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.
How The COVID-19 Vaccines Could Lead To A Cure For Cancer (Joe Scott)
A fascinating look at the history of vaccines, and the potential future uses of the ideas behind the mRNA-based COVID-19 ones. Although it comes at a terrible cost, it’s a wonderful silver lining.
Looking At : Feb 7, 2021
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.
Pivot Bed (A Folding Bed Which Transforms Into A Home Gym)
Interesting combination.
The Pivot Bed is a wall-mounted bed which can be quickly transformed into a basic home gym. Space for a little free-weight work, inbuilt bars for chin-ups and assorted ab exercises, and a variety of mounts for video screens. Perfect.
It even has connections for an optional power rack and dip bars.
A little video :
The Pivot Bed.
How Weightlifting Changed My Life (Henry Rollins)
Feel like working out right now? You certainly will (and likely quite a bit more) after watching this.
NB : Incidentally, if you ever have an opportunity to help someone else begin their own fitness journey, take it. As you can see, it really can have a massive impact.
Looking At : Jan 31, 2021
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.
What are Bumper Plates?
Bumper plates are a type of weight plate designed for Olympic style lifts and CrossFit movements. They are made out of dense rubber and therefore won’t crack when dropped from a hip height or above, unlike standard iron plates. They usually use specific colors for each weight and there is a metal “hub” or insert” in the centre, which is about 2″ in diameter so they fit perfectly on Olympic barbells.
Follow Me (Real-Time Posture Trainer)
Interesting device.
Follow Me is a small sensor-laden device which sits on your upper back, keeping an eye on your posture. A curved spine will immediately result in a notification being sent to your phone.
Additionally, the device keeps track of your daily step count; and has an hourly stand reminder (many smartwatch owners will already be intimately familiar with both of these). It’ll be interesting to see if they add more of these fitness-centric features over time.
For now, a little video :
Follow Me.
‘The Future Of The Science Of Aging’ Presentation (Dr Andrew Steele)
Two weeks ago we noted Andrew’s wonderful book ‘Ageless‘ (highly recommended). If you’re more of a visual learner – or know someone who is – you might like to check out the above presentation. Loved it.
Looking At : Jan 24, 2021
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.
Whipr (Travel-Focused Training Machine)
Interesting combination.
Although you may not be doing all that much travelling right now, you may wish to keep this in mind for later in the year. Or whenever you plan to start looking at hotels again.
The device in question is the Whipr – a portable ERG machine which combines paddling, rowing, swimming and kayaking. Great mix.
To give you an idea of just what’s on offer, a little video :
Whipr.