Jerry Pritchett is primarily known as one of the world's top strongman competitors, but his deadlifting is world-class whether he's competing in that sport or powerlifting (as evidenced by his 914 pound ... Continue Reading
The Cold Hard Truths About Ice Baths and Muscle Recovery
Ice baths, or cold water immersion (CWI), have long been used by high level strength and power athletes to enhance recovery from high intensity matches and training sessions. Although the exact mechanisms ... Continue Reading
Why You Shouldn’t Train Clean Pulls Like Deadlifts
The clean pull, while similar looking, is a very different exercise than the conventional barbell/powerlifting deadlift. Often, lifters attack clean pulls with the same patterning, focus, and end goal as a ... Continue Reading
Dialing in Nutrition and Putting an End to “Bro Science”: Chatting with Nick Shaw of RP Strength
If you were to track my nutrition through my athletic career, you'd likely see a pretty big series of peaks and valleys. I was a college soccer player, downing everything that could roughly be classified ... Continue Reading
Siamand Rahman Sets World Record at 310kg, Benches More Than Any Paralympian In History
Update: We have the best video yet of Rahman's 305kg lift (his heaviest that counted for the competition), embedded below! He would go on to lift 310kg on a granted 4th attempt. Iranian powerlifter ... Continue Reading
How to Watch Powerlifting at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games
Today marks the first day of events for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Between September 8th and 14th, 180 athletes from over 50 nations will be competing in the sport of ... Continue Reading
Ray Williams Breaks 1,000 Pound RAW Squat Barrier in Training
A little over a week ago, we came across Ray "Ray Ray" Williams going heavy in training with a 975 pound back squat, the heaviest such lift we'd seen raw (in training or competition). The lift was ... Continue Reading
How to Mentally & Physically Prep for Your Next Personal Record: The 24-Hour Approach
f“Failure to plan is planning to fail.” Like most feats, setting a personal record takes proper preparation over months of sport-specific training, nutrition, focus, and practice. Often, beginners and ... Continue Reading
Can OpenBarbell Start a New Wave of Data-Obsessed Strength Training?
When I last visited S& S Barbell in Williamsburg, what stuck out most weren't the Oly platforms, power racks, and competition plates stacked and sorted into every crevice; it was the tech. ... Continue Reading
Siamand Rahman, World’s Strongest Paralympic Powerlifter, Is Set to Amaze in Rio
There's a difference between being just the best at a sport, and being so dominant your competitors are almost always fighting for second place. Iranian Paralympic powerlifter Siamand Rahman exemplifies ... Continue Reading
Deadlift Progress Video Shows Pete Rubish’s Max Lifts from 550 to 900+
Pete Rubish is one of our favorite powerlifters to watch on YouTube and Instagram, and while he's got impressive lifts across the board, he's probably best known for his deadlifting prowess. But Rome ... Continue Reading
Bud Jeffries on Getting Your Mind Right to Reach Your Physical Potential
In Part 1 of my interview with powerlifter and strongman Bud Jeffries, we focused mostly on his physical accomplishments. This is a guy who once squatted 1000 pounds and creates workouts with 700lb ... Continue Reading
From 1000lb Squats to Dumbbell Cartwheels, Bud Jeffries Has Something Figured Out
If you’ve never heard of Bud Jeffries, you need to hear about Bud Jeffries. In his prime, Bud Jeffries has squatted 1000lbs, raw, from the bottom. Bud Jeffries walked a mile in a 300lb weight vest. Bud ... Continue Reading
Is the Fitness Industry About to Go Crazy Over Instagram Stories?
If you thought your favorite strength athletes, coaches, and, uh, influencers (?) were already obsessed with Instagram, it's only just begun. Today, the social media giant — which is owned by social media ... Continue Reading
The Big Man with the Bigger Spirit: Powerlifter Anthony Clark
We don’t know what you were doing when you were 16 years old, but Anthony Clark was bench pressing 600 pounds. Six years later, in 1992, he benched pressed 700lbs. One year after that, he broke his own ... Continue Reading
Why the Movie “Bigger, Stronger, Faster*” Is More Important Than Ever
It's been eight years since Chris Bell released his first feature-length film, but "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*" remains the best look into the strength athlete's temptations, challenges, and goals ever ... Continue Reading
7 Feats of Strength and Balance That Are As Impressive As They Are Head Scratching
Before we get into this, lets get one unavoidable comment out of the way: aaaaaaaand THIS is why people hate on CrossFit. There. It's done. Let's all move on now, okay? The point of this ... Continue Reading
Upcoming “WEIGHT” Documentary Is About More than Just Powerlifting
Weight is a powerlifting documentary, but Weight is not about powerlifting. Sure, there are lots of big lifts, training tips to be learned, and and burly red faced men. But much like Sideways, where ... Continue Reading
Flashback Friday: Inna Filimonova Smokes a 419 Pound World Record Deadlift
Russian powerlifter Inna Filimonova is the reigning IPF Raw World Champion, and later this month, she'll look to defend her title in the 57kg weight class at IPF World Championships in Killeen, ... Continue Reading
Onnit and Marvel Launch Captain America Themed Weight Plates
Shut up and take our money. Marvel and Onnit have teamed up to produce a line of superhero-themed fitness equipment — they bill it as "functional fitness equipment," because obviously — and the first ... Continue Reading
Yuriy Belkin Deadlifts 921 Pounds Weighing Just 223 — and Does It Beltless!
In a year filled with big pulls, this is one of the most ridiculous. Russian powerlifter Yuriy Belkin deadlifted 418 kilos/921 pounds at roughly 223 pounds bodyweight, which easily beats Konstantine ... Continue Reading
Win a Pair of Custom Nike Romaleos from BarBend and StrengthToSpare!
BarBend and artist Josh Peters (@strengthtospare) are teaming up to give away a pair of customized Nike Romaleos to one lucky winner. And anyone age 18 and up can enter to win — for free! Entering to win ... Continue Reading
Mark Wood Deadlifts 792 Pounds for a Double (with a Hook Grip)
Mark Wood is relatively new in powerlifting circles, but he's making waves on Instagram with a series of ridiculous training lifts while hovering around (or under) 190 lbs. The most recent entry in his ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Bans Laura Phelps-Sweatt, Disqualifies Westside Conjugate from Competition
In a post published on the Games website, CrossFit has announced that Laura Phelps-Sweatt is banned from sanctioned competition for one year. Her team — Westside Conjugate, which was scheduled to ... Continue Reading