Straight to the Bar

All Things Strength

HELPING YOU GET STRONGER SINCE 2004

Improving Squat Depth

During a few sets of squats yesterday I asked my dad to tell me how deep I was going (in relation to parallel). He moved his hands apart as if describing ‘the one that got away’, and I knew there was going to be some work to do. In short, I was nowhere...

Quick Weighted Chin-up Test

At the start of today’s workout I decided to do a quick weighted chin-up test. The last time I tried this was way back in July 2005, and I was hoping to still be around the bodyweight + 30kg mark. As it turned out I’m somewhere between 30 and 40kg; I got...

Volume Before New Maxes

This week has seen the workout volume steadily increase, although the weights were around the same as last week’s. Everything feels as though it’s slipping neatly into place. Bud’s comments last week on squatting provoked a last-minute substitution:...

First Week Back

It’s great to be in the rack once again. I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to be sore all the day following a workout – something which I’ve experienced a few times this past week. In addition to numerous impromptu sets of chin-ups (the...

Now, What Were Those PRs Again?

Ah, it’s great to have the rack set up again. Aside from a few celebratory chin-ups on completion of its assembly, tonight’s workout was a pretty simple one – just to get back into the swing of things. First cab off the rank – rack pulls. These...