Memorial Day might be the most solemn of American holidays, being less about celebration and more about remembering the sacrifices the military has made for the country. The military and law enforcement ... Continue Reading
Ray Williams Matches World Record, 1,052-Pound Squat in Training
"Let's do this sh*t!" says Ray Williams, somehow managing to speak coherently, stand for more than ten seconds, and then squat 1,052 pounds (477.18kg). Over the weekend, Williams was getting ... Continue Reading
2017 CrossFit Games California Regional: Upsets & an Invite Declined
For one Games veteran, it was the end of an era. For another, the beginning of a new family. After nine consecutive years competing at the CrossFit Games, Rebecca Voigt came up short in qualifying, ... Continue Reading
Breaking: Eddie Hall Wins 2017 World’s Strongest Man in Botswana
In what many strongman fans might consider a shocking upset, British athlete Eddie Hall has beaten his fiercest rivals to claim the 2017 World's Strongest Man title. Hall's win marks the first time since ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Games California Region Day 1: Veterans Make a Push, and Can Becca Voigt Qualify?
There aren't many constants in CrossFit, but Valerie Voboril is a rare exception. After sitting out the 2016 CrossFit Games season, the Games veteran and podium finisher is back to business and sits in ... Continue Reading
A Guide to Strength Training During Ramadan
Fasting from both food and fluid all day, every day, for an entire month, puts the body under stress. And for many Muslims, that’s the point: the month of Ramadan is for spiritual reflection and devotion, ... Continue Reading
Glute Strength Goes Mainstream as Al Roker Hip Thrusts on the Today Show
If Dwayne Johnson grunting his way through a set of hip thrusts on Instagram last week wasn’t enough proof that glute strength is going mainstream, wait until you see none other than Al Roker strengthening ... Continue Reading
10 Signs You’ve Found Your Perfect Lifting Partner
Swolemate, gym bro, lifting partner, metal compadre, and iron brother/sister, all terms we use when describing our best gym friend. This person could be our significant other (swolemate), or best ... Continue Reading
How to Use Resistance Bands to Increase Strength, Power, and 1-RMs
One of the many ways strength athletes can increase their power and force production under the bar is with the use of resistance bands. Bands are an awesome modality to incorporate in programming when you ... Continue Reading
Elliott Hulse Talks Strongman, Active Meditation, and Bioenergetics
Elliott Hulse is one of the OG online strength coaches. The 2009 Strongest Man in Florida, he started building his online coaching platform and established Strength Camp in 2007 as a way to bring athletes ... Continue Reading
The NFL’s Strongest Glutes? James Harrison Hip Thusts 675 Pounds for Reps
James Harrison is probably the most reliable pass rusher on the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the glimpses of his training regimen that he posts every few days to Instagram provide some great insight for ... Continue Reading
Elite Powerlifters Discuss Deadlifting With a Rounded Back
Maximal deadlifts performed with a somewhat flexed thoracic may be one of the few lifts that receives more criticism than bench pressing with a huge arch. Both are highly controversial topics in terms of ... Continue Reading
Fred “Dr. Squat” Hatfield Passes Away at 74
Dr. Fred Hatfield, one of the first men to squat over 1,000 pounds, passed away this weekend at seventy-four years old. It's hard to adequately summarize the life of a man who left such an indelible ... Continue Reading
Diabetes and Strength Training – What You Should Remember
This article does not constitute medical advice. Please see your licensed medical physician for information about how best to manage diabetes in your individual case. It's always a good idea ... Continue Reading
Review: Generation Iron 2 Is an Unfocused Snapshot of Modern Bodybuilding
We've been counting the days since Generation Iron 2 was announced last year. A spiritual sequel of the 1977 masterpiece Pumping Iron, which chronicled the rivalry between a young Arnold ... Continue Reading
Watch Kenya’s First Female Olympian Weightlifter Train With Her Daughter
"I'm the best female weightlifter in Kenya," says Mercy Obiero in the opening moments of Pumping Iron With Kenya's Strongest Mother and Daughter. The second line is from her daughter Natasha: "My goal ... Continue Reading
How to Watch the 2017 USA Weightlifting National Championships
This weekend is the 2017 USA Weightlifting National Championships, which is being held May 11-14th in Chicago, Illinois. If you're interested in checking in on your favorite athletes, then check ... Continue Reading
Is Charles Okpoko the Next Great Thing in Powerlifting?
At the ripe old age of 21, Charles Okpoko has built quite an impressive list of powerlifting accomplishments. A brief list of his accomplishments can be seen below, and keep in mind, he's only been ... Continue Reading
Swearing Improves Strength and Stamina, Says New Study
It’s the last five minutes of an intense workout, your body is screaming at you to stop, your mind is screaming back at it to keep going! Keep going! You can do it! You can do it you m**********r! We’ve ... Continue Reading
Bar and Plate Giveaway from Pure Strength
This giveaway concluded - and the winner is: Jeff Craft from Bloomington, Indiana! Congrats Jeff, and thanks to all who entered! BarBend and Pure Strength are teaming up to give one lucky strength ... Continue Reading
Everything You Want to Know About USA Weightlifting’s Development Camps
When news broke earlier this week about USA Weightlifting's brand new talent development camps, the organization was flooded with questions from hopeful young athletes wanting to attend and seasoned ... Continue Reading
Important: There’s an Instagram of People Snatching Snack Food
Rubbing our eyes and wearily sipping our morning coffees, the BarBend team sat at our desks this morning and opened our laptops. As the screens flickered to life and we began our morning ritual of looking ... Continue Reading
Catching Up With Sopita Tanasan, Rio Gold Medalist and IWF Weightlifter of the Year
Everything changed for Sopita Tanasan in Rio de Janeiro. While the then 21-year-old had been competing internationally in weightlifting for years — she had medaled at four World Weightlifting ... Continue Reading
What Are Your Thoughts on the Nike Romaleos 3 Freedom?
As we head into the spring and summer, it only seems fitting that Nike drop a new color scheme for the Nike Romaleos 3 geared towards representing the USA. We're not sure if this was done in an attempt to ... Continue Reading