One of the fastest growing sports of the last 20 years has been Mixed Martial Arts. These highly specialized athletes are some of the strongest and most well conditioned people on the planet. While nearly ... Continue Reading
How to Program Speed Work for Raw Powerlifters
Speed work for raw powerlifting gets a bad rep sometimes, and I can understand why. Lots of equipped lifters swear by the power of speed work to help increase a one-rep maxes, but when a raw guy tries to ... Continue Reading
A Powerlifter’s Take On the If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) Diet
In my last YouTube video, I said that I haven’t really dieted in years – that I just eat whatever the hell I want to. That was really misleading, so I want to clarify. Yes, I do typically eat whatever the ... Continue Reading
Three Steps to Better Time Management for Busy Strength Athletes
When I moved to Texas from Northern California in 2011, the biggest culture shock I experienced was time. People move at a bit of a slower pace in Texas, and – especially after having spent the first 25 ... Continue Reading
I Know You Can Jump, But Can You Land?
When I start working with a new athlete, one of the first things we work on is landing mechanics. It doesn’t matter to me if you can jump on a 50” box if you’re not able to land properly coming off ... Continue Reading
Honestly Ask Yourself: Are You Working Hard Enough?
If you’ve been following me on social media, you know that I’m a pretty conservative guy. I’m usually talking about topics like, Cutting back on how much work you do in the gym Saving some ... Continue Reading
These Are 32 Things Strong Women Do Not Want to Hear On Dates
Let's set the scene. You have a date coming up with a super cool lady, and you find out soon after she's really into lifting. Now you're no stranger to the gym, but you're not heavily involved in ... Continue Reading
5 Essential Tips for an Aspiring Young Bodybuilder
I am so grateful for the people I knew at the start of my bodybuilding career. They gave me words of advice that prevented me from making huge mistakes that could have jeopardized my future in ... Continue Reading
Cardio and Powerlifting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Cardio is a double-edged sword for powerlifters. On the one hand, cardio will help you to shed fat, will probably make you feel a bit better and healthier in your daily life, and might improve your work ... Continue Reading
The Real Pros and Cons of the Bodybuilding Lifestyle
Over my career, from beginner all the way to the Olympia stage, I heard it all. Every sleazy comment, every myth and misconception about the bodybuilding lifestyle. In my experience the average person, ... Continue Reading
5 Things You Can Expect When Attending a Women’s Powerlifting Event
I recently had the pleasure of attending a “Women In Strength” event at my gym; The Warhouse Gym in Reading, Pennsylvania. The event was hosted by Dana Linn Bailey, Jennifer Thompson, and Megan Gallagher ... Continue Reading
Is It Normal for the IT Band to “Pop”?
It’s quite common for our joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments to make popping and cracking noises throughout day-to-day activities and our training routines. These sounds are thought to be caused by a ... Continue Reading
Kipping Pull-Up Injuries – 4 Reasons Why and How They Happen
In this article I wanted to spend some time going through the kipping pull-up, specifically whether or not it is responsible for shoulder and muscular injuries (SLAP tears, labrum issues, muscle strains, ... Continue Reading
Cyclical Ketogenic Diet: The Best Type of Keto Diet For Strength & Power Athletes?
“Keto” seems to be the new buzzword in the health and fitness industry. Sure, you may have heard the term ketogenic diet, but did you know that there’s more than one type of keto diet? And more ... Continue Reading
Chelsea Savit Talks Body Positivity, Elite Powerlifting, and Being a “Beefpuff”
Walking away from a 15-year gymnastics career and turning to the sport of powerlifting changed Chelsea Savit’s life. From constantly feeling like her body was under a microscope and only valued for the way ... Continue Reading
3 Common Myths of Pregnancy and Strength Training
Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, ... Continue Reading
Three (Non-Lifting) Books That Will Make You a Better Lifter
Most writers love to read, and I’m no exception. I read a lot of different genres, but I can never turn off that “lifter” switch, so I’m always trying to apply what I read to my training. Usually, that ... Continue Reading
The Benefits of Ab Rollouts and Progressions to Perform Them
A strong core is useful for every type strength athlete and for multiple reasons. It supports bigger compound movements, it can promote one's overall athleticism, and it helps the maintenance of a healthy ... Continue Reading
4 Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Strength Athletes
Intermittent fasting has been around for a while, and it has become increasingly popular as one of the latest diet trends in the health and fitness industry today. Its recent popularity has grown ... 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
Why Do Some Lifters Screw Their Feet Into the Floor During Deadlifts?
Have you ever seen videos of strength athletes screwing their feet into the floor before deadlifts and various compound movements? This is a cue that can hold different benefits and purposes, which will be ... Continue Reading
What’s an Elite Weightlifter, and How Do You Define It?
The term 'elite' gets thrown around a lot in strength sports, and most of the time haphazardly without a clear cut definition. Although, in defense of the usage of the word, it's tough to clearly define ... Continue Reading
Op-Ed: Why You (Yes, You) Should Be Doing Olympic Weightlifting
We think it’s pretty safe to say that by now, we all know strength training is good for you. Even mainstream gymgoers will typically agree that while, yes, cardio can be a great way to improve your health, ... Continue Reading
5 Instant Game Changing Techniques for Strength Athletes
The clock is always ticking for the athlete. There is only so much time you will have in your life to play your given sport before you eventually will stagnate and begin to lose ground. If you haven’t ... Continue Reading