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

Looks great.

Although it doesn't arrive for a while yet (Oct 27), the title makes it pretty clear what it's all about - setting up a 'Garage Gym'. Still, it's a book we'll be checking out in a couple of months' time.

In the meantime, you're more than welcome to pre-order it directly from the Amazon page :

William Smith's Garage Gym Bible : The Expert Guide to Creating The Ideal Home Gym.

---

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 : DIY - How to Build an Olympic Weightlifting Platform
  Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker
  Setting up a home gym?

  
  

• Looking At : Aug 23, 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 : Dumbbell Tricep Extensions against Mini Bands

Very interesting combination.

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.


Previously : In Gymchat 253 we discussed Improving Recovery & Performance (with New Warrior Training Systems' Sincere Hogan, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer 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: Nails - Converting Imperial to Metric

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 it comes to incredibly enjoyable ways to train, bending things is certainly high on the list. I love wandering around hardware stores in any case, and always seem to end up in the 'nails and fasteners' area.

Love it.


The first time I did that however (well, the first time after Jedd suggested I try a little nail-bending), I was in for a bit of a shock. The days of Imperial -> Metric conversion charts were gone, and the nail sizes were all noted in millimetres.

If - like me - you're looking to go the other way (I learnt a number of core concepts from friends in the US, and Imperial measurements were everywhere), the following might help. From the article Nails : Converting Imperial to Metric, a couple of tables that may come in handy :

Nail Shank Gauges

Gauge sizes	Decimal inches	Decimal Millimeters
18	.049	1.24
16	.065	1.65
15	.072	1.83
14	.083	2.10
13	.095	2.41
12	.109	2.76
11	.120	3.04
10	.134	3.40
9	.148	3.76
8	.165	4.19
7	.175	4.44
6	.203	5.15
4	.238	6.04

Nail Lengths

Nail Penny sizes	In fractions of inches	In millimetres
2d	1	25.4
3d	1 ¼	31.8
4d	1 ½	38.1
5d	1 ¾	44.5
6d	2	50.8
7d	2 ¼	57.2
8d	2 3/8 or 2 ½	60.3 or 63.5
9d	2 ¾	69.9
10d	3	76.2
12d	3 ¼	82.5
16d	3 ½	88.9
20d	4	101.6
30d	4 ½	114.3
40d	5	127.0
60d	6	152.4
70d	7	177.8
80d	8	203.2
90d	9	228.6
100d	10	254.0

Enjoy.

Looking Forward To : Garage Gym Bible (William Smith)

Looks great.

Although it doesn't arrive for a while yet ( Oct 27 ), the title makes it pretty clear what it's all about - setting up a 'Garage Gym'. Still, it's a book we'll be checking out in a couple of months' time.

In the meantime, you're more than welcome to pre-order it directly from the Amazon page :

William Smith's Garage Gym Bible : The Expert Guide to Creating The Ideal Home Gym.

---

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, the Daily 'Paper' and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.

There are a number of ways to get your regular fix of Straight to the Bar, including the many feeds & newsletters listed below. Whether you're after a general overview or a detailed inspection of a particular area, we've got you covered :

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• Articles
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  Love twitter? Same here. This is a feed of everything I tweet.
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  There are two main Youtube feeds for this site. Check out the videos I'm watching/sharing, and Josh Hewett's channel - filled with regular Gymchat goodness. Dive in.
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Newsletters

• The Strength & Fitness Newsletter
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  A daily dose of the various things (generally fitness-related) we're talking about in the Straight to the Bar community. Grab it here.
• The Better Sleep Nightly
  I've been fascinated by sleep for as long as I can remember. Here's a daily dose of tips & research into this wonderful area.
• Leave it in the Ground
  On Straight to the Bar we talk a lot about air pollution, primarily from a gym-owner's perspective. This newsletter looks at the topic far more broadly - the gradual move away from the use of fossil fuels : Leave it in the Ground

Great book.

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.

Previously : In Gymchat 253 we discussed Improving Recovery & Performance (with New Warrior Training Systems' Sincere Hogan, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer 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: 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)

Great book.

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.

---

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, the Daily 'Paper' and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.

Looks like an interesting read.

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.

Previously : In Gymchat 223 we discussed Progressive Calisthenics (with Personal Trainer Al Kavadlo, joined by Strongman & Personal Trainer 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: 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)

Looks like an interesting read.

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.

---

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.