The 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games are currently underway. There seem to be some universal expectations: the apocalypse needs to occur for reigning four-time Fittest Woman on Earth®, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, to ... Continue Reading
Live From the Field — 2021 World’s Strongest Man Finals Predictions
Phil Blechman here. You might recognize my face from the little circle under the title of many articles on BarBend, as one person in the crowd at the 2021 World's Strongest Man (WSM) contest did (thanks ... Continue Reading
4 Things You Can’t Learn From Your Coaching Certification
Athletic coaching is not a particularly lucrative profession — most of the time, people teach out of passion towards the activity or sport in question. That kind of dedication, coupled with the knowledge ... Continue Reading
What It Takes to Coach a CrossFit Games Athlete
I first met Kari Pearce in early 2015. One of my star athletes at the time (Lindsay Bourdon), who I coached in the National Pro Grid League (NPGL), was a teammate of Kari’s on the University of Michigan ... Continue Reading
New Poll Shows 46% Would Support Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Presidential Bid
If former professional wrestling superstar turned silver-screen action hero, Titan Games host, and tequila entrepreneur Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ran for President of the United States (POTUS) in ... Continue Reading
5 Big Myths People Believe About CrossFit Games Athletes
CrossFit is for everyone — and yes, I do mean everyone. It looks intimidating from the outside, but at heart, we’re just a group of people who like to learn new skills and get sweaty in under an hour. From ... Continue Reading
I Won An Olympic Weightlifting Medal At 17. Here’s What The Games Mean to Me
The Olympics kicked off in Atlanta in 1996, the year I started to lift weights. At the time, I didn't think too much about the significance, and I didn't pay attention to that year's weightlifting ... Continue Reading
Is Social Media Ruining Your Progress in the Gym?
The potential pitfalls of social media use have been well-documented, from increasing our negative body image, reducing the quality and quantity of our sleep, and undermining our mental health. These ... Continue Reading
I’m a Former CrossFit Games Athlete and Champion. Transitioning to “Normal” Fitness Wasn’t Easy
Exercise is something we have been told is important for a healthy lifestyle. Most people who exercise do it something like 2-5 days a week, an hour or so at a time, switching up their routines based on ... Continue Reading
4 Things Gym Owners Can Do to Rebound After COVID-19
As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the world, many of us in the fitness industry see a light at the end of the tunnel. However, if we expect to return to running a fitness business exactly as we did in ... Continue Reading
Why Your Gym Is Stuck At 150 Members
Lots of functional fitness gyms get stuck at the mythical 150 member mark and can't break past it. Why is this? If you've spent any time watching TED Talks or reading blog posts from thought leaders, ... Continue Reading
How I Address Back Pain After Heavy Deadlifting & Squatting
There is rarely a strength athlete who has not experienced back pain at one point in their career. When it hits the pain can be so devastating, bending forward to pick a pencil off the ground can feel like ... Continue Reading
What Strongman Will Look Like in 2025 (and Beyond)
The first games held by our hunter gatherer relatives would have been simple by today's standards. Contests of speed, strength, and agility were contested by distance markers like “Race you to that tree ... Continue Reading
“Strong Like Her” Celebrates the Game-Changing Women in Sports
Strong Like Her: A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes shines a light on history’s rule breakers. From the Greek mother who disguised herself as a male trainer and ... Continue Reading
CrossFit’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity: Inclusion
The close of the 2020 CrossFit Games seemed like the perfect time to write a piece capturing the tumultuousness of the year for the CrossFit brand and to cast a hopeful light on 2021. After all, despite a ... Continue Reading
What Virtual Fitness CAN’T Replace in Coaching and Strength
When I was 15 years old, I was an aspiring young athlete, hoping to play sports (basketball and golf) in college. I didn’t know much about strength training at the time, and 30 years ago we couldn’t just ... Continue Reading
Strongman Corporation Nationals 2020 — A Tale of Resilience and Grit
Logan Pragovich was two weeks into auto stem cell therapy for his second battle against cancer when he decided to compete in Strongman Corporation Nationals. No stranger to training, Pragovich had ... Continue Reading
3 Overhead Carry Trap Bar Variations and Their Benefits
Normal farmer's carries might appear to be of no value besides strengthening grip. However, when you pick up weights and walk, you’ll find there’s so much more to it. Taking a weight into an overhead ... Continue Reading
Animal Flow and The Benefits for Powerlifters
Figuring out how to improve your powerlifting routine without taking away from your recovery or program specificity can be tough. Adding new moves for the sake of it won't necessarily amount to much, and ... Continue Reading
9 Kettlebell Benchmarks To Strive For
It can be tough to track progress when working with kettlebells. If you only have access to a limited weight range, it can feel like a game of diminishing returns. How can you tell if you’re getting ... Continue Reading
Can You Train With Kettlebells Every Day?
Maybe you fell in love with kettlebells during quarantine, or maybe your love affair with them has been going on for far longer. It doesn't matter. Your eyes have been opened to the benefits kettlebell ... Continue Reading
Chris Cuomo Sets Lifting World Ablaze With Allegedly Fake 100-Pound Dumbbell Press
Chris Cuomo is the host of the prime time cable news show "Cuomo Prime Time", which airs weeknights on CNN. More often than not, Cuomo covers the news. But sometimes, he is the news. A video of ... Continue Reading
IATBP Is Transforming Powerlifting and Bodybuilding For Trans And Nonbinary Lifters
Powerlifters and bodybuilders — athletes across strength sports, really — have been struggling with the lack of competition and in person camaraderie during the Coronavirus pandemic. That loss has been ... Continue Reading
Will Apple Fitness+, Peloton, and Others Spell the End for Fitness Studios?
When it comes to studio fitness, many of us have sipped the Kool-Aid. The rapid growth of brands like CrossFit®, Barry’s Bootcamp, and SoulCycle are easy indicators that we’ve liked what we experienced. ... Continue Reading