dive in.
Good stuff.
NB : This is an ever-changing list of books. If you’d like to put your own work in front of a fantastic strength-focussed audience, let me know.