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
Should Olympic Weightlifters Bench Press?
Bench pressing is often a touchy subject when we talk about accessory training for Olympic weightlifters. Many coaches and athletes feel that bench pressing can lead to tightness in the pecs and shoulders ... Continue Reading
Should Non-Olympic Weightlifters Wear Weightlifting Shoes?
Weightlifting specific shoes are commonly seen on platforms, competitions, and training facilities around the world, with many lifters left to ask themselves, “Should I get myself a pair of weightlifting ... Continue Reading
The Pros and Cons of Jerking from Blocks
If you are fortunate enough to have access to weightlifting blocks that are capable of training jerks, you may or may not have already taken advantage of them. Block training, in regards to the jerk, ... Continue Reading
A Strongman’s Guide to Gear: Competition Starter Pack
There is a running joke amongst many in the Strongman world, which is that we’re just in it for the gear. Strongman competitors are the ultimate “gear whores”, as a friend indelicately put it. Lever ... Continue Reading
Full-Time Job. Full-Time Family. When Do I Work Out?
I work a full-time job that requires four hours of commuting each day. I have three children aged 7, 5, and 2. I’m a busy guy. As a working parent, there is a constant struggle we all face between ... Continue Reading
3 Movements to Boost Your Lagging Front Squat
As a weightlifter, a lagging front squat is about as nagging as something can get. Recently, I was able to power clean nearly 88% of my clean, for a triple, on an OK day. According to Ursula Garza ... Continue Reading
How to Increase Your Speed Under the Barbell in the Snatch
Getting under a barbell in a fraction of a second takes courage, precision, and power. The ability to drive a load vertically with the legs, back, and traps is only half the lift, with many lifters finding ... Continue Reading
How to Individualize Your Snatch Grip Width
Grip width can play a pivotal role in the pulling strength, overhead stability, and performance in the snatch (as well as the clean and jerk). Many coaches and athletes have relied upon common methods to ... Continue Reading