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.
Hela Bio (Wearable Sweat Glucose Smartwatch)
Looks great.
The Hela Bio is a glucose monitor which uses your sweat for its readings. Much simpler than the blood-based methods typically used.
Although I’d love to see this functionality added to existing smartwatches, this is an intriguing device nonetheless.
A little video to give you an idea of what’s on offer :
The Hela Bio.
Movement Training Explained – Ido Portal, Animal Flow, and Primal Workouts (The Bioneer)
A wonderful glimpse at an oft-overlooked area of training.
Looking At : Oct 25, 2020
During the past week we’ve discussed a number of great links; on Facebook, Twitter, in The Daily ‘Paper’ and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.
STUDIO (Smart Hub For Your Home Gym)
Interesting approach.
The STUDIO is a large screen which sits in the corner of your home gym, connecting to any cardio machines you have available. Any age, any brand – as long as they support bluetooth (and there are sensors available for any that don’t).
The screen displays various workout classes, as well as the information the machines capture. Running speed, a bike’s cadence, your heart rate – whatever you’re tracking.
Although it’s a fairly crowded market, the ability to connect to older equipment is interesting. A little video to give you an idea of what’s on offer :
The STUDIO.
What To Eat/Drink During Your Next Ultra (Courtney Dauwalter on the Spartan Endurance Podcast)
A fascinating glimpse into Courtney’s nutritional intake during a race.
Looking At : Oct 18, 2020
During the past week we’ve discussed a number of great links; on Facebook, Twitter, in The Daily ‘Paper’ and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.
SpoonTEK (Taste-Enhancing Spoon)
Interesting idea.
The SpoonTEK spoon is a typical piece of cutlery with an intriguing addition – the use of a small electrical current to stimulate your taste buds, enhancing the flavour of any food.
I’m curious to see how it performs on a particularly bland diet, or an unfamiliar one. As well as for people with a damaged sense of smell.
The video will give you an idea of what’s on offer :
The SpoonTEK spoon.
Carbon Nanotubes Help Eat Plaque Responsible for Heart Attacks (ColdFusion)
The TBI ‘nanocage‘ we pointed to yesterday got plenty of people discussing medical nanotechnology in general. Here’s a wonderful look at a recent discovery of nanotech’s ability to help eat the plaque responsible for heart attacks.
Looking At : Oct 11, 2020
During the past week we’ve discussed a number of great links; on Facebook, Twitter, in The Daily ‘Paper’ and so on. Here are a few of my favourites.
Skill Board (Balance Board)
Deceptively simple.
The Skill Board is a balance board & ball (rather than the typical cylinder) – challenging your moves in 360 degrees. Think of it as the foundation of several types of agility training.
Although I’m keen to test it out myself, I’m also curious to see what it commonly gets paired with. Will it make its way into the home gym, or is it best suited to more commercial spaces? Keen to hear everyone’s thoughts.
A little video :
The Skill Board.