Welcome to Straight to the Bar
If you’ve just joined us, welcome. Here you’ll find everything that grunts, groans and ticks in the world of strength training. In short, this site is the home of all things strength.
Incidentally, this site’s been helping people become fitter, healthier and stronger since January 2004. If you’ve just joined us, I highly recommend subscribing to the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter (part of the Strength Kit), which contains details of new posts on the site, freshly-minted video demonstrations & tutorials, details of upcoming Gymchats and a whole lot more.
And yes, it’s absolutely free.
To help get you started, here are a few of our most recent posts. And if you want to dive in to a particular area. check out the ‘Start Here‘ page above. Enjoy.
Looking At : Jun 22 2025
This Week On Straight To The Bar…
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘It Burns’ (by Marc Fennell)
A recent conversation on competitive eating led to a mention of this :
Marc Fennell’s wonderful ‘It Burns‘. And yes, some rather hot chilis may be involved.
TRX® Freestanding Bays (Sort of a Rack/Suspension Trainer Combo
Not sure what I was originally looking for, but I stumbled across the TRX® Freestanding Bays the other day. Unusual combination.
Squats Don’t Train What You Think They Train (Menno Henselmans – @MennoHenselmans)
Great information.
Looking At : Jun 15 2025
This Week On Straight To The Bar…
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘Futureproof : Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer’ (by Davinia Taylor)
We’ve looked at the areas of aging, nutrition and resilience many, many times over the years.
Davinia Taylor’s ‘Futureproof : Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer‘ feels like a conversation on health & fitness with a good friend. A mix of interesting information and fascinating insights.
Wonderful.
Jabees PEACE (Under-Pillow Sleep Speaker)
If you’re in the habit of listening to soothing sounds/music/audiobooks (and I’m often in that group myself), the Jabees PEACE pillow speaker looks ideal. Bluetooth connectivity (so you can use your own audio, and change it whenever you like) and USB-C charging.
Perfect.
Train Glutes Like an Athlete Not an Influencer (Jason and Lauren – @jasonandlauren)
Interesting exercises – particularly the Landmine Curtsy Lunge. Unusual combination.
Looking At : Jun 8 2025
This Week On Straight To The Bar…
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘The Blue Zones of Happiness : Lessons from the World’s Happiest People’ (by Dan Buettner)
We’ve explored the ‘Blue Zones’ concept many times over the years, most recently in Dr Patricia Pimentel Selassie’s book.
In ‘The Blue Zones of Happiness : Lessons from the World’s Happiest People‘ Dan Buettner explores a wonderful benefit of this particular longevity approach – greatly increased happiness.
Enjoy.