Results matching “Bird”

Strong hands are a huge part of effective strength training - how do you expect to pull a monster weight off of the floor if you can't hang onto the bar? Having strong hands goes beyond just performance in the gym though - a powerful grip is essential for sports performance (baseball, golf, grappling, etc) and can improve performance in a wide variety of jobs. In fact, the ability to grab hold of someone or something and maintain control can mean the difference between safety and serious injury or even life and death for those who work in law enforcement.
I am a huge fan of all types of grip training equipment - I have and regularly use Ironmind hand grippers, David Horne's Vulcan gripper, the FBBC vertical bar and Bomb as well as a variety of block weights, thick handles, bending gear, etc. And while it would be tough to get me to part with any of those implements, one of my very favorite pieces of grip training "equipment" has been in my gym bag since long before I ever invested any time in training my hands directly. I've long been a fan of taking my favorite exercises, movements that I know really work, and adding a new element to them to see if I can push the envelope when it comes to achieving results - sometimes this tactic hits, other times I realize that the original movement has become a mainstay in my routines because it doesn't need much (if any) altering.

One of the most successful "add ons" I've made to my workouts to improve grip strength has been the simple addition of a gym towel (this should probably go without saying, but make sure it is a strong towel capable of holding your body weight without shredding) to certain lifts. This might sound a bit unusual, even ridiculous to some of you, but bear with me here...

The first movement I tried it with was pull ups (this certainly wasn't my innovation, I've seen many others throw a towel over a pull up bar before). I knew it would be more difficult than a conventional pull up, just didn't expect it to be that difficult. I had been training grip for a few years, primarily with grippers, but the instability/inconsistency made the pull ups far more taxing for me than traditional pull ups or what I considered to be more traditional grip training (grippers, thick bar, etc).

While adding towel pull ups as a finisher on back/arm day probably would have been enough to give a nice boost to my grip, I instinctively wanted more. What else could I throw a towel over to create a killer grip circuit?


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

Intrinsic Excellence - SttB Articles

This looks great.

Intrinsic Excellence is Rolando Garcia III's detailed look at the various drivers of success in Personal Training - both on the business development and the leadership sides of the fence. It does this via an investigation of four key areas - the Four Core Competencies - transforming the untamed beast that is a fitness business into something far more manageable.

Intrinsic Excellence.



NB : We first looked at this one in the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter (part of the Strength Kit). If you'd like to have it sent to you automatically (free!) each week, just add your email here.

And if you're looking for the full list of the training-related books I recommend, check out the complete lists on Goodreads.



Monday, 14 Mar 2016 - Issues

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 :

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 : Sandbag Burpee Variations

Nice one Josh.


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.


Previously : In Gymchat 277 we discussed Barefoot Running - (Believe the Hype!) (with Xero Shoes' Steven Sashen, joined by Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett). Great conversation.

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: Beginner Neck-Building Program

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 the obscenely strong Mike 'The Machine' Bruce, and is a snippet from his superb article Building A Neck Of Steel. Take a look.


Neck work - whether you're a beginner, or have been training for years - doesn't need to be that complicated. And if you're new to the area of neck strengthening, this is a great place to start.

Over to Mike :

Neck Harness lift
Now that's a neck harness lift.
Following is a beginner program to help get you started from Pencil Neck to Neck of Steel.
  • Neck Curls on a flat bench with weight 1-2 sets of 20-30 repetitions
  • Neck Harness work [same as above]
  • Side of Neck on a flat bench [same as above]


Do this every other day for the first month. Then you can increase the workload to every day you train. Or increase the weighted repetitions to 5 sets of 50 repetitions. Once you can attain 100 straight repetitions in the 3 exercises then it is time to increase the weight.



Good stuff.


Checking Out : Intrinsic Excellence

This looks great.

Intrinsic Excellence is Rolando Garcia III's detailed look at the various drivers of success in Personal Training - both on the business development and the leadership sides of the fence. It does this via an investigation of four key areas - the Four Core Competencies - transforming the untamed beast that is a fitness business into something far more manageable.

Intrinsic Excellence.




Quick update on the Hip Thruster we mentioned recently - fantastic thing.

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



Good stuff Bret, looks great.


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

Paleo f(x) 2016 - SttB Articles

This looks fantastic.

Billed as the largest live Paleo event in the world - and I've no doubt that it is, it's a massive conference - it's being held in Austin on May 27-29, 2016.

The conference contains a wonderful mix of information, demonstrations and training. For a general idea, take a look at the video below :




Paleo f(x) 2016.



NB : We first looked at this one in the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter (part of the Strength Kit). If you'd like to have it sent to you automatically (free!) each week, just add your email here.

And if you're looking for the full list of the training-related books I recommend, check out the complete lists on Goodreads.



Monday, 7 Mar 2016 - Issues

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 :

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 : Two-Handed Pinch Grip Deadlift

Here's a combination I'd love to see a whole lot more of - the Two-Handed Pinch Grip Deadlift. Nice one Aaron.


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.


Previously : In Gymchat 277 we discussed Barefoot Running - (Believe the Hype!) (with Xero Shoes' Steven Sashen, joined by Personal Trainer and Strength Athlete Josh Hewett). Great conversation.

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: Using (and Making) a Fat Bar

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 the obscenely strong Max Shank, in the form of a video from the article The Fat Bar. Take a look.


This video shows the bar in action. To read how it helps, and how to make one; head over to the article The Fat Bar. Nice one.

Over to Max :





Checking Out : Paleo f(x) 2016

This looks fantastic.

Billed as the largest live Paleo event in the world - and I've no doubt that it is, it's a massive conference - it's being held in Austin on May 27-29, 2016.

The conference contains a wonderful mix of information, demonstrations and training. For a general idea, take a look at the video below :




Paleo f(x) 2016.




Quick update on the Hip Thruster we mentioned recently - fantastic thing.

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



Good stuff Bret, looks great.


During the past week we've discussed a number of great links; on Google+, Twitter, Nuzzel and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.
The enigmatic Javad Ghassabi
The enigmatic Javad Ghassabi.
I love hearing everyones' fitness backgrounds, it's always fascinating to hear how someone got started. Here's how Javad Ghassabi began (and returned to) his own training journey.

Scott




Hi, I have been training on and off for a few years but recently I have being following a programme of almost 9 months now, and early on I gained some strength and muscle growth that was unprecedented for me, but recently for a few weeks I am experiencing a kind of plateau and even seem to be regressing.

I have been reading a book about strength training and I came across this part about strengthening your tendons and ligaments by partial range of motion with heavier weights and now I'm trying this method and I hope that it will work so that I can get rid of this plateau thing. My primary focus is on getting stronger , and I am only focusing on 4 Exercises : deadlift, squat, military press, and decline bench press. Of course, I would like to see some muscle growth too but for now my main focus is low reps (less than 5) and getting stronger so that I can handle heavier weights and then try to engage in a bodybuilding rep range style. I would like to hear and receive information about strength training, tips and personal experiences.

Cheers Javad, greatly appreciated. Love hearing from people starting - or continuing - their training journey. It's a wonderful thing.

I've got a few thoughts on how to go about fine-tuning things, as do a great many members of the community here I suspect. Will share them below, as well as in the Google+ area.

NB : I'd also love to hear what everyone else would suggest for Javad. Leave a comment below, or over on Google+. Cheers.

This looks great.

How do you go from having beaten-up shoulders to strong, healthy joints? That's precisely what this book explains. And demonstrates.

Once again, this offering is the perfect combination for the way I like to learn. A .pdf book, partnered with a series of downloadable videos. You can grab the entire package here.

Max Shank's Simple Shoulder Solution.



NB : We first looked at this one in the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter (part of the Strength Kit). If you'd like to have it sent to you automatically (free!) each week, just add your email here.

And if you're looking for the full list of the training-related books I recommend, check out the complete lists on Goodreads.



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