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
10 Questions Strength Coaches Should Ask Themselves to Become Better
Coaches play a pivotal role in the overall mental, physical, and even social development of an athlete, often wearing many hats. As a coach, I have come across numerous coaching and athletic environments, ... Continue Reading
Eugen Sandow Was a Groundbreaking Strength Pioneer and Father of Bodybuilding
Eugen Sandow is known as "The Father of Bodybuilding," and he acquired that title for good reason. Not only was Sandow strong, but he developed revolutionary strength training processes for his time ... Continue Reading
Ilya Ilyin Training Footage from 2012: 196kg Snatch, 240kg Clean & Jerk at 94kg Bodyweight
Instagram user Shin Yong Jin regularly posts training footage and competition archives from some of Asia's best weightlifters and weightlifting federations; his feed is equal parts hanging out with elite ... Continue Reading
Former Strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski Still Fighting in MMA
Arguably the greatest strongman competitor of all time, Mariusz Pudzianowski retired in 2009 with a record five World’s Strongest Man championships. He’s one of only four strongmen in the WSM Hall of Fame ... Continue Reading
How to Watch The 2016 World Open Powerlifting Championships
The 2016 World Open Powerlifting Championships will be held from November 13th to 19th in Orlando, Florida. This year, there are a recorded 255 competitors from 39 nations scheduled to compete: 145 men and ... Continue Reading
Eddie Hall’s Deadlift Versus Ray Williams’ Squat: Is One More Impressive?
Every now and then, I’ll have to fill out a form of some kind, and when I do, I always get stumped by what I actually do for a job. I write, I film, I photograph, I run competitions, scout athletes, and ... Continue Reading
3 Assistance Exercises to Improve Technique, Confidence, and Performance in the Split Jerk
The split jerk requires a great deal of explosive power from the legs, footwork speed and technique, balance and coordination, and overhead strength and stability. Olympic weightlifters and functional ... Continue Reading
How Coffee Naturally Boosts Your Workout Performance
Coffee, noun; defined as a drink made from brewed and ground bean like seeds. For myself, and a lot of others we know coffee as a verb. “Did you see me coffee that PR?” and, “I need to seriously coffee ... Continue Reading