Last week, while at my regular coffee shop in my usual tight-fitting Lululemon pants, a stranger yelled, “Whoa!” I looked over, to which he pointed to my legs and brought both of his hands together the ... Continue Reading
5 Keys to Keeping Personal Training Clients for Years
When I first started coaching in 2009, I thought it was my job to convince the prospect that we would provide them with the most effective training program they had ever followed, so they would get as fit ... Continue Reading
Three Tips for Switching From Bodybuilding to Powerlifting
By now, you probably know about my experiment with bodybuilding — specifically, with Classic Physique — and, if you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you know that in the long-term, it’s just not for ... Continue Reading
Is Technology Hurting Or Helping Your Training? 4 Rules to Help You Decide
If you’re anything like me, you have a pretty set routine that you follow before you begin training. I like to get to the gym, spend a few minutes chatting to help rid myself of the pre-workout jitters, ... Continue Reading
Op-Ed: There Is No Such Thing As the “10 Best Lifts”
Recently, BarBend author Nick English wrote an op-ed titled “These Are the 10 Best Lifts, Fight Me” — one of which, weighted planks, even featured yours truly! Since Nick asked for it, I’m gonna offer my ... Continue Reading
How Strength Athletes Can Structure Low and Medium Carb Cycling Days
In my last article, I wrote about how I’m taking a break from powerlifting to apply my strength to building my physique. My goals are to give my joints a rest and my body time to heal, and to get my ... Continue Reading
Three BIG Reasons Why Every Powerlifter Should Try Bodybuilding
You all probably know that I’m taking a break from powerlifting to focus on getting my pro card in bodybuilding — an ambitious feat, to be sure, but one that I truly believe is possible based on my last ... Continue Reading
3 Unconventional Ways to Prep for Powerlifting Meets
Well, it’s officially the month of the US Open, and I have to say, I’m pretty psyched. After my mishmashed foray into bodybuilding last year, I re-found my love for heavy lifting, and so far, the result ... Continue Reading
The Underrated Benefits of the Leg Press for Powerlifters
By now, I’ve written a lot about assistance exercises for powerlifting — including the importance of not overdoing them. In case you don’t have time to watch the video, it basically comes down to this: ... Continue Reading
Winter Bulking Made Easy: 3 Strategies for Big Gains
Well, it’s wintertime, and that means it’s time to put the tees and tanks away, pull out the winter coats and heavy sweatpants, and start thinking about the holidays. It’s also time to start making gains! ... Continue Reading
3 Grip Tips and a Workout from Old Timey Strongmen
The prisoner was discovered, and he then had but one option: he must escape… He threw himself at the gate and shook the bars violently, but the iron refused to bend. The guards advanced in the dark, and we ... Continue Reading
The Top 5 Men’s Strongman Performances of CrossFit Workout “Grace”
One of my absolute favorite things about the CrossFit Games format is the Wild Card spaces, which though aren’t technically new are now a lot more official. These spots are to be reserved for any ... Continue Reading
3 Ways to Modify Lifts When You’re Having a Bad Workout
We’ve all had those days: the ones where you walk into the gym and you’re just not feeling it. Whether you’re feeling under the weather, you’ve had a hectic day, or you’re just plain worn out, it’s ... Continue Reading
7 Things Every Powerlifter Should Ask Themselves Before Their Next Meet
A 10-second Google search can find about ten million pre-meet checklists. It’s really simple to make a list of food and equipment you might need on the big day. But the actual meet is only one day in ... Continue Reading
Slow Life Down for Bigger and Stronger Gains In the Gym
Modern life is fast-paced. It sometimes seems like a constant rush to do more, faster, and better, no matter whether you’re at work or in the gym! But oftentimes going slower is the smarter strategy, ... Continue Reading
When Should You “Rx Plus” a WOD?
I’ve never been a big fan of overly clichéd motivational posts. Seeing a spuriously attributed quote about wolves' self esteem embedded on a stock image just doesn’t get me hyped like it’s supposed to. But ... Continue Reading
Op-Ed: 3 Ways to Improve the World’s Strongest Man Contest
Editors note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been ... Continue Reading
Celebrating America’s 5 World’s Strongest Man Winners
In the Revolutionary War, Americans proved they were of strong resolve and conviction… but did they even lift? As you toast to our independence, remember these five exceptional Americans who proved to ... Continue Reading
Is the Strength Wars League the Future of Strength Sports?
This week, YouTube channel Strength Wars launched a unique strength athletics league based on their popular head-to-head lifting videos. With more than 850,000 subscribers and more than 125,000,000 ... Continue Reading
Strongman Showdown: Can Eddie Hall Beat Brian Shaw in 2017?
Perhaps the only person as tenacious as Eddie Hall is an Eddie Hall fan. Strength enthusiasts seem to rally behind him more than any other strongman. This claim is not merely anecdotal, though teems of ... Continue Reading
Interview: Matthias Steiner Talks Training PRs, His Singing Career, and Lifting With Diabetes
Matthias Steiner's retirement from weightlifting has been anything but boring. The world-renowned, Olympic gold medal-winning weightlifter will go down in history for his extraordinary win at the 2008 ... Continue Reading
Why Strongman Fans Should Pay Attention to the Apollon’s Axle
Louis Uni is a name that probably means nothing to even the most ardent of strongman history buffs, and while his birth name might of fallen into obscurity, his legacy is still going strong. The ... Continue Reading
Why You Should Share Your Strength Journey
I started uploading lifting videos of in the summer of 2014. What started as a journal of personal records and training footage, slowly turned into more of a diary of what it meant to be a strength ... Continue Reading
Two Days Training With Andy Bolton, First Man to Deadlift 1,000 Pounds
The traditional route to strength is heavy weights and volume. It’s the path that led Andy Bolton to his first forty eight 900lb pulls, but it won’t be the way he gets his last two. Instead, the former ... Continue Reading