In the following article we'll be going over technique in the competition-style bench press (not to be confused with the average commercial gym bench press), programming strategies for improving your bench ... Continue Reading
Breaking Down Famous Back Squat Programs for Weightlifters
The back squat needs no formal introduction. By now, we have all heard it introduced as the king of all exercises, and personally, I wouldn’t label it any other way. The squat uses muscles including the ... Continue Reading
6 Indoor Rowing Workouts That Won’t Bore You To Death
Walk into any standard gym, and you’ll see a line of treadmills and ellipticals, all occupied, while the rowing machines remain almost completely empty, which is ridiculous because rowing is an incredible ... Continue Reading
Female Strength Standards: What Numbers Make an Elite Strongwoman?
When you spend the vast majority of your life training, writing about training, introducing others to training, and taking pretty pictures of said people training, it can be easy to forget that the entire ... Continue Reading
American Weightlifters Prep for Summer Universiade in Taipei
On Saturday, August 19th, the 29th Summer Universiade begins in Taipei, Taiwan. This event lasts 13 days, involves over 120 countries, and includes 22 sports. The event is put on by the International ... Continue Reading
7 Reason Strength Athletes Should Try Obstacle Course Racing
If the appearance of an Obstacle Course at the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games was any proof, Obstacle Courses are having a moment in fitness right now. But Dave Castro isn’t the first to notice. This year ... Continue Reading
Chains & Bands Are the Secret to Stronger Front Squats
The front squat is a popular squat variation to develop leg and overall strength. For some athletes, the front squat is a slightly more challenging squat variation, and with the usage of band/chains, then ... Continue Reading
5 Ways a Major Knee Injury Changed My Squat
Injuries suck. 2017 has been a real test of my tenacity toward my progress under the bar. This February, I was prepping for a powerlifting meet to qualify for USAPL Nationals (83kg weight class), and ... Continue Reading
The Jerk Dip – Exercise Guide and Benefits
When we think about the jerk, we envision driving the barbell overhead, but this is only half of the equation. A successful jerk is dependent upon a stable and efficient dip: one where the lifter maintains ... Continue Reading
The CrossFit Games As Athletic Competition: A Strongman’s Perspective
Author's note: This article is based on the CrossFit Games as an athletic competition, not a methodology of training. Editor's note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the ... 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
The Hyperextension: How To Target Your Glutes And Hamstrings
The hyperextension is an appropriate assistance movement to aid in building posterior chain strength for the squat and deadlift. The hyperextension can be used in virtually any program that has a focus on ... Continue Reading
6 Things I Learned from 6 Months of Hip Thrusts
“Your butt is weak.” It’s not what I was expecting to hear when I visited a physical therapist for my excruciating knee pain, but that was the situation: I had a poverty posterior. Weak or inactive ... Continue Reading
6 Tips to Make Counting Your Macros Way Easier
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
How to Grow Strongman in the United States
In 2017, strongman Eddie "The Beast" Hall stepped from the backstage shadows to a roaring capacity crowd at the Doncaster Dome in England. The event is on YouTube in amateur and professionally edited ... Continue Reading
Competition Tips for the Traveling Strongman
Strongman is becoming popular, really popular. More and more gyms are offering strongman equipment for their members, leading to more folks looking to test their strength and ultimately more competitions ... Continue Reading
Dropping Weight in Strongman: How to Cut Pounds and Build Strength
Strongman. The word alone conjures the image of man: tall, muscular, and larger than life. The character that the World’s Strongest Man contest has created is most likely the only one people think exists, ... Continue Reading
Official Strongman Announces New Online Qualifier (and Path to World’s Strongest Man)
Official Strongman made an announcement a few days ago that left every aspiring strongman and woman looking at flights to North Carolina. This news that has caused waves in the strength world is that they ... Continue Reading
Is Your Sleep Schedule Preventing You From Getting Stronger? 8 Questions to Ask Yourself
Most people don’t realize it, but getting stronger and sleeping go hand in hand. In fact, sleep is one of THE most important components of the recovery cycle. “With each workout, you are essentially ... Continue Reading
What CrossFitters Can Learn from Bodybuilding
I like to do silly things. If you read my article on attempting to run 100 miles in 24 hours with nothing but strength training behind me, then this statement won’t surprise you. While that particular ... 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
3 Moves that Break Through Strongman Sticking Points
The strongman is the most diverse strength athlete on the planet. The best in the world can press, pull, and load stones at bone crushing weights all while being athletic and in great anaerobic condition. ... Continue Reading
The 3 Most Brutal Strongman Training Sessions I’ve Ever Seen
Most strongman training is now very regimented. People have had the sense to pay a coach to program their sessions to follow a path to success — or at least consistent gains. Back in 2004 when I began ... Continue Reading
Are Kieliszkowski and Licis the Future of Strongman?
You may have read about Dimitar Savatinov’s recent, incredible, world-record setting 315lbs dumbbell press. It certainly blew me away! The former Ringling Bros. Circus strongman has held and broken that ... Continue Reading