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.
Blowfit Black Gloves (Weighted Boxing Gloves)
Interesting idea.
The Blowfit Black Gloves are essentially a combination of ankle weights & boxing gloves. Intriguing.
How To Actually Get Bigger With Calisthenics Training (FitnessFAQs and Bald Omni-Man)
Great conversation.
Looking At : Oct 19 2025
This Week On Straight To The Bar…
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘The History of Sugar’ (by Kelley Fanto Deetz for The Great Courses)
Kelley Fanto Deetz’s ‘The History of Sugar’ is a brief exploration of a fascinating topic – and one which has been discussed many, many times over the years. Enjoy.
Spinesync (Self-Massage Device)
The Spinesync is a comprehensive self-massage device with a variety of approaches on offer. Physical, infra-red, low-power TENS and so on.
I Tried ChatGPT as My Running Coach — It Beat Every Paid App (Wild Rapha)
Very interesting approach.
Looking At : Oct 12 2025
This Week On Straight To The Bar…
Fitness Reading/Listening For The Week : ‘The Brain Health Blueprint’ (by Ursula C. Kelly)
Ursula C. Kelly’s ‘The Brain Health Blueprint’ is a straightforward look at this fascinating area. Nutrition, exercise, sleep and so on.
If you know someone (or are that person yourself) who feels a little foggy from time to time, point them here. It’s a great place to start.
Laced Golf (On-Foot Alignment Sensors)
Interesting idea – would love to see it in the gym.
The Laced Golf is a pair of sensors for aligning your feet with a target (a golf hole in this case, though there are a number of potential uses in the gym that I’d love to see).
Rebuilding Mum & Dad: See them Transform with 9 Months of Strength Training in their 80s! (The Honest Channel, @ClareS_J)
A wonderful project.