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 : Re-Entering the World of Fitness
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  The journey begins.

  
  

• Looking At : Dec 27, 2020
  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 : Betting Big On Genomics Stocks (Steven Mark Ryan)

This video highlights the potential upcoming changes in genomics (many of which we've discussed on the main site, if you're looking to dive in a little deeper), as well as noting just one of the ways to invest your money into such possibilities. Interesting mix.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook 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.

Kurtis Frank. Photo by Kira Beriault.

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.

The Future of Fitness : Health & Fitness Predictions for 2021

Batou (Ghost in the Shell).

Continuing those thoughts, here are a few items that may make an appearance over the next year or so. Health & Fitness Predictions for 2021.

NB : I always receive some wonderful feedback on these 'peer into the future' posts - greatly appreciated. If you'd like to drop me a line, just point me to a tweet or leave a comment on the relevant Straight to the Bar post. Cheers.


Several ageing-related clinical trials begin. I suspect that we'll see the end of 'death from old age' by the end of this decade, with some wonderful advancements between now and then.

Neuralink begins human trials (Initially looking at restoring movement in tetraplegics and paraplegics). Other BCI products such as Paradromics Inc's 'Argo' and Synchron Inc's 'Stentrode' launch publically.

3D-printed temporary hospitals begin appearing. Initially as tests, with emergency uses coming shortly afterward.

Many more electric cars are launched, and EV chargers will seem to appear regularly. If you're in a position to, this is a great time to install a couple at your place of business.

At the same time, several ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle bans begin, and many more are heavily discussed. The ability to train outdoors gets a little easier as a result, and many of the pollution-related health impacts continue to decline.

SpaceX's global satelite internet constellation 'Starlink' is available in most countries worldwide, with other areas being gradually filled in. Although ideal in many situations, it's the emergency use that I'm most excited about (think of the ability to communicate in a town which has just been hit by fire/flood/hurricane etc).

NB : Amazon's 'Kuiper' service (same idea) will follow shortly afterward, with launches beginning at the end of the year.

Autonomous driving gets a whole lot closer. Tesla's FSD builds are fairly solid, and rolled out to a global fleet of testers in order to find edge cases.

Incredible potential for those who can not (or should not) drive.

Autonomous delivery of food & medicine tested in several locations, prior to their commercial roll-outs. Small, electric and wonderfully convenient.

Intelligent home air-conditioning systems (with inbuilt water and air filtration in many cases) begin to appear. Healthier homes, and much less expensive to run. Perfect.

Gene sequencing becomes much, much cheaper over the year; and is used more and more broadly. In many cases, genetic modification follows close behind, and the diseases solved impact larger and larger groups of people.

Incidentally - if you're wondering how we've done in the past, here are all of the previous futurism articles.

Over to you. What are your thoughts on the various predictions above - both the content and the timeframes? Anything you'd change, or add?

And what are your own predictions for next year, both for the fitness and medical worlds? Drop a comment below, or over on Twitter.

Checking Out : Cardlax 2.0 (Portable EMS Device)

Interesting idea.

The Cardlax 2.0 is a credit card-sized portable massager for impromptu massage sessions. Electrical Muscle Stimulation, 10 intensity levels.

Wireless, and washable.

A little video :

The Cardlax 2.0.

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 : The Gym Bag Essential that Could Take You to the Next Level
  Jeff Wilson | Follow @BasinsFitness
  A fantastic grip accessory - the towel.

  
  

• Looking At : Dec 20, 2020
  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 : Apple Fitness Plus Review (KevTheTrainer)

Remember the announcement of Apple's Fitness+ service? It's now here (either individually or as part of 'Apple One'), and looks great.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook 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.

Paul Teixeira.

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, the blog; and 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 : OYEET NEX (Portable Massage Gun)

Looks good.

The OYEET NEX is a Portable Massage Gun for impromptu percussive massage sessions. Nice and deep, nice and fast.

And cordless. There's a cradle for recharging it.

If you've never used one, the video below will show you exactly what it can do.

The OYEET NEX.

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 : Evolution of Sandbag Training Part 2
  Josh Henkin | Follow @joshhenkin
  Ready for some new ways to put the sandbag to work?

  
  

• Looking At : Jun 30, 2019
  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 : Back in the Gym, Post Surgeries (Ronnie Coleman)

Must be incredibly satisfying, particularly after the 'you'll never walk again' comments. Nice one.

Gymchat 278 - TBA

We're still finalising the details for this week's discussion. I'll post them on the blog (and Twitter, Facebook 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.

Paul Teixeira.

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: Try a Caffeine Nap

Each week we publish a number of tips and techniques via Twitter, the blog; and the newsletter. Wherever you are, there's always a way to improve what you're doing.

Caffeine Napping.

For a start, they take place at different times of the day.

I'm curious though - has anyone here sampled a Caffeine Nap? I'd love to hear your thoughts; particularly if it's a regular thing.


From the article 'Caffeine Napping' :

Sleep researchers at Loughborough University were looking at various ways to keep motorists awake on long journeys. The winner - perhaps somewhat surprisingly - was the 'caffeine nap'.

The idea is simple : drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a brief (15-20min) nap. This helps clear the body of adenosine, a chemical commonly believed to make you drowsy.

Very interesting indeed.

Checking Out : iTrakit (GPS bike tracker)

Looks great.

We discuss cycling quite a bit on Straight to the Bar - it's a great way to get a little exercise whilst on your way to wherever you're going. Love it.

Still, we get quite a few questions regarding the tracking of the bicycles. To monitor your own journeys, and to help prevent theft.

The iTrakit takes care of the latter (though I suspect it does a little of both) : the 'theft dissuasion' part. Hidden inside the frame, discreetly.

A little video will show you what I mean :

The iTrakit.

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 : Holding the Bar in the Front Squat
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  How do you hang on to it? Like this.

  
  

• Looking At : Aug 5, 2018
  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 : The Hollow Body Hold (& Variations) vs Sit-ups (Calisthenic Movement)

Interesting exercise.

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.

Mike Mentzer.

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 : Atlas Stone 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.

As you may have already noticed, we're constantly adding new pages to the Guides section of this site. One of the most recent additions looks at the many ways to lift heavy stones - good fun.

To get you in the mood for a little stone work, here's the incredible Jouko Ahola explaining (and demonstrating) one of the most popular forms - Atlas Stone lifting. Love it.

NB : In addition to the technique itself, Jouko makes an excellent point near the end of the video. He notes that in his own training the platforms are a little higher than those used in competitions, and the stones are slightly heavier. Sage advice indeed.

Checking Out : TUWAN (Anti-Snoring Pillow Pad)

Interesting idea.

The TUWAN is a pair of devices - one to detect snoring, the other to move the pillow slightly - shifting the snorer's head. Although I haven't tried this myself, I'm keen to give it a run.

Ever tried one - or anything similar - yourself?

In the meantime, a spot of video :

The TUWAN.

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 : The Step-up - a Real Squat Alternative?
  Scott Andrew Bird | Follow @scottbird
  A possible addition to your leg training arsenal.

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 29, 2018
  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 : Performing the Barbell Row (Alan Thrall)

Nice one.

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.

Gymchat 156 - Solving Nutrition Problems

Maik Wiedenbach

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 : Planche Nugget

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.

Beast Skills' Jim Bathurst.

The skill is very simple to describe but hard to do. Here we go:

• Take the ab-wheel.
• Get into a pushup position while holding an ab wheel.
• Now instead of rolling it toward your head, roll it toward your feet and back.

If you can roll the wheel with straight arms down to the point where the wheel will touch your pubis (lower front of hipbone) and bring it back up to the pushup position, you should hurry and take Paul Hamm's spot in the Olympics.

Nice one.

Checking Out : Lumen (Nutrition Monitor)

Keen to try one of these.

The Lumen is a breath-based nutrition monitor, measuring your caloric burn via your breath and suggesting meals accordingly. Interesting idea; keen to see how accurate it is, and whether I can combine the data with that from other devices.

The Lumen.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength (2nd Edition).

We first looked at this one a while ago, and a conversation on the weekend had me pulling it from the shelves once again. The 2nd Edition of Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.

The title gives you a general idea, and a couple of brief comments will help fill in the gaps :

Readers will appreciate the combination of plain facts and expert advice. Anyone looking to build muscle mass will appreciate this thorough, no-nonsense guide to proper strength-training technique.

The book is very well written, and provides a complete, precise set of tables throughout the chapters that allow the novice or advanced bodybuilder or strength athlete to start using proven exercises/techniques to improve their appearance and/or performance. The "Rating" matrices of Time/Length/Difficulty/Results alone were, for me, worth the price of the book.

Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. Good stuff.

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 : The Bodyweight Aficionado's Guide to Gear
  Jason Kirby
  A few extras that can add a whole lot of possibilities.

  
  

• Looking At : Aug 16, 2015
  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 : Invention Factory - How Will Mind Overcome Matter?

Very interesting series.

Gymchat 277 - 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.

Sincere Hogan.

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: When Possible, Buy Meat Locally

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 article Fight Fat With CLA from eVitamins, Derek noted the value of getting some quality meat in your diet. One of the key factors is to keep an eye out for things like 'grass-fed beef'; another is to purchase from local sources whenever possible.

Jeff Marraccini explains :

Scott, I also look for local sources. Even grass-fed meat coming from far away likely has more risk of being exposed to excessive heat, cold, or other environmental conditions. Unfortunately, it is not always possible so I have to compromise from time to time.

Great point.

Re-Reading : Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength (2nd Edition)

Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength (2nd Edition).

We first looked at this one a while ago, and a conversation on the weekend had me pulling it from the shelves once again. The 2nd Edition of Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.

The title gives you a general idea, and a couple of brief comments will help fill in the gaps :

Readers will appreciate the combination of plain facts and expert advice. Anyone looking to build muscle mass will appreciate this thorough, no-nonsense guide to proper strength-training technique.

The book is very well written, and provides a complete, precise set of tables throughout the chapters that allow the novice or advanced bodybuilder or strength athlete to start using proven exercises/techniques to improve their appearance and/or performance. The "Rating" matrices of Time/Length/Difficulty/Results alone were, for me, worth the price of the book.

Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. Good stuff.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder.

Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder is Samuel Wilson Fussell's experience of 1980s bodybuilding. Although my own copy was a chance find in a charity shop here, Amazon has a 2015 paperback version.


And as the Amazon page notes :

Alternately funny and fascinating, Muscle is the true story of one man's obsession with the pursuit of perfection. With insight, wit, and refreshing candor, Fussell ushers readers into the wild world of juicers and gym rats who sacrifice their lives, minds, bodies, and souls to their dreams of glory in Southern California's so-called iron mecca.

Keen to dive into it.

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 : Bare-Handed Nail Driving Basics
  Ryan Pitts (StrongerGrip) | Follow @strongergrip
  Ready for a serious challenge?

  
  

• Looking At : Aug 9, 2015
  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 : High Bar vs Low Bar Squats

Nice one.

Gymchat 277 - 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.

Al Kavadlo performing a Dragon Flag.

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: Training for Unusual Feats

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.

When Jeff Wilson was training for the Soda Can Crush (video below), he quickly realised that his usual training approach wouldn't work. For one thing, you can't progressively crush a can of soda.

In the article Unusual Goals Require Unusual Measures, he explains exactly how to tackle something like this. Here's a snippet to give you the basic idea :

I knew that without actually being able to accomplish the feat that my training would have to take a drastic turn from what I had become accustomed to over the years. The seemingly supplemental exercises of my workouts would now become my core movements.

I scoured my repertoire (as well as the training logs of top gripsters world-wide) for hand, wrist and grip exercises to find those that closely mimicked the movement I would use for the crush - and I came to the conclusion that the final crush of an unbraced bend was strikingly similar. With some alterations to my particular style of bending I knew I could get huge carryover to the soda crush. I upped my bending frequency a bit and focused on generating as much power as possible through the final crush down as I could with each piece of steel I attempted. During my bending sessions I used high volume, isometrics and pre-kinking steel that was a little out of my league, but I didn't want to bend too often because going too overboard with unbraced bending can potentially set you up for some pretty nasty injuries. I knew that I also needed movements that I could safely perform on a very regular basis that would have big carry over to the can crush, while having very little risk of injury in order to accomplish my goal in a timely manner.

And the feat itself? Over to Jeff :

Love it.

Checking Out : Muscle - Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder (Samuel Wilson Fussell)

Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder.

Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder is Samuel Wilson Fussell's experience of 1980s bodybuilding. Although my own copy was a chance find in a charity shop here, Amazon has a 2015 paperback version.

And as the Amazon page notes :

Alternately funny and fascinating, Muscle is the true story of one man's obsession with the pursuit of perfection. With insight, wit, and refreshing candor, Fussell ushers readers into the wild world of juicers and gym rats who sacrifice their lives, minds, bodies, and souls to their dreams of glory in Southern California's so-called iron mecca.

Keen to dive into it.

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

Good stuff Bret, looks great.

Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength (2nd Edition).

Although it's not out for a while yet (Oct 12), I'm keen to check out the 2nd Edition of Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.

I'll certainly be posting a review shortly after it becomes available; in the meantime, a couple of brief comments from the first edition of the book :

Readers will appreciate the combination of plain facts and expert advice. Anyone looking to build muscle mass will appreciate this thorough, no-nonsense guide to proper strength-training technique.

The book is very well written, and provides a complete, precise set of tables throughout the chapters that allow the novice or advanced bodybuilder or strength athlete to start using proven exercises/techniques to improve their appearance and/or performance. The "Rating" matrices of Time/Length/Difficulty/Results alone were, for me, worth the price of the book.

Jim Stoppani's Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength. Good stuff.