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 :
Owning an Underground Gym: Some Insights
Al Heinemann
Considering setting up your own gym? Having successfully done exactly that, Al has a few suggestions.
Gettin’ Swole II
Derek Peruo
Derek takes a close look at the Now Foods L-Citrulline Performance Supplement.
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 : Mighty Joe’s Forearm Training
A superb look at the way ‘Mighty Joe‘ Musselwhite tackles his forearm work. Nice one.
NB : the video’s been split into two parts. The first part is above; you’ll find the second one here. Enjoy.
Gymchat 176 – Fitness & Health Devices
Having an IT background, it’s no surprise that I spent years surrounded by electronic gadgets of all shapes and sizes.
What was a surprise, however – at least initially – is just how many of them there are in the world of health and fitness. Helping you to do everything from running more efficiently to finding the perfect way to lift a little more weight. Love it.
This week we’ll be diving in to this world, looking at both what’s currently possible and the various things we’d love to see. Helping us get a handle on this is ultrarunner, airline captain and insanely competitive triathlete, Chas Melichar.
Join Chas and I for Gymchat 176 – Fitness & Health Devices. Fantastic.
Details –
Who Ultrarunner, airline captain and insanely competitive triathlete, Chas Melichar
Topic : Fitness & Health Devices
When : Wed Jul 4, 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/daqWtGT81Cb
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 Chas any questions you like on fitness devices.
See you there.
Quick update on last week’s gymchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion : Stretching. 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: Atlas Stone Technique
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.
As you may have already noticed, we’re constantly adding new pages to the Guides section of this site. One of the most recent additions looks at the many ways to lift heavy stones – good fun.
To get you in the mood for a little stone work, here’s the incredible Jouko Ahola explaining (and demonstrating) one of the most popular forms – Atlas Stone lifting. Love it.
NB : In addition to the technique itself, Jouko makes an excellent point near the end of the video. He notes that in his own training the platforms are a little higher than those used in competitions, and the stones are slightly heavier. Sage advice indeed.
Looking Forward To : Industrial Strength Grip II
‘Unbreakable‘ Adam Glass has just announced that Volume 2 of the Industrial Strength Grip DVD will be available shortly. This contains a whole lot of information on the various ways to put the humble weight plate at the heart of a solid grip workout.
To give you an idea, check out the video here – featuring a super simple one-plate arm workout. Good stuff.
Bonus : if you’ve ever considered the idea of using Isometric work in your training, no doubt you’ve checked out the Extreme Power with Isometrics DVD (and if not, give it a look – it really is superb).
If you’re just looking for an idea of what it’s all about though, grab the PDF below. A great read.
11 Reasons You Must Do Isometrics
Absolutely free.
Exercise of the Week : Band Pull-Aparts
I love these – particularly when travelling. The superbly simple Band Pull-Aparts.
Over to Informed Performance‘s Will Heffernan :
Good stuff.
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 Downloads from the Strength Kit
I recently added a number of resources to the Straight to the Bar Strength Kit, and as a Strength & Fitness Newsletter subscriber you’re more than welcome to download as many of them as you like. Several great eBooks, podcasts and videos – all absolutely free.
Just head over here, save them to your hard-drive, and dive in.
Good stuff.
NB : This is an ever-changing list. If you’d like to put your own work in front of a fantastic strength-focussed audience, let me know.