The Beginner’s Guide to Straight to the Bar

Yes, I love the deadlift.

Before we dive in to the main areas of this site, a quick note :

This site’s been around since the beginning of 2004, and has amassed an astonishing amount of content over the years. I’d highly recommend picking an article or two, sitting back with your favourite beverage in hand, and gradually soaking it in.

If you like what you see, simply subscribe to the feed, sign up for the weekly newsletter, join the facebook or flickr groups. No matter what you’re in to, it’s always easy to get a daily dose of Straight to the Bar.

And now, the categories. These have been arranged into general interests; covering everything from bodyweight exercises to Virtual Meets. Enjoy.

Bodyweight, Climbing and Parkour

• The bodyweight guys - Scott Bird
  These guys are all well-known for their incredible bodyweight training techniques.
• Core Exercises That Really Work - Jason Kirby
  Sick of doing crunches and sit-ups? Same here.
• Specific Training for the Transverse Abdominis: Belt It In - Kat Ricker
  Time to tighten your built-in belt.
• 10 of the Best : Parkour Tutorial Videos - Scott Bird
  How do I... Like this.
• 10 of the best : Parkour television commercials - Scott Bird
  Love watching Parkour? So do I.
• Starting your fitness journey : 10 things to consider - Scott Bird
  Where do start? Right here.

Kettlebells, Clubs and Conditioning

• 2nd Effort Drills : The Hard Style Clean and Jerk - Will Williams
  Ready to play hard? Great.
• From Running to Kettlebell Swings - Jordan Vezina
  Why run when you can swing?
• DIY Gym Gear : How to Make Your Own Clubs - Scott Bird
  Build your own. Good fun.
• Making your own gym equipment : DIY grip tools - Scott Bird
  You want a grip tool that does what? Make one.
• The Heavy Bag (Gimp) - Fight Geek
  Thinking about getting a heavy bag? Make sure you read this first.
• Conditioning without trying : Walking 10,000 steps per day - Scott Bird
  Time to go for a walk.
• Give Your Workout a Name! - Fight Geek
  This helps more than you'd believe.

Grip, Bending and Tearing

• Why Bend Steel? - Adam T Glass
  Simple question, great answer. Point your non-bending friends here.
• Straight to the Grip Contest (part II, III, IV, V and VI) - Jedd Johnson
  Getting ready for your first grip contest? Here's what to expect.
• Lifting the Inch Replica Dumbbell (part II, III, IV and V) - Jedd Johnson
  Want to train with a replica Inch? Here's how.
• Nails : Converting imperial to metric - Scott Bird
  Next time you pop down to the hardware store, take this.
• Leverage lifts: Reverse engineering turned to a breakthrough in power - Adam T Glass
  These lifts are downright fun.
• Bare-Handed Nail Driving Basics - Ryan Pitts
  Want to learn how to drive a nail through a board with your bare hand? Here's how.
• Card Tearing Anyone? - Chuck Halbakken
  Ready to make the jump from junk mail to playing cards?

Powerlifting, Strongman and Highland Games

• Addressing Weaknesses in The Squat - Rick Walker
  Work on weaknesses = massive PRs. Here's how to find them.
• How close is close? - Scott Bird
  Fan of close-grip work? How close?
• Buyers' guide : the Power Rack - Scott Bird
  Ready to buy a rack? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
• Ready for a Virtual Meet? - Kat Ricker
  This is a brilliant idea. Cheers, Kris.
• 10 Questions with Strongman Mike Gill - Scott Bird
  What makes a Strongman?
• Pull Like A Strongman - Max Misch
  Ahh, the deadlift.
• The Inman Mile - Scott Bird
  Are we there yet?
• Highland Games in Australia - Scott Bird
  Getting ready to head down south? Here's where the fun is.

Rest and Recovery

• Biphasic Sleep : 30 Day Summary - Scott Bird
  I switched to Biphasic Sleeping in September 2006, and have never looked back. Love it.
• Using pulse rate to determine rest break length - Scott Bird
  Use the pulse, Luke.
• The Benefits of Using a Foam Roller - Rory Hickman
  Feeling a bit on the beaten-up side?
• Fuel and rest - Scott Bird
  There's a good reason I eat so much.
• Strains and Sprains - Scott Bird
  What's the difference between a strain and a sprain?
• Workout music : soothing or aggressive? - Scott Bird
  How do you like your tunes?
• Working out in the heat - Scott Bird
  It's getting hot in here.

General strength training

• 29 Things to do with a barbell in the corner - Jason Kirby
  This is absolutely superb.
• The Step-up : a real squat alternative? - Scott Bird
  Squats are undoubtedly key, but have you tried heavy step-ups lately?
• Holding the bar in the Front Squat - Scott Bird
  There are many ways to hold the bar.
• The Investments (part II and III) - Adam T Glass
  Several tools which form the basis of a great training plan.
• A little yoke work : 10 exercises for a bigger neck - Scott BirdTraps maketh the man.
• DIY: Home-made gym equipment (part II) - Scott Bird
  Build it yourself.
• Bars, plates, hooks and collars - Scott Bird
  Ready to hit the garage sales? Here's what to look for.

• Visualisation - Scott Bird
  See it before it happens. Yes, it does make a difference.
• Let the voting begin - Scott Bird
  There were some brilliant entries in the DIY Equipment Competition.
• Taking advantage of your location : At last - some real outdoor space - Scott Bird
  Ready for some serious outdoor training?
• The Fat Bar - Max Shank
  Incredibly simple, incredibly brutal.
• 10 of the Best : Tutorial Videos - Scott Bird
  How do I... Like this.
• A gathering of old-time favourites - Scott Bird
  So, this is how the old-time strongmen got strong.
• Bruce Lee's back injury - Scott Bird
  What really happened?

Like to contribute something? I love hearing about how other people are training; if you’d like to write an article, record a video or tell us about a site you’ve discovered, send me an email.

Finally, thanks for dropping by. If you’d like to help support this site (and get in great shape at the same time), here’s a list of strength-training books, DVDs and tools I recommend. Love them.

• Diesel Crew Bending eBook (review)
  If you're new to the world of nail bending, this is the perfect book to get. It'll show you the exact techniques you'll need to get started right away. Written by world-class bender Jedd Johnson.
• Loadable Kettlebells from Art of Strength
  The team at AoS produces a lot of great stuff, but I particularly like their loadable kettlebells. Fill them with shot, sand or grain; and enjoy.
• Clubbells
  Whilst any sort of club or hammer is great, the RMAX Clubbells are my favourite. Beautiful things.
• MBG Powerwheel
  The Powerwheel from Monkey Bar Gym is a brilliant way to work the abs without spending hours on crunches and sit-ups. Love it.
• Rope
  Rope for climbing, sled dragging, pull-ups and many other fun things. Wouldn't be without it, and the AoS Outlaw Ropes are my personal favourite. Superb.
• Gymboss
  The Gymboss is the perfect way to time your fat-shedding interval workouts. Great thing.
• Precision Nutrition
  Ready to start eating right? Over to Dr Berardi.