The tight calves perfect storm: heavy compound movements, sitting all day, and wearing shoes with elevated heels. If you're a desk worker, or even someone who spends a good chunk of their day sitting, ... Continue Reading
Should I Gain Muscle or Fat? The Answer May Surprise You
When we think of athletes, the image that often comes to mind is one of a Greek statue; lean and muscular with a perfect body, free of fat. Most times this is exactly what most competitors who are in ... Continue Reading
Strength Athletes: Listen to Your Body, a Quick Mental Reminder
Listening to your body is one piece of advice that I give to many lifters that I myself struggle to adhere to daily. It’s easy to get caught up with wanting to train as hard as you can or wanting to ... Continue Reading
Powerlifters: If You Can Only Do 5 Accessory Exercises, Pick These
Don't get me wrong, I love the big three and their variations as much as any powerlifter. But if there’s one thing I learned in my years as a pro bodybuilder, it’s that being strong in a ... Continue Reading
5 Ways I Maintain Strength During a Weight Cut
There is a misconception that if you are dieting, you are bound to lose strength in your beloved lifting. This assumption is not necessarily valid. Here are a few things you can do while dieting down ... Continue Reading
Overcoming Excuses: What’s REALLY Holding Back Your Strength
I know very few people in this community that train and compete simply for the sake of doing so. The vast majority of bikers and runners do so for activity and social reasons; they have no desire to ... Continue Reading
9 Steps For Improving Your Toes To Bar (Plus Why You’ll Want To)
From crunches and sit-ups, to planks and toe touches, there are endless ways to work the abs. But it’s the upper abs and obliques that tend to get all the love from the most popular ab exercises. While the ... Continue Reading
Ma Jianping Talks Differences In Competing After Taking 3 Decades Off
It’s taken a fair amount of time, but 1984 Chinese Olympian Ma Jianping (Coach Ma) -known to his peers as Coach Ma - came back and conquered the platform. Coach Ma’s last high profile competition was at ... Continue Reading
If You’re a Strength Athlete, Stop Using the Word ‘Fix’
So often, I hear athletes say things like “I’m going to come in to fix my Jerk”, or “Can you fix my snatch?” STOP! This is implying that one cue, one exercise, or even within one day that you can ... Continue Reading
12 BarBend Articles That Keep Our Readers Coming Back
The other week we held a BarBend wrist wrap giveaway on our Instagram page. In order to win, athletes had to do two things: Share their favorite article with us, then state why it was their top pick. Our ... Continue Reading
4 Tips for Dating Someone Who Works Out At Your Gym
Dating someone who works out at your gym could relate back to the old saying that goes, "Don't foul your own nest." This saying essentially means, don't do something that could have negative ... Continue Reading
How Deep to Squat for Strongman Training
Everything in life changes, including the definition of what is the best way to squat. To be a comprehensive athlete you must develop as many techniques as you can and know when to employ them in your ... Continue Reading
The Most Important Strongman Event…Ever?
Something unbelievable is happening, and in one way or another you need to be a part of it. December 15 - 17 are the crucial dates for the future of strongman. The Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina ... Continue Reading
4 Essential Exercises for a Stronger Neck
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
Could Weight Distribution Be the Reason You’re Missing Olympic Lifts?
Weightlifting technique is built off of cause and effect principles. Very simply put, when you push down, things move up. You push forwards, things move backwards. Unfortunately, we lose sight of basic ... Continue Reading
Are the Somatotypes Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph Relevant In Training?
Most athletes have heard about the three different somatotypes used to classify different body types. These include the terms ectomorph, mesomorph, and endormorph. Each somatotype ropes everyone into these ... Continue Reading
How This Strongman Became a Wife Carrying Champion
In 2016, New England strongman Elliot Storey and his wife Giana became the North American champions in the unusual sport of wife carrying, a race that's part obstacle course, part strongman, and part ... Continue Reading
When (and Why) You Should Slow Down the Olympic Lifts
Come on, SLOW DOWN! Take your time getting into your key positions of each exercise, hold it, THEN you can move fast and aggressively! This is opposed to a dip and an immediate change of direction back up ... Continue Reading
Is Lifting Weights Hurting Your Teeth?
Editor's Note: The advice below is not one-size-fits-all. If you are experiencing tooth pain — stemming from exercise or other reasons — please consult your dental professional. When it comes to ... Continue Reading
5 Lessons I’ve Learned and Used to Build My Dream Gym
I created Lift Lab Co a little over three years ago. This is the second gym I've owned, and prior to that I was teaching and coaching at Purdue University. Before that, I was in coaching purgatory—a ... Continue Reading
5 Plyometric Exercises for a Stronger Deadlift
Plyometric movements are a great way to increase overall fitness, power, and strength, which can lead to a stronger barbell movements like the deadlift, explains Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified ... Continue Reading
Catching Up with Chris Peil, Movement Coach to Eddie Hall and Zydrunas Savickas
The age of gigantic immobile strongmen is over. Long live even bigger, more athletic strongmen. While strength might be the name of the game in strongman, there is much more to the sport than just being ... Continue Reading
Why Visualizing Success Is So Important for Powerlifting
Editor’s note: This article is part three of a three part series that will share insight into Charles Okpoko’s lifting career. The series will cover Okpoko’s athletic beginnings, his developing and ... Continue Reading
How to Make Strongman Your Day Job
Nearly everyone who has been bitten by the weightlifting bug has had the dream of making a living from it. Strongman athletes are no different. The desire to wake up and train, eat right and train some ... Continue Reading