You may have heard of or seen the Figure of 8 lifting straps by Giants Pro before. These were the straps Eddie Hall used to break the deadlift world record with 500kg at the World Deadlift Championship in ... Continue Reading
The Lifter’s Guide to Magnesium: What This Nutrient Does for Strength
Ask the average strength athlete to list the supplements they can’t live or lift without, and the list will probably stop at protein powder and creatine. Folks with a higher budget might add fish oil, ... Continue Reading
Elle Hatamiya: Follow the 11 Year Old Weightlifter’s Olympic Dream
It’s always a great day when strength sports receive mass media coverage. Bleacher Report recently did a story on Elle Hatamiya, an 11 year old weightlifter with an Olympic dream. Not only is Hatamiya ... Continue Reading
Which Strongman Weight Class Is Right for Me?
Weight classes. For lifters of any discipline, being in the proper weight class is a large determinate of how well they do in their sport and how long they can compete at it. For a few it’s easy: They are ... Continue Reading
Caber Tossing: Why Hurling Trees Is the Most Delicate Strength Sport
The bicycle, the telephone, the television, and penicillin are all great Scottish inventions, sure, but the country’s greatest contribution to strength sports is definitely the world-famous Highland ... Continue Reading
Strongman Eddie Hall Bench Presses 584 Pounds for 6 Reps!
Eddie Hall is the world's greatest strongman-style deadlifter (as evidenced by his record breaking 500kg pull this past July). Now, the British strongman — who made the podium for the first time at this ... Continue Reading
Watch Larry Williams Crush the Powerlifting Total Record at 242 Pounds
Larry Williams — or Larry “Wheels” Williams as many know him — has been making waves in powerlifting since his teenage years. Now, 21, Williams from Bronx, NY, made a big statement this past ... Continue Reading
Reebok to Face Big Changes, Will Emphasize Fitness and Higher Price Points
In an article published in the Boston Globe, author Jon Chesto outlines several announcements coming from Reebok leadership following a quarterly earnings call from last week. Newly appointed Adidas ... Continue Reading
Watch Olympic Gold Medalist Aleksey Torokhtiy Make His Transition Into CrossFit
At BarBend we always love when elite athletes try out different forms of stength sports. For example, Max Lang, a 77kg German weightlifter “suffering” through a CrossFit® class and giving his thoughts ... Continue Reading
5 Weightlifting Accessory Exercises to Improve Overhead Performance
As weightlifters, our programming is pretty straight forward. Snatches here, clean & jerk variations there, and a steady diet of squatting and pulling. Accessory training is the term given to ... Continue Reading
8 Telltale Signs You’re Obsessed With Strength Sports
Can you remember the first time you discovered your love for strength sports? I definitely can. My dad, an ex-college football player, used train me when I was growing up. I was 13 when he bought a ... Continue Reading
Ray Williams Just Squatted Insane Weight for a Double
Look, there's not a whole lot more we can say about powerlifter Ray Williams without sounding like a broken record. On October 16th, Williams became the first person to squat 1,000 pounds ... Continue Reading
How Social Media Can Make Lifters Feel like Crap (And Why It’s Okay to Opt Out)
You're bored at work and can't focus. You just want Susan to wrap up this meeting so you can go train. You open Instagram on your phone. You see a perfectly tanned, oiled, and dehydrated physique ... Continue Reading
How to Program Plyometric Jump Training Into Your Weightlifting Workouts
Plyometric and jump-based training has been shown to be extremely effective at increasing explosiveness, power output, and neuromuscular adaptations that increase athletic performance. Jump training, often ... Continue Reading
Deadlift Every Damn Day
When they first make that ever so important first trip to the gym, most teenage boys make a beeline straight for the dumbbell rack, hoping that 20 sets of curls will make their sleeves just that little bit ... Continue Reading
5 Life Lessons Olympic Weightlifting Can Teach You
Many lifters are drawn to Olympic weightlifting for reasons that we may not truly know. Some of us grew up playing sports and training the power clean, while others were more fortunate to get formal ... Continue Reading
Allergic to Your Barbell? Why Some Bars Give Lifters Itchy Reactions
Today at BarBend HQ I was speaking with David about front rack positions. We got into the topic of lifters with an allergy to nickel and how it can cause irritation and itching with some lifts. It was at ... Continue Reading
6 Reasons You Should Invest In a Pair of Weightlifting Shoes
At this point in life I should be receiving some form of compensation for the amount of athletes I’ve convinced to invest in lifters. I’m always dishing my shoes in the gym to help others see the ... Continue Reading
Siamand Rahman Does Insane Things in the Bench Press
Siamand Rahman is in a class by himself. The paralympic powerlifter and two-time defending Paralympic Champion is, depending on who you ask, one of the world's most dominant strength athletes. The question ... Continue Reading
Love of the Loss: How Losing in Strength Athletics Makes Your Life Better
As anyone who has competed in amateur strength sports knows, competing can be an amazing way to connect with your community, to push yourself past your perceived limitations and build confidence, as well ... Continue Reading
How Triphasic Training Can Improve Your Power Production
Every lift involves a concentric, eccentric, and isometric muscle action. Triphasic training employs the concept of loading each muscle action with the purpose of creating a specific training adaptation - ... Continue Reading
The Sots Press – How To Benefit Your Training
The Sots press is an amazing strength and mobility exercise to for weightlifters, CrossFit® athletes, and even powerlifters. The benefits of performing such movement may very dependent the sport and/or ... Continue Reading
USA Weightlifting Looking to Recruit from CrossFit Liftoff Participants
The 2016 CrossFit Liftoff runs from November 3rd to 7th this year, and the remote competition will test athletes across max lifts in the snatch, clean & jerk, and a to-be-released conditioning ... Continue Reading
Check Out Dave Castro in These Navy SEAL Workout Videos from 2008
The United States Navy has a pretty fantastic YouTube page featuring everything from instructional videos on Navy Life Skills to candid interviews with personnel in a variety of key roles. ... Continue Reading