The single-arm snatch is more than just a cool looking exercise. Long ago, our strong and stoic forefathers were performing this lift regularly to develop raw power and strength. I must admit, at first ... Continue Reading
Pulling Variations to Increase Leg Drive in the Snatch and Clean
Leg strength is critical in weightlifting movements. During the first pull of both the snatch and clean, knee extension takes place to bring the bar path up and into the lifter. In the event a lifter ... Continue Reading
4 Reasons Why Every Lifter Can Benefit from Unilateral Training
Regardless of sport, research suggests most athletes can benefit immensely from adding unilateral training into their current training routine. Often, training regimens include a slew of bilateral ... Continue Reading
5 Strength and Positioning Exercises to Improve the First Pull
Snatches and cleans are complex movements, ones that require coaches and athletes to have a thorough understanding of the individual components of each movement; and how one tiny fault can lead to missed ... Continue Reading
Are You Strong? Building Strength Standards Across Five Key Movements
When you see it you certainly know it, yet defining just what counts as strong is surprisingly tricky. When I first started lifting, I was pretty sure I knew what it meant to be strong. To me it was being ... Continue Reading
Anderson Squat – How It Benefits Your Training
Squatting strength and performance is arguably one of the most vital attributes for strength, power, and functional fitness athletes. Often, athletes may find themselves and their squat performance ... Continue Reading
10 Crazy Impressive Videos of Humans Lifting Humans
Lately I’ve been seeing a ton of videos of lifters using humans for weights and it makes me so happy. In most cases, these videos are lifters performing multiple reps with humans, which is even more ... Continue Reading
Don’t Fear the Half Squat: How to Use This Underrated Training Tool
I have always had the firm belief that everything has its place, regardless of how despised it might be. Take bicep curls: many a strongman has laughed off bicep curls as a vanity exercise, but oddly they ... Continue Reading
10 Time-Saving Tips for Weightlifting Workouts
Weightlifting is a very time-dependent sport. Elite weightlifters train hours per day, for years. Even novice lifters looking to increase basic understanding, strength, and power may very well find ... Continue Reading
Joe Mills’ 20/20 Workout: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect Weightlifting
"The woods are full of strongmen, but very few great weightlifters!" - Joe Mills Joe Mills was a national level coach, weightlifter (1930s), and member of the Weightlifting Hall of Fame. Joe coached some ... Continue Reading
The Zercher Squat: How, When, and Why It Should Be In You Training
The Zercher Squat is a movement-based exercise that nearly every athlete, regardless of sport goal, can benefit from. This unique squat variation can increase upper mock strength and posture, core ... Continue Reading
The 10 Commandments of Leg Day
As legend has it...many years ago, there was a man named “Broses” who would forever change the way we train legs. It was a normal Wednesday, Broses's typical leg day (chest was Monday and arms ... Continue Reading
5 Life-Skills for Effective Strength Coaching
“Success” is a very subjective term. One person’s definition of success may be from a financial standpoint, while another may seek merit based upon accolades, accreditations, or simply the amount of lives ... Continue Reading
Women And Weakness: Why You Need to Bodybuild to Get Stronger in Your Sport
Women typically carry less muscle mass than men, and our hormone profile makes it harder to build muscle at the same rate as men. That means relatively speaking, we are weaker. Now, a top female strength ... Continue Reading
Strength Myth: Baseball Players Shouldn’t Lift Overhead
Editors note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively ... Continue Reading
Bodyweight Training for Weightlifters: 10 Exercises to Master
Weightlifters, like most athletes, need to have a fundamental level of fitness, often expressed as General Physical Preparedness (GPP). Encapsulated within GPP training is the ability to have a fundamental ... Continue Reading
Big Z Slims Down: Did Zydrunas Savickas Lean Out to Get Stronger?
Legendary strongman Zydrunas Savickas dramatically downsized his midriff. He’s visibly more vascular than ever before, maybe even too lean to hang onto his perennial nickname: “Big Z”. Weight by the ... Continue Reading
Core Training for Weightlifters and Functional Fitness Athletes
Core training is a staple for athletes of all sports. The “core” is a term used to refer to the individual muscles that surround our spine to promote stability and absorb potentially harmful rotational and ... Continue Reading
Mark Bell Says What’s On Every Strength Athlete’s Mind
Mark Bell hits home in his last video titled, “Why I Will NEVER Stop Lifting.” Strength athletes and professionals are unlike others for a lot of reasons, and I think the most fundamental reason is what ... Continue Reading
12 Things You Only Understand When You’re Trying to Gain Weight
Ah, the life of a hardgainer. The full-throttle quest for muscle gain is wracked with frustration and stress, but the worst part? Almost nobody recognizes your complaints as legit. But trust us, we’ve ... Continue Reading
Which Strongman Weight Class Is Right for Me?
Weight classes. For lifters of any discipline, being in the proper weight class is a large determinate of how well they do in their sport and how long they can compete at it. For a few it’s easy: They are ... Continue Reading
10 Tips for Coaching Athletes at Weightlifting Meets
Coaching athletes at competition can be a rewarding, exciting, challenging task for a coach. Weightlifting meets are no different, often requiring a large amount of pre-planning, adaptation, and ... Continue Reading
5 Weightlifting Accessory Exercises to Improve Overhead Performance
As weightlifters, our programming is pretty straight forward. Snatches here, clean & jerk variations there, and a steady diet of squatting and pulling. Accessory training is the term given to ... Continue Reading
8 Telltale Signs You’re Obsessed With Strength Sports
Can you remember the first time you discovered your love for strength sports? I definitely can. My dad, an ex-college football player, used train me when I was growing up. I was 13 when he bought a ... Continue Reading