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 :
Gem From the Vault : Giving it Away II (Donating Disused Training Equipment to Charity)
Scott Andrew Bird
Thanks for all the kind words following the ‘Give It Away‘ piece last week, it’s greatly appreciated. Here’s the follow-up.- Looking At : Oct 28, 2012
Scott Andrew Bird
We’ve been discussing some very interesting techniques, products and services recently. Here are the highlights.
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 : A Parkour Symphony
Nice one.
Gymchat 189 – TBA
We’re still finalising the details for this week’s discussion, I’ll post those shortly (on the blog, Twitter, Google+ etc – you’ll certainly hear about it). In the meantime, if you’d like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, get in touch. Look forward to hearing from you.
NB : If this is the first time you’re joining us for one of the Video Gymchats, welcome. There are three basic ways to watch this (depending on whether you want to ask a question or two, or just sit back and take it all in) – full details here. However you like to do it, we’ve got you covered.
Details –
Who : TBA
Topic : TBA
When : Wednesday, 9pm EST
How : Google+ Hangout. Follow either Kirk or Scott for details on the live feed.
See you there.
Last Week : In Gymchat 188 we discussed Training Athletes (with Kyle Bohannon). Thanks to everyone who was able to watch live, always the best way to keep up with what’s going on.
Tip of the Week : Bending Steel = Increased Strength Endurance
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.
A friend of mine asked me over the weekend why I bend things. It’s partly because it’s fun, and partly, well, I’ll let Adam explain.
There are many great reasons for bending things, as ‘Unbreakable‘ Adam Glass notes in the article Why Bend Steel? Apart from the simple ‘because it’s downright fun‘ :
The increase in strength and power naturally will carry over to an increase in your endurance. Anyone who has bent a nail will tell you the first time they bent it was so tiring. I have watched people sweat bullets bending their first respectable nail. As time goes on you gain huge reserves of power. A personal testament to this level of power for me was October 2007 when I bent 150 60D nails in one hour using the double under (DU) grip. That represented a massive improvement from Jan 2007, when bending 10-15 nails left my hands extremely fatigued.
Good stuff.
Checking Out : The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning
This looks superb.
If you’ve just learned the basics of kettlebell training (or know someone who has) and are ready to make the most of this wonderful tool, check out The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning. An incredible collection.
As you’ll see, this book manages to distil an awful lot of RKC wisdom into a single package. A snippet from the Dragon Door site will give you the overall idea :
Since 2001 and the world’s first Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) Instructor Certification workshop, thousands of individuals–martial artists, first responders, military, and fitness and strength professionals, have learned how to use kettlebells quickly and safely. And then introduce the remarkable benefits of the kettelbell to a global community of kettlebell enthusiasts.
Many of these RKCs have created a wide variety of effective workout programs for their clients, customers, teams, and units. So, who better to answer the question “How do I use kettlebells to get the best possible results for ME and MY goals?” than these same RKCs?
We asked the RKC Instructors to submit their most prized workouts, so you can not only see, but also use proven programs that have been successfully used by these qualified experts. The result became The RKC Book of Strength and Conditioning, replete with time-tested, results-producing kettlebell workouts that can satisfy the needs of newbie and pro alike, for years to come.
Some workouts are used to develop strength. Some are used for conditioning. All have produced results either for the instructors themselves, their clients, or both. Enjoy the pain!
Once again, it sounds fantastic. And if you check it out, drop me a line – I’d love to hear what you think. Cheers.
Quick update on the StrongerGrip Modular Grip System (MGS) we mentioned recently – absolutely fantastic.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the video. Warning : you will want one.
Beautiful.
Exercise of the Week : Foam Pressing
A different way to use foam in bench training. Very interesting idea.
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.
Kettlebell Exercise Demonstrations & Tutorials
We’ve looked at a lot of kettlebell exercises and variations over the years – in the form of tips, tutorials and demonstrations.
Where do you find them all? Right here – a complete list of Kettlebell Exercise Demonstrations & Tutorials.
Enjoy.
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.
Want to Help Out?
As you might expect, at Straight to the Bar we’re always looking for new ways to share the love of strength-training with the world. Via the main site, the weekly Gymchats, this newsletter and a whole lot more.
We’ve got a new project coming up (a couple actually), and we’re looking for someone to help out with the graphics side of things. In return we offer not only our eternal admiration, but the sincere appreciation of the entire strength-training community. And, of course, the myriad connections and opportunities that go along with that.
If you’re a designer (think illustrations more than physical products) and have more than a passing fondness for the world of strength training, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.