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 : Strains and Sprains
Scott Andrew Bird
Causes and treatments.- Looking At : Dec 21, 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 a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here’s how.
Video : The Chaos Row
Looking for a challenge?
Gymchat 270 – Are Saturated Fats Really That Bad for You? (Kirsten Gallagher)
What’s the research like on saturated fats and cholesterol – what levels are optimal? How much do we need, and what sorts of things should we avoid?
This week we’ll be tackling these and a whole lot more, together with Personal Trainers Kirsten Gallagher and Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
NB : We’d love to hear your questions and comments. If there’s a particular subject you’d like Kirsten and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Hangout and ask it directly.
And if you’d like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the ‘share‘ button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.
Details –
Who : Personal Trainers Kirsten Gallagher and Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Are Saturated Fats Really That Bad for You?
When : Monday Dec 23, 8:00pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone).
How : Watch the live stream, join the hangout (just add Top Form Fitness to one of your circles, and Josh’ll send out the URL when the Hangout starts), or jump in the Q&A on the Event page itself. We’ll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.
Coming Up : We’ve got several fantastic discussions coming up shortly – with Powerlifter Bill Piche, Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Palfrey and many, many others. Of course, we’re always scheduling more; if you’d like to suggest either a topic or a person that should definitely be on the show, drop us a line. Cheers.
Tip of the Week: Fix Your Feet
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 is from Josh Hewett‘s excellent ‘Bulletproof Your Body‘ series. The real benefits of including your feet in your training.
Over to Josh :
You need to gradually strengthen your feet and slowly introduce them to greater range of motion.
Walking barefoot on soft sand or grass is a great way to start… plus it feels good!
If you have access to a beach or a well manicured lawn, slowly progress from
walking barefoot for a few minutes at a time and working up to a longer duration,
before introducing any more challenging barefoot activities.For walking on solid surfaces such as concrete, I suggest you wear appropriate
footwear that will provide minimal support while still allowing for greater natural
movement of your feet.
Good stuff. Note that this is only a snippet from the full piece – swing by Josh‘ blog for the entire article [.pdf]. A great read.
Considering : The Straight to the Bar ‘Got Yoke?’ T-Shirt
Although the ‘Circus Strongman‘ t-shirts we ran recently were insanely popular, my personal favourite is still the ‘Got Yoke?‘ design we did a while ago. And as we’ve received a number of requests recently for this wonderfully simple design, it’s back on the virtual shelves for a week or two.
If you’re doing some last minute shopping for a fitness-minded friend, you’ll find it here :
cafepress.com/straighttothebar.1461650272
Cheers.
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 : Keg Deadlift
Short ROM, high reps. The Keg Deadlift.
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.
New Guide : The Straight to the Bar Guide to Fat Loss
We’ve received some fantastic feedback following Vic Magary‘s Gymchats on Fat Loss, cheers. Greatly appreciated.
If fat loss is one of your own fitness goals, and you haven’t yet watched the discussions, you’ll find them all here. I’ve also added several other fat loss resources we’ve noted over the years – all of them highly recommended. Dive in.
Straight to the Bar Strength Calendar
Taking part in, helping out with or going to watch an upcoming strength competition?
Tell us about it.
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.
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.