How do you self-identify? What happens when life takes a U-turn and you undergo a fundamental shift in how you operate as a person, athlete, or coach? And how the people around you perceive that shift? ... Continue Reading
Best Women’s Tank Tops
A versatile, comfortable, and attractive tank top is a staple item in a wardrobe. And while there are plenty of tank tops to choose from on the market, it can get overwhelming with so many different ... Continue Reading
Review: Magic Spoon Is the Low Carb Cereal Making Breakfast Fun Again
The Brooklyn-based Magic Spoon has keyed into an important component of the human condition: growing up kind of sucks. You have to pay bills, you have to go to work, you have to go to the gym, and you ... Continue Reading
2019 Olympia Men’s Physique Showdown Preview
The sport of bodybuilding has its loyal fan base and people who look to join their ranks, but there were other fans that were looking for an alternative. They wanted the experience of competing and ... Continue Reading
5 Drills Every Athlete Should Do Every Day
Exercise doesn’t stop because your workout is over. And movement doesn’t stop because you've left the gym. The human body is made to move, and the benefits of daily movement are innumerable. To keep the ... Continue Reading
How to Use Inter-Set Work to Build a Stronger Bench Press
There is a lot that goes into building a strong bench press. Outside of needing a baseline foundation of strength, you also need absolute precision when it comes to executing reps properly. There are ... Continue Reading
How Often Should You Train Shoulders to Build Muscle?
Training frequency is dependent on many variables, such as training age, ability to recovery, sets and reps per session, total training volume per week, and overall goals. For individuals looking to ... Continue Reading
Best Energy Gels
Energy gels or endurance gels, these pre-packaged and gooey snacks can give a quick fix when energy is lacking and a long race or ride is ahead. When looking for the best energy gels on the market, it’s ... Continue Reading
Best Sports Bras
Shopping for the perfect sports bra can feel overwhelming with the number of brands, styles, and fits available on the internet. The good news is that we’re here to support you in more ways than one. We ... Continue Reading
5 Exercises to Strengthen a Lagging Jerk
Split, power, and squat jerks all are effective ways to hoist heavy loads overhead. Many lifters, however, find themselves struggling to properly move heavy loads from the front rack to the lockout ... Continue Reading
How Many Times a Week Should You Train the Olympic Lifts?
The Olympic lifts are highly technical movements that require countless hours of technique training and analysis. Like most skills, the more you do them, the better you will become; assuming you are ... Continue Reading
Why You Should Try Lifting Weights from a Kneeling Position More Often
Most strength exercises are done standing, sitting, and lying down. But there can be real benefits to stopping halfway — and performing exercises on your knees. Lifting from your knees trains muscles ... Continue Reading
The 5 Types of Dietary Fiber Athletes Should Know About
Fiber is often recommended as part of a healthy diet for many reasons, from promoting digestive health and blood glucose control to lowering of “bad” LDL cholesterol. But these aren’t the only reasons ... Continue Reading
Best Stopwatches: Top Picks for Sports, Value, Design, and More
A good stopwatch tracks an exact measurement of time. Often stopwatches are used in athletics where every second counts, however they can also be used by anyone who is looking for more accurate and ... Continue Reading
The New Way to Train Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP)
Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP) is a training concept used by strength and conditioning coaches when the goal is increasing force output and rate of force development. Generally, the methodology ... Continue Reading
Best Bluetooth Earbuds
Music is arguably one of the best motivators when on runs and in the gym, which makes it no surprise that earbuds and headphones are highly sought out by active individuals. Over the last decade, earbuds ... Continue Reading
So You’re a Powerlifter Who Wants to Start CrossFit
So you eat, sleep, and breathe the big three lifts, but you’re interested in trying out CrossFit. Or you already dabble and want to get better. Or you’re already pretty damn good and are chasing even ... Continue Reading
How the Ancient World Lifted Weights
“No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. (…) What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” - ... Continue Reading
3 Hinge Exercises You Can Still Do When Your Back Hurts
Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it shouldn’t take the place of advice and/or supervision from a medical professional. The opinions and articles on this site ... Continue Reading
IdealGreens Superfood Blend Review: The Best Value?
The Utah-based IdealShape has a wide range of supplements on offer that we've reviewed before, including their meal replacement and one of their protein powders, but when they sent us their green superfood ... Continue Reading
Adidas Adipower 2 Review
The original Adidas Adipower weightlifting shoe has been a fan favorite for multiple years, so when word was officially released about the 2's debut, weightlifters everywhere rejoiced. One thing ... Continue Reading
Best Beginner Mountain Bikes
For a lot of folks, mountain biking is an excellent way to get in a cardio workout while taking in some scenery. It’s not exactly revolutionary to say that it’s important to maintain a weekly cardio ... Continue Reading
6 Squat Variations to Use When Barbell Back Squatting Is Not An Option
Back squats are one of the best exercises to build leg strength, muscle mass, and athletic capacity. There are times, however, when we may find ourselves unable to perform them. While the below exercises ... Continue Reading
Best Back Massagers
Whether it is the pressure of work, the tediums of travel, or the non-stop duties of the household that are adding up, people of all stripes could use a relief. That’s why back massages are so popular - ... Continue Reading