England might not always be blessed with the best of weather; it rains a lot and it’s dreary a lot more. What this does mean though is that on the rare occasions when the sun does grace us with its ... Continue Reading
Predicting the 2017 World’s Strongest Man
Shortly after Hafthor Bjornsson leaked their qualification groups, the World’s Strongest Man shared the official heats for 2017. The final events are now public, and the top strength athletes are preparing ... Continue Reading
Slingshot STrong Knee Sleeves Review – The Most Supportive?
Knee sleeves are a supportive piece of strength equipment that have multiple purposes, which very between athletes. For example, powerlifters use them for their rigidness and support under maximal loads. ... Continue Reading
Check Out Thor “The Mountain” Bjornsson Deadlifting 400kg for Two Easy Reps
Well we already knew he could crush skulls with his bare hands, but "The Mountain" is less well-known for his tremendous hip drive and deadlift lockout. During his relentless training for the 2017 ... Continue Reading
Dave Castro Drops First Hint for CrossFit® Games Regionals Workouts
The CrossFit® Open has come and gone, and we're a little under a month away from Regionals season. This year's Open had a ton of ups and downs, so we're excited to see what's in store for the Regionals ... Continue Reading
Romanian Deadlift Alternatives for Muscle Growth and Strength
In an earlier article we discussed the immense benefits the Romanian deadlift can offer weightlifters, powerlifters, functional fitness athletes, and general trainees alike. Whether the purpose is to ... Continue Reading
Watch Blaine Sumner and Kelly Branton Drink Chicken Shakes and Squat 915lbs
If you felt the earth shaking Monday, remain calm, because there's no need to be alarmed. It was just two of powerlifting's best squatters coming together for an epic bro session, which to no one's ... Continue Reading
Kettlebell Kitchen Review – Good for Paleo?
Quick, healthy, on-the-go meals have become increasingly popular in the strength athlete demographic. Kettlebell Kitchen makes an effort to provide ready-made meals for the goal oriented, health conscious ... Continue Reading
Olympians and Pioneers: Celebrating American Weightlifting’s Female Greats
I am a weightlifting fan. More specifically, I am an American Weightlifting Fan. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Lydia Valentin and cheered my heart out for her to medal at the Olympics, but ... Continue Reading
Isabella von Weissenberg Squats 155kg for an Accidental 10-Rep PR
When you stray away from your daily workout plan, you're usually left with two possible outcomes. One, it could go very well and you end up surprised, and two, it goes horribly wrong and you're left ... Continue Reading
3 Jefferson Squat Alternatives for Every Athlete
In an earlier article we discussed the benefits of the Jefferson squat, each benefit unique to the stance, loading, and specific movement of this classic barbell lift. Many lifters may have issues with the ... Continue Reading
Adidas Leistung 16.II Review
The Adidas Leistung 16 II is the newest shoe in Adidas's lifting shoe line. They're meant to be an updated version of the previously released Adidas Leistung Rio, which was released around the time of the ... Continue Reading
Julie Foucher Announces Her Plans for 2017 CrossFit® Games Regionals
CrossFit® Games athlete Julie Foucher may not be training at the level she once was, but she'll still be competing in her 2017 CrossFit Central Regional competition. The only difference will be that this ... Continue Reading
Can Practicing Incorrect Form Actually Improve Your Lifting?
In the strength and conditioning world the saying, "there are multiple ways to skin a cat," couldn't be more true when developing an athlete's strength and technique. For this article, we're going to dive ... Continue Reading
Thor Bjornsson Benches 200kg For the Easiest Ten Reps You’ve Ever Seen
A month ago, 2017 wasn’t looking so good for Hafthor Bjornsson. In late March, he announced on Instagram that he had been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a condition that results in the temporary paralysis of ... Continue Reading
Kinesio Tex Gold 100% Cotton Kinesiology Tape Review
In 1979, Dr. Kenzo Kase (some people consider him the originator of kinesiology tape) founded Kinesio, who today manufactures kinesiology tape for athletic applications. One of the leading tapes by Kinesio ... Continue Reading
Watch This 70-Year-Old Dominate His Final Powerlifting Meet
At BarBend, we're big fans of videos of strength athletes crushing PRs and pulling heavy lifts at an older age. (Some of our favorites include Fred Rice deadlifting 520 pounds on his 72nd birthday and ... Continue Reading
How Being Stressed Can Impact Your Strength Training
When it comes to strength training, stress can be something of a double-edged sword. We need stress to grow physically. For example, every time we pick up a weight, we're producing a calculated stress on ... Continue Reading
New Documentary: A Day In the Life of Mat Fraser, the Fittest Man On Earth
If you've ever wanted to follow The Fittest Man on Earth™ throughout a day of training, you're in luck. Bodybuilding.com and NF Sports (one of Fraser's sponsors) have come together to film this ... Continue Reading
Ultimate Nutrition Whey Gold Review — Is It An “Anytime” Protein Powder?
Ultimate Nutrition is a Connecticut-based supplement company that carries a lot of products catered toward bodybuilders. (The company currently sponsors six-time Mr. Olympia winner Phil Heath.) The company ... Continue Reading
ORAC Energy Greens Vs. Healthforce Vitamineral Green – Which Has More Benefits?
ORAC-Energy Greens and Vitamineral Green are marketed very differently: the former has a strong emphasis on its science-backed benefits, while the latter has a more New Age-y appeal, with the jar ... Continue Reading
Split Squat vs Squat – What’s the Difference, and Muscles Worked?
While many strength, power, and fitness athletes know all about the immense benefits of squatting, many are neglecting another fundamental movement that can not only aid in their overall squat performance, ... Continue Reading
John Cena Celebrates His 40th Birthday With a 602 Pound Deadlift
Most people celebrate their birthdays by partying and going out, but not John Cena. He celebrated his birthday in fashion by proving, once again, that he's a strength athlete through and through. We now ... Continue Reading
Can Zydrunas Savickas Win the 2017 World’s Strongest Man?
Zydrunas Savickas has been racing against Brian Shaw to tie Mariusz Pudzianowski’s all-time record of five WSM championships, but he may be too rusty to defeat Shaw in the 2017 World’s Strongest Man. If ... Continue Reading