Welcome to Straight to the Bar
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.
Incidentally, this site’s been helping people become fitter, healthier and stronger since January 2004. If you’ve just joined us, I highly recommend subscribing to the weekly Strength & Fitness Newsletter (part of the Strength Kit), which contains details of new posts on the site, freshly-minted video demonstrations & tutorials, details of upcoming Gymchats and a whole lot more.
And yes, it’s absolutely free.
To help get you started, here are a few of our most recent posts. And if you want to dive in to a particular area. check out the ‘Start Here‘ page above. Enjoy.
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘The Unfragile Mind : Making Sense of Mental Health’ (by Dr Gavin Francis)
Dr Gavin Francis’s ‘The Unfragile Mind : Making Sense of Mental Health‘ explores the area of mental health, looking at the history, and the changes in diagnostic approaches over time. Fascinating topics.
SitCore (Device For Active Sitting)
Interesting idea.
The SitCore is a combination seat/ball for a constant dose of core work.
Dr David Sinclair: Can Aging Be Reversed? (The Diary Of A CEO and David Sinclair)
Finally got a chance to listen to this – wonderful conversation.
Looking At : Apr 12 2026
This Week On Straight To The Bar…
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘What We Value : The Neuroscience of Choice and Change’ (by Dr Emily Falk)
This week we’re returning to the brain with Dr Emily Falk’s ‘What We Value : The Neuroscience of Choice and Change‘ – a great look at how we go about the various decisions we make. Particularly large, life-altering choices such as joining a running club or signing up to a nearby gym.
FireCold Suit (Clothing For Muscle Recovery)
The FireCold Suit is a temperature-controlled post-workout suit for focused muscular recovery. A companion smartphone app lets you control everything.
You Don’t Need a Sport to Be an Athlete (Enkiri Elite Fitness)
Very interesting look at the underlying reasons for athleticism.
Looking At : Apr 5 2026
This Week On Straight To The Bar…
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy’ (by Mary Roach)
Having read many of her previous works, I’m really looking forward to this one. Mary Roach’s ‘Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy‘.
Looks great.
viiiv-C (Isometric Home Gym)
Interesting idea.
The viiiv-C is a purpose-built Isometric Home Gym setup.