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 : Why Bend Steel?
‘Unbreakable‘ Adam Glass
An incredibly rewarding way to train.
Looking At : Jan 19, 2014
Scott Andrew Bird
What’s been going on this week? Quite a lot actually.
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’re keen to do more writing in 2014 and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here’s how.
Video : The Strength Athlete – Deadlift Cues
Good stuff Bryce. Excellent information.
Gymchat 232 – Self-Hypnosis For Strength Gains (Jen Mulhall)
Self-Hypnosis. Is it possible, and what are the potential benefits as far as strength gains are concerned?
This week we’ll be discussing this area in detail, examining the thinking behind it, and the way to make use of it in your own training. Taking us through the entire process are Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett. If you’ve got questions/comments for Jen or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.
Details –
Who : Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett
Topic : Self-Hypnosis For Strength Gains
When : Wednesday Jan 22, 9pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We’ll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
See you there.
Previously : In Gymchat 231 we discussed Fat Loss 101 (for Beginners / Intermediates) (with Online Fitness Coach Vic Magary and Personal Trainer Josh Hewett). Great conversation.
If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here. And if you’re looking for the site that Vic mentioned at the end, it’s fatlossforfree.com.
Tip of the Week: Building a Bulletproof Body
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.
Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at some great pieces from Josh Hewett‘s excellent ‘Bulletproof Your Body‘ series. If you’ve missed any, here’s a quick overview.
To give you an idea, a brief piece from the post :
Fix muscle imbalances by addressing your weak or inhibited muscles rather than trying to stretch out the tight ones. The key is to address the root cause, not just the symptom. This is why I suggest to avoid passive stretching, and instead to employ active stretching, isometric exercise, and corrective isolation exercises.
Good stuff. And again, this is only a snippet from the full piece – swing by Josh‘ blog for the entire article. A great read.
Checking Out : Bones of Iron – Collected Articles on the Life of the Strength Athlete
Looks great.
I missed this one originally, and had actually forgotten all about it – until someone mentioned it today. Matt’s fantastic gathering of articles on Olympic Weightlifting – Bones of Iron – Collected Articles on the Life of the Strength Athlete.
Full review shortly; in the meantime, here’s a quick comment from the Amazon page to give you an idea :
Matt Foreman is one of the truly “good guys” in Olympic Weightlifting, and his book reads just like he’s sitting next to you on the platform sharing the tips that make the difference between a PR and abject failure (which he understands only too well is a thin, thin line…). Foreman’s approach is pragmatic, easy to understand and conversational, making it enjoyable to read and applicable to your own training. His wit is only matched by his vast knowledge and experience and both come out in spades in this book.
Bones of Iron – Collected Articles on the Life of the Strength Athlete.
Quick update on the Hip Thruster we mentioned recently – fantastic thing.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
Exercise of the Week : Reverse Power Wheel with Bands
Great idea – band-resisted work on the Power Wheel. Love it.
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.
A Daily Dose
Love this stuff? Same here. If you’re looking for a daily dose of strength-training goodness, grab the Straight to the Bar Daily.
Absolutely free.
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.
Giving
If you’ve been training for a while, gradually cleaning up your diet, no doubt you’ve experienced the amazing power of transformation. It’s a tremendous feeling.
If you’re ready to give someone else a hand to transform their own lives – through education, sharing equipment, financial help – take a look at the full list of organisations on the Giving page. Cheers.