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 :
Conor’s Corner : Hockey Conditioning Drill
Conor Doherty
If you’re training for Hockey, how do you get your conditioning work in? Try this.
Building a Salmon Ladder
Scott Andrew Bird
Looking for a bit of a DIY Equipment challenge? How about building your own Salmon Ladder.
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 : Compilation – Adam Raw Calisthenics 2012
Some very interesting movements in here. Nice one.
Gymchat 196 – TBA
We’re still finalising the details for this week’s discussion. I’ll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ etc) shortly; here are the various ways to watch/join in.
However you take part, enjoy.
NB : If you’d like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can contact us here. Look forward to hearing from you.
Details –
Who : TBA
Topic : TBA
When : Wednesday Jan 16, 9pm EST
How : Google+ Hangout. If you’ve never been to one, here’s how to take part.
NB : If you’re keen to fire in a question or three, be sure to get there early. In addition to Kirk and the Interviewee, only the first 8 people to join us on the Hangout (and here’s how) will be able to join in the conversation. Everyone else will be able to watch, but not ask questions.
See you there.
If you’d like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can contact us here. Look forward to hearing from you.
Last Week : In Gymchat 195 we talked about ‘Fitness Over 40‘, with Corporate Trainer Kevin Redman and Personal Trainer Kirk Fontaine. Great discussion.
If you missed the broadcast, the full video is available over on Kirk’s Youtube Channel. That’s also the best place to subscribe to the videos directly, and to see previous discussions.
If you’d like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can send us a message privately here, or swing by our Community site on Google+. Look forward to hearing from you.
Tip of the Week: Tracking What You Eat
Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, Google+, the blog; and now the newsletter. Wherever you are, there’s always a way to improve what you’re doing.
This tip comes to us from the forum thread Training Logs : Database, Spreadsheet, Paper etc?, and – amongst other things – touches on the way that Derek records his food consumption. If you’re ever looking to do the same thing – whether it’s a permanent change or just for a few days – this is a great way to do it.
Over to Derek :
I use an excel spreadsheet which I keep on my blackberry to track the data. There are three tabs: Daily Log, Overview and Cheat Days.
The daily tab is the form I update regularly with the meals I’m eating that day. Each meal is broken down into fats, carbs and proteins. As long as I don’t go over my total grams of food for the day, I have as much flexibility as I need in meal timing and meal composition. This page also has common foods I eat regularly, so I can just copy and paste.
Occasionally I need to adjust my calorie intake, so I’ll switch over to the overview tab and plug in the numbers according to my goals. These days, I get roughly half my daily calorie intake from fats.
I allow myself the occasional day where I don’t monitor my food and eat whatever I want. As an experiment, I’m limiting the total number of Unlimited Cheat Days to 21 per year. This is roughly one cheat day every two weeks. And because these Unlimited Cheat Days are built into the plan, I don’t have to feel guilty about stuffing my face with cake, cookies and pasta–as long as I reel it in the next day.
Good stuff.
Checking Out : The Primal Connection
It’s fair to say that I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long, long time.
I’ll post up a review shortly, but suffice it to say that if you liked the Primal Blueprint, you’ll absolutely love this. It’s a fantastic book.
The Primal Connection covers a broader range of topics than Primal Blueprint. In addition to the information pertaining to diet and exercise is a close look at subjects such as play, sleep and silence – everything you need to not only feel physically healthier, but happier and able to function better. And yes, it’s all based on the same evolutionary principles that guide the Primal Blueprint.
All-in-all, it’s a fantastic addition to your fitness library. The Primal Connection.
Quick update on the Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits we mentioned recently – superb idea.
As we noted, we’ll be reviewing these just as soon as they’re available. And if you missed the announcement, here’s a brief video to explain the basic idea :
For more information, head on over to the official site – renaissancefitnessinc.com.
Exercise of the Week : The Diesel Row
Another great move from the Diesel Crew – the Diesel Row. Somewhere between a Pull-up and an Inverted Row. Nice one.
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.