Imagine later today you’re walking around as normal, then out of nowhere you’re struck by a car and the life that you’ve become adapted to living changes in a split second. You wake up in a hospital bed ... Continue Reading
The Untold History of the Bench Press
The bench press has been called the King of the Upper Body Lifts, and given its unstoppable popularity amongst gym goers, chances are it’ll retain this title for the foreseeable future. Upon entering the ... Continue Reading
Should Strength Athletes Be Drinking Bulletproof Coffee?
Move over branched chain amino acids, citrulline, and beta alanine, there’s a new pre-workout in town: butter coffee, at least according to advocates of the Bulletproof Coffee trend. Popularized by ... Continue Reading
3 Reasons Why Strongman Athletes Can Benefit From Weightlifting
Something interesting that I’ve noticed over the past four years coaching strength athletes is the complete lack of competitive strongman athletes using the Olympic lifts. Every once in a while you'll get ... Continue Reading
Reverse Hyperextension Alternatives
In this article we will offer five reverse hyperextension alternatives for coaches and athletes who may not have access to a reverse hyperextension machine and/or are looking to diversify their glute and ... Continue Reading
Strongman Training for Combat Athletes
One of the fastest growing sports of the last 20 years has been Mixed Martial Arts. These highly specialized athletes are some of the strongest and most well conditioned people on the planet. While nearly ... Continue Reading
Barbell Row Alternatives
In this article we will discuss the barbell row and its alternatives for growing a stronger, more muscular back. In the below sections we will address the benefits of performing barbell rows and offer ... Continue Reading
Why Strength Training May Help Tackle Depression
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
Autoregulation: Can It Be Beneficial for Every Type of Strength Athlete?
It's Monday, work was long and stressful, you barely slept the night before, and you have heavy squat triples. Going into the workout your mind is elsewhere, far from the weights in front of you. You begin ... Continue Reading
4 Benefits of Russian Dips
In an earlier article we discussed the Russian dip and why it can be a valuable asset to gymnastics and competitive fitness athletes looking to build stronger triceps, chest muscles, and develop better ... Continue Reading
Why Olympic Weightlifting Makes You Better at Practically Any Sport
Editors' note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been ... Continue Reading
4 Benefits of Butterfly Pull-Ups
In this article we will discuss in deeper detail the benefits of the butterfly pull-up, an advanced pull-up variation that helps an individual conserve energy, save time, and often perform more repetitions ... Continue Reading
The 7 Fittest Presidents of All Time
When looking through the history of our nation’s leaders, many people overlook the fact that U.S. presidents tend to be remarkably fit individuals. Maybe it’s because most of them served in the military, ... Continue Reading
Cardio and Powerlifting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Cardio is a double-edged sword for powerlifters. On the one hand, cardio will help you to shed fat, will probably make you feel a bit better and healthier in your daily life, and might improve your work ... Continue Reading
How Much Is Enough? Finding Your Perfect Workout Frequency
Before reading any further, I have a confession. The title above is a little misleading because the idea of "perfect" isn't really achievable in strength sports and working out. Sure, we can find what's ... Continue Reading
Barbell Clean and Press Alternatives
The barbell clean and press is a very popular movement in fitness, strength, and power sports. While it does differ from the barbell clean & jerk (view comparison article here), the clean and press vs ... Continue Reading
The Real Pros and Cons of the Bodybuilding Lifestyle
Over my career, from beginner all the way to the Olympia stage, I heard it all. Every sleazy comment, every myth and misconception about the bodybuilding lifestyle. In my experience the average person, ... Continue Reading
Powerlifting Slows the Aging Process. Here’s Why
Doctors understand aging as a loss of one’s reserves. Here, reserves means abilities – physical and mental. To a doctor, then, we age when we lose physical ability or mental capacity. While we all, of ... Continue Reading
Is It Normal for the IT Band to “Pop”?
It’s quite common for our joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments to make popping and cracking noises throughout day-to-day activities and our training routines. These sounds are thought to be caused by a ... Continue Reading
Kipping Pull-Up Injuries – 4 Reasons Why and How They Happen
In this article I wanted to spend some time going through the kipping pull-up, specifically whether or not it is responsible for shoulder and muscular injuries (SLAP tears, labrum issues, muscle strains, ... Continue Reading
Chest to Bar Pull-Ups Modifications/ Scaled/ Alternatives
Chest to bar pull-ups are an advanced pull-up variation seen in most competitive fitness workouts and competitions. The inclusion of such an advanced exercise (strict, kipping, and butterfly chest to bar ... Continue Reading
3 Common Myths of Pregnancy and Strength Training
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
4 Benefits of Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
In a previous article we discussed the chest to bar pull-up, a bodyweight movement that is seen in both strict and kipping forms; with the purpose of back development, gymnastic ad competitive fitness ... Continue Reading
The Benefits of Ab Rollouts and Progressions to Perform Them
A strong core is useful for every type strength athlete and for multiple reasons. It supports bigger compound movements, it can promote one's overall athleticism, and it helps the maintenance of a healthy ... Continue Reading