Stable movement. Ignited central nervous system. Strength. In the world of strength, power, and athleticism, coaches and athletes have a plethora of exercises, reps schemes, and methodologies to ... Continue Reading
Establishing Standards in Strongman: Are You Strong Enough for Success?
Self honestly. It’s a tough asset to find and develop, but for the strongman game you can’t excel without it. While having a positive mental attitude is important, convincing yourself that you are better ... Continue Reading
Hardstyle vs Girevoy Sport Kettlebell Swing: Which One Should You Use?
All kettlebell swings are not created equal. Despite what most fitness athletes and gym goers may think, there is more to the kettlebell swing argument than just American vs. Russian swing. A ... Continue Reading
Push Press vs. Power Jerk: Which Barbell Lift Should You Do?
The push press and power jerk are two very common and effective means for moving a load from the shoulders to the overhead position. Weightlifters, functional fitness athletes, and strongman competitors ... Continue Reading
6 Reasons Why Bodybuilding Routines Can Improve Your Weightlifting Performance
Although weightlifting produces some strong and powerful athletes, it is not what we would call a hypertrophic sport. Often, rep ranges are in the lower ranges, at moderate to high intensities, and rarely ... Continue Reading
8 Things You Should Do the Week Before a Powerlifting Meet
Peaking, cutting, sodium manipulation, carb loading, electrolyte replenishment — and we haven't even mentioned the mental game. The week before a powerlifting meet contains a ton of variables and ... Continue Reading
6 Reasons Strength Athletes Should Do Rope Climbs (Plus How To Master Them)
My first encounter with rope climbing, contrary to popular belief, wasn’t a positive one. In fact, it took me nearly 15 years to rediscover my long lost love for climbing. If only I had known at the time ... Continue Reading
Warm Up Your Wrists, Arms, and Shoulders With This Push-Up Routine
Wrists are an often overlooked part of warming up — and ironically, they are one of the most susceptible areas to damage in most strength sports and functional fitness. This gets amplified tremendously ... Continue Reading
The Single-Arm Snatch: Should You Do Them?
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
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
The 6 Craziest Muscle-Ups We’ve Ever Seen
California-based powerlifter and rings training guru Anna Culbertson has taken the muscle-up to a place we never thought we'd see. She demonstrated some seriously superhuman muscle control in ... 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
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
The Surprising Benefits of Club Training for Strength
It’s not often that an exercise is as cool-looking as it is effective, but club training is changing the game. Clubs, of course, are traditionally mêlée weapons (read: used for bashing heads in), and ... Continue Reading
The Lifter’s Guide to Magnesium: What This Nutrient Does for Strength
Ask the average strength athlete to list the supplements they can’t live or lift without, and the list will probably stop at protein powder and creatine. Folks with a higher budget might add fish oil, ... 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
Deadlift Every Damn Day
When they first make that ever so important first trip to the gym, most teenage boys make a beeline straight for the dumbbell rack, hoping that 20 sets of curls will make their sleeves just that little bit ... Continue Reading
5 Life Lessons Olympic Weightlifting Can Teach You
Many lifters are drawn to Olympic weightlifting for reasons that we may not truly know. Some of us grew up playing sports and training the power clean, while others were more fortunate to get formal ... Continue Reading
6 Reasons You Should Invest In a Pair of Weightlifting Shoes
At this point in life I should be receiving some form of compensation for the amount of athletes I’ve convinced to invest in lifters. I’m always dishing my shoes in the gym to help others see the ... Continue Reading
10 Questions Strength Coaches Should Ask Themselves to Become Better
Coaches play a pivotal role in the overall mental, physical, and even social development of an athlete, often wearing many hats. As a coach, I have come across numerous coaching and athletic environments, ... Continue Reading
6 Performance Enhancing Behaviors for Weightlifting WODs
Weightlifting is a vital aspect of both competitive and everyday fitness athletes’ training program. Weightlifting workouts of the day (WODs), often seen at the beginning of sessions (either in Olympic ... Continue Reading
6 Things Only People Who Train Legs Will Understand
Sit down, stand up, actually, whatever is most comfortable for your sore legs because we have a list of things that only those who train legs will understand. When you’re no stranger to the squat ... Continue Reading
How Wave Loading Can Build Strength in Your Squat, Olympic Lifts, and More
As coaches and athletes, we are always looking for new systems to elicit greater muscular development, neuromuscular responses, and improve athletic performance. Wave loading is a technique seen in more ... Continue Reading