Results matching “Bird”

If you've just joined us, here's a quick recap of this week on Straight to the Bar :

• New blogs : A fresh pile of new blogs.
• Napping in the afternoon : a brief test of the afternoon nap in place of an evening one (as part of a biphasic sleep routine).
• Timing rest : Blaine wraps up the rest series.
• Video replay : videos from Pete Diaz, Zach Even-Esh and the Diesel Crew.
• What do I get for $10? : 50lb of fun in the form of a DIY sandbag.

Enjoy.

There's a great Paul Anderson tribute video [streaming, 8.5mb .flv download via KeepVid] linked up on the Diesel Crew blog. Some great clips in there.

Just catching up with a few podcasts. Among them is the latest from Strength News; episode 4. This week Chris discusses :

• The end of phase 3 from the NROL routine
• Possible entry to a March 2007 Strongman contest
• Cassandra Forsythe interview on Max Out Radio
• TV game show requiring strongmen

• 8-10 heavy-duty freezer bags (the 'snap lock' ones are great if you can get them)
• large hessian sack
• large heavy-duty garden sack (to fit inside the hessian one)
• roll of cloth tape
• ball of twine
• about 20kg(45lb) of sand (any kind with a fairly small grain)

Assembly

Assembly is a straightforward process.

Half fill each of the freezer bags with sand (until you run out of sand - I used 6, but it's good to have spares).


Seal and tape each bag tightly - make sure you squeeze all the air out.


Place the garden sack inside the hessian one, and fill it with the small sandbags.

Tie up the sacks with twine.

That's it! Obviously there's a bit of trial-and-error involved, but you really can't go too far wrong.


Changes I would make

I'll use it a few times before I really start changing things, but a couple of likely culprits :

• I'd probably double-bag the smaller sandbags. Just in case.
• I may increase the cost slightly and start with more than 20kg of sand. It's a good weight to start with, but a couple of weeks may suggest that more is necessary.

More video goodness (streaming, 16.5mb .flv download via KeepVid) from Zach Even-Esh; this time showing just how he trains younger athletes. How? Exactly the same way as everyone else. Good stuff.

Campusing is a rock-climbing training technique, making use of the decidedly evil campus board. Developed in 1988 by climber Wolfgang Güllich (german site only), the board consists of a series of strips affixed in a ladder-like fashion. The entire board is angled to around 20°.

The Diesel Crew blog pointed me in the direction of a great video showing climber Todd Meyers demonstrating this technique. As you'll quickly see, it isn't exactly easy.

Applied Strength is the online home of personal trainer and fitness enthusiast Brett Jones. On both his personal and professional sites you'll find interesting writings on kettlebell, bodyweight and free-weight training.

To get you started, a couple of pieces that are definitely worth a read :

• What is Old (School) is New
  A brief introduction to the world of kettlebell training - beginning with the disarmingly simple (though highly effective) kettlebell swing. Brett offers a few tips for improving the swing here.
• Programming for the Deadlift
  The creation of a simple program with a beautiful goal - increasing your deadlift.

Enjoy.

Charles Poliquin's at it again. His latest Q&A piece on T-Nation includes :

• swanky new gym gadgets
• swiss ball use and abuse
• hypertrophy training mistake #1
• strongman for beginners

As always, it's a great read.

Via Pete Diaz : A nice video (streaming, 15.2mb .flv download via KeepVid) showing tyre, thick rope and kettlebell work. Not a bad workout at all.

Blaine wraps up our article series on rest with a look at Timing Rest. This article looks at the most effective way to measure rest break length (for various workout types) as well as offering a few basic timing strategies. A good read.