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TGIF : weekly round-up (WE Fri 6 Jul 07)

by Scott Andrew Bird | July 6, 2007
Filed in TGIF

Josef Steinbach It's been an obscenely busy week here at Straight to the Bar. Amid the mayhem, the following made their way onto the site :

Articles : Thib took a look at the 3 ways to pack on a bit of muscle, Dr Michael Eades launched a very interesting discussion on obesity in ancient Egypt and I took a brief look at one of the concepts behind a sustainable gym (incidentally, if anyone's interested in pursuing a similar idea for the heavier gym gear, drop me a line).
Videos : Rif points to a great demonstration of the Tactical TGU, Jack Beers demonstrates a phone-book tear at 94 years of age and Mark Vogels inflicts some serious pain on a Red Nail. Nice one.
Ideas : Turn your kettlebell over and explore a wealth of new exercises (the Tactical TGU will get you started), take your shoes off and learn to walk like a fox and experiment with static holds (the Overhead Supports look great).
To do : Grab your gym bag, throw out the leftover food and photograph it (there are t-shirts up for grabs), try out the sleeper stretches before your next game and grab your tickets for Sochi 2014. Should be a good one.
Bonus : Dr Michael Breus looks at the findings of a recent study on the effects of sleep deprivation in teenagers. The video linked to in the article [streaming, 6.5mb .flv download] provides a little background on the situation. Would later school starts make a significant difference?

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on the rack

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Straight to the Bar is very much an interactive website. In addition to the articles here, there are a number of ways to share your passion with other lovers of the iron :

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reading

the team

There are several great writers here, looking at the world of strength training from a number of angles. The regulars :

Scott Bird (@scottbird)
Writer and Fitness enthusiast
Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson (@jeddjohnson)
Grip champion and Strongman
'Unbreakable' Adam T Glass (@adamtglass)
Bending freak and Strongman
Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker
Bodybuilder and Writer
Joe Hashey (@jhashey)
Athlete, Teacher and Trainer
Josh Hanagarne (@joshhanagarne)
Kettlebell and grip afficionado
Bill Long (@bill_long1)
SPC and grip fanatic

In addition, articles are submitted from across the globe. Got a piece you'd like to share? Let us know.

training at work

There's always a way to train while you're at work. (Josh Hanagarne)

lb to kg, kg to lb

(how to use the converter)

elsewhere

This is a fantastic book. If you've ever considered learning this incredible strength feat, the Card Tearing eBook (review) is the perfect place to start. Love it.

In addition to the articles on this site are a number I've written elsewhere. Including :

thanks to

I get regular questions regarding the hosting of this site, my favourite stats package and so on, so here are a few details :

Web hosting : pair Networks
Email : AWeber
Stats : pMetrics
Feeds : FeedBurner
Computer : MacBook Pro

Pair is easily the fastest and most reliable host I've come across - perfect for a site like this. If you're setting up your own blog, forum or ezine; check them out. Brilliant.

what to get?

Thanks for dropping by. If you’d like to help support this site (and get in great shape at the same time), here’s a list of strength-training books, DVDs and tools I recommend. Love them.

Dragon Door Kettlebells
These are easily the best kettlebells I've used; and I'd strongly recommend them above all others. Well-made, comfortable to use and ready to take any abuse you send their way. Love them.
RMAX Clubbells
I'm a big fan of leverage training in any form, especially things like the RMAX Clubbells. Beautiful things.
MBG Powerwheel
Although I generally avoid single-purpose tools, I'll happily make an exception for the Powerwheel. Ab training has never been so much fun.
Battling Rope Kit
This is easily my favourite form of conditioning work. Incredibly fun, exhausting and - most importantly - effective.
Precision Nutrition
When it comes to body transformation - whether that's a increase in strength, packing on a bit of muscle or losing a bit of excess fat - this is the perfect place to start. Dr Berardi's Precision Nutrition.
Gymboss Interval Timer
If you've ever tried to do interval work with a stopwatch, or by counting out the time, grab a Gymboss. The perfect way to time your fat-shedding sessions.
The Ultimate Sandbag
I love sandbag training, and this is definitely the way to do it right. Beautiful thing.