"If I can sum up my experience in a few words: 12 hours of pain!!" This was a direct quote pulled from Samuel Finn's Instagram post highlighting that he had broken the Guinness world record for the ... Continue Reading
The Female Cycle and Strength Training: When to Push and When to Hold Back
(Men, feel free to sit this one out): The cramps are crippling. You feel bloated, and you keep running to the bathroom between sets of squats. You’re not sure if it’s the coffee or just period poo, but ... Continue Reading
CrossFit HQ Dishes Out Multiple Penalties for Open Workout 20.5
The final round of penalties have been announced for the 2020 CrossFit Open. Over the weekend, CrossFit HQ disclosed that 15 athletes have received penalties for their Open Workout 20.5 video ... Continue Reading
Fix Your Kettlebell Swing With the Water Bucket Trick!
This is one of my FAVORITE #kettlebelltraining tips. Is it EXACTLY mimicking a proper swing? No, of course not! (For one thing, you'd be using a LOT more "pop" and explosion from the hips if you were ... Continue Reading
Best Power Cages
Power cages — also referred to as power racks — are a home gym staple. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a great home gym that doesn’t have a well-equipped power cage in it. At BarBend, we like to ... Continue Reading
Kate Nye Jerks 142kg In Prep for Olympic Qualifying Event
No, it's not an all-time PR for American weightlifter (and reigning Pan American, Junior, and World Champion) Kate Nye. But if this 142kg rack jerk is any indication, training is going well leading up to ... Continue Reading
Maddie Sturt’s Quest For a Fifth CrossFit Games
The CrossFit Games Open can be a bittersweet experience for many of us. We know we’re fitter than we were last year, but our performances on the leaderboard don’t reflect this. One moment we’re ... Continue Reading
10 Signs Coachability Is Harming Your Gym Progress
We have probably all heard of the term coachable before. And likely, we assume we’re coachable, because, well, who wants to be labeled uncoachable? But are we really coachable? Here are 10 ... Continue Reading
2020 Arnold Strongman USA Lineup Announced
The Arnold Sports Festival announced in September that the 2nd Arnold Strongman USA event will take place on January 18, 2020 at the Santa Monica Pier in California. Besides the title and being presented ... Continue Reading
7 Lessons for Powerlifters Taken From a Boxing Class
Powerlifters often avoid group fitness classes like the plague: whether it’s because we’re often preferentially allergic to anything that might actually resemble cardio or because lifting can be such a ... Continue Reading
4 Great IT Band Exercises for Improving Hip Stability (Ft Jordan Shallow)
The iliotibial band, also known as the IT Band, plays a vital role in performance in and out of the gym.. We recently had Dr. Jordan Shallow in the office to walk us through his favorite IT band ... Continue Reading
Watch Hafthor Bjornsson and Annie Thorisdottir Train Together
Strongman competitor Hafthor Bjornsson decided to test his out his cardio by working out with two-time CrossFit Games champion Annie Thorisdottir at CrossFit Reykjavik. It is not often the 2018 ... Continue Reading
We Try the 5 Weirdest Whey Protein Flavors
At BarBend, we're experts on whey. We've tried dozens and dozens of them so we could come up with a list of the best whey protein powders, but what about the weirdest? This supplement is so darn popular ... Continue Reading
Watch Powerlifter Angelina Elovikova (-72kg) Deadlift 528lbs
If you are not closely following Russian powerlifter Angelina Elovikova, you are missing the growth of a competitor with major potential in the future of the sport. She competes in classic ... Continue Reading
Beyond the Lat Pulldown: How to Fix Your Upper Back Deficiency
After a high-volume pull-up training session—be it kipping or strict pull-ups—where does the soreness hit you the next day? If your answer is The bottom of my biceps, then there’s a good chance your ... Continue Reading
Chris Cormier Documentary to Be Released
Former IFBB Pro bodybuilder and current trainer Chris “The Real Deal” Cormier will be the latest athlete to have a documentary released that shares his story and career. “Chris Cormier: I Am the Real Deal” ... Continue Reading
Jesse Lanuevo Deadlifts a Monstrous 605 lbs At 145 lbs Bodyweight
If you're in need of some deadlift motivation on this quiet Wednesday, then look for further than IPL deadlift world record holder Jesse Lanuevo. Yesterday, Lanuevo shared a massive deadlift on ... Continue Reading
Logan Collins May Lose His Leaderboard Position After CrossFit Open 20.5 Penalty
Yesterday, four-time CrossFit Games athlete Logan Collins shared an Instagram post highlighting that he had been penalized in CrossFit Open Workout 20.5. His post appears to be slightly ahead of the curve ... Continue Reading
Watch 19 Year Old Powerlifter Shane Nutt Deadlift 700lbs
Shane Nutt is a 19 year old college student at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. He claimed the title of national champion when he won the USA Powerlifting 2018 Raw Nationals in the 83kg class with ... Continue Reading
Op-Ed: When Research Comes Up Short In the Gym
Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been ... Continue Reading
Sergio Oliva Jr. Will Compete in 2020 Arnold Classic
Sergio Oliva Jr. announced on Monday that he will be one of the competitors invited to take part in the 2020 Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio this coming March. The news came in the form of an Instagram ... Continue Reading
82-Year-Old Powerlifting Grandma Fends Off Intruder From Breaking Into Her Home
Sometimes you read a news story, and it's so good that once is simply not enough. That's exactly how I felt this morning when I stumbled upon this news article that was shared by CNN while sipping my ... Continue Reading
Sara Sigmundsdottir, Justin Medeiros, and Team ROMWOD Win CrossFit Filthy 150
Over the weekend, the CrossFit Filthy 150 wrapped up in Ireland and marked the official start of the 2020 CrossFit Sanctionals™ season. The Filthy 150 competition kicked off Thursday and ran ... Continue Reading
10 CrossFit Women Who Inspired Us In 2019
While it goes without saying that three-time CrossFit Games champion Tia-Clair Toomey and the Icelandic Dottirs have been inspiring CrossFit fans with their brilliant performances for years, there are so ... Continue Reading