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As a bonus, you'll get a copy of Zach Even-Esh's 'Freak Strength' when you join. Perfect.
The Pure Powerlifting Podcast chats to Ed Coan, who has some great thoughts on the world of powerlifting. Grab part 1 (of 6) here.
Via Strength News : a great video compilation [streaming, 20.3mb .flv download] ahead of the Arnold Strongest Man competition this year. Great workout inspiration.
Grip training obsession points to a great video of an unofficial world record : Theo Burggraff lifting a 411lb v-bar [streaming, 927kb .flv download]. Superb.
Tracy Fober takes a peek into the training methods used by Chinese Weightlifters as they gear up for Beijing. There's no doubt about it - they intend to win; and not just the lighter weight categories.
This snippet [streaming, 1.4mb .flv download] from 1938 shows clearly just how much strength is involved in Mens' Gymnastics. Incredible.
Via the Diesel Crew : some great vintage footage (1971 Worlds in Lima, Peru) [streaming, 2.1mb .flv download] of Serge Redding pressing an incredible 228kg (503lb).
Starting tomorrow, 12 runners will be attempting to break the 24hr treadmill-running world record; in the Great Lakes Treadmill Challenge. Good luck.
Another great week here at Straight to the Bar. Some of the highlights :
Irish Road Bowling - just one of the many great (and unusual) sports detailed on ArmchairGM, a superb sports wiki. Well worth checking out.
This is very much a 'take a break and read this' article. As Martin Rooney points out :
Yesterday I finally had time to head over to a nearby hardware store, which still ranks highly on my list of cool places to just wander around. This time, however, I headed straight for the fasteners section : specifically nails.
As you can see from the photo, it finally stopped raining here long enough to begin painting the kettlebell (still a fair bit of work to do before it's ready for the contest). Also this week :
Planche push-ups - very impressive [streaming, 1mb .flv download].

Tracy Reifkind demonstrates a great kettlebell exercise - the Waiter's Walk (performed here in conjunction with a bit of kettlebell snatching) [streaming, 3.7mb .flv download]. Not bad at all.
When I'm buying a new book or CD I generally begin by looking at a few reviews on Amazon. However, with training gear it's a little more difficult. If you're considering purchasing a new item for your martial arts training, Martial Arts Product Reviews is a great place to start.
Tom Furman points to some great videos demonstrating the Piper System. Great stuff; make sure you also check out A Pointed Truth (the Piper System blog).
From the New York Times - a very interesting article on Myelin, talent and technique. Plenty of food for thought.
Run to Win's Blaine Moore kicks off this month's collaboration on workout audio with a look at the pros and cons of running with headphones. Although not quite as hard-nosed as Carl Kruger, Blaine favours silence when running over audio accompaniment.
Odd Haugen, that is. Jedd shows the 'Visegrip Viking' as well as wrestler Mark Henry hoisting a circus dumbbell weighing 202lb, with a 3" handle. Nice one.
When it comes to action sports, you really can't go past the X Games. This year's competition - scheduled for August 2-5 in Los Angeles - adds womens' surfing to an already impressive list. If you enjoy a bit of MotoX, skateboarding and rally action, it's definitely one to mark on your calendar.

Photo by Hjalti Arnason.
The Husafell stone (aka Africa stone) is a fairly flat, almost triangular stone weighing around 175kg (385lb) [1] which has been used in Strongman events for a number of years.
Rocannon takes a look at a simple, efficient equipment list for an outdoor home gym. Sounds like a great way to start.
Mike Robertson talks about a surprisingly controversial item - the Knee Sleeve. Do you use them?
Joel Marion looks at 7 of the most common ways to fight fatigue during workouts (specifically the drop-off between sets). And yes, he's joking about the Metallica albums.
Via Powerlifting Watch : more pictorial and video goodness from the Arnold, this time courtesy Ano Turtiainen. Enjoy.
Demonstrating the results of Zach Even-Esh's labours : some great wrestling at the Arnold [streaming, 8.1mb .flv download].
Eric Cressey chats to strongmen Brad Cardoza and John Sullivan about training, competitions and overhead pressing in the hot tub. Good stuff.
It's been a busy week here at Straight to the Bar. Amid the madness :

Photo © Russell Davies
Mike Roussell looks into a very controversial aspect of nutrition : saturated fat. If you've been inspired, head over to eggbaconshipsandbeans. Mmm.
Take a wander over to the training blog of Kettlebell Rob - as the name implies, it's full of kettlebell action. Beautiful.
Despite trying on several occasions to quit coffee, the caffeine addiction just keeps powering on. Still, at only 2-3 cups per week, I'm far better off than I used to be.
Joe DeFranco briefly mentions a terrific-sounding exercise in his latest 'Ask Joe' column : 'drop set' chain push-ups. A video demonstration clarifies things [streaming, 2.35mb .flv download].
Mike Johnston seems to think so. Read on.
This week I learnt two key facts about my training. The first is that I need a little more of a break between heavy deadlift sessions (and lighter ones never seem to work). Both between the pulls and the other exercises in that session, and between the workouts themselves. A week or so seems reasonable; at least more reasonable than the current 2 days.
Wim Hof likes to stay cool. In September 2004 he spent 1 hour and 8 minutes in an ice bath, breaking his own world record from January that same year. The January effort, incidentally, wasn't his first.
Via The Other Side of Strength : a two-part (part 1, part 2) lecture on Olympic Lifting by Tommy Kono. Superb.
'Hey hey, we're the Monkeys, and people say we monkey around'
- Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
A bit of juggling vocabulary from Dedwarmo : Grind [streaming, 588kb .flv download].
One of the more unusual events on the sporting calendar is Gloucestershire's annual cheese rolling festival. The premise is simple: a Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down a hill (reaching speeds of up to 70mph) and competitors run downhill chasing it. The first to pass the finish line (or catch the cheese) is the winner.
The Moroccan town of Ouarzazate is home every year to the Marathon des Sables, or Sand Marathon. This is a gruelling 240km (150m) run across hot desert sands, over a 7 day period. Not for the faint of heart.
Musick hath charms to soothe a savage breast
I ran for 4 years at the Rochester Institute of Technology on the cross country and track & field teams, which were NCAA Division III programs. Now, I am a local runner here in Portland, Maine. I spent the two years with the Run to Win men’s team, and now race for Dirigo in the USATF-NE Grand Prix circuit.
In the face of a growing obesity problem, the Australian government has asked fast-food retailers across the country to greatly reduce the quantity of trans-fats in their cooking. So far, many retailers seem to be agreeable to the idea - particularly with the unfavourable response anticipated by a negative reaction.
Pistols are a great exercise, however the balance can be a little tricky at times. If you find yourself almost being able to do them without holding on to something, the All around strength blog has some great advice.
Youtube has plenty of strongman training from PJTrainer. His latest video, mini blob clean and press [streaming, 432kb .flv download], is a great starting point.
A few snippets from this week's health news :
Check out the fitness blog of writer John E Fike, aka the Low Budget Warrior. A great mix of bodyweight, kettlebell and conditioning work.
Just came across the blog of 'The Human Vise', Pat Povilaitis. The picture at left - Pat reshaping a horseshoe - says it all.
Just when I thought I'd seen all of the squat varieties, All around strength has a new one - resting the bar on one shoulder. Definitely one to try.
Palance Points is a review blog with a difference, asking a single question :
The Genius in all of us - an excellent blog - is calling for stories on 'born geniuses' who have reached an almost mythic status over the years. The example given is the superb hitter Ted Williams, who was often credited with having almost superhuman eyesight.
The Turkish Get-up (with a kettlebell or two) is a fantastic exercise, but not exactly easy when you're just starting your kettlebell journey. The kettlebell getup/situp - demonstrated in this week's Minute of Strength newsletter - is a great way to prepare for the real thing.
I love these things. As you can see, it's exactly what the name suggests - a pull-up performed using only 2 fingers from each hand.
Via Dedwarmo : JuggleTube. YouTube for jugglers.
Bottlecap bending [streaming, 5.4mb .flv download]. A little more difficult than it looks.
Outside it's nice and stormy; in fact it has been all week. Here at Straight to the Bar it's been just as hectic :
If you missed out last year, make sure you mark your calendars for one of the year's greatest adventure challenges - Mark Webber's Pure Tasmania Challenge. The fun begins on November 17.
Dorothy Darke and Arthur Owen - shown here in 1931 - demonstrate a couple of basic self defense moves [streaming, 4.75mb .flv download]. As you'll see, things haven't changed all that much.
Can't decide between blading and skiing? Try Skateslider.
Well I'm a Criminal Justice major on the 5 year plan, looking to sneak my way into the fitness field. I've taken an avid, slightly obsessive interest in exercise. This is not limited to just lifting weights, while that may be good for some people I like to follow in the footsteps of the folks at CrossFit and Ross Enamait. I am really really hoping to get my Personal Trainer certification from NCSF in the middle of May (at the cusp of graduation) and get into CrossFit.
This week saw more of the rack pull/chin-up work that forms the basis of my current routine, as well as a bit of dumbbell action (the kettlebell is still half-painted, waiting for the rain to stop long enough to finish it off). Not to mention the occasional set on the Total Gym.
Although I'm not quite obsessive-compulsive over the deadlift (I'll draw the line at 'passionate'), I can certainly appreciate Nathan J. Polencheck's love of this great exercise. He's got some very good ideas here, and as they helped him add 100 lbs to his pull in 6 months, they're well worth a look.
The 12th FINA World Swimming Championships officially got underway a few hours ago (although a few events managed to sneak in early). To get in the mood, take a look at some of the superb photographs from previous meets.
Charles Staley has a great collection of videos demonstrating the many versions of Olympic pulls as part of his Deads vs Pulls article. Enjoy.
A few snippets from this week's health news :
Via Kettlebell Rob : Finnish kettlebell training, some interesting conditioning ideas (keep your eyes on the background) and great music [streaming, 10.7mb .flv download]. Enjoy.
Overspecialize and you breed in weakness.

Martin 'Farmer' Burns, 1912.
'Farmer' Burns was a world champion wrestler [1] in the late 19thC. His current fame stems from a (mostly) bodyweight training system [2] that he devised for himself, as well as a somewhat casual way of counting reps and sets.Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.
Via Daily Motion: a slightly smaller Ron Coleman from 1994.

Sculpture by Pierre Puget.
Milo of Croton (once a Greek colony, now part of southern Italy) was a mythical wrestler [1]; although probably based on a real man. His legendary feats of strength include the following :
Via Napalm's Corner : This year's Global Grip Challenge takes place on August 25 in Sayre, PA. Definitely looking forward to Event 5 :
Mike Amos started training in high school but made the same mistake many college students make, thinking that since sports where behind him, so was training. After a seven year absence from the weightroom he decided it was time to return. This time not for wrestling or football but for life and for fun. In the three years since his return he has made a remarkable number of mistakes and corrected a few of them.

Photo by Amelia PS
Run to Win's Blaine Moore continues this month's collaboration on workout audio with a look at Podcasts for Runners.
Via Get Outdoors : whether it's for weekend hikes or simply carting a bit of workout gear down to the local park, a good backpack's well worth the money. Backpacker Magazine has made life easier when it comes to choosing the right one, with a series of videos.
Just came across this, which will undoubtedly make its way into my fitness library next month. The English translation of Hokama Tetsuhiro's 'Timeline of Karate history'. Perfect.
Rollerblading exploded onto the scene in the mid '90s, and disappeared from mainstream eyes almost as fast. Barely Dead shows that the sport still has quite a large underground following; fine-tuning things for over a decade.

Photo by Chip Litherland
Via Kat Ricker : a nice piece in the New York Times discussing the rise in female weightlifting amid Florida's high schools. Great to see.
Barbell step-ups - a great way to finish a squat workout [streaming, 1.6mb .flv download].
The Ultimate Fighting Machine [streaming, 1.2mb .flv download]. The home gym just got a whole lot more exciting.
Check out the blog of personal trainer, powerlifter and kettlebell enthusiast Scott Shetler. A great blend.
This week a new project (related to Straight to the Bar, of course) seems to have eaten its fair share of my time; but the following pieces still managed to make their way onto the site :
I never grow tired of watching this stuff [streaming, 13.1mb .flv download]. Superb.
If you haven't yet been exposed to the delights of the Peak Performance newsletter, here's your chance - Issue 243 is now available for free. A great read.
Via Physical Strategies : a very interesting Martial Arts site - The Polearms of Paulus Hector Mair.
As it says on the blog, this is Mixed Martial Arts from a Toronto fan perspective. Not bad at all.
Some Wing Chun strength exercises [streaming, 11.6mb .flv download]. A couple of interesting ideas in there.
Via Zach Even-Esh : Shaolin training [streaming, 20.6mb .flv download]. Fascinating (although I'm yet to be convinced by the ball kicking).
Tree climbing. Indulge your inner child.

Photo © Alex Messenger
Via Get Outdoors : Polish climbing superstar Edyta Ropek has just broken the women's world dyno record [streaming, 2.9mb .flv download]. What's a dyno you ask? Dynamically jumping from one hold to another.
If you're in the unfortunate/fortunate (depending on how you look at it) position of recovery from a heart operation, now considering your training options, this site is for you. Cardiac Athletes is a great resource for people who are hoping to return to some measure of their former exercise intensity, and wondering just how quickly to do things; and, of course, what to do.
Via Grip Training Obsession : a brief look at a near miss in an 815lb 3 board bench press attempt [streaming, 672kb .flv download]. Definitely one to think about.
Straight to the Bar is growing. In order to keep everyone up to speed with the numerous happenings in the fascinating world of strength sports, several new writers will be joining the team. Whilst I'm sure many of you are already familiar with them, here's a brief rundown :
No, I'm not quite there yet. Just bookmarking it ready. Fitness after fifty.
Max Misch (aka DieselWeasel) is a very interesting guy. Whilst you may already be vaguely familiar with his progress over the last few years, his blog takes a great look into the world of Strongman training.
Joe DeFranco briefly discusses the importance of isometric holds for MMA athletes. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, these essentially involve holding a weight still at a point during an exercise - usually when the target muscle is already partially contracted. These are often done with rows and shrugs.
A few snippets from this week’s health news :
Qigong master Alex Lim in a brief strength demonstration [streaming, 3.4mb .flv download] at a recent Chinese New Year concert. Extreme perhaps, but entertaining nonetheless.
This is the fourth part [see parts 1,2 and 3] of this month's collaboration with Run to Win's Blaine Moore on workout audio; looking at just a few of the options available for listening to music whilst working out.
From Kerry's site :
Live in NYC? Enjoy the occasional run? Head over to the NYC Running Blog. Be sure to check out another great use of Google Maps.
The kettlebell swing is a deceptively simple exercise. If you're tempted to try your hand at the 10,000 swing challenge, Inner Grrr has a few tips for surviving the experience.
Pavel has an interesting thought regarding the improvement of kettlebell swing power - rather than aiming for height, focus on digging your feet into the ground. Another one to remember through the 10,000 swing challenge.
Via Napalm's Corner : some great footage [streaming, 11.8mb .flv download] from the 1988 Bench Press Challenge between wrestling teams the Road Warriors and the Powers of Pain (Warlord and The Barbarian). A nice find Jedd.
Ski-related injuries have always sounded impressive; certainly moreso than 'I fell down the stairs' or 'I just landed awkwardly'. To keep up with actor Yuval David as he recovers from his own collection of knee traumas, head over to Ski Gimp.
I've been an avid consumer of podcasts for a couple of years now, and I'm always on the lookout for new shows (particularly fitness and tech-related). Today's find - KinFit.
Short-lived fitness fad or a great way to enliven workouts? Tracy Fober seems to be leaning towards 'fad'.
Via Rif's Blog : a great display of gymnastic strength [streaming, 19.1mb .flv download].
This week's Minute of Strength newsletter features an interesting video of the kettlebell windmill; including a slight adjustment for anyone performing the exercise with a minor shoulder injury. Enjoy.
Training blog of current PA State Female Deadlift record holder, Christine Petty. Good stuff.
Climber Timy Fairfield takes a nice look at sprint training over on Ringtraining. His own site is also well worth a look.

Building your own gym gear is not only cost-effective, it's downright fun. If you've ever considered constructing your own Monolift, be sure to check out the work of the guys at XXX Powerlifting. Looks great.
Mike Robertson takes a very interesting look at the importance of proper hip alignment (particularly in the squat and deadlift). Whether you're enjoying a little posterior or anterior pelvic tilt, Mike shows you exactly what to do about it. A great read.
Another video podcast for your perusal - that of Team MBUK (Mountain Biking UK Magazine). Superb.
Sprinting is a much under-rated training tool. TC once again takes a look at the powers of sprinting to help work on the gluteal fold. Very interesting.
I'm not sure that this video [streaming, 5.7mb .flv download] would convince me to rush out and buy a couple of trekking poles, but the idea is interesting. Does anyone here use them? They seem to be far more common in Europe than either here or the US.
If Table Tennis is your thing, check out the Golden West USA Table Tennis Tournament - held at Santa Monica College this weekend. If you're in the area, drop in.
Warrior Yoga. Yoga for the martial athlete.
Just came across a great Karl Gotch video [streaming, 1.7mb .flv download] on Scientific Wrestling showing some very interesting moves. For a slightly longer look at one of them - the Push/Pull - take a look at this snippet on YouTube [streaming, 4mb .flv download].
Via Dr Michael Eades : whilst it may not be the pinnacle of rigorous scientific analysis, this Morgan Spurlock video [streaming, 12.2mb .flv download] might just make you think twice about ordering the fries on your next visit to McDonalds. Not to mention the burgers.
Natalia Vasylyuk. Just one of the many incredible contortionists at softbody.net. Superb.
It's been raining all week here, which means two things; indoor workouts and time to enjoy an article or two. Amongst them :
Via Om Shanti : an interesting discussion on the adjustments made to yoga routines as a result of wrist pain. There are some great ideas in there, regardless of the initial cause of the injury.
Yesterday I decided to begin the 10,000 swing challenge, which is simply 10,000 kettlebell swings over a 6 week period. That's an average of just over 238 per day.
A great piece from sports nutritionist Anthony Ricciuto. The Top 25 Ways to Pack on Serious Mass.
Via Get Outdoors : a Japanese climbing wall that makes use of found objects. Certainly unusual.
A name to keep an eye on in the world of grip training - Elizabeth Horne. This video [streaming, 3mb .flv download] takes a peek into her training.
Omaha Strength Sports. Great to see.
Anthony Gatto at work. Incredible.
Via the RossTraining forums : If, like me, you can never have too much DIY fun when it comes to equipping the home gym, head over to Make Your Own Gear. Great stuff.