When you walk into a gym, do you have an idea of what you’re going to do, or do you find the first empty station and start pumping out reps? It should probably be the former. Whether your goal is to build ... Continue Reading
The 8 Best Barbell Hip Thrust Alternatives to Try on Your Next Leg Day
Nowadays, everyone seems to be hammering the hip thrust — and with good reason. A pair of well-developed glutes are something of a status symbol in the gym. Strong, powerful gluteal muscles can help you ... Continue Reading
The Best Shoulder Exercises and Workouts for Bigger, Stronger Shoulders
A set of strong, broad shoulders signal to the world that you lift (hey, a little vanity is okay). Stronger shoulders also mean you can bench press and overhead press more weight while potentially staving ... Continue Reading
20 Best Leg Exercises for Your Next Leg Day
You did not hear it here first, but it bears repeating: train your legs. Leg day can be a painful, DOMS-inducing experience, but ignoring your lower half also robs the body of more muscle, enhanced ... Continue Reading
16 Best Biceps Exercises for a Muscle-Building Workout
At BarBend, we love training biceps. Who doesn't? Big biceps signal to the world that you like to put in work at the gym. That's why our staff of industry veteran trainers, coachers, and educators have ... Continue Reading
The Best Glutes Exercises and Workouts
The gluteus maximus — that’s your butt, by the way — is the largest muscle in your body. Even if filling out a pair of jeans isn't at the top of your priority list, we can’t stress it enough: Training your ... Continue Reading
These Are the 8 Best Lower Back Exercises for Bodybuilding
They say that bodybuilding shows are won from the back. Big arms and blown-up pecs are all well and good, but nobody is skipping chest or arm day in the weight room. On the other hand, the muscles you ... Continue Reading
The 10 Best Strongman Exercises (and Alternatives) for Beastly Strength
In many ways, the sport of strongman is the Wild West of strength training. Where other sports have rigid rulesets and nuanced technical parameters that can invalidate a lift, strongman takes the reins ... Continue Reading
The 5 Best Long Head Biceps Exercises for Sculpting Your Arms
For a relatively small muscle, the biceps sure do command a lot of attention. Most gymgoers regard them as one of the quintessential glamor muscles, while bodybuilders can make (or break) their careers ... Continue Reading
The 5 Best Inner Chest Exercises
Inner chest, outer chest, lower chest, upper chest … chest. Regular gymgoers, full-time bodybuilders and, heck, even strength athletes of all stripes want a broad, powerful, three-dimensional pair of ... Continue Reading
The 6 Best Bodyweight Biceps Exercises for Getting Jacked Outside the Gym
If there’s one muscle group just about everyone wants to build, it’s got to be the biceps. Your biceps sit on the front of your upper arm and flex your elbow — they also happen to look awesome when ... Continue Reading
Best Ski Erg Workout for CrossFit for Every Experience Level
In the wide world of CrossFit, full-body conditioning is the name of the game. Sometimes, that involves extensive endeavors on cardio machines. Throughout WODs (workouts of the day), you’ll do everything ... Continue Reading
The 8 Best Pre-Workout Supplement Alternatives to Improve Performance
Whether you’re looking to bust through an old plateau or start a new program off right, you’re ready to keep on crushing your workouts. Time for a little bit of pre-workout to fuel your body to perform its ... Continue Reading
The 9 Best Stretches for CrossFit Athletes to Maximize Performance
When you’re a CrossFitter, your workouts are all about improving the quality of your movements. Everything from the nutrition to the recovery habits of CrossFit athletes is dedicated to maximizing the ... Continue Reading
These Are the 12 Best Rhomboid Exercises for Your Upper Back
The rhomboids are a sneaky little pair of muscles nestled between your shoulder blades that play a role in upper back strength and scapular control. In reality, a more attractive reason to direct your ... Continue Reading
How to Do Lunges: Proper Form & Variations
The lunge — arguably one of the best leg exercises you can do in the gym — builds leg muscle, strength, and coordination. Few movements are as adaptable and easy to program or perform. There are many ... Continue Reading
The Best CrossFit Warm-Up to Help You Crush Your Next WOD
CrossFit isn’t easy. The goal is to push yourself harder than you previously thought you could. You’ll be putting your body (and mind) through the gamut of heavy barbell training, intense bodyweight ... Continue Reading
The Best Cable Leg Workouts to Build Lower Body Muscle and Strength
There's a reason why cable machines are always being used in your gym. Much like weight benches on international chest day (otherwise known as Monday), cable machines are immensely popular tools for ... Continue Reading
The 12 Best Leg Exercises for CrossFitters for Strong, Powerful Legs
For many athletes, being a CrossFitter is about group fitness. It means showing up at your box, having the WOD (workout of the day) explained to you by a coach, and getting after it with your fellow gym ... Continue Reading
The Best Natural Pre-Workout Ingredients to Look for and What to Avoid
Your weightlifting shoes are in your bag and you’re crossing your fingers that nobody will be doing biceps curls in the squat rack when you get to the gym. You’re amped up and ready to go — and you want to ... Continue Reading
These Are the 10 Best Dumbbell Exercises for Bodybuilding
Bodybuilders work with whatever equipment they have to in order to build muscle. Some prefer the barbell for its high loading capacity; others rightfully revere the cable tree for its constant tension and ... Continue Reading
The 10 Best Barbell Biceps Exercises to Boost Your Arm Size and Pulling Strength
The word biceps may well invoke thoughts of watching your biceps swell in the mirror with every rep. Whether you want bulging shirt sleeves or just a strong pair of biceps to bolster your pulling strength, ... Continue Reading
The 11 Best Swiss Bar Exercises for Shoulder-Friendly Lifting
Working with a barbell fast-tracks your strength and muscle-building goals. They’re versatile and allow you to load a ton of weight so you can train for maximum strength. But the thing about barbells is ... Continue Reading
The 10 Best Neck Stretches to Improve Your Pulls and Overhead Lifts
Close your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath, and imagine your daily routine. Think about the positions you sit and stand in, as well as the movements you perform most often. Depending on your job, ... Continue Reading