Whilst mulling over my current one-armed push-up quest (more on that in a minute) I came across the Beast Skills site, via a link on Lean and Hungry Fitness. Beast Skills has tutorials for handstands, one-armed chin-ups and other fun things; as well as information on training (looks like a great mix of traditional free-weights, kettlebells and bodyweight exercises). Very good stuff.
For a look at some of the historical feats of strength in this vein, check out John Gill's superb Historical Performances in Chin-ups, Pull-ups, Levers, and Crosses. As you'll see from the table, John is no slouch himself.
Now to the one-armed push-ups. I'm still several inches away, but gradually becoming more solid at some of the exercises listed in the progression (such as Offset push-ups and the one-handed Total Gym work). I imagine that once I can perform sets of 10 in these exercises, the one-armed push-up should be achievable.
Scott Andrew Bird is a writer, photographer and a guy who just loves this stuff. He's been at home in front of a computer for more years than he cares to remember (OK, 37) and is now making amends for years of many mistakes noted in the De-constructing Computer Guy articles (part 2) on T-Nation.
Find out what he's up to via Twitter, Facebook, the Daily 'Paper'; and of course his online home. Enjoy.
Good fun.
A little more about my training.
Ready to get started? Great.
Sometimes it's great to be outdoors.
Some of the older exercises I occasionally use.
Stuck for ideas? Try these.
Of course, if you enjoyed these, I'd highly recommend grabbing the Strength & Fitness Newsletter. Delivered weekly, and absolutely free.
(there's also a Daily Update, if you're looking for an even larger dose of training-related goodness.)
NB : If you'd like to write a guest post for Straight to the Bar
, or if you'd like to join the team of Moderators here (I love hearing about everyone's training approaches) - get in touch. And if you've got a fitness competition or seminar coming up, add it to the calendar.Look forward to hearing from you.
If you love talking about training, make sure you check out the Gymchats. There's a full list of previous shows here.
To give you an idea of what they're like, here's an example :
Gymchat 277 - Barefoot Running - Believe the Hype! (Steven Sashen)
Fantastic discussion.
NB : if you'd like to be interviewed on an upcoming show (or know someone who should be), drop us a line. It's great to find out how other people train. And if you'd like to add your comments and suggestions on the Gymchats in general, we'd love to hear them. Cheers.
NB : As well as leaving a comment or two beneath the articles themselves, you might like to swing by the Daily 'Paper' for a somewhat more frequent dose of training goodness.
A dose of Online Personal Training is ideal. Your place, their experience.
As you'd expect, I work with a number of Fitness Professionals myself - including the wonderful Josh Hewett. If you're about to begin your own strength-training journey, swing by his site at :
top-form-fitness.com/online-coaching
Highly recommended. If you're looking to get serious about 'getting in shape', book some time with Josh. Fantastic guy.
If you're getting ready to put together a solid Home Gym (fantastic thing), here's how.
And for more, swing by the full guide. Absolutely free.
Want to see (and learn) more Feats of Strength like this? Dive in.
Remember this? Great book. Ferocious Fitness : A Fighter's Proven Action Plan to Develop Blazing Power, Animalistic Strength and Killer Conditioning is a distillation of Phil Ross' training wisdom, in the form of a superbly comprehensive book. We took a look at the digital version recently, and you'll be pleased to know that the paperback version is now available. Definitely worthy of a place on the fitness shelf. Phil Ross' Ferocious Fitness.
Check out The Grip Authority. Fantastic site.
For some people, this site's weekly newsletter (The Strength & Fitness Weekly - part of the Strength Kit) isn't quite frequent enough. For those I produce a daily version, which you can grab here. Absolutely free.
It’s always great to see how other people train.
If you’d like to send in a photo of yourself in action (wearing one of the Straight to the Bar Shirts of course - the latest design is here), just upload it somewhere and send us a link. Cheers.
Over the years we’ve looked at the fitness industry from a number of angles - discussing the history, present approaches and potential future trends involved. Fascinating areas.
When it comes to the last part - discussing potential future trends - things get a little, well, unusual. If it’s an interest you share, or you just want to find out the types of things we think are likely, check out the posts tagged ‘Futurism’. And of course, Gymchat 224 (Roundtable) - The Future of Fitness. Superb discussion.
We discuss air pollution quite a bit on this site - particularly the various health impacts involved. If you'd like to dive in a little deeper, I invite you to check out the following :
and of course :
Cheers.
Looks great.
Sleep is important at the best of times, especially during the lockdown. It's easily my favourite form of recovery.
The Carbon SnoreX is a cool, bacteria-resistant pillow with a somewhat distinctive shape. Although the 'anti-snoring' aspect may be getting all the attention, it's a combination of the above that appeals to me personally.
A little video :
The Carbon SnoreX.
And for the full list of the Books & DVDs we recommend, swing by the Recommended Books & DVDs page. To check out what we're reading at the moment (and to make suggestions), join us on Goodreads.
See you there.
There are some incredible writers on the team here. To give you an idea, check these out :
If you enjoyed these, check out the complete 'Best Of Straight to the Bar' list. Fantastic.
Before you start your fitness journey, it's important to measure a few things.
Here's how.