This week’s leg day left you limping. After one final, excruciating set of calf raises, you grab your water bottle, skip over the treadmill, and decide to head off to the beach in search of a more scenic ... Continue Reading
The 5 Best Triceps Stretches to Push Your Presses to the Next Level
For lovers of barbells and dumbbells, stretching might be at the bottom of your list of priorities when you’re crushing a good workout. A sweet pump and rewarding burn may well take center stage — less ... Continue Reading
The 6 Benefits of Exercise Bikes (Plus Workouts From a Personal Trainer)
Exercise bikes have a simplicity to them that is very attractive. They’re easy on your joints and convenient, all the while providing tons of training benefits. Beyond their availability and relatively low ... Continue Reading
The Best Chest Exercises and Workouts for Building Muscle
At BarBend, we're suckers for a good chest workout. Our staff of industry experts and accredited training professionals come from a wide variety of different backgrounds, but there's one thing we all have ... Continue Reading
How Much Cardio Is Too Much? Running Coaches Weigh In
If you’ve been consistent with your strength training and want to show off your might in an athletic setting, cardio can condition you to dominate in any sport — yes, including powerlifting and ... Continue Reading
How to Achieve Proper Running Form, Explained By Running Coaches
No matter where you do your running workouts — indoors or outdoors — you’ll certainly notice that not everyone is running the way you do. If you compare yourself with the three runners closest to you in ... Continue Reading
How to Do Heel Touches — Proper Form, Benefits, Variations, and More
The heel touch exercise is simple, but it ain’t always easy. It targets your oblique muscles, builds core strength and stability, requires no barbells or other equipment, and is scalable for all fitness ... Continue Reading
What To Eat Before a Workout: These Foods Will Help You Perform Better
Fuel is everything. After all, you wouldn’t stop at the gas station and fill the tank of your Prius up with unleaded diesel. Your body works the same way; working out on an empty stomach isn’t always ... Continue Reading
How To Program CrossFit Open Workout 24.1 for Kids
With the entire CrossFit world taking on 24.1 this weekend, we want to make sure anyone and everyone can have a go at it. This workout is perfect for a CrossFit kids class and can be modified ... Continue Reading
CrossFit Open Workout 24.1 Affiliate Class Plan
The 2024 CrossFit Open kicked off with a whole lot of burpees and dumbbell snatches in workout 24.1. The beauty is in the simplicity. Today, we’re providing you a lesson plan to run 24.1 at your ... Continue Reading
The Best Full-Body Kettlebell Circuit Workout (And How to Customize It)
Both competitive athletes and everyday athletes often search for ways to build muscle and get strong, whether at the gym or at home. But when the gym is packed and no racks are available, the most ... Continue Reading
Coaches Kelly Matthews & Tim Riley Showcase Their Favorite Sprint Warm-Up Drills
Hybrid training — performing high-intensity strength training and vigorous, often sport-specific cardio — is having a moment right now, thanks in large part to coaches and content creators like Fergus ... Continue Reading
How To Sprint Like a Pro, + Tips From a Collegiate S&C Coach
You might think sprinting is synonymous with “running fast,” but you’d be wrong. The fastest men and women in the world have spent years refining their sprinting form. If you want to be able to tear up the ... Continue Reading
What Is Nordic Walking? Here’s Why You Might Want to Try It
Regular walking has been used for ages as a tool for overall health, cardiovascular fitness, or simple enjoyment of the outdoors. Building off of the popularity and relative accessibility of walking, the ... Continue Reading
The Best Interval Running Workouts and Tips from Top Running Coaches
Cranking out reps in the weight room is fun — and it’ll undoubtedly improve your fitness — but if you want to turn up the turbo engines, you’ll need to work in some cardio. Whether you’re on the treadmill ... Continue Reading
Does Cardio Burn Fat? The Anatomy of a Fitness Myth
Of the many myths that populate the world of fitness, the notion that cardio exercise directly burns body fat might be the most pervasive of them all. A whole host of infomercials and influencers have ... Continue Reading
The Wall Sit Exercise: Benefits, Best Variations, and Form Tips
You’re going to want to be sitting down for this one. Believe it or not, you don’t need to do too many fancy exercises if you want to strengthen your hips, thighs, and abdominal muscles. Sometimes, an ... Continue Reading
The Best Box Jump Workout for Your Experience Level and Goals
After watching the sweat spray off of yet another CrossFitter, you may have wondered how to do your own jump box workout — and if you can even get to that level. The box jump is an explosive movement that ... Continue Reading
How to Run a Faster Mile, According to a Running Coach
There are 5,280 feet in a mile. For distance runners, this distance may be a pittance. For new runners, accomplishing a decent mile might be the ultimate goal. But uniting most runners across the board is ... Continue Reading
These Are (Some of) the Best Fitness Content Creators to Follow in 2024
The days of getting your fitness advice exclusively from magazines (or, worse yet, your high school gym coach) are dead and gone. Social media certainly comes with its own perils, but one of the best ... Continue Reading
The Best 30-Minute HIIT Workouts for a Quick Sweat Session
One of the best things about fitness is that it’s not one-size-fits-all — your personal preferences help to shape your journey. There are countless ways to arrange your workouts, including cranking out ... Continue Reading
How to Do Triceps Pushdowns: Form Tips, Best Variations, & More
Believe it or not, your triceps take up about two thirds of the total mass in your upper arm. If you're into building muscle and want to ensure your arms aren't a weak point, you need to train your ... Continue Reading
The 9 Best Cool-Down Exercises to Optimize Your Recovery
After an intense workout, it’s tempting to hit the showers and move on with your busy day. But taking a few minutes to stretch, breathe, and relax gives your body a chance to (literally) cool down. ... Continue Reading
The Beginner’s Guide to Olympic Weightlifting
How does the saying go? “The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago; the second best time is today.” That adage refers to personal investments of any kind — including starting a new hobby or picking up ... Continue Reading