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

The first time I can remember hearing about circuit training was shortly after watching the Bruce Lee masterpiece, Enter the Dragon. Although Lee was well known for his muscular-yet-wiry physique, he certainly cranked things up a notch for this film.

More on the 'how' in a minute. First, a little history.

Circuit Training

Circuit Training was first developed by R.E. Morgan and G.T. Anderson at the University of Leeds in 1953. The idea was simple :

A circuit consists of 9 to 12 stations (circuits consisting of fewer stations are often used now), with each station representing one exercise. At each station an exercise is performed, with a specific resistance and for a specific number of reps.

Work at each station takes 30-60 seconds, after which, the trainee moves directly to the next station on the circuit (with no break) and begins the exercise. An aerobics station requiring 15-180 seconds of work is placed between the main exercise stations.

This original formula has changed little over the years, and has benefited from occasional refinements rather than a complete redesign. For example, it is now common to see people performing circuits with fewer than 9 stations, and circuits where all exercises are themed (such as boxing in boxercise).

Peripheral Heart Action (PHA)

A decade later, a system called Peripheral Heart Action (PHA) was developed by Dr Arthur Steinhaus, and popularised by bodybuilder Bob Gajda. Although it's often confused with circuit training, the goals are somewhat different.

In PHA, trainees seek to keep the blood flowing strongly through the body, throughout the entire workout. The smaller muscles around the heart are worked on first, followed by the larger muscles around the body's periphery.

Although the basic structure of a PHA workout is similar to that used in Circuit Training, there is a key difference in approach. In PHA, exercises are selected that will enable the trainer to pump blood to the extreme ends of the body, aiding overall circulation and seeking to reduce a build-up of lactic acid.

As an example, here is a 'typical' PHA workout. Note that the exercises alternate between focusing on upper and lower body muscle groups, with different areas being worked each time.

These exercises would collectively comprise one cycle, with 5-6 cycles generally being performed. The resistance of each exercise is increased for each new cycle.

• Standing Overhead Press
• Squat
• Lat Pulldown
• Standing Calf Raise
• Push-up
• Abdominal Crunch

Each exercise is performed for 10-12 repetitions, with the trainee moving directly onto the next exercise at the culmination.

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 : Bare-Handed Nail Driving Basics
  Ryan Pitts
  We've looked at a number of incredible strength feats over the years, and this is definitely one of my favourites. A spot of Bare-Handed Nail Driving.

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 22, 2012
  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 : Deadlifting - Take the Slack Out of the Bar

Over on the Diesel Strength site, Powerlifter Jesse Burdick shares a very interesting idea : when performing the deadlift, take the 'slack' out of the bar. Good stuff.

Gymchat 179 - Interval Training

There are many, many ways to get your sweat on. Not to mention recycling the air in the room.
One of the most popular - particularly when it comes to conditioning work - is some form of Interval Training. Running, punching, skipping and so on.

Of course, there's a lot more to it than simply adjusting the length of your rest breaks. This week we're exploring interval work of all kinds; what it is and how to make it work for you.

Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than the Cube Dweller Fitness Guy himself, Troy Pesola. Fantastic.


Details -

Who : The Cube Dweller Fitness Guy, Troy Pesola
Topic : Interval Training
When : Wed Jul 25, 9pm EDT (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Link : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/igTZeb2NJmE

For everyone who's joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask Troy any training-related questions you like.

See you there.

Quick update on last week's gymchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion : Exercise and the Brain. Some superb ideas in there.

For those who missed out on the conversation, here's the transcript. Was a great one.

Tip of the Week: Addressing Squat Weaknesses - Bending at the Knees First

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

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When it comes to the squat, Powerlifter Rick Walker clearly knows what he's talking about.

If you've ever tackled this wonderful exercise yourself and felt that your form just didn't feel quite right, check out his article Addressing Weaknesses in The Squat. To give you an idea of what it's all about, here's how he corrects one of the more common problems found in squat technique - the simple act of Bending at the Knees First.

Over to Rick.

This is a common problem among many beginning squatters as the lifter is usually afraid of falling backwards with the weight. Instead of sitting back first, the lifter will bend at the knees to go down. This causes the knees to go forward well over the toes and often times causes the lifter to go up onto their toes in the hole. This is not only dangerous, but you are limiting how much you can squat. The pressure on the patellar tendons in this position is tremendous and leads to big time problems down the road.

Yes, some lifters, especially Olympic lifters, can adapt to these kinds of stresses from having their knees that far forward.

However, the goal here is to improve the squat and move more weight, and that will be accomplished by sitting back into the squat.

How to fix it

The lifter must learn to sit back and not down. This can take a long time to get them to do, and even longer to get them to do it under maximum loads. I start all newbie squatters on a box.

I use a very high box and a very light load, usually the empty bar with some light JumpStretch© bands attached for tension. The basic commands I give are for the lifter to sit back like he is searching for a chair that is behind him. Once the lifter can get down to the high box by sitting back, I lower it an inch and start all over. Eventually the lifter will be able to sit back to a parallel box and the movement will become second nature.

Another possible reason for the lifter's inability to sit back is hamstring strength. If the lifter has weak hamstrings, he won't be able to sit back into a squat without falling. It gets much worse as the weight increases. To address this, get the lifter on the glute-ham machine pronto!

This is the best way to bring up lagging hamstrings and prepare the lifter for handling more weight in the squat correctly. I have also found Romanian Deadlifts and reverse hypers to be effective for improving the sit back portion of the squat.

And yes, I can assure you that it works. Cheers, Rick.

Checking Out : Resilience Breathing

Powerful techniques.

If you ever find yourself in any sort of stressful situation (physical or mental), you need this. In Resilience Breathing, Sonnon outlines a series of breathing techniques to help you counterract that stress, and regain control. They really do make a huge difference.

And the best part? The entire package is absolutely free.

Beautiful.

Quick update on the superb Fixing Elbow Pain we mentioned recently. There's a full review here, but suffice to say that if you've ever experienced conditions like Tennis Elbow or Golfer's Elbow, it's essential reading.

Love it.

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

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 :

• Happy Bastille Day - What is the Deal with Red Wine?
  Maik Wiedenbach
  Maik takes a great look at the 'French Paradox' : particularly when it comes to wine & longevity.

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 15, 2012
  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 : Learning the Planche? Try this.

If you're progressing toward the planche, try this exercise. On a Pommel Horse, or anything else that provides plenty of stability and a little clearance. Nice one.

Gymchat 178 - Exercise and the Brain

As you're no doubt aware, a regular dose of exercise has many, many benefits.
This week we're taking a look at just one of those; an aspect of physical fitness that's often overlooked. The impact of exercise on the brain.

What happens to the brain during periods of exercise, and during recovery? How can you adjust your own fitness regime (and your lifestyle in general) in order to maximise these benefits? From the other side of things, can you use a regular dose of exercise to help heal the brain after an injury? Improve memory? Increase IQ?

Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than personal trainer Kirk Fontaine. Fantastic.


Details -

Who : Personal trainer Kirk Fontaine
Topic : Exercise and the Brain
When : Wed Jul 18, 9pm EDT (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Link : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/ieWBkYrftys

For everyone who's joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask Kirk any training-related questions you like.

See you there.

Quick update on last week's gymchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion : Recovery Work for the Hands. Some superb ideas in there.

For those who missed out on the conversation, here's the transcript. Was a great one.

Tip of the Week: Rice Bucket Rehab

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

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In last week's discussion on Recovery Work for the Hands we noted several superb recovery techniques, including the ever-popular Rice Digs.

If you've never tried doing these, the process is incredibly simple. From the post 'Rice Digs', a brief description :

Pour some uncooked rice into a bucket and repeatedly burrow your hands into it. Make fists, rotate your wrists and generally move your hands around whilst they're surrounded by rice.

NB : All other things being equal, a finer material will feel more difficult. Things like lead shot have less give, and will quickly prove challenging. Rice is a good starting point.

And to make things a little clearer, have a look at the video below. Great exercise.


From the post Rice Bucket Rehab :

Good stuff.

Checking Out : Body Hero

This is a great mix.

As much as I like Dragon Door's HardStyle Magazine, it tends to focus on a fairly narrow area of training. Their new offering - Body Hero - contains a much broader array of information on physical transformation. Everything from bodyweight conditioning to mental toughness.

It's a great blend.

To see what I mean, take a look at the first issue. Body Hero.

Quick update on the superb Fixing Elbow Pain we mentioned recently. There's a full review here, but suffice to say that if you've ever experienced conditions like Tennis Elbow or Golfer's Elbow, it's essential reading.

Love it.

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I love a dose of grip work.

As a standalone grip session, or a part of other exercises. Good fun.

When it comes to recovery work though, I'm always in two minds as to what to do. Should the hands be treated separately, and if so, how? What sorts of techniques are available?

Helping us get a handle on things is Strongman, Mash Monster and Personal Trainer Matt Hunt. Fantastic.

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 :

• DIY : How to Build a Wrist Roller
  Matt Hunt
  Looking for a DIY project for the weekend? Have a go at this.

  
  

• Looking At : Jul 8, 2012
  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 : Coming Soon - Mike 'The Machine' Bruce's World Record Attempt

If you've ever read articles by the incredible Mike 'The Machine' Bruce (or been lucky enough to see him perform live), you may have seen this feat. It's the one pictured at the top of this piece.

As he explains in this video, he's getting ready to perform it one more time - setting a new world record in the process. Fantastic.

Gymchat 177 - Arm Training

Arm training can be a complex beast.
Considering the first exercise that comes to mind for many people is the humble bicep curl, it's somewhat surprising that it's a little tricky to encourage arms to gain size and strength in all the 'right' ways. The ones that help with your own goals, whether you're a professional Armwrestler, Powerlifter or Olympic Gymnast.

This week we're looking at Arm Training overall. What's involved, how it helps, and how to make sure it works for you. And if you've got any specific questions on your own arm training, fire them in. We'll get through as many as we can.

Helping us explore this fascinating topic is none other than Olympic athlete, personal trainer and nutritionist Maik Wiedenbach. Fantastic.

---

As a bonus, we'll also be having a bit of a giveaway this week. Maik will be giving out 5 copies of his latest ebook, 30 Secrets for Bigger Arms shortly after the gymchat, to randomly chosen commenters. If you'd like a chance to win copy of the book, just fire in a question or comment at any point during the discussion.


Details -

Who : Olympic athlete, personal trainer and nutritionist Maik Wiedenbach
Topic : Arm Training
When : Wed Jul 11, 9pm EDT (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Where : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/ED17tPr1Ubw

If you've never been to one of these discussions before, here's how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.

For everyone who's joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask Maik any questions you like on arm training.

See you there.

Quick update on last week's gymchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion : Fitness & Health Devices. Some superb ideas in there.

For those who missed out on the conversation, here's the transcript. Was a great one.

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Incidentally, we noted a number of people, products and services during the discussion. I've put all of these into a Google+ Circle, which I'm more than happy to share with everyone looking to keep up with the world of Fitness Devices. If you'd like a copy, just let me know.

Tip of the Week: Finding Running & Cycle Routes When Travelling

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

---

When you're travelling, how do you find a suitable running or cycle route for your training? Chas has a few ideas.
From the discussion Gymchat 176 - Fitness & Health Devices :

For bike routes and running routes, strava.com, mapmyfitness, garmin connect, and dailymile.com are all good sources of information for routes. With mapmyfitness, I can even download the routes into my Garmin forerunner watch and actually have it navigate along the exact same route - and in some cases, even race against the person who made the route!

Well worth checking out.

Checking Out : HardStyle Abs

Really looking forward to this.

I've long been a fan of Pavel Tsatsouline's work, and I'm certainly keen to check this one out. It's currently next on my 'virtual reading pile'.


A couple of paragraphs from the main page will explain what it's all about :

The sole goal of Hardstyle Abs is to achieve an extraordinarily strong mid-section. But not simply to swivel heads with your rippling "six-pack". For, according to Pavel, your abs should be simultaneously weapon, armor and force generator. The six-pack is just a side effect of the coiled power with which you now operate.

Hardstyle Abs will give you impenetrable body armor--to withstand a direct hit of the greatest magnitude. Hardstyle Abs will give you the generative force to retaliate with a devastating backlash. And Hardstyle Abs will help you lift more weight than ever before--more safely.

Pavel's HardStyle Abs. Looks great.

Quick update on Industrial Strength Grip II : last week we mentioned the imminent arrival of Volume 2 of the Industrial Strength Grip DVD. To get an idea of what it's all about, check out the sample video here.

If you've ever seen 'Unbreakable' Adam Glass in action, you'll appreciate just how powerful these techniques are. Superb.

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

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 :

• Owning an Underground Gym: Some Insights
  Al Heinemann
  Considering setting up your own gym? Having successfully done exactly that, Al has a few suggestions.

  
  

• Gettin' Swole II
  Derek Peruo
  Derek takes a close look at the Now Foods L-Citrulline Performance Supplement.

  
  

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 : Mighty Joe's Forearm Training

A superb look at the way 'Mighty Joe' Musselwhite tackles his forearm work. Nice one.

NB : the video's been split into two parts. The first part is above; you'll find the second one here. Enjoy.

Gymchat 176 - Fitness & Health Devices

Having an IT background, it's no surprise that I spent years surrounded by electronic gadgets of all shapes and sizes.
What was a surprise, however - at least initially - is just how many of them there are in the world of health and fitness. Helping you to do everything from running more efficiently to finding the perfect way to lift a little more weight. Love it.

This week we'll be diving in to this world, looking at both what's currently possible and the various things we'd love to see. Helping us get a handle on this is ultrarunner, airline captain and insanely competitive triathlete, Chas Melichar.

Join Chas and I for Gymchat 176 - Fitness & Health Devices. Fantastic.


Details -

Who Ultrarunner, airline captain and insanely competitive triathlete, Chas Melichar
Topic : Fitness & Health Devices
When : Wed Jul 4, 9pm EDT (here's how to find out when that is in your timezone)
How : Post a comment, question or reply
Where : https://plus.google.com/u/0/113406428532094481598/posts/daqWtGT81Cb

If you've never been to one of these discussions before, here's how to join in the fun. Simple, quick to set up and free.

For everyone who's joining us for their first Gymchat, welcome. Just dive right in, and ask Chas any questions you like on fitness devices.

See you there.

Quick update on last week's gymchat : Thanks once again to everyone who took part in the discussion : Stretching. Some superb ideas in there.

For those who missed out on the conversation, here's the transcript. Was a great one.

Tip of the Week: Atlas Stone Technique

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

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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.

Looking Forward To : Industrial Strength Grip II

'Unbreakable' Adam Glass has just announced that Volume 2 of the Industrial Strength Grip DVD will be available shortly. This contains a whole lot of information on the various ways to put the humble weight plate at the heart of a solid grip workout.

To give you an idea, check out the video here - featuring a super simple one-plate arm workout. Good stuff.

Bonus : if you've ever considered the idea of using Isometric work in your training, no doubt you've checked out the Extreme Power with Isometrics DVD (and if not, give it a look - it really is superb).


If you're just looking for an idea of what it's all about though, grab the PDF below. A great read.

11 Reasons You Must Do Isometrics

Absolutely free.

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