All Articles & Reviews by
Justin Andrushko
(6 posts in total - only latest ones shown)
Justin Andrushko is currently attending the University of British Columbia where he is studying Human Kinetics. He is a certified Specialist in Strength and Conditioning through the ISSA, and plays Running Back for the UBC Thunderbirds. He played high school football for the Ballenas Whalers where he was named the Conference and Provincial All-Star Teams’ Offensive MVP. He still holds all school records in scoring and rushing yards. Away from the field Justin has spent time as a guest coach at several football camps and clinics.
Justin blogs over at Andrushko's Training Program, and can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Swing by.
NB : Like to write a guest post for Straight to the Bar? Here's how.
A Word of Advice for Training : The Importance of Fundamentals
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A Critical Analysis: Reaction Ball
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Nike SPARQ eyeReact Ball.
Psychological Training in the Gym Part 2
TweetThis article is kind of the second step in mental training for competition in sport or anything you pursue. In my first article I touched base on how to train your mind through the use of training spaces. This practice eventually conditions the mind to amp up to optimal intensities in whatever setting you train it to be active in. Once you learn to achieve this first step you can learn to apply it to any scenario in life. Also in order to build off of this I will now introduce you to the mind set and belief of mental and physical excellence. The principle sounds simple, you have probably heard it a million times before, but not many people buy in and choose to actually believe and live in this power.
Psychological Training in the Gym Part 1
TweetHow many times have you been on a team or watching a sport as a fan and seen that one crazy guy on the sidelines hitting his head, yelling, jumping, and basically hyperventilating, getting pumped up for the game? There is a right and wrong time to turn on this high intensity and a right and wrong time to turn it off.
Lift Fast, Lift Strong
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A brief breakdown of the benefits of lifting fast.
Innovative Training : Band Suspended Weight
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Band Suspended Weight.
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what we're saying
how to
Bending (Nails, Horseshoes)
Easily one of the most rewarding ways to train.
Clubs & Maces
A great way to get a top workout in, without wasting time.
Grippers
I love training with grippers. Beautiful things.
Kettlebells
Fantastic.
Ropes (Climbing/Dragging, Battling Ropes)
Have you got what it takes?
Sandbags
If you're ready to take your conditioning workouts up a notch, grab one of these.
Suspension Training
Perfect for outdoor sessions.
images of strength
Want to see (and learn) more Feats of Strength like this? Dive in.
popular articles
Welcome. Here you’ll find everything that grunts, groans and ticks in the world of strength training. To give you an idea, here are just a handful of this site's most popular articles :
DIY: How to Build an Olympic Weightlifting Platform [Kat 'The Mighty Kat' Ricker]
Beautiful.
Building A Neck Of Steel [Mike 'The Machine' Bruce]
So you want a strong neck? It's actually quite simple.
Straight to the Grip Contest (part II, III, IV, V and VI) [Jedd 'Napalm' Johnson] Getting ready for your first grip contest? Here's what to expect.
A Little Yoke Work : 10 Exercises for a Bigger Neck [Scott Bird]
Traps maketh the man.
29 Things to do with a Barbell in the Corner [Jason Kirby]
This is absolutely superb.
Get Mental! The Psychology of Strength [Josh Hewett]
The thinking side is half the challenge.
Small Victories [Josh Hanagarne]
Improve what you can improve, every day.
If you enjoyed these, check out the complete 'Best Of Straight to the Bar' list. Fantastic.
recommended
It'll come as no surprise that we've reviewed many, many products over the years. Everything from books, magazines and DVDs to racks, benches and complete home gyms.
To give you an idea :
- You Need More Drugs
- Isopure Protein Powder - My Review
- Hercules for a Day
- CRUSH DVD Review!
- A Critical Analysis: Reaction Ball
- Mizuno Wave Enigma Running Shoes Review
- Review : StrongerGrip Loadable Blob
NB : if you'd like to review a product for Straight to the Bar, I'd love to hear from you. It's fantastic to see how other people put things to the test.
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Bar is very much an interactive website. In addition to the
articles here, there are a number of ways to share your passion with
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Incidentally, for updates whenever new articles are published (as well as lots of other top strength-related stuff), follow me on twitter :
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the team
There are some superb writers here, looking at the world of strength training from a number of angles. The regulars :
- Scott Bird (@scottbird)
Writer and Fitness enthusiast
NB : It's a big team - full list here.
In addition, articles are submitted from across the globe. Got a piece you'd like to share? Let us know.
elsewhere
In addition to the articles on this site are a number I've written elsewhere. Including :
- Paleo Diet : Increased Mental Clarity
- The Art of Working Out Alone
- The Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food (part II)
- Rock the Kitchen: Plan for Diet Success
- 10 Challenging Bodyweight Exercises
- Buying Your First Kettlebell
- Switching to Biphasic Sleeping? Start here.
reading
Want more? Try these :
If you're new to the world of nail bending, this is the perfect book to get. It'll show you the exact techniques you'll need to get started right away. Written by world-class bender Jedd Johnson.
The Diesel Crew's Card Tearing eBook
This is a fantastic book. If you've ever considered learning this incredible strength feat, the Card Tearing eBook is the perfect place to start. Love it.
If you ever wake up with that 'just run over by a truck' feeling, you need a copy of Tim Hull's Functional Correction Manual. Not only will it help you to locate and repair the problem, it'll help prevent it happening in the future.
When it comes to body transformation - whether that's an 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.
This is a fantastic book. As Josh explains, it superbly shows what's going on while you train. Love it.
101 Fitness Myths [Kindle Edition]
A superb combination of fitness mythbusting and no-nonsense advice. If you're not quite sure where to start, grab this.
The Art of Expressing the Human Body
If you've ever watched a Bruce Lee film and marveled at his strength, speed, agility, endurance, flexibility or muscularity, this book should take pride of place in your collection. Unlike many other writings covering everything from Lee's training methods to nutrition, this book is based not on the recollections of people around him; but on Lee's own notes. Brilliant.
And if you're a strength coach or personal trainer, check out the books Derek found invaluable when setting up his (commercial) gym. Fantastic place.
Over to you. What are you reading right now?
technique
Welcome.
If you’ve just joined us, I’d highly recommend checking out the ‘Start Here’ page - which takes a thorough look at what this site’s all about. However, if you’re more the ‘dive right in, read the manual later’ type, you may wish to check out the articles I’ve highlighted below. Just a few personal favourites.
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