Note: This article has been updated to reflect the facts that USAW matches money awarded to athletes who receive an Olympic medal; and that the organization pays for American and World records broken at ... Continue Reading
An Open Letter From Strength Coach to Athlete: Trust Me
I am your strength coach. Do you trust me? I know that it will take time, and I am patient. I know that our ultimate progress will be determined by our level of mutual trust. I know that trust has to be ... Continue Reading
Booty Shorts & Bare Chests: Negotiating the Naked Body in Powerlifting and CrossFit
Editors note: Katie Rose Hejtmanek, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist conducting research on the culture of strength sports in the United States. This is the fourth of an in-depth series introducing ... Continue Reading
The Gronkowski Family Made a Barbell (and It’s Actually Pretty Good)
If you grew up in Western New York (like me), you may be familiar with G&G Fitness. This company is a provider of specialty home and commercial fitness equipment that started in Buffalo, NY, and ... Continue Reading
An Analysis of Jarryd Hayne: Does Strength or Talent Power Success in Sports?
Darren Coughlan is the owner of CrossFit Newcastle and has coached multiple athletes to The CrossFit Games. In addition, he's a former professional rugby player and has two decades of experience in ... Continue Reading
Should You Open a Gym? A Reality Check and Checklist
What is your honest motivation? Are you doing it because you love spreading health and wellness, or are you in it for the money and lifestyle? It can be both, but don’t count on the latter. The hours ... Continue Reading
How to Embrace the Mental Challenge of Strength Training
As a coach, one of the most powerful tools you can possess is an understanding of your athlete's motivation to perform. You think that the easiest way to get this information is to simply ask them: “So ... Continue Reading
The CrossFit Games Are Objective, Fair, and Getting Better Every Year
Darren Coughlan is the owner of CrossFit Newcastle, Australia's first CrossFit affiliate. Over the last six years, he has coached multiple athletes to the highest levels of the sport, including two ... Continue Reading
What’s Really Threatening the Olympics (and How to Fix It)
As the world settles in to watch its most beloved sporting event, the critics of that event are having a field day – and with good reason. There is a bountiful smorgasbord of things to criticize the ... Continue Reading
What I Learned in My Rookie Year at The CrossFit Games
In July 2016, Ian Berger competed in his first Reebok CrossFit Games as part of Team CrossFit Dynamix. Presented as an op-ed, below are his thoughts and reflections after his first CrossFit Games ... Continue Reading
How to Build a Successful Olympic Weightlifting Club: The Beginning Steps
Since I began in this industry nearly 10 years ago, the USA Weightlifting organization has grown greatly, with large increases in the amount of USAW Level 1 and 2 coaches, registered members, and local ... Continue Reading
Christmas Abbott on Breaking Through Training Purgatory
In all workouts, training cycles, or programs there is a start, middle, end. The beginning is exciting! It’s fresh, so you are energized and your focus is laser sharp. You are all in, one hundred percent, ... Continue Reading
Remove Distractions and Turn Off the Music for Better Training Gains
There is no doubt that training sessions play out the same way for most strength athletes. Get warmed up, psyched up, turn the music up, and put serious weight up. It’s a ritual, and the smart money says ... Continue Reading
Who Will Win in Rio? Medal Predictions for Every Weightlifting Class
The 2016 Rio Olympics are less than a week away, and with recent doping suspensions, the weightlifting field seems more wide open than in any recent Olympic cycle. Below are my predictions for the medals, ... Continue Reading
Let’s End This Debate: Does Lifting Weights Make Women Bulky?
With the incredible growth of CrossFit and women's weightlifting in the last few years, the topic of whether or not it’s “okay” for women to be muscular is starting to become a thing of the past (at least ... Continue Reading
Olympic Weightlifting Entry List Released, But Who Will Win in Rio?
This morning the IWF released the preliminary start list for Weightlifting at the 2016 Olympic Games. As is customary for international competitions, I say preliminary simply because something always ... Continue Reading
Why Weightlifting Is Good for Kids (and Why It Won’t Stunt Their Growth)
Stereotypes have a way of creeping into many different areas of sport. It's seems that grade school never ends, because jealousy and the need to degrade one sport in order to lift up another comes through ... Continue Reading
USA Weightlifting Officials Are Finally Getting Paid, & It’s a Huge Step for the Sport in America
On June 30th – I wrote an article about my experiences at the 2016 USA Weightlifting (USAW) Youth National Championships, where over 700 athletes competed on three platforms. My opinion is that this is a ... Continue Reading
5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Compete in Something (Especially Weightlifting)
I believe that there is nothing in life quite like the thrill of competition. It draws a stimulus like no other, and puts you in unexpected situations found only in your wildest dreams. Competition also ... Continue Reading
How to Plan Group Training for Strongman (and Why It’s Important for Your Progress)
While not a team sport, every strongman benefits greatly from a group training day. Weekday training is often done under the supervision of a coach or with a committed training partner and Sundays are ... Continue Reading
The 1977 World’s Strongest Man Is the Greatest Thing Since Sliced SPAM
When things are decidedly a little FUBAR in my life, like when there's 25 days before I blindly travel around the world for a year with a bunch of strangers and yet I still haven't packed, I find that the ... Continue Reading
What Counts As a Sport?
Editors note: Katie Rose Hejtmanek, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist conducting research on the culture of strength sports in the United States. This is the fourth of an in-depth series introducing ... Continue Reading
Find Your Feet: Understanding the Most Overused Cue in Weightlifting
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
Over 700 Youth Lifters Competed in Austin. Here’s What that Means for USA Weightlifting
It is a hell of a time to be associated with youth weightlifting in America. In the preamble to CJ Cummings’ record breaking championship at this year’s Junior World Championships, Austin, Texas, played ... Continue Reading