At BarBend, we love training biceps. Who doesn't? Big biceps signal to the world that you like to put in work at the gym. That's why our staff of industry veteran trainers, coachers, and educators have ... Continue Reading
The Best Glutes Exercises and Workouts
The gluteus maximus — that’s your butt, by the way — is the largest muscle in your body. Even if filling out a pair of jeans isn't at the top of your priority list, we can’t stress it enough: Training your ... Continue Reading
These Are the 8 Best Lower Back Exercises for Bodybuilding
They say that bodybuilding shows are won from the back. Big arms and blown-up pecs are all well and good, but nobody is skipping chest or arm day in the weight room. On the other hand, the muscles you ... Continue Reading
The 10 Best Strongman Exercises (and Alternatives) for Beastly Strength
In many ways, the sport of strongman is the Wild West of strength training. Where other sports have rigid rulesets and nuanced technical parameters that can invalidate a lift, strongman takes the reins ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Strong shoulders stand out. From the beach to the bodybuilding stage, we know how much of a difference it can make to train your shoulder muscles properly — and that’s without even mentioning the myriad of ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Sumo Goblet Squat — Benefits, Form, Variations, and More
A good leg day should, incontestably, include some form of squat. Most people, whether they do front squats or back squats, work with the barbell. Barbell squats are all well and good — they teach you one ... Continue Reading
The 5 Best Long Head Biceps Exercises for Sculpting Your Arms
For a relatively small muscle, the biceps sure do command a lot of attention. Most gymgoers regard them as one of the quintessential glamor muscles, while bodybuilders can make (or break) their careers ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Kettlebell Goblet Squat for Perfect Posture (and Bigger Legs)
Are you struggling with keeping your chest up and heels down when you squat? Are you limited on equipment or space? Do you wonder if you’re even doing it right in the first place? These are normal thoughts ... Continue Reading
The Snatch vs. the Clean & Jerk: Pros and Cons of the Two Olympic Lifts
For weightlifters, they’re inseparable. Pitting the snatch and clean & jerk — the two competitive movements in the sport of Olympic lifting — against one another is, in many ways, an exercise in ... Continue Reading
Pallof Press vs. Plank — Similarities, Differences, and More
You know you’re not training your core enough. You’ve been relying on your deadlifts and squats to keep your core strength up for so long that you can’t remember the last time you did a crunch. It’s ... Continue Reading
The 5 Best Inner Chest Exercises
Inner chest, outer chest, lower chest, upper chest … chest. Regular gymgoers, full-time bodybuilders and, heck, even strength athletes of all stripes want a broad, powerful, three-dimensional pair of ... Continue Reading
7 Types of Bench Press Grips — Benefits and How to Use Them
If you’ve got a burning passion for the bench press, well, good. After all, it’s one of the best barbell exercises you can do. For the powerlifter, benching is an entire third of their sport. For the ... Continue Reading
The 6 Best Bodyweight Biceps Exercises for Getting Jacked Outside the Gym
If there’s one muscle group just about everyone wants to build, it’s got to be the biceps. Your biceps sit on the front of your upper arm and flex your elbow — they also happen to look awesome when ... Continue Reading
The Single-Leg Deadlift Is the Best Pulling Accessory You’re Not Doing
The single-leg deadlift is the dark horse of deadlift variations. Can you pull ultra-heavy weights with it, like you would during a rack pull? Not exactly. Is it easy to learn and perform, like the trap ... Continue Reading
How to Do a Picture-Perfect Overhead Squat for Olympic Lifting, CrossFit, and More
Do you ever wish you could perform one movement that challenged your upper and lower body at the same time? The overhead squat tests your mobility, stability, muscular strength, and resilience all at once. ... Continue Reading
Incline Bench Press vs. Flat Bench Press: Which One Builds Your Pecs Better?
When it comes to weight room equipment, the bench press station is as close as it gets to holy ground. It’s where first-time gymgoers and full-time powerlifters alike gravitate to build their pecs, bolster ... Continue Reading
The 9 Best Scapular Exercises to Improve Shoulder Strength and Health
When you’re training, your mind is usually occupied with muscles, muscles, and more muscles. And yes, you want your muscles to get bigger and stronger. But your muscles act on your bones and joints. And ... Continue Reading
How to Increase Your Bench Press — Tips and Programs to Try
(Almost) everyone wants a big bench press. Whether you’re a powerlifter on the prowl for a huge total, a bodybuilder looking to beef up their pecs, or simply hit the gym to feel good and perform well in ... Continue Reading
The Key to Nailing Split Squat Form
The split squat in all of its glory is quite a beast. While some athletes may utilize them more than others, you’d be hard-pressed to find a program that doesn’t dabble in a split squat or two at some ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Reverse Biceps Curl for Absolutely Massive Arms
Want to build an impressive pair of arms? Great. Get a pair of dumbbells for dumbbell curls. Then, find a bar and bang out some chin-ups. Also, you should probably do several sets of wrist curls for your ... Continue Reading
These Are the 12 Best Rhomboid Exercises for Your Upper Back
The rhomboids are a sneaky little pair of muscles nestled between your shoulder blades that play a role in upper back strength and scapular control. In reality, a more attractive reason to direct your ... Continue Reading
Crack the Code on New Leg Gains With the Hack Squat Machine
Fun fact — the hack squat machine wasn’t named for its rule-breaking potential in the weight room. While you can’t hack through the firewalls of physiology (you still need to eat well, recover properly, ... Continue Reading
These Are 8 of the Best Lower Ab Exercises Out There, Seriously
Everyone has their take on ab training. A powerlifter might say that all you need are heavy squats and pulls. Gymnasts work only with their body weight and are often shredded to the bone. And, for better ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Spider Curl for Bigger, Better Arms
In a way, Peter Parker kind of cheated. Not everyone can suffer a bug bite and wake up the next day with their goal physique — and superhuman senses. But, regardless, if you want to build arms that can ... Continue Reading