A deceptively simple question : How do you go from the 'strongest person in the gym' to 'strongest in the area'? In short, how do you become seriously powerful?

Tackling this - from both a strength athletics and a power-hungry gym rat perspective - is competitive Strongman and Strength Coach Craig Bongelli, joined by Strongman and Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Craig or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.

Details -

Who : Competitive Strongman and Strength Coach Craig Bongelli, joined by Strongman and Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : Advances in Strength & Power Development
When : Wednesday Nov 27, 9pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.

See you there.

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 : 29 Things to do with a Barbell in the Corner
  Jason Kirby
  It's incredible just how much you can do with a humble barbell.

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 24, 2013
  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'd like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : Human Flag Tutorial

Nice one.

Gymchat 226 - Advances in Strength & Power Development (Craig Bongelli)

A deceptively simple question : How do you go from the 'strongest person in the gym' to 'strongest in the area'? In short, how do you become seriously powerful?

Tackling this - from both a strength athletics and a power-hungry gym rat perspective - is competitive Strongman and Strength Coach Craig Bongelli, joined by Strongman and Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Craig or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.

Details -

Who : Competitive Strongman and Strength Coach Craig Bongelli, joined by Strongman and Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : Advances in Strength & Power Development
When : Wednesday Nov 27, 9pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.

See you there.

Previously : Last week we held Gymchat 225 - How to Master the Inner Game (with Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett). Great discussion.

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

---

Coming Up : we've got several fantastic discussions lined up for the next few months - featuring Mike 'The Machine' Bruce, Ben McLaughlin and many, many more. Details shortly.

And if you'd like to suggest a future topic or take part in one of the upcoming Gymchats, just drop Josh a line. We'd love to hear from you.

Movember 2013

If you haven't seen it yet, check out Josh's moustache-growing prowess for Movember 2013. And if you'd like to support him (well, prostate cancer research actually) in this quest, head over to his donation page :

http://ca.movember.com/mospace/7377745

btw, if you're unfamiliar with Movember and just want to see what it's all about, Josh has a brief intro video here :

http://straighttothebar.com/movember2013/

cheers.

Tip of the Week: License Plate Tearing Technique

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 comes to us from performing Strongman Chris Rider, and is from his superb article Tearing A License Plate. Enjoy.

---

Following a thorough description of the safety requirements for performing this feat (and it really can be a dangerous one, so proceed carefully), comes the basic technique involved. Over to Chris :

Now that we have ourselves protected, it's time to grab the plate. I personally like to tear plates at chest level, and that is the method I am going to discuss. As a dry run without a plate, place your dominant hand in a hammer style grip. Place the pinky side of that hand just above the bottom of the sternum. Now place the other fist in the same manner below the dominant one so you have the thumb side of the non-dominant and the pinky side of the dominant meeting. Squeeze as hard as you can and push your hands in opposite directions with the top hand going slightly upward and the bottom hand going slightly downward. If you push straight through, the potential for being cut dramatically increases.

Want more? No problem. Head over to the original article, and watch the video below to see it in action. Beautiful.

Checking Out : Bret Contreras' Hip Thruster

These look great.

And as we mentioned recently, they're now available in the UK (cheers Matt - great site); we'll be reviewing one shortly. In the meantime, here's a bit of video to give you an idea of what the Hip Thruster is :

Good stuff. Thanks Bret, looks like a great piece of gear.

---

Quick update on the Lift the Blob package we mentioned recently - fantastic collection.

I'd love to hear how you go with it; when it comes to tackling this challenging feat you really can't go past Lift the Blob. Superb.

During the past week we've discussed a number of great links; on Google+, Twitter, the 'Paper' and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.

The Holiday Season is a fantastic time of year - spending time with family, enjoying a bit of a feast, and setting up your goals for the following year.

And, of course, giving a gift or two in the process.

The main site will give you a hand with the feasting and goal-setting parts; this page will help out with the gift-buying element. Particularly when it comes to buying fitness-related items.

Let's dive in.

Books & DVDs

I'm a huge fan of the 'always more to learn' philosophy, and firmly believe you can never have too many books. A few we strongly recommend :

The Primal Blueprint

Mark Sisson

Hardback | Paperback
Confused about what to eat, how much to eat; even when to eat? This book will help you get the most out of your food plan.

Superb.

Diesel Crew Bending eBook

Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson

eBook
If you're new to the world of nail bending, this is the perfect book to get. It'll show you the exact techniques you'll need to get started right away. Written by world-class bender Jedd Johnson.

Card Tearing eBook

Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson

eBook
This is a fantastic book. If you've ever considered learning this incredible strength feat, the Card Tearing eBook is the perfect place to start. Love it.

Functional Correction Manual

Tim Hull

Paperback
If you ever wake up with that 'just run over by a truck' feeling, you need a copy of Tim Hull's Functional Correction Manual. Not only will it help you to locate and repair the problem, it'll give you a hand in preventing it happening in the future.

Superb book.

Precision Nutrition

Dr John Berardi

Paperback
When it comes to body transformation - whether that's a increase in strength, packing on a bit of muscle or losing a bit of excess fat - this is the perfect place to start. Dr Berardi's Precision Nutrition.

Bruce Lee : The Art of Expressing the Human Body

Bruce Lee & John Little

Paperback

If you've ever watched a Bruce Lee film and marveled at his strength, speed, agility, endurance, flexibility or muscularity, this book should take pride of place in your collection. Unlike many other writings covering everything from Lee's training methods to nutrition, this book is based not on the recollections of people around him; but on Lee's own notes. Brilliant.

Strength Training Anatomy

Frederic Delavier

Paperback

This is a fantastic book. As Josh explains, it superbly shows what's going on while you train. Love it.

101 Fitness Myths

Maik Wiedenbach

Kindle eBook

A superb combination of fitness mythbusting and no-nonsense advice. If you're not quite sure where to start, grab this.

Starting Strength

Mark Rippetoe

Fantastic summary of the basics. A must have.

Practical Programming

Mark Rippetoe

Exactly what the title suggests - a detailed guide to create a thorough exercise program.

4 Hour Body

Tim Ferris

A somewhat different approach to rapid fat loss. Very interesting ideas.

Supertraining

Mel Siff

An extremely comprehensive look at several key aspects of strength training. If you're serious about your training, it's essential reading.

Of course, there are also a number of DVDs. Again, here are a few personal favourites.

Keg Conditioning

Dave Lemanczyk

Dave clearly demonstrates the extraordinary potential of this simple conditioning tool. With no more than an empty keg (or partially-filled if preferred), a small training area and a bit of determination there is a wealth of power available. It really is incredible.

The Complete Guide to Kettlebell Lifting

Steve Cotter

Just got your first kettlebell and wondering how to use it? Steve's your man.

The Encyclopedia of Clubbell Training

Scott Sonnon

When it comes to learning how to use Clubs and Maces (or the Clubbells in this case), a little instruction goes a long, long way. And this is certainly the way to do it.

Feats of Strength

Logan Christopher & Bud Jeffries

Bending, tearing and a whole lot more. Love it.

Intervention

Dan John

This is the inimitable Dan John at his storytelling best, sharing an enormous amount of training wisdom in the process. Fantastic.

The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling

Logan Christopher

Comprising no fewer than three content-packed DVDs, Logan shares a wealth of exercises, variations and training methods in The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling. It really is essential viewing for anyone looking to get into this amazing activity.

Industrial Strength Grip II

'Unbreakable' Adam Glass

If you've ever seen 'Unbreakable' Adam T Glass in action, you'll appreciate just how valuable this is. Brilliant.
No matter what your strength-training goals are, if you're looking to become stronger, these are well worth checking out. Dive in.

Music

Looking for something to get you in the right frame of mind to work out? The available services vary from country to country, here are the ones that the writers here recommend :

• Amazon MP3
• iTunes & iTunes Radio
• Google Play
• Spotify
• Mog
• Rdio
• Pandora

However you like to get your music, a song or three can really make a difference in the gym. Dive in.

Equipment

We've talked about an incredible amount of equipment over the years. There's a full list on the Store page; here are a few favourites :

• Bars from Champion, such as their Olympic Power Bar, and plates from Body Solid (sets like this one).
• Beginners' Bag from FBBC.
• StrongerGrip 'Red Rafter' Leverage Block
• Pair of StrongerGrip Loadable 'Long' (27") Clubs
• Body Solid EXM3000LPS Double Stack Home Gym
• 35lb DragonDoor Kettlebell Quick-Start Kit with DVD
• 50ft Manila Battling Rope, Capped & Challenge DVD
• Ultimate Sandbag 'Strength' Package
• TRX Suspension Training Pro Pack
• Straight to the Bar 'Got Yoke?' T-shirt

And to find out how to use them, check out the Straight to the Bar Training Guides. Absolutely free.

NB : if it's available to you, it's well worth grabbing yourself an Amazon Prime membership. Particularly if you plan to buy a few large or heavy items.

That's it - the Straight to the Bar Fitmas Gift Buying Guide for 2013. Hope it helped.

cheers,

Scott

Mental Toughness. Focus. Determination.

All great things, and essential components of strength training - whether you're a competitive athlete or simply looking to move a little closer to your goals. Question is, how do you achieve them?


This week we'll be answering precisely that, looking at the various skills and tools available to help you 'Master the Inner Game'. Helping us navigate this fascinating area are Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Jen or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.

Details -

Who : Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett
Topic : How to Master the Inner Game (Train Your Brain!)
When : Wednesday Nov 20, 9pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.

See you there.

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 :

• Virtual Training Partners
  Scott Andrew Bird
  We've discussed many things over the years relating to the 'Future of Fitness'. Here's one of the many things I'd love to see personally; how about you? Do you think that the idea of Virtual Training Partners is plausible, and desirable?

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 17, 2013
  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'd like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : Gymnastic Strength Training

Looking for ideas? Try a few of these.

Gymchat 225 - How to Master the Inner Game (Jen Mulhall)

Mental Toughness. Focus. Determination.

All great things, and essential components of strength training - whether you're a competitive athlete or simply looking to move a little closer to your goals. Question is, how do you achieve them?


This week we'll be answering precisely that, looking at the various skills and tools available to help you 'Master the Inner Game'. Helping us navigate this fascinating area are Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Jen or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.

Details -

Who : Personal Trainers (and Strength Athletes) Jen Mulhall and Josh Hewett
Topic : How to Master the Inner Game (Train Your Brain!)
When : Wednesday Nov 20, 9pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.

See you there.

Previously : Last week we held Gymchat 223 - Progressive Calisthenics (with Al Kavadlo and Josh Hewett). Great discussion.

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

---

Coming Up : we've got several fantastic discussions lined up for the next few months - featuring Mike 'The Machine' Bruce, Craig Bongelli and many, many more. Details shortly.

And if you'd like to suggest a future topic or take part in one of the upcoming Gymchats, just drop Josh a line. We'd love to hear from you.

Movember 2013

If you haven't seen it yet, check out Josh's moustache-growing prowess for Movember 2013. And if you'd like to support him (well, prostate cancer research actually) in this quest, head over to his donation page :

http://ca.movember.com/mospace/7377745

btw, if you're unfamiliar with Movember and just want to see what it's all about, Josh has a brief intro video here :

http://straighttothebar.com/movember2013/

cheers.

Tip of the Week: Improvements in Fitness Trained Autistic Clients

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 comes to us from Eric Chessen, and was part of last year's conversation on Fitness & Autism. Great discussion.

---

From the Fitness & Autism discussion, in response to the question :

What kind of short term and long term improvements do you see in your autistic clients once you start training them?

It depends on the individual, but it is never only physical improvement. That's why I created the PAC Profile, because we're never just looking at physical ability, but adaptive and cognitive abilities as well. In the short-term, I've had athletes begin to really enjoy movement and improve in their gross motor skills, strength, stability, and stamina.

In the long term it becomes a lifestyle, and the athletes begin to embrace movement and fitness.

Good stuff. Whether you know autistic individuals or not, it's great to know what's possible.

Checking Out : Progressive Calisthenics Instructor Certification Workshop

These look fantastic.

The PCC workshops are the ones that Al Kavadlo mentioned in the last Gymchat. If you're at all interested in giving calisthenics a serious run, check them out.

To give you a quick idea of what's involved, a spot of video :

Perfect.

---

Quick update on the Lift the Blob package we mentioned recently - fantastic collection.

I'd love to hear how you go with it; when it comes to tackling this challenging feat you really can't go past Lift the Blob. Superb.

Back from the trip (photos shortly). The health & fitness worlds have certainly been changing rapidly - let's dive in.

The Future of Fitness. Certainly an intriguing area, and if you plan to spend at least part of your time training over the next few years/decades, it's well worth thinking about. Particularly if you're a Personal Trainer or Strength Coach.
This week we'll be discussing your own vision of the future - whatever it may entail. The equipment available in 5/10/20 years' time, training methods, information and so on. Anything that helps you become stronger, fitter and healthier.

NB : This will take the form of a Gymchat Roundtable. To give you an idea of what we'll be talking about and why it's essential (especially if you're a fitness professional yourself, or planning to be), here's a quick primer. And if you'd like to join us on the panel, just drop Josh a line. We'd love to hear from you.


Details -

Who : Everyone
Topic : The Future of Fitness
When : Wednesday Nov 13, 9pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.

See you there.

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 Make Your Own Bumper Plates on a Budget
  Mehdi Hadim
  Ready to try a spot of Olympic Weightlifting? Make your own 'plates'.

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 10, 2013
  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'd like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, here's how.

Video : Strong at 64

Good stuff.

Gymchat 223 - Progressive Calisthenics (with Al Kavadlo)

Calisthenics. Wonderful area. Question is, how do you progress?

This week we're diving deep into this one, looking at everything from 'what it is' and 'how to get started' to the all-important 'how to progress the exercises'. Tackling this one is none other than Personal Trainer Al Kavadlo, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions for Al or Josh, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat (during the discussion itself). Details below.


Details -

Who : Personal Trainer Al Kavadlo and Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : Progressive Calisthenics
When : Monday Nov 11, 4pm EDT (the Event page shows what time that is in your local timezone)
How : Watch the live stream, and ask questions, directly on the Event page. We'll also post the full video shortly after the Gymchat.

See you there.

Previously : A couple of weeks ago we held Gymchat 220 : High Intensity Training - HIT (with Chris Lutz and Josh Hewett). Great discussion.

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

---

Coming Up : we've got several fantastic discussions lined up for the next few months, details shortly. One of those is an area I'm intrigued by personally, the Future of Fitness. Fascinating topic.

To give you an idea of what we'll be talking about and why it's essential (especially if you're a fitness professional yourself, or planning to be), here's a quick primer. And if you'd like to join us on the panel, just drop Josh a line. We'd love to hear from you.

Tip of the Week: Why Warm Up?

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 comes to us from Kirk Fontaine, and is a snippet from the discussion Stretching & Warming Up. Was a great one.

---

In response to a couple of questions on 'Why Warm Up?' :

If you are to participate in exercise the first thing you need to do is warm up. The warm up is important to prepare your mind and body so that you can get the very best out of the exercise. The effect of a warm up on preventing injury is not clear however research does suggest increased muscle temperature decreases the risk of muscle tear.

Warming up will :

• Increase your heart rate to give you increased blood flow around the body to the muscles
• Improve oxygen delivery to the muscles
• Stimulate faster muscle contraction
• Improve the joints' ability to endure stress.

Good stuff.

Revisiting : Lift the Blob

Quick update on the Lift the Blob package we mentioned recently - fantastic collection.

I'd love to hear how you go with it, when it comes to tackling this challenging feat you really can't go past Lift the Blob. Superb.

For the next few days I'll be on-the-road (back Nov 14) - experiencing the joys of hotel workouts and somewhat sporadic internet connections. In the meantime, here's a gem from the archives :
Jaw Lifting : What, Why and How (Ryan Pitts)

NB : When it comes to grip training, Ryan really knows his stuff. Check out his other articles here, his Gymchat interview and of course the grip tools over at StrongerGrip.com. Fantastic things.