Thanks again to everyone who watched and joined in the discussion Gymchat 253 - Improving Recovery & Performance [with New Warrior Training Systems' Sincere Hogan and Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett] - much appreciated. If you haven't seen it yet (or simply want to go over a particular point again), here's the entire video.
Although it's not out for a while yet (Oct 12), I'm keen to check out the 2nd Edition of Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.
I'll certainly be posting a review shortly after it becomes available; in the meantime, a couple of brief comments from the first edition of the book :
Readers will appreciate the combination of plain facts and expert advice. Anyone looking to build muscle mass will appreciate this thorough, no-nonsense guide to proper strength-training technique.
The book is very well written, and provides a complete, precise set of tables throughout the chapters that allow the novice or advanced bodybuilder or strength athlete to start using proven exercises/techniques to improve their appearance and/or performance. The "Rating" matrices of Time/Length/Difficulty/Results alone were, for me, worth the price of the book.
Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. Good stuff.
This week we'll be exploring those various recovery options. The things to do before/during/after training, and between the workouts themselves. Adjusting sleep, oxygen intake, temperature and so on.
Helping us get a handle on everything is New Warrior Training Systems' Sincere Hogan, joined by 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 Sincere 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.
Who : New Warrior Training Systems' Sincere Hogan, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Improving Recovery & Performance
When : Wednesday Aug 13, 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.
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 : Lift Fast, Lift Strong
Looking At : Aug 10, 2014Over 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.
Over to the incredible George Leeman.
This week we'll be exploring those various recovery options. The things to do before/during/after training, and between the workouts themselves. Adjusting sleep, oxygen intake, temperature and so on.
Helping us get a handle on everything is New Warrior Training Systems' Sincere Hogan, joined by 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 Sincere 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.
Who : New Warrior Training Systems' Sincere Hogan, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Improving Recovery & Performance
When : Wednesday Aug 13, 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.
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.
In the article Fight Fat With CLA from eVitamins, Derek noted the value of getting some quality meat in your diet. One of the key factors is to keep an eye out for things like 'grass-fed beef'; another is to purchase from local sources whenever possible.
Jeff Marraccini explains :
Scott, I also look for local sources. Even grass-fed meat coming from far away likely has more risk of being exposed to excessive heat, cold, or other environmental conditions. Unfortunately, it is not always possible so I have to compromise from time to time.
Great point.
Although it's not out for a while yet (Oct 12), I'm keen to check out the 2nd Edition of Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.
I'll certainly be posting a review shortly after it becomes available; in the meantime, a couple of brief comments from the first edition of the book :
Readers will appreciate the combination of plain facts and expert advice. Anyone looking to build muscle mass will appreciate this thorough, no-nonsense guide to proper strength-training technique.
The book is very well written, and provides a complete, precise set of tables throughout the chapters that allow the novice or advanced bodybuilder or strength athlete to start using proven exercises/techniques to improve their appearance and/or performance. The "Rating" matrices of Time/Length/Difficulty/Results alone were, for me, worth the price of the book.
Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. Good stuff.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
Thank you for the warm welcome to Straight to the Bar.My background is an interesting one, after highschool I started at a supplement distribution company. I have tried just about everything when it comes to protein and other supplements. After that I decided to get certified as a fitness trainer I was partial to CrossFit because of the functional movement. I believe more than anything that being actually strong is paramount.
After about three years of training in CrossFit I decided to get away from the hype of it and return to my roots of functional movements - not for time, and not as fast as possible all the time. I have been working out at a local gym mixed with own workout station : pull-up bar, atlas stones, kettlebells and salmon ladder out back. I have been finishing my degree in exercise science so my training has been a little slower lately and I am looking to get back to training like I used to.
Cheers Braiden, greatly appreciated.
In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - there's a full list here. And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.
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 : Road to StrongLooking At : Aug 3, 2014Over 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.
Over to the incredible Alan Khan.
Incidentally, there are an incredible number of speedbag techniques employed here. To learn more about them, swing by his other videos on Straight to the Bar; and head over to the Speedbag Forums. Fantastic place.
In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - there's a full list here. And if you've got any questions or comments on the various topics discussed, we'd love to hear them. Just leave a note below the video.
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.
When Jeff Wilson was training for the Soda Can Crush (video below), he quickly realised that his usual training approach wouldn't work. For one thing, you can't progressively crush a can of soda.
In the article Unusual Goals Require Unusual Measures, he explains exactly how to tackle something like this. Here's a snippet to give you the basic idea :
I knew that without actually being able to accomplish the feat that my training would have to take a drastic turn from what I had become accustomed to over the years. The seemingly supplemental exercises of my workouts would now become my core movements.
I scoured my repertoire (as well as the training logs of top gripsters world-wide) for hand, wrist and grip exercises to find those that closely mimicked the movement I would use for the crush - and I came to the conclusion that the final crush of an unbraced bend was strikingly similar. With some alterations to my particular style of bending I knew I could get huge carryover to the soda crush. I upped my bending frequency a bit and focused on generating as much power as possible through the final crush down as I could with each piece of steel I attempted. During my bending sessions I used high volume, isometrics and pre-kinking steel that was a little out of my league, but I didn't want to bend too often because going too overboard with unbraced bending can potentially set you up for some pretty nasty injuries. I knew that I also needed movements that I could safely perform on a very regular basis that would have big carry over to the can crush, while having very little risk of injury in order to accomplish my goal in a timely manner.
And the feat itself? Over to Jeff :
Love it.
I'm about to dive back in to Techniques for Light Indian Club Swinging, and will certainly be sharing a few thoughts shortly afterward. In the meantime, I highly recommend the many other videos he's shared over the years. My favourite is this one, outlining both the history and key benefits of a dose of club training :
Good stuff.
Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :
Good stuff Bret, looks great.
A note on the various images used on Straight to the Bar :
As a quick glance will tell you, we use an incredible number of images on Straight to the Bar. As well as those supplied by individual authors, we source them from Flickr's Creative Commons area, the SttB Flickr Group, and of course my own photographs. Running, cycling, fitness paths and a whole lot more.
