There are two main ways to begin a snatch and/or clean & jerk. The first is a dynamic start, one that has the lifter assume a strong starting position and dynamically move from the pulling stance ... Continue Reading
Be Happy Because You’ll Never Be Satisfied
A reporter allegedly once asked John D. Rockefeller “How much money is enough?” He responded, “Just a little bit more.” The same concept applies to weightlifting, but there's a difference between being ... Continue Reading
3 Common Faults During the Jerk and How to Fix Them
The jerk requires positional strength, posture, timing, and power. Many lifters may find the jerk to be one of the most daunting movements to do after a heavy clean recovery, as one must now hoist hundreds ... Continue Reading
A Process to Improve Your Strongman Game
Constant measurable progress is every athlete's primary goal. To improve every time you step into the gym may come fast and easy for beginners, but it grows increasingly difficult with every subsequent ... Continue Reading
Returning to Weightlifting After Time Off
Recently, I was asked by a few different athletes how I train to come back to weightlifting after taking time off whether from injury or just a break. In all honestly, I was a little stumped. I’ve had ... Continue Reading
3 Reasons Why Coaches Should Program Weightlifting More Frequently (and How)
Like any skill-dependent sport, Olympic weightlifting demands high degrees of motor control, neurological stimulation, and force capacities. While advancements can surely be made training the formal lifts ... Continue Reading
How to Get Better at Olympic Weightlifting
Olympic weightlifting is not something people naturally pick up and find great success at on a regular basis. While it is true that some gifted lifters may transition/get started very easily into the ... Continue Reading
A Step by Step Breakdown of the Farmer’s Walk
The Farmer’s Walk, a common strongman event, has grown in popularity amongst athletes, general fitness enthusiasts, and anyone wanting to get stronger. The benefits of farmer’s walks are numerous: improved ... Continue Reading
Why Weightlifters Need Confidence (and How to Build It)
Olympic weightlifting is about all about technique, acceleration, strength, technique, confidence, positional strength, mobility, and technique. While it may sound redundant to say technique is critical to ... Continue Reading
Why Doubles and Triples Can Increase Your Weightlifting Maxes
Increasing your 1-rep max in the snatch and clean and jerk is an arduous process, often exchanging mere kilos on the bar for countless hours, weeks, and months of continuous training. The trials and ... Continue Reading
5 Ways to Find Your Motivation for Fitness Again
Throughout certain parts of an annual training cycle, coaches and athletes need to strike balance between highly structured programming (pre-competition and competition cycles) and more unstructured ... Continue Reading
Why Every Athlete Should Do More Beltless Squat Training
In an earlier article we discussed the benefits of using a weightlifting belt during training and competition, which naturally paved the way for belt vs. beltless debate among many strength and power ... Continue Reading
I Tried Jason Khalipa’s EMOM of the Day. Here’s What I Learned
Full disclosure: I love Jason Khalipa. #mancrush I mean, who doesn’t? In my opinion, Jason’s the “OG” of CrossFit. He was crowned champion at the CrossFit Games in 2008 and has been a staple at ... Continue Reading
Throwback to When Arnold Schwarzenegger Worked at Gold’s Gym
The Arnold Classic is roughly three weeks away. This year the festivities are kicking off March 2-5th in Columbus, Ohio (similar to previous years). The Arnold is one of the biggest strength expos of the ... Continue Reading
3 Back Exercises Every Weightlifter Should Be Doing Weekly
Before you start skimming the article to find three new, trendy, and “magical” back exercises, stop real quick and ask yourself one honest question… “Do I do strict pull ups, bent over rows, and back ... Continue Reading
College Versus High School: Where Should Weightlifting Athletes Start?
Editors note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend or USA Weightlifting. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have ... Continue Reading
Which Event Really Finds the World’s Top Strongman?
“A monopoly is the antithesis of a marketplace of ideas.” When famed American economist Thomas Sowell declared the above, I sincerely doubt that he was talking about strongman. That doesn’t stop it ... Continue Reading
Reebok Legacy Lifters Review
The Reebok Legacy Lifters were constructed and designed with pure Olympic weightlifting in mind, making these shoes Reebok’s first true weightlifting shoe in some time. The Reebok Legacy Lifters were ... Continue Reading
10 Things Every Beginner and Intermediate Olympic Weightlifter Should Learn
Weightlifting is a lifestyle. It takes years of dedicated hours, reps, and methodical training to develop yourself into a stronger, more power, and technically-improved lifter. The snatch and clean and ... Continue Reading
7 Ways to Finish Faster on Timed WODs
Functional fitness athletes and members know all too well the uncertainty that can be felt during the countdown of starting a new Workout of the Day (WOD). Whether they are nerves knowing you will be ... Continue Reading
Ranking the 2017 Britain’s Strongest Man Performances
New athletes shining, the return of old favorites, a few upsets, a few surprises, and Eddie Hall showing that he’s more than a static monster. This past Saturday’s Britain’s Strongest Man had it all and ... Continue Reading
4 Fundamental Strongman Movements Every Athlete Can Add Into Their Training
Strongman training can offer the average gym goer the opportunity to diversify their strength potentials in varying, highly functional movement patterns and positions. For lifters with minimal strongman ... Continue Reading
How High Should Your Elbows Be In the Jerk?
“Elbows Up!” We have all heard this cue (elbows up, meaning 90 degrees/perpendicular to the torso) during the jerk, where a coach or fellow lifter repeatedly urges the lifter to drive their elbows up ... Continue Reading
How Strongman Athletes Can Enhance Recovery and Progress Outside Training
In my preceding article I discussed how taking more than just your training seriously could have major benefits to your long term gains. By compounding the interest of proper recovery and minimization of ... Continue Reading