Straight to the Bar Strength Calendar 2014.

You'll find the spreadsheet at :

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Apakfv2ufLhsdFd2UXBtS3JjY0N4bnpBY0wxS1lfR1E&usp=sharing

Dive in.

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 : Kettlebell, TRX, & Ultimate Sandbag Exercises for Healthy Shoulders and Happier Hamstrings
  Troy Anderson
  Look after yourself.

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 27, 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 : Team Wingate - Obstacle Course (2014)

An impromptu obstacle course. Good stuff.

Gymchat 253 - TBA

Mystery Guest.

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.

Personal Trainer Jaime Smith.

Tip of the Week: Addressing Squat Weaknesses - Bending at the Knees First

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.

Back.

When it comes to the squat, Powerlifter Rick Walker clearly knows what he's talking about.

If you've ever tackled this wonderful exercise yourself and felt that your form just didn't feel quite right, check out his article Addressing Weaknesses in The Squat. To give you an idea of what it's all about, here's how he corrects one of the more common problems found in squat technique - the simple act of Bending at the Knees First.

Over to Rick.

This is a common problem among many beginning squatters as the lifter is usually afraid of falling backwards with the weight. Instead of sitting back first, the lifter will bend at the knees to go down. This causes the knees to go forward well over the toes and often times causes the lifter to go up onto their toes in the hole. This is not only dangerous, but you are limiting how much you can squat. The pressure on the patellar tendons in this position is tremendous and leads to big time problems down the road.

Yes, some lifters, especially Olympic lifters, can adapt to these kinds of stresses from having their knees that far forward.

However, the goal here is to improve the squat and move more weight, and that will be accomplished by sitting back into the squat.

How to fix it

The lifter must learn to sit back and not down. This can take a long time to get them to do, and even longer to get them to do it under maximum loads. I start all newbie squatters on a box.

I use a very high box and a very light load, usually the empty bar with some light JumpStretch© bands attached for tension. The basic commands I give are for the lifter to sit back like he is searching for a chair that is behind him. Once the lifter can get down to the high box by sitting back, I lower it an inch and start all over. Eventually the lifter will be able to sit back to a parallel box and the movement will become second nature.

Another possible reason for the lifter's inability to sit back is hamstring strength. If the lifter has weak hamstrings, he won't be able to sit back into a squat without falling. It gets much worse as the weight increases. To address this, get the lifter on the glute-ham machine pronto!

This is the best way to bring up lagging hamstrings and prepare the lifter for handling more weight in the squat correctly. I have also found Romanian Deadlifts and reverse hypers to be effective for improving the sit back portion of the squat.

And yes, I can assure you that it works. Cheers, Rick.

Re-Reading : HardStyle Abs

HardStyle Abs.

I'm still working my way through several books which have been unavailable for a while. Next up : Pavel Tsatsouline's excellent HardStyle Abs. For the unitiated, a couple of paragraphs from the main page to explain what it's all about :

The sole goal of Hardstyle Abs is to achieve an extraordinarily strong mid-section. But not simply to swivel heads with your rippling "six-pack". For, according to Pavel, your abs should be simultaneously weapon, armor and force generator. The six-pack is just a side effect of the coiled power with which you now operate.

Hardstyle Abs will give you impenetrable body armor--to withstand a direct hit of the greatest magnitude. Hardstyle Abs will give you the generative force to retaliate with a devastating backlash. And Hardstyle Abs will help you lift more weight than ever before--more safely.

Can't wait to get into it.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Car Deadlifting at the Capalaba Strongman. Photo courtesy Jamie Reimers.

NB : We're currently putting together a calendar of fitness competitions around the world. If you'd like to add yours, drop us a line.

Thanks again to everyone who watched and joined in the discussion Gymchat 252 - Alpha Aesthetics (Personal Development In The 21st Century) [with Physique Coach Omar 'Bromar' Atlas 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.

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 :

• How They Got Started : Ray Hulm
  Ray Hulm
  How it all began.

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 20, 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 : Misses Are Just Warm-ups

Excellent way of looking at it Jedd.

Gymchat 252 - Alpha Aesthetics (Personal Development In The 21st Century with Omar Atlas)

Omar Atlas.

This week we're exploring this enigmatic area - the intersection of bodybuilding and personal development. Tackling this is the wonderful Omar 'Bromar' Atlas, 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 Omar 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 : Physique Coach Omar 'Bromar' Atlas, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Alpha Aesthetics (Personal Development In The 21st Century)
When : Monday Jul 22, 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.

Bud Jeffries.

If you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.

Tip of the Week: Rice Bucket Rehab

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 discussion on Recovery Work for the Hands we noted several superb recovery techniques, including the ever-popular Rice Digs.

If you've never tried doing these, the process is incredibly simple. From the post 'Rice Digs (for Grip-Training Warmups)', a brief description :

The exercise is an extremely simple one; pour some uncooked rice into a bucket and repeatedly burrow your hands into it. Make fists, rotate your wrists and generally move your hands around whilst they're surrounded by rice. To make it more difficult, use sand or even lead shot instead of the rice. Nice and painful.

NB : All other things being equal, a finer material will feel more difficult. Things like lead shot have less give, and will quickly prove challenging. Rice is a good starting point.

And to make things a little clearer, have a look at the video below. Great exercise.

Re-Reading : Paul Anderson - The Mightiest Minister

Paul Anderson: The Mightiest Minister.

As you can probably tell, I'm gradually re-reading several books I haven't had available for a while (they were in storage). Next up : Randall J. Strossen's Paul Anderson: The Mightiest Minister.

If you haven't yet read it, there's a brief description below (and if you have, I'd love to hear your thoughts).

From Amazon :

What'd he really squat? How about the back lift and those one-arm presses? If you want to know, you'll want to read this book. An Olympic gold medalist, world champion and world record holder in weightlifting, Paul Anderson is widely considered by the leading authorities to be one of the strongest men who ever lived, and his unofficial lifts continue to be the source of jaw-dropping wonder. This highly acclaimed book combines a readable style with scholarly precision; it compiles the principle articles on Paul Anderson from the major periods of his life, documents and reviews his lifts - both official and unofficial - and tells the story of the man who was dubbed a wonder of nature by the awestruck Russians, who were happy to stand out in the rain just for a chance to watch him lift.

Rather than trying to explain how it works, here it is in action :

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Ray Hulm.

Hi Scott, Thanks for the newsletter.

I thought that my training background might interest you.

I trained as a teenager for a few years but like so many of us got sidetracked into other things (work as well as sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll) although I never lost interest and always intended to make a comeback. I eventually started training again in my mid thirties getting very involved in martial arts as well as weight training. Being tall and slim I was always a hard gainer but never lost heart for the simple reason that I always enjoyed the training for its own sake. I will be 72 in September, still hard at it and don't intend ever stopping. I spent some very happy times in gyms over the years but preferred the old fashioned blood, sweat and liniment establishments to the modern chrome and potted plants version. These days I train at home. This piece I wrote for my blog a while back might amuse you.

thebadolddayswillend.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/gyms-aint-wot-they-used-to-be.html

I train for 1/2 hour everyday hitting the weights three times a week and a mixture of calisthenics, a bit of muscle control and a martial arts stretching routine on the other days.

That, combined with a good hike in the country once a week and tending our allotment keeps me reasonably fit. On the weight days I do Floor Dips, D/B Press 3x10, Curl 3X15, One arm Clean and Jerk 5 singles. I also have some 5lb club hammers that I like to whirl around for 25 reps.

To the overwhelming majority of athletes who don't have championship potential I would just say this, train for fun and reap the benefits.

Good luck,

Ray.

Cheers Ray, greatly appreciated.

The Kennedy Lift.

Love it.

Omar Atlas.

This week we're exploring this enigmatic area - the intersection of bodybuilding and personal development. Tackling this is the wonderful Omar 'Bromar' Atlas, 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 Omar 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 : Physique Coach Omar 'Bromar' Atlas, Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett, and You
Topic : Alpha Aesthetics (Personal Development In The 21st Century)
When : Monday Jul 22, 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.