Welcome to Straight to the Bar

Scott Bird. Artwork by Vince Palko.
Yes, I love the deadlift.
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.


There have been some superb articles posted here over the years (my favourites are listed below), as well as training logs, product reviews, forum discussions and of course the twitterchats. It's really been (and continues to be) an incredible ride.

Before we dive in to the list itself, a quick word on the content : while it's quality stuff, there's a lot of it. Feel free to pick out your favourites, bookmark them, add them to Instapaper/Evernote/Pinboard; Stumble them and share them with your friends. Dive in.

And now for the articles themselves. Enjoy.

    DIY Equipment

    Ready to build your own? It's a great way to try new forms of training.

  1. DIY Gym Gear : How to Make Your Own Clubs - Scott Bird
    Build your own. Good fun.
  2. Making your own gym equipment : DIY grip tools - Scott Bird
    You want a grip tool that does what? Make one.
  3. How to Build Your Own Sandbag - Derek 'Body By D-Rock' Peruo
    It's easier than you may think.
  4. DIY: Home-made Gym Equipment (part II) - Scott Bird
    Build it yourself.
  5. DIY: How to Build an Olympic Weightlifting Platform - Kat Ricker
    Beautiful.
  6. DIY Hanging Handles, psuedo "rings" - Kat Ricker
    Brilliantly simple.
  7. The Sled - Fight Geek
    Extremely creative.
  8. How to make your own bumper plates on a budget - Mehdi
    Quick, simple and inexpensive.
  9. How to Make a Rack-Mounted Wrist Roller - Rory Hickman
    Love your wrist work? Same here.
  10. How To Make an Adjustable Slosh Pipe - Joe Hashey
    Light weights, nice and challenging.
  11. Fattening Up the Chin-up Bar - Scott Bird
    A great way to thicken up any bar at all.
  12. The Fat Bar - Max Shank
    Incredibly simple, incredibly brutal.
  13. Let the voting begin - Scott Bird
    There were some brilliant entries in the DIY Equipment Competition.

    14. Old-Time Strongman Techniques

    Fantastic to watch, learn and do.

  14. Bare-Handed Nail Driving Basics - Ryan Pitts
    Want to learn how to drive a nail through a board with your bare hand? Here's how.
  15. Blast from the Past : The Forgotten Lifts (part II, III)
    Although these lifts aren't often seen in commercial gyms, they're absolutely superb. Give them a run.
  16. Tearing A License Plate - Chris Rider
    Yep, that's as hard as it sounds. Superb.
  17. Unusual Goals Require Unusual Measures - Jeff Wilson
    How do you train for something like this?
  18. The Human Rack Lift - Mike 'The Machine' Bruce
    You've got to see this.
  19. Jaw Lifting : What, Why and How - Ryan Pitts
    Training, technique and just a dash of determination.
  20. Pleasure Spiked with Pain : Training for the One Finger Lift - Jeff Wilson
    A superb feat - if a little painful.
  21. Building A Neck Of Steel - Mike 'The Machine' Bruce
    So you want a strong neck? It's actually quite simple.

    22. Hands, Wrists & Forearms

    This is where the fun (and real strength) begins. Love it.

  22. Nails : Converting imperial to metric - Scott Bird
    Next time you pop down to the hardware store, take this.
  23. Why Bend Steel? - Adam T Glass
    Simple question, great answer. Point your non-bending friends here.
  24. Straight to the Grip Contest (part II, III, IV, V and VI) - Jedd Johnson Getting ready for your first grip contest? Here's what to expect.
  25. The Many Types of Blobs - Jedd Johnson
    What's a Blob, and where did it all begin?
  26. Lifting the Inch Replica Dumbbell (part II, III, IV and V) - Jedd Johnson Want to train with a replica Inch? Here's how.
  27. Shot Tossing for Dynamic Grip Strength - Jedd Johnson
    Shot tossing? Great fun.
  28. Hammering Strength into the Wrists (part II)
  29. Leverage lifts: Reverse engineering turned to a breakthrough in power - Adam T Glass
    These lifts are downright fun.

    30. Free Weights

    The 'normal' things you'll see in the gym.

  30. The Step-up : a Real Squat Alternative? - Scott Bird
    Squats are undoubtedly key, but have you tried heavy step-ups lately?
  31. Holding the bar in the Front Squat - Scott Bird
    There are many ways to hold the bar.
  32. Bars, Plates, Hooks and Collars - Scott Bird
    Ready to hit the garage sales? Here's what to look for.
  33. A Little Yoke Work : 10 Exercises for a Bigger Neck - Scott Bird
    Traps maketh the man.
  34. Buyers' guide : the Power Rack - Scott Bird
    Ready to buy a rack? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
  35. Addressing Weaknesses in The Squat - Rick Walker
    Work on weaknesses = massive PRs. Here's how to find them.
  36. Innovative Training : Band Suspended Weight - Not Just for Bench - Justin Andrushko
    And the bands begin to play.
  37. 29 Things to do with a Barbell in the Corner - Jason Kirby
    This is absolutely superb.
  38. Specific Training for the Transverse Abdominis: Belt It In - Kat Ricker
    Time to tighten your built-in belt.
  39. Workout music : soothing or aggressive? - Scott Bird
    How do you like your tunes?
  40. 10 of the best : Parkour television commercials - Scott Bird
    Love watching Parkour? So do I.
  41. Taking advantage of your location : At last - some real outdoor space - Scott Bird
    Ready for some serious outdoor training?
  42. The Investments (part II, III, IV, V and VI) - Adam T Glass Several tools which form the basis of a great training plan.
  43. From Running to Kettlebell Swings - Jordan Vezina
    Why run when you can swing?
  44. Back To The Future : The Power Of Bodyweight Exercise - Adam Steer
    The training tool you always have with you.
  45. Outdoor Fitness: Log Flippin' - Daniel Lapic
    This is seriously fun.
  46. Blast from the Past : Squat Variations - Scott Bird
    There are many ways to get your squat on.

    47. Conditioning

    Time to get the sweat flowing.

  47. Why Conditioning is King - Dean Coulson
    What conditioning is really all about.
  48. Evolution of Sandbag Training (Part II)
  49. Conditioning without trying : Walking 10,000 steps per day - Scott Bird
    Time to go for a walk.
  50. Suspension Training 101 - Derek 'Body By D-Rock' Peruo
    What can you do with a TRX? Over to Derek.
  51. The Heavy Bag (Gimp) - Fight Geek
    Thinking about getting a heavy bag? Make sure you read this first.

    52. Recovery

    Ever get that 'just run over by a truck' feeling?

  52. Biphasic Sleep : 30 Day Summary - Scott Bird
    I switched to Biphasic Sleeping in September 2006, and have never looked back. Love it.
  53. Recovery and Regeneration for the Strength Athlete - Patrick Ward
    Tips for better recovery.
  54. Using Pulse Rate to Determine Rest Break Length - Scott Bird
    Use the pulse, Luke.
  55. Fix Your Body with a Foam Roller: The Basics - Derek 'Body By D-Rock' Peruo
    What exactly do you do with a foam roller? This.
  56. Strains and Sprains - Scott Bird
    What's the difference between a strain and a sprain?

    57. Diet & Nutrition

    Eating well makes a massive difference to your overall training.

  57. Fuel and rest - Scott Bird
    There's a good reason I eat so much.
  58. 8 Glasses of Water Per Day? - Scott Bird
    where did the current guideline of '8 cups per day' come from?
  59. The Truth about Honey - Sam Cox
    Honey has a lot more going for it than you might think.
  60. Transitioning to a Paleo Diet - Methuselah
    Ready to try Paleo? Great. Here's how to begin.

    61. Other

    There's always a new way of looking at it.

  61. Visualization : The Vision Wall - Girlwithnoname
    This is a very creative idea.
  62. Give it Away : Donating Disused Training Equipment to Charity (part II - Scott Bird
    What happens to it when you update your home gym?
  63. Checklists and Complex Problems - Adam Stoffa
    How do you tackle complex problems like athletic performance? Like this.
  64. Starting your fitness journey : 10 things to consider - Scott Bird
    Where do you start? Right here.
  65. Ready for a Virtual Meet? - Kat Ricker
    This is a brilliant idea. Cheers, Kris.
  66. Training Partners - Fight Geek
    Sometime it's great to train with someone like-minded.
  67. Get Mental! The Psychology of Strength - Josh Hewett
    The thinking side is half the challenge.
  68. Small Victories - Josh Hanagarne
    Improve what you can improve, every day.
  69. Give Your Workout a Name! - Fight Geek
    This helps more than you'd believe.
  70. Working out in the heat - Scott Bird
    It's getting hot in here.

Like to contribute something? I love hearing about how other people are training : if you've got a strength-related competition or seminar coming up, add it to the calendar. And if you'd love to be on one of the weekly Gymchats - get in touch. Look forward to hearing from you.


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