In the Gymchat Interview this week we focussed on hypertrophy, talking to Personal Trainer Conor Kelly. If packing on a bit of muscle is one of your goals, go back and watch that one. Great discussion.

This time Josh will be hosting a roundtable discussion talking about training for both size and strength. How to start, the right way to tackle both at once, and a whole lot more. Joining him will be Suneet Sebastian, Paul Marsland, Kevin Hart and Jason Paris. Fantastic.

Hi, and welcome. Really looking forward to the discussion.
Quick thing : if you'd like to share the Youtube link on your own site, you'll find it over on Josh's Youtube channel. The image above shows where it is.

Just create a new post on your blog, tell everyone what's going on, and paste in the code from the 'share' section. Same as with other Youtube videos you may have embedded on your site.

Alternately, just point everyone to the front page of Straight to the Bar. It's already on there.

cheers,

Scott

No matter what your goals are, at some point you're going to be thinking of hypertrophy. Packing on a bit of muscle.

How exactly do you go about doing that?

This week we're going to be focusing on this very area - 'Hypertrophy 101' if you like. Helping us is Physique Transformation Coach Conor Kelly, together with Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions, add them to the Google Doc. Details below.

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Details -

Who : Physique Transformation Coach Conor Kelly, together with Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : How to Gain Muscle
When : Wednesday Sep 18, 9pm EST
Questions : Post them here (please add your name if you'd like us to credit you on the show)
How : Watch the live stream below. The full video will also be available here shortly after the Gymchat.

This Week on Straight to the Bar

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 : Heavy Sandbag Training (Part I)
  Michael Amos
  Building the Sandbags.

  
  

• Looking At : Sep 15, 2013
  Scott Andrew Bird
  We've been discussing some very interesting techniques, products and services recently. Here are the highlights.

  
  

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 : Tire (Tyre) Flip Technique & Alternatives

Nice one Josh.

Gymchat 212 - How to Gain Muscle (with Conor Kelly)

No matter what your goals are, at some point you're going to be thinking of hypertrophy. Packing on a bit of muscle.

How exactly do you go about doing that?

This week we're going to be focusing on this very area - 'Hypertrophy 101' if you like. Helping us is Physique Transformation Coach Conor Kelly, together with Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett. If you've got questions, add them to the Google Doc. Details below.

---

Details -

Who : Physique Transformation Coach Conor Kelly, together with Strongman & Personal Trainer Josh Hewett
Topic : How to Gain Muscle
When : Wednesday Sep 18, 9pm EST
Questions : Post them here (please add your name if you'd like us to credit you on the show)
URL : We'll be posting this shortly - both on the blog and in the Straight to the Bar Community on Google+.
How : Watch the live stream, or join us on the hangout. Here are the details.

See you there.

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Previously : Last week we held the first of the Gymchat Roundtables, looking at Training Approaches. Great discussion.

On the panel were Josh Hewett, Adam Klymkiw, Jason Paris, Chris Lutz and Kurtis Frank. And if you missed the live stream (or just want to go over a particular point again), you can watch the entire video here.

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Coming Up : In upcoming Gymchats we'll be talking to Zach Even-Esh, Mike 'The Machine' Bruce, Al Kavadlo and many, many others. Get your questions ready.

If you'd like to suggest a topic for a future discussion - or volunteer to be interviewed on the show - just drop us a line. Cheers.

Tip of the Week: Getting Back Into It

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.

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If you've been away from the iron for a while, how do you get back into it?
Vic takes a thorough look at this in the 'Returning to Heavy Training After a Break' ebook. For a brief overview though, check out the discussion we held on that very same topic.

In Gymchat 136 - Heavy Training after a Break, Vic noted :

I lost a LOT of strength on some lifts. It was surprising. That's why that initial 3 weeks of lighter work was important to me - it was smart to underestimate my strength at first.

And

It's important to consciously do less those first few weeks. I was off for almost 2 years - as a rule I did not put any more than 135lbs on the bar the first week. I did not push any sets to failure the next two weeks while still staying at 5 reps or less for most sets.

Good stuff.

New Guide : Creating a Home Gym

We received some great feedback following the Setting Up a Home Gym Gymchat (if you haven't seen it yet, the video's here). Cheers for that - greatly appreciated. Thanks.
A new page has been added to the 'Guides' area, The Straight to the Bar Guide to Planning, Designing & Building Your Own Home Gym. Would love to hear what you think.

And thanks again, these discussions are fantastic.

Incidentally, if you'd like to take part in an upcoming Gymchat, just drop Josh a line. You'll find him on Google+.

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Quick update on the Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits we mentioned recently - superb idea.

As we noted, we'll be reviewing these shortly. And if you missed the announcement, here's a brief video to explain the basic idea :

For more information, head on over to the official site - renaissancefitnessinc.com.

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

As you may have seen on Google+, we've been fortunate enough to add a new member to the Gymchats team : Josh 'Do It With Hewett' Hewett. Josh will be one of the hosts of the show, and is currently scheduling various fitness professionals for upcoming episodes.

First up - 'Training Approaches'. Why everyone does what they do, when and how. If you'd like to be on the panel, just drop Josh a line. You can find him on Google+ :

And thanks Josh. Welcome.

This Week on Straight to the Bar

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 : Pull Like A Strongman
  Max Misch
  Time to lift heavy.

  
  

• Looking At : Sep 8, 2013
  Scott Andrew Bird
  We've been discussing some very interesting techniques, products and services recently. Here are the highlights.

  
  

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 : 3 Quick Tips For The Stiff Legged Deadlift

Nice one Jon.

The Gymchat Roundtables

As you may have seen on Google+, we've been fortunate enough to add a new member to the Gymchats team : Josh 'Do It With Hewett' Hewett. Josh will be one of the hosts of the show, and is currently scheduling various fitness professionals for upcoming episodes.

First up - 'Training Approaches'. Why everyone does what they do, when and how. If you'd like to be on the panel, just drop Josh a line. You can find him on Google+ :

And thanks Josh. Welcome.

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Details -

Who : We'll be announcing the panel shortly. If you'd like to be a part of it, just drop Josh a line.
Topic : Training Approaches
When : Wednesday Sep 11, 9pm EST
Questions : Post them here (please add your name if you'd like us to credit you on the show)
URL : We'll be posting this shortly - both on the blog and in the Straight to the Bar Community on Google+.
How : Watch the live stream, or join us on the hangout. Here are the details.

See you there.

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Coming Up : In upcoming Gymchats we'll be discussing Rope Training, Strength Sports in the Media and the Fitness Education in Schools. Get your questions ready.


And if you'd like to suggest a topic for a future discussion - or volunteer to be interviewed on the show - just drop us a line. Cheers.

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If you'd like to suggest a future topic, or schedule an interview for one of the upcoming discussions, you can send us a message privately here, or swing by our Community site on Google+. Look forward to hearing from you.

Tip of the Week: Build Your Own Tire Sled

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.

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A tyre (or tire if you prefer) sled is a beautiful thing.
If you're considering adding a little sled work to your routines, but haven't tried it before, this is a great way to see if you like it. What's more, it's an incredibly quick (and easy, and cheap) DIY project. Well worth diving in to.

Matt explains the overall process in his article DIY : How to Build Your Own Tire Sled, but the video below - showing the sled in action - will give you the general idea.

Good fun.

New Guide : Creating a Home Gym

We received some great feedback following the Setting Up a Home Gym Gymchat (if you haven't seen it yet, the video's here). Cheers for that - greatly appreciated. Thanks.
A new page has been added to the 'Guides' area, The Straight to the Bar Guide to Planning, Designing & Building Your Own Home Gym. Would love to hear what you think.

And thanks again, these discussions are fantastic.

Incidentally, if you'd like to take part in an upcoming Gymchat, just drop Josh a line. You'll find him on Google+.

---

Quick update on the Renaissance Fitness Supplement Kits we mentioned recently - superb idea.

As we noted, we'll be reviewing these shortly. And if you missed the announcement, here's a brief video to explain the basic idea :

For more information, head on over to the official site - renaissancefitnessinc.com.

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

As you may have seen on Google+, we've been fortunate enough to add a new member to the Gymchats team : Josh 'Do It With Hewett' Hewett. Josh will be one of the hosts of the show, and is currently scheduling various fitness professionals for upcoming episodes.

If you'd like to be on a future Gymchat - either for a one-on-one interview or to take part in a group discussion - just drop Josh a line. You can find him on Google+ :

And thanks Josh. Welcome.

As you might expect, Straight to the Bar works with a number of Personal Trainers and Strength Coaches. If you're ready to take your fitness and strength development to the next level, here are the people that can help :