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 : Bars, Plates, Hooks and Collars
Scott Andrew Bird
The Heart of The Home Gym.- Looking At : Jan 18, 2015
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 : 835lb Speed Deadlift
Time for a spot of serious speed work with the incredible George Leeman. Good stuff.
Gymchat 273 – 10 Tips for Achieving Balance in Your Life & Your Diet (Aeryon Ashlie)
If you’re fortunate enough to be on your own strength-training journey – and experience the incredible transformations, both physical and mental – that come with it; you’re doubtless keen to help as many other people as possible to do it themselves. It really is a fantastic feeling.
Still, if you’ve ever been approached by someone who’s keen to ‘get in shape‘, you may be wondering just where they should begin. How to go from ‘couch potato‘ to following a fitness lifestyle.
This week we’ll be exploring this in detail; looking at the many things which help you move from where you are to where you want to be. Helping us tackle this is Fitness Competitor Aeryon Ashlie, and Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
NB : We love hearing everyones’ comments, questions and feedback in general. If there’s a particular subject you’d like Aeryon and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Hangout and ask them 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 : Fitness Competitor Aeryon Ashlie and Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett
Topic : 10 Tips for Achieving Balance in Your Life & Your Diet
When : Monday Jan 19, 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: Strengthen Your Neck, Reduce Pain, Increase Lifts
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 ‘right‘ way to strengthen your neck.
Over to Josh :
When starting a neck strengthening program, you must be careful to be very progressive… start slow and easy and work your way up to more challenging exercises over time. For example, you can begin your exercise program by doing simple chin tucks while sitting or standing. (See video)
Once you get comfortable with basic sitting/standing chin tucks, you can try doing the exercise lying down. Build up to doing around 10 reps, holding for 5 to 10 seconds each rep. The goal is to increase the muscular endurance of your muscles as well as their strength. Your neck is designed to carry the weight of your head all day, not to lift trains or buses!
Good stuff. Note that this is only a snippet from the full piece – swing by Josh‘ blog for the entire article. A great read.
Checking Out : The Fluidstance ‘Level‘
Interesting idea – especially if you spend a chunk of your day behind a desk. To help explain the general concept, a spot of video :
So many questions – particularly around potential physiotherapy applications. Still, it’s an intriguing idea. The Fluidstance‘Level’.
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 : Overhead Tire Run
Josh does an interesting exercise as part of the circuit above – an Overhead Tire Run (exactly as it sounds – lift a tyre over your head, and run). 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.
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.