Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been ... Continue Reading
15 Kettlebell Moves To Improve Your Grip Strength And Stability
It doesn’t matter if you’re a serious lifter or just serious about carrying every single grocery bag (at once) into the house: you probably want spectacular grip strength. Because having a powerful grip is ... Continue Reading
5 Ways to Effectively Train Through Injuries
Any athlete that has worked to push their performance to the next level has experienced the occasional tweak that creates some soreness with exercise. But what do you do when a more significant injury ... Continue Reading
7 Tips to Avoid Burnout As a Personal Trainer
No matter how extroverted you are, coaching and bringing energy to people all day can be exhausting. And it’s one of the reasons being a personal trainer and burning out often go hand-in-hand. In 10 ... Continue Reading
Is Remote Coaching Right for You?
No matter how brilliant a coach is at designing a training program, creating a generic program for a group of clients with various skill sets, injury histories and experience levels, simply will never be ... Continue Reading
5 “Chaos” Band Exercises to Add Instability to Your Workout
When you hear the word "chaos," it usually means all hell has broken loose. It has a negative connotation. But way back in 2005 James Smith of Diesel Strength & Conditioning came up with the Chaos ... Continue Reading
Navigating Bodybuilding and Muscle Dysmorphia, What Researchers Suggest
Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, ... Continue Reading
5 Ways to Make Social Media Improve Your Training
Hi, I’m Emily Beers and I’m a phone addict. I always knew this about myself, but (confession) there was no hiding it this past year, as my phone started letting me know how many times I picked it up and ... Continue Reading
6 Fantastic Kettlebell Workouts for Burning Fat
Kettlebells were used in Russia in the 1800’s as a weight to measure grains and other goods. But then Russian vendors started swinging and lifting these kettlebells to show their strength and quickly ... Continue Reading
5 Things You Probably Won’t Learn in a CrossFit Intro Group Class
Group classes are like dessert: They’re something to look forward to, and they joyously bring people together. But they aren’t always what’s best for your health. And if all you ate were pastries, brownies ... Continue Reading
5 Methods to Improve Your Focus and Workout Mindset
I’ve written a lot about the benefits of mindfulness before – not just for strength training, but for everyday life. That said, I recognize that mindfulness can be really difficult to practice, especially ... Continue Reading
What’s the REAL Goal? Former CrossFit Games Athlete on Reassessing Your Training
Coaches: Have you ever had a client lose 40 lb. and then quit on you the next month? A rhetorical questions, of course. The point is, I think we can all agree that people who reach their goals and get ... Continue Reading
4 Reasons Not to Run a Short-Term Fitness Challenge
Fifty new clients is music to a small gym owner’s ears. And it’s the reason so many gyms advertise short-term, cheap challenges, like the popular 6-week challenges making their way through gyms around ... Continue Reading
New Year’s Resolutions for Strength Athletes
As we look back on the close of another year (and decade), many of us chose to set resolutions for ourselves to make positive life changes for the future. While many people pick one that will attempt to ... Continue Reading
5 Big Offenses to Avoid When Visiting a New CrossFit Gym
One of the great perks of being into CrossFit® is how universal the community has become. For those of us who enjoy traveling—and working out while on the road—it gives us a chance to visit gyms ... Continue Reading
3 Great Ways to Improve Your Shoulder Mobility (Not Stability)
Fitness pros have often debated which quality is more important to train in the weight room: stability or mobility. Stability is the ability to maintain or control joint movement or position. It's ... Continue Reading
Why I Can’t Just “Teach You” a Pistol Squat
No matter how hard I fight it as a coach, I get it: Some movements are just perceived as sexier than others. Butterfly pull-ups, handstand push-ups, pistols = Sexy, and must be ... Continue Reading
4 Bench Press Variations When You Have Shoulder Discomfort
The bench press is a rite of passage for most gym goers. Even the newbies who know next to nothing about lifting always seem to know two exercises: the bench press and biceps curls. And ... Continue Reading
The Female Cycle and Strength Training: When to Push and When to Hold Back
(Men, feel free to sit this one out): The cramps are crippling. You feel bloated, and you keep running to the bathroom between sets of squats. You’re not sure if it’s the coffee or just period poo, but ... Continue Reading
7 Lessons for Powerlifters Taken From a Boxing Class
Powerlifters often avoid group fitness classes like the plague: whether it’s because we’re often preferentially allergic to anything that might actually resemble cardio or because lifting can be such a ... Continue Reading
Op-Ed: When Research Comes Up Short In the Gym
Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been ... Continue Reading
3 Great Deload Strategies to Use When Traveling This Holiday Season
Well, it’s that time of year again: with the winter weather comes the winter holidays, and for many people, winter holidays mean a lot of travel. Travel is great: you get to take a break from the monotony ... Continue Reading
Ben Pollack AMA: What Trend In Training Needs to Die, Best Exercise for Glutes, and More
I posted an AMA on my Instagram page yesterday, and I was really thrilled with the response it received. Of course, I can’t really offer any in-depth answers or analysis on Instagram, so I made ... Continue Reading
Program to Your Own Cycle: Working Out And Menstruation
Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been ... Continue Reading