A bit of agility training [streaming, 3.6mb .flv download] from Dynamic Athletic Training. Very nice.

There's an interesting interview with MMA athlete Justin 'ChimChim' Garcia on the Triangle NHB blog. As this sample of his training shows, he's not one to ignore.

Although I began my quest for the one-armed chin-up a while ago, a recent shoulder injury caused me to rethink my approach. Here's a look at the new-and-improved routine.

As I mentioned on the weekend, there were two sources of information - both recently received - that helped shape this. The first of these is the book Never Gymless by Ross Enamait; the second is an approach to the kettlebell SSST on the Dragon Door forums that Rif pointed to. With those two forming a solid foundation, and a few years' experience on my own response to various types of chin-ups, the following routine was born :

Week A :

Mon
Weighted chin-ups and pull-ups
Various grip widths, alternating sets between chin-ups and pull-ups
Moderate weight
Several low-rep (3-5) sets
Gradually increase number of sets over coming months
Gradually shorten length of rest breaks between sets

Wed
Bodyweight chin-ups and pull-ups
Various grip widths, alternating sets between chin-ups and pull-ups
A few high-rep (10+) sets
Light lat work (usually bent rows) between sets

Fri
Weighted chin-ups and pull-ups
Various grip widths, alternating sets between chin-ups and pull-ups
Moderate weight
Several low-rep (3-5) sets

Week B :

Tue
One-armed chin-up progressions

Thu
Bodyweight chin-ups and pull-ups
Various grip widths, alternating sets between chin-ups and pull-ups
A few high-rep (10+) sets
Light lat work (usually bent rows) between sets

Sat
One-armed chin-up progressions

Notes

The other days are for other aspects of training - only the chin-up training is listed here.

The one-armed chin-up progressions could easily take up their own article. Briefly, the two main techniques I'm using here are :

Assisted : there are many ways in which to do this, but the general idea is that one side of your body is doing most of the work, while the other side provides balance and just enough assistance to get your chin over the bar. My favoured technique is to place one hand on the bar, and the other on a rope hanging from it (as pictured). As the bar hand (and that side of the body in general) becomes stronger, the other hand holds the rope further and further down - eventually not using it at all.

Negatives : as with the standard two-handed chin-up, negatives simply involve using any means available to get your head over the bar (a chair, or two hands) and lowering yourself under control using one hand only. As strength increases over time, so will the controlled range.

The Training Triathlon blog takes a look at kettlebell training for the triathlete. No doubt this will become a much more common pairing over the next few years.

Via Des Paroz : In the latest of Pavel's weekly kettlebell tips he briefly discusses the use of a crush grip vs an open-handed grip. Very interesting.

In this week's Minute of Strength newsletter, Punch Gym's Anthony DiLuglio discusses the difference between the kettlebell Side and Bent presses. Greg Pappas also makes a brief appearance with a very interesting lat exercise. Definitely worth checking out.

For those that like to make their own gym gear (and I definitely include myself in that group), Fightraining points to an interesting thread on the Crossfit forums. The topic of discussion this time - attaching a climbing rope to a rack. Very interesting.

Via Powerlifting Watch : Ed Coan training the squat (culminating with a raw set at 685) [streaming, 3.6mb .flv download]. This is guaranteed to get you in the mood for a serious workout.

Anvil or Hammer and the Art of Strength are holding a joint kettlebell painting contest. This is perfectly timed, as the only thing holding me back from adding a bit of colour to my own bell is the current weather (it's been raining for a few days now, and after 7 years of drought conditions that's great).

If you're new to the realm of kettlebell painting, don't panic - it's a fairly simple process. Just treat the bells the same as any heavy outdoor metallic objects. And avoid painting the handles.

For more information on the contest itself, head over to Anvil or Hammer. Should be fun.

As for the painting, the following articles may come in handy :

How to spraypaint a kettlebell
Paul Makepeace

Finish Facts and Recommended Maintenance
Iron Horse Kettlebells

Take a wander over to Pro Training - the site of Personal Trainer, martial artist and all-around lover of fitness Heather Gibbons.

This is the fourth part of this month's series on books; a collaboration with Run to Win's Blaine Moore.

Diesel Crew Bending eBook
Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson

188 pages | Available from thegripauthority.com
Promo video [streaming, 3.33mb .flv download]

Introduction

Recently, courtesy of a shoulder injury (I got a little over-zealous in my quest for the One Armed Chin-up), I rediscovered grip training. For one reason or another, grip training - and the training of hand strength in general - was always left until last, and was anything but structured. Finally I had a bit of free time to address that.

Just as I started scouring the web for resources on all things hand strength, the Diesel Crew's Bending eBook appeared. As you'll see, this is a truly amazing work.

First up is the question 'Why in the hell would I want to bend nails?'
The answer - as Jedd details in the book - is more than just 'it's great fun'. There are a lot of specific strength benefits that will certainly help other areas of your lifting. This is far more than just training your hands.

The book details all of the areas vital to anyone new to the sport of bending, as well as a great deal of information that should keep even seasoned professionals off the streets. Covered are :

Types of Bending

The type of bending is largely defined by the length of the item being bent, and whether or not it is braced in the process. This book focuses on the unbraced bending of short (less than 8-10") bars and nails. This is certainly a challenging (and fun) area.

Getting started

There are a couple of things that will make your life much, much easier if you are new to this uncommon pastime. After clarifying a number of the more opaque terms used in bending (such as CRS, DO and Driver Hand), the book addresses two key questions :

• What factors determine how easy it will be to bend something?
• What equipment will you need?

The answers to these are guaranteed to make your next visit to the hardware store a whole lot more fun.

One of the more unusual events on the cycling calendar - Evandale's Penny Farthing Championships - is a series of races held in February each year. As you can see from the photo, it's quite a sight.

A recent question on Joe DeFranco's site reminded me of a great exercise for strengthing hands and wrists - as well as helping to relieve a little shoulder and elbow pain - Rice Digs. The exercise is an extremely simple one; 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.

To make it more difficult, use sand or even lead shot instead of the rice. Nice and painful.

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

Further reading

Rice Digs are one of the excercises mentioned in Dave Tate's 7 Exercises for Rapid Strength.

Finger Extensor Training (Body Results) : notes the importance of training finger extensor movements (open your hands wide in the rice, rather than making a fist). As well as rice digs, it briefly discusses the use of heavy rubber bands and mason jars.

Uechi-Ryu Karate video : The Jar Holds alone are worth watching.

Via Healthbolt : just in case you haven't got enough strange things on your desk and easily forget what the gym is like, grab a wind-up workout girl. Very, very cheesy.

If you've tried pulling sumo but something doesn't seem quite right, head over the to Sumo deadlift round table discussion on Elite FTS. Great stuff.

It's a great feeling to be back on the chin-up bar again. This week I kept it to short sets (3-5 reps) of common-or-garden bodyweight chin-ups and pull-ups. These were interspersed with moderate (60-70kg) bent rows. Just enough to test the endurance.

I decided to re-evaluate my training for the one-armed chin-up (OAC). This doesn't mean abandoning the project by any means; simply doing things a little differently. There were two pieces of information that appeared during the week which proved particularly timely.

The first of these was the post on Rif's Blog regarding training of the kettlebell snatch for the SSST. A similar approach seems reasonable here; in particular the change up from several short to a couple of long sets.

The second was an email from Chris which mentioned a great-sounding routine in Ross Enamait's book Never Gymless. I've only skimmed the book so far, but it looks great (full review shortly).

I'll post an updated routine shortly, but it's essentially short, weighted sets (of chin-ups and pull-ups) on most days, with a couple dedicated to the one-armed stuff. There's also a small amount of kettlebell training in there, a healthy dose of rack pulling and some hand, grip and wrist work in various formats. Including the fingertip push-ups - love them.

Take a wander over to the blog of Brazilian powerlifter Marília Coutinho.

The American Kettlebell Club Blog talks to kettlebell legend Valery Fedorenko. If you haven't already, go back and watch the kettlebell snatch videos and you'll see what I mean.

You're never too young to enjoy a bit of bending [streaming, 1.3mb .flv download].

This is definitely one of the great sleeper fights. Rocky Marciano is a household name, Ezzard Charles isn't. See why [part 1: streaming, 22.8mb .flv download, part 2: streaming, 6.6mb .flv download].

Another insanely busy week here on Straight to the Bar. A few finds :

• Articles : Mike Robertson's The Hardcore Lunge and Chad Waterbury's Full Throttle were the major players.
• Videos : Ano Turtiainen box squatting, How not to tear a phone book, Air time technique and Oleg Teplitski - the Strongest Juggler in the World. Not to mention the Diesel Crew having some fun.
• Interviews : Jim Bathurst (Beast Skills) talks to chinning legend Jack Arnow, and Zach Even-Esh again brings home the beauty of training outdoors.
• Health : Krill oil, Nutrition books and sword swallowing x-rays. OK, perhaps the sword swallowing is a little risky.
• Bonus : Dave Draper talks about training over 40. Oddly, I'm quite looking forward to it.

Via Healthbolt : Sword swallowing X-rays. This is easily the strangest thing I've seen all day.

Rif's Blog notes an interesting post on the Dragon Door forums regarding training the kettlebell snatch for the Secret Service Snatch Test. For the uninitiated, this involves 10 minutes of snatching with a 24kg kettlebell (and the occasional re-appearance of lunch).

For another take on this punishing challenge, check out Jared Savik's article; again on Dragon Door. Sounds like fun, in a twisted sort of way.

Further reading

If you're just looking for more info on performing the Snatch itself, a great place to start is Troy Anderson's article The Perfect Snatch.

Enjoy a round of golf? Does Greenland's majestic beauty appeal to you? Consider the 2007 Ice Golf tournament, held in Uummannaq (Greenland) next month. Looks great.

I always get plenty of ideas listening to an interview with Zach Even-Esh, and this one is certainly no exception. Enjoy.

The Diesel Crew does a little rack-based log pressing [streaming, 10.9mb .flv download]. Good stuff.

Chad Waterbury unveils an updated version of his Hammer Down Endurance series of workouts, which was geared towards MMA athletes. This version - Full Throttle - brings these workouts a little closer to the mainstream by updating them to take into account the range of equipment available to many people. Great stuff.

Run to Win's Blaine Moore writes up the third article in this month's series on Books; taking a look at books on nutrition. If you care about your diet, make sure you read this.

Physical Strategies points to a nice article on Krill oil. Sounds great - no doubt it will become popular as people become aware of the benefits. Time to track down a local supplier.

Via David Morrison : Oleg Teplitski. The strongest juggler in the world.

Just came across a great interview on Beast Skills with chin-up legend Jack Arnow. As Jim says :

Who is Jack Arnow? Ask him and he'd probably tell you he's just a guy who loves working out. He'd also say he likes to chin-up. He does like to chin-up and happens to be good at it ... very good.

Time to get back on the chin-up bar here I think.

Simon Hunt links to several great videos, including these on the air time part of high jumping. Also well worth a look is the series on Clean and Snatch and the one on plyometric jumps.

There's quite a bit of technique involved in phonebook tearing. This isn't it [streaming, 2.1mb .flv download].

For a slightly cleaner tear, take a look at this [streaming, 444kb .flv download].

If you're anything like me, lunges seem to fall into the same category as bicep curls - very rarely performed. However, Mike Robertson's latest piece on T-Nation might just change that.

At least for the lunges.

Just came across Rachel Cosgrove's triathlon training blog. Great to see.

Natural Champion introduces New Zealand personal trainer and bodybuilder David Robson.

A week without chin-ups is a long one indeed. Although the shoulder isn't feeling too bad when it isn't lifting any real weight, I decided to give it another week to heal.

I did, however, sneak a few deadlifts in there. Fairly light (up to 100kg - certainly nowhere near max).

Other than that, the grip, hand and wrist training continued. More plate pinching, bar hangs, fingertip push-ups, wrist curls and similarly fun things. Oh, and copious amounts of chalk. Long live the home gym.

Rocannon is an ex-Marine, a Vietnam veteran and loves to experiment with kettlebells, heavy ropes and sledgehammers. There's some very interesting stuff on here (start with the blog).

A bit of video [3.8mb .wmv download] of Ano Turtiainen performing a few heavy box squats. Fast.

As noted by Mike, this week seems to have started as a 'Pimp my swing' special here at Straight to the Bar. In the madness came these :

• Valery Fedorenko, increasing hip snap and an interview with Pavel. Plenty of kettlebell goodness.
• Mike Maloney approaches Bud's challenge with a 936lb squat lockout.
• Physical Strategies pointed to a very interesting documentary on the history of the 100m sprint.
• Uberjava, Vintage Barbell and Berserker Kettlebell all made their way to the blog page. Not to mention my feed reader.
• Bonus : a spot of kettlebell painting (via Digg). See also the Strength of Art. Quick note : don't paint the handle.

Somewhere between kettlebell training, CrossFit-style mixes and Olympic lifting lies Berserker Kettlebell. Looks promising.

Via Physical Strategies : a very interesting documentary [streaming, 272.5mb .avi download] - hosted by Michael Johnson - on the history of the 100m sprint. Good stuff.

In addition to grabbing an Inch Dumbbell replica (once I can actually lift the thing), several of the other items on my long-term home gym shopping list are here : Vintage Barbell.

More Diesel Crew goodness - rows beginning with an Inch dumbbell replica [streaming, 12.6mb .flv download]. Very nice.

Via Om Shanti : an interesting piece in the New York Times on the use of yoga by baseballers. Great to see.

Uberjava-ism : Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and kettlebell training. Sounds like a great combination.

Mike Maloney at work [streaming, 3.1mb .flv download]. Not bad at all.

There's a great interview with Pavel Tsatsouline on the latest episode of the Applied Karate Show. Well worth a listen.

The latest Minute of Strength newsletter contains an interesting video on increasing hip snap. The primary reason for doing it is to improve lifts such as the kettlebell snatch, but I can't see it hurting the deadlift.

Looks like it might be time to put the stability ball to work.

This is the second part of this month's series on books; a collaboration with Run to Win's Blaine Moore.

My ever-growing library contains a number of books on strength, health and fitness in general. Whilst there are a number available in these three areas, here are a few which have stood the test of time and never stray too far away :

The Home Workout Bible
Lou Schuler

I picked this up shortly after I started lifting free weights at home; largely as a reference for various exercises. Although it can quickly be put on the 'introductory' shelf, I occasionally refer to it for less common variations of well know moves such as the Towel Fly (a great one for anyone with polished wooden floors) and Prone Scarecrow.

Light on Yoga
BKS Iyengar

As with the Home Workout Bible, Light on Yoga serves as a great reference. At just under 500 pages this definitely classes as comprehensive, and explains in great detail more than 200 Asanas, or postures.

This book also covers the history of this fascinating practise, several routines for working towards specific health and fitness goals, and the oft-maligned area of breathing. Fascinating stuff.

Mastery of hand strength
John Brookfield

This is essential reading for anyone looking to increase their hand or forearm strength; no matter what their goals are. John Brookfield is truly a master of his craft, and this timeless volume clearly demonstrates why.

If hand strength is important to you, make sure you've got a copy of this on the shelf.

Superfoods
Steven Pratt M.D. and Kathy Matthews

I first came across the concept of Superfoods in the T-Nation article Power Foods, and quickly made my way to the nearest bookstore. At first I wondered why this book - which tells the story of 14 nutrient-dense foods - would list each of them on the back cover; but reading it I quickly discovered that there is much more to the story than a simple list.

This book details the reasons for including each of these foods in your diet (including discussions of research on the various nutrients contained within), common sources of each food type and ways in which to incorporate them.

A few small changes to your diet can make an enormous difference.

The Bodybuilder's nutrition book
Dr Franco Columbu

Franco Columbu is perhaps best known as a bodybuilder with extraordinary strength. When it comes to the subject of nutrition, however, it's clear that he didn't achieve his infamy by accident; this book outlines the thinking he used to work his way up to Mr Olympia.

Although there are a few paragraphs that remind you that this book is more than 20 years old, the bulk of it contains sound, timeless nutritional advice that is relevant to anyone who enjoys the iron.

For a slightly more detailed review of this fascinating book, look no further than The Bodybuilder's Nutrition Book.

Biomechanical basis of human movement
Joseph Hamill and Kathleen M. Knutzen

Sit in a quiet corner and put on your thinking caps for this one. This book details exactly how we move; whether lifting weights, playing sports or simply going though our daily activities. Although it is clearly intended as a textbook for students of biomechanics, I use it largely as a reference during periods of injury.

If you've ever wondered why it hurts here when you injured yourself there, this book has the answer.

Stretching scientifically
Thomas Kurz

As you can see from the cover, when it comes to stretching Thomas Kurz knows his stuff. This superb book goes into great detail on the various types of stretching, working towards various flexibility goals, and potential injuries arising from improper technique.

Training
Harry Andrews

This book is a reprint of the 1911 volume by Harry Andrews, Training for Athletics and General Health. Harry Andrews was a running coach who clearly understood his trade. This book - although nearly a century old - contains some fascinating information which is still relevant to training techniques today.

Sportscape
Various

Sportscape details the history of sports photography over the past 100 years. Although it definitely performs well as a simple coffee table book - there are some superb images in there - it also helps to illustrate how our perceptions of sport have changed in that time.

If you've ever tried your hand at sports photography, or just admire the work of others, this is a very worthy addition to your collection.

Bruce Lee - Fighting spirit
Bruce Thomas

I initially picked this up simply as something to read on a lengthy bus trip. However, although there are many Bruce Lee biographies around, this one clearly stands out.

Written by martial artist Bruce Thomas, this book explores Lee's life in detail, giving a great insight into the thinking of this truly amazing individual.

The Optimum nutrition bible
Patrick Holford

This book is exactly what the title suggests - a comprehensive reference for the world of Optimum Nutrition. If you haven't already been exposed to this great area, Optimum Nutrition entails the consumption of sufficient foods and supplements to not simply meet the minimum Government-advised guidelines, but to ensure the greatest health benefits.

As suggested above, this book serves as a great reference whenever specific nutritional questions arise; not only covering the exact functions of various vitamins and minerals, but also outlining the treatment of many common medical complaints.

The Art of Expressing the Human Body
Bruce Lee and John Little

This book outlines Bruce Lee's training like no other. Based on Lee's own notes, The Art of Expressing the Human Body discusses his bodyweight, cardiovascular and strength training during the many phases of his brief career.

If you've ever seen an exercise being performed and thought to yourself 'I'm sure I've seen that somewhere before', chances are that it's in this book. Superb.

The Art of Expressing the Human Body is covered in more detail here.

Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding
Arnold Schwarzenegger

I must admit, I use this one mainly as a reference to the Golden Age of bodybuilding. Not only are there some great photos in there, but as a resource on some of the biggest names from the '70s it's second to none.

Overcome neck and back pain
Kit Laughlin

As the title suggests, this is a great resource for anyone who's ever experienced back or neck pain. Whilst this does not purport to be a cure-all for any variety of neck or back pain, there are some great ideas in there.

Well worth a look.

If you're in training for a Tactical Strength Challenge (the next of which will be the March 3 competitions held in various locations), you may like to see Valery Fedorenko in action. Here he is just a few months ago showing off the Snatch [streaming, 12.06mb .flv download] and Jerk [streaming, 11.78mb .flv download]; each time using 24kg bells.

In a great demonstration of training longevity, here he is in 1992 - Snatch [streaming, 6.82mb .flv download], Jerk [streaming, 9.47 mb .flv download] using 32kg bells. Superb.

Demonstration of a few exercises [streaming, 5.03mb .flv download] for baseballers, using the Speedbat. Interesting.

Via Diet Blog : shedding a bit of weight whilst training for a marathon isn't exactly front page news. Jacob, however, is training seriously [streaming video, 7.12mb .flv download] for the Boston Marathon this April. His starting weight? A little over 400lb.

It's been a while now since I last posted my training notes (although of course I've still been training), which I thought I'd rectify. Especially now as the weather here is starting to get back to reasonable levels, which will undoubtedly see an increase in intensity. Not to mention the occasional outdoor session.

A few months ago I began training for the One-Arm-Chin-up. This was always going to be a lengthy process (2 years seems to be fairly common amongst OAC practitioners), but I wasn't quite prepared for the glacial slowness of it all. The other day, whilst getting slightly over-zealous and trying to accelerate things, I managed to once again tweak my left shoulder. Frustrating, but not altogether surprising. I know what I'm like.

I'm now carefully avoiding the heavy stuff for a while; giving things a chance to heal before I return to the OAC quest. In the meantime, however, a slight obsession takes centre stage - hand strength.

After reading Chuck Halbakken's recent piece on bending, I decided to give it a go (at least I will once a couple of key items arrive). Added to this is the usual assortment of pinching, tearing and catching. All fun, highly addictive stuff.

A few of the exercises I've been trying out this week :

• basic gripper work (I only have the CoC Trainer and #1 here, but they're great for high-rep work)
• plate pinching (two plates held together with smooth sides out)
• wide pinch grip work using a 2.5kg plate + additional weights (as pictured)
• wrist rolling (using home-made wrist roller; which is little more than an axe handle, duct tape and a length of chain)
• bar hangs (right arm only)
• paper tearing (the phone books are quite safe for now)
• Thor's hammer stuff (levering with an adjustable dumbbell with weights on one end only)

I'll go through each of these exercises - and the many others that always seem to appear in grip workouts - in more detail after a week or two; once I've had a chance to really test them out.

A shoulder injury, cooler weather and plenty of reading to do here on Straight to the Bar :

• Methods of Max Effort : Dave Tate looks at the many ways of working out on ME days. Great reading.
• One arm partial row : Bud Jeffries is partial to partials (with notable results). So, apparently, is MMA champion Mike Bruce.
• Looking for a bit of reading material? Something to watch? Something to listen to perhaps? Try Blaine's rundown on running books, a great compilation video of russian powerlifter Vladimir Kalinichencko at work, or the first part of an interview with world champion Priscilla Ribic on the latest Pure Powerlifting podcast.
• Bending : want to try your hand (hands, really) at bending but not quite sure how? Chuck Halbakken tells all.
• Bonus : Strap Rear Flys (pictured at left). Another very interesting exercise from Physical Subculture.

Via Powerlifting Watch : the Pure Powerlifting podcast's Steve Mann and Jason Beck have released the first [.wmv, 42.6mb] of a 3 part interview with champion powerlifter Priscilla Ribic. Great stuff.

Having experienced my fair share of low back pain over the years (the medical bills make great souvenirs, in an odd sort of way), I was intrigued by Michael Stare and Cassandra Forsythe's latest piece on T-Nation. As they state in the article :

You see, the solution to low back pain isn't the hour you spend in physical therapy each week, or even the hour or two you spend in the gym; it's every other hour you spend living your life. From standing, to sitting, to lifting, to sleeping, every position you take has an impact on the health of your spine.

The article offers several ways to periodically deload your spine; not just at the gym, but in your life as a whole. Definitely worth a look.

Photo © 2001 David Roberts

The Virtual Meet forums are up. If you're planning to compete this weekend, they're definitely worth a visit. And if you haven't already signed up, now's a great time to do so.

Via Healthbolt : a promising study at the University of Guelph on the use of stem cells to assist with the healing of cartilage in joint injuries. Although the current study focuses on horses, their joints are similar to those in humans in a couple of significant ways (such as joint thickness).

Sounds good.

Via the Got Strength blog : a nice piece on gym etiquette. I notice there's nothing in there about 'curls in the rack'. Any more to add?

Run to Win's Blaine Moore kicks off this month's series on Books; taking a look at Inspirational running books. No matter what sort of books you prefer; if you like to run, there's something here for you.

The Other Side of Strength's Ken Black demonstrates a very interesting exercise - the Kettlebell Slam [streaming, 5.1mb .flv download]. Superb.

Chuck Halbakken has written a very nice piece on the art of bending [.pdf, 624kb]. Warning - it's highly addictive.

The owner of the Fitworld gym in the Dutch town of Heteren, Patrick de Man, is introducing a slightly unusual concept to the commercial fitness world : Naked Sundays. And yes, the naked gymgoers will be required to put down towels on the equipment before using it.

Very, very strange.

Via Rif's Blog : video [streaming, 7.3mb .flv download] of IPF Superheavyweight Vladimir Kalinichenko. Very impressive.

Mike Bruce briefly looks at a very interesting partial exercise - the One Arm Partial Row [140kb, .pdf]. I might just give that a go.

Another great piece from Dave Tate; looking at the various ways of including some Max Effort work in your training. Incidentally, the first cab off the rank - Multiple Exertion Method - seems to be the one I focus on by default. Always plenty of fun.

Would they be like these (particularly the second one)? Not bad at all.

Danny Wood looks at a few exercises [streaming, 6.3mb .flv download] for improving your finger speed and strength. Some good ideas in there.

Dan John's at it again.

Sports Illustrated has some great photos up from the most recent Tough Guy event. If you're inspired to give it a go, the next one's in July.

Just came across a video [streaming, 2.96 mb .flv download] demonstrating David Horne's Wrist Developer. Looks great - anyone here had a chance to try it yet?

More videos, new exercises and some very interesting articles. In cased you missed things this week on Straight to the Bar, here are a few highlights :

• Pinching, bending and rolling : grip workouts can certainly be fun.
• Sandbag thrusts and stair push-ups : two great exercises to add to your arsenal.
• Loaded Conditioning : Zach Even-Esh discusses some very interesting kettlebell moves.
• Honey, you're getting fat : Julia Ladewski discusses some much more tactful ways of broaching a delicate subject. Encouraging your girlfriend/wife to go to the gym.
• Bonus : when walking on your hands becomes fairly easy, try a little forearm walking [streaming, 974kb .flv download].

Via Diet Blog : can't decide between beer and milk? Try Bilk. Only in Japan.

Tom Furman points to a piece on American Powerlifting Evolution discussing legendary Canadian powerlifter Benoit Cote. Great stuff.

Picture © Scott Markewitz

Footage of the jump is just part of the incredible 'Ride the Lightning' video. To get in the mood, check out the film's trailer.

Julia Ladewski discusses how to broach a delicate subject tactfully. If your wife/girlfriend/significant other would like to lose a little weight without becoming a 300lb Strongman, read on.