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 : How to Build Your Own Sandbag
Derek ‘D-Rock’ Peruo |
Follow @DerekPeruoCSCS
Whether it’s for the versatility, experimentation or budget constraints – this is the only way to go.
Looking At : Jan 17, 2016
Scott Andrew Bird |
Follow @scottbird
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, get in touch.
Video : Learning to Press
From Mark Rippetoe’s wonderful Starting Strength DVD. If you want to learn these lifts the correct way, it’s well worth grabbing.
Gymchat 277 – Barefoot Running – Believe the Hype! (Steven Sashen)
Barefoot running – a fascinating, yet somewhat divisive, area. (And yes, I’m on the side of ‘bare feet whenever possible’. Running, some forms of training and just walking around the house).
Taking us through it is Xero Shoes’ Steven Sashen; covering everything from ‘what it is‘ to ‘how to go about it‘, and of course the many benefits of doing just that. And joining Steven is Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.
NB : We’d love to hear your questions and comments. If there’s a particular subject you’d like Steven 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 event‘ button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.
Details –
Who : Xero Shoes’ Steven Sashen, Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Barefoot Running – Believe the Hype!
When : Sunday Jan 31, 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.
Previously : In Gymchat 242 we discussed The Role of Genetics in Aesthetics & Performance (with Powerlifter Bill Piche, joined by Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete 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.
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.
Tip of the Week: How to Fix Your Shoulders
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 fix up your shoulders.
Over to Josh :
The pain and other problems of the forward head are sometimes referred to collectively as “Upper Crossed Syndrome“. But just because it’s called a syndrome doesn’t mean it’s a disease or structural problem you have to accept and live with. It is simply mechanical pain from poor slouching posture, and can be fixed.
Here are some exercises you can start incorporating on a daily basis (or whenever you have time). I also suggest you use some of them as a warm up before your upper body workouts:
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 : Stronger Grip Photo Challenge
This is where my strength-training and photography passions meet : the Stronger Grip Photo Challenge. For details, I’ll hand you over to Ryan :
Hello Stronger Grip friends!! This year Stronger Grip is celebrating 10 years of making Custom Strength Training Equipment. To celebrate we are having a photo challenge. Starting today and ending February 4th, 2016 at noon CST submit a photo of you using any Stronger Grip equipment. The photo that Ryan likes the BEST will be awarded $150 in store credit!!!! Also anyone who submits a photo will be put into a drawing for a CUSTOM THOR HAMMER!! Be creative and have fun! Winners will be announced February 5th. Let the best photo win!! 🙂 PLEASE SUBMIT PHOTOS TO info@strongergrip.com
Sounds fantastic.
NB : if you haven’t yet tried any of the Stronger Grip tools (and they really are incredibly well made things), just head over to strongergrip.com. Great site.
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 : A Few Simple Sledgehammer Moves
Ready for a bit of warm-up work with the sledgehammer? Grab a tyre and knock out a few of these. Good fun.
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.
Want to Guest Host a Gymchat?
I love the Gymchats – great show. Fantastic to hear how everyone trains.
To help uncover even more, I’d like to extend an invitation. For you to act as a Guest Host, and interview someone you know about their own workouts & competitions. Whether that’s a work colleague, training partner or just someone you know who likes to lift.
If you’d like to Guest Host an episode or two of the show, let me know. And if you haven’t watched any yet and would like to see what they’re all about, there’s a full list here. Cheers.
Images of Strength
As you might expect, we love seeing training-related photographs. Pics of your home gym, DIY equipment, workouts, diet or competitions – it’s all fantastic.
If you’ve got an image or three that you’d love to share with a strength-focussed audience, just upload them to Flickr/Instagram/SmugMug and send us the link. Cheers.
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.