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 : Sleeping on the Job
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Time for a power nap?

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 27, 2016
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  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 a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Climbing, Carrying and Dragging

A combination of Hill Climbing, Carrying and Dragging. In a weighted vest.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and 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.

Josh Hewett.

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


NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

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 :

Tear it up.

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 : Dragon Door Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sale

Dragon Door Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sale.

As you've doubtless noticed, there are a lot of Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales on at this time of year. On all kinds of things.

Of course, that makes it an ideal time to add an item or two to the Home Gym - or to build one from scratch. With that in mind, check out the offering from Dragon Door :

dragondoor.com.

Just add the code BFCM2016 at checkout, for a 10% discount on everything you buy. Good stuff.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

The New Primal Blueprint.

I absolutely loved the original, and to say it's filled with life-changing information is no exaggeration at all. Fantastic book.

The New Primal Blueprint is the updated version, combining the same overarching theme with an additional 6 years of research. If you've ever read Marks Daily Apple (great site), you'll appreciate how extensive and detailed this can be.

Definitely one to check out - whether you read the original, or are new to the Primal approach. The New Primal Blueprint.

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 : Strains and Sprains
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Causes and treatments.

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 20, 2016
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  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 a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Rolling Thunder Pull-Ups

Great way to challenge your grip.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and 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.

Josh Hewett.

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


NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

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?' :

Kirk Fontaine.

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.

Checking Out : The New Primal Blueprint

The New Primal Blueprint.

I absolutely loved the original, and to say it's filled with life-changing information is no exaggeration at all. Fantastic book.

The New Primal Blueprint is the updated version, combining the same overarching theme with an additional 6 years of research. If you've ever read Marks Daily Apple (great site), you'll appreciate how extensive and detailed this can be.

Definitely one to check out - whether you read the original, or are new to the Primal approach. The New Primal Blueprint.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

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 a Sandbag for $10
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  Make your own.

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 13, 2016
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  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 a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Meet Kristin Pope (Juggernaut Weightlifting)

'Cut as little as possible'. Agree entirely.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and 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.

Josh Hewett.

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


NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week : Bending Steel = Increased Strength Endurance

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.

Adam with a reconfigured #5 Draft Horse Shoe.

The increase in strength and power naturally will carry over to an increase in your endurance. Anyone who has bent a nail will tell you the first time they bent it was so tiring. I have watched people sweat bullets bending their first respectable nail. As time goes on you gain huge reserves of power. A personal testament to this level of power for me was October 2007 when I bent 150 60D nails in one hour using the double under (DU) grip. That represented a massive improvement from Jan 2007, when bending 10-15 nails left my hands extremely fatigued.

Good stuff.

Checking Out : StrongerGrip Golden Grips

StrongerGrip Golden Grips.

The Golden Grips are certainly unusual things. Similar idea to the 'Big Red', only with hooks (for an extra dose of grip work). Check out the main page to see what I mean :

StrongerGrip Golden Grips.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Twitter Lists.

Twitter Lists

In addition to the various feeds & newsletters above, I use Twitter's 'List' functionality to sort and maintain information on a number of topics. In particular :

• https://twitter.com/scottbird/lists/exoskeletons
  Wearable Robots. As mobility aids and to augment strength.


• https://twitter.com/scottbird/lists/sttb-writers
  Many, many people write for Straight to the Bar (let me know if you'd like to join us). Love it.


• https://twitter.com/scottbird/lists/all-things-medical
  New medicines, procedures & equipment.


• https://twitter.com/scottbird/lists/cycling
  I want to ride my bicycle.


• https://twitter.com/scottbird/lists/twitterchats
  The twitter list you'll see in the sidebar - covering events, gym sessions, strength feats and a whole lot more. Everything training-related.

As well as the lists on various training-centric topics, I also use them to help keep an eye on other interests - electric cars, photography and so on. You'll find the full list here.

Remember the iPosture? The Poze is a similar idea (which is definitely a good thing). I'll let the video explain :

Sounds great - the Poze

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 : Napping in the Afternoon
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  

  Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. - Edgar Allen Poe

  
  

• Looking At : Nov 6, 2016
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  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 a little fitness writing and would like to submit your own piece for Straight to the Bar, get in touch.

Video : Walking Lunges (Short Stance)

There are some great lunge variations possible, and here's one of my favourites - the Short Stance version of the Walking Lunge.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Google+ etc) shortly.

In the meantime, take a look at some of the previous episodes of the show - (there's an example below, and 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.

Josh Hewett.

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


NB : if you'd like to take part in a future episode - either as an interviewee, or as a guest host - just drop us a line. Love hearing how everyone else trains.

Tip of the Week : Use Checklists in your Training

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.

Seeing Complexity. Photo by Michael Heiss.

However, they're very powerful things indeed.


The basic logic behind using a checklist is pretty straightforward. As Adam Stoffa notes in the article Checklists and Complex Problems :

An example from training might be properly warming up. Everyone knows it's foolish to engage in physical training without warming up first, but with time pressure, competing interests, or environmental stress, this step occasionally gets skipped. The risks associated with skipping this step, are significant. Pulled muscles are a major setback to a training program. When you balance the interests involved, saving a few minutes versus suffering a major setback, the risk associated with skipping this key step is unacceptably high. Therefore, item number 1 on your checklist could be:

1. Complete Warm Up Exercises

And yes, although it looks almost laughably simple, this absolutely works. The checklist approach is very highly recommended indeed.

Checking Out : POZE - The Ultimate Posture Coach

Sounds great - the Poze

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.