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 :
Very interesting look at the value (or not) of regular full-body health screening, particularly when you’re completely healthy to start with.
Previously : In Gymchat 161 we discussed Belts, Wraps & Straps with Everyone. 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.
Interesting idea.
The FitBox is a tiny, self-contained gym in a shipping container – ready for use in a remote location. Wonderful.
(Wouldn’t mind one myself – for use in something like Tesla’s autonomous bus.)
Gem From The Vault : Bruce Lee’s Back Injury
Scott Andrew Bird
What Happened?- Looking At : Oct 20, 2024
Scott Andrew Bird | follow @scottbird
What’s been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.
Video : I Got Tested for EVERY Disease *so you don’t have to* (Keltie O’Connor)
Very interesting look at the value (or not) of regular full-body health screening, particularly when you’re completely healthy to start with.
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.
Altus Athletic Padded Lifting Straps. Photo via Amazon.
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 : FitBox (Self-Contained Gym)
FitBox.
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: Getting Back Into It
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.If you’ve been away from the iron for a while, how do you get back into it?
Vic takes a thorough look at this in the ‘Returning to Heavy Training After a Break‘ ebook. For a brief overview though, check out the discussion we held on that very same topic.
In Gymchat 136 – Heavy Training after a Break, Vic noted :
I lost a LOT of strength on some lifts. It was surprising. That’s why that initial 3 weeks of lighter work was important to me – it was smart to underestimate my strength at first.And
It’s important to consciously do less those first few weeks. I was off for almost 2 years – as a rule I did not put any more than 135lbs on the bar the first week. I did not push any sets to failure the next two weeks while still staying at 5 reps or less for most sets.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 : Kettlebell Golf Swing
Kettlebell Golf Swing.
Just came across a couple of interesting kettlebell swing variations on Pavel Fitness (that’s Joe Pavel, not Pavel Tsatsouline). The first of these is used as a training aid, and is a great way to ensure that your hips are doing the work, rather than your arms. The bell isn’t being lifted, it’s being swung.
This is done by taking the arms completely out of the equation. Tie a rope to the bell, loop the other end around your back (the rope should be long enough to let the bell hang around knee height at the start) and thrust away. It’s probably best not to do this one in a busy gym (unless you’re ready for the comments).
Kettlebell Golf Swing
The second exercise is the Kettlebell Golf Swing. Standing with knees slightly bent, hold the bell with both hands (via the handle) and swing it in front of your body from side to side (not too high – you’re putting here, not teeing off). Initiate the swing with your hips, and move your knees in the same direction as the bell. Pavel’s video (8.26mb) demonstrates this clearly.
As with the other swing variations, this is great as part of a warmup.
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 : ‘Stronger Than Yesterday : 169 Insights for Transforming Your Body, Mind, and Motivation’ (by Michael Matthews)
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.
Michael Matthews’ Stronger Than Yesterday : 169 Insights for Transforming Your Body, Mind, and Motivation takes a great look at the basics underlying fat loss, muscle gain and fitness in general.
Enjoy.
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.
Kettlebell Golf Swing.
