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
How to Do the Hollow Hold Position for Six-Pack Abs and Stronger Lifts
They say that a rising tide lifts all boats. When it comes to your performance in the weight room, your core is the tide and your squats, pulls, presses, rows, and carries (the list goes on) are the ships. ... Continue Reading
Should You Consume Salt Pre-Workout?
Salt, or sodium, gets a bad rap in nutrition culture — maybe for good reason. A diet too high in sodium from processed foods can contribute to health problems like high blood pressure. But salt ... Continue Reading
The Best CrossFit Workouts for Building Muscle to Forge Bigger, Stronger Muscles
Your favorite CrossFit athletes are absurdly jacked. They might not be on stage posing, but they're built like they could be. With CrossFit, the goal may not be to look a certain way — but all those ... Continue Reading
Powerbuilding Workout Routine, With Tips from a CPT
Some athletes want to get bigger, and some athletes want to get stronger. But if you’re like us, you probably want…well, the best of both worlds. But don’t worry — it’s far from impossible to be able to ... Continue Reading
Yoga for Bodybuilding: How Getting Flexible Helps You Gain Muscle
The myth of the muscle-bound bodybuilder needs to vamoose. If you’re an Open competitor at the Mr. Olympia, you may not be able to hit the splits (although, some of the best posers in bodybuilding ... 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
This Is the Ultimate Chest and Biceps Workout for Muscle and Strength
The chest and biceps are two of the most coveted muscle groups of any physique. Although they are typically separated into distinct days (either a bro split or push-pull-legs), they’re one of the most ... Continue Reading
6 Nitric Oxide Benefits for Cardio Health and Training Performance
For strength athletes, bodybuilders, and everyday fitness enthusiasts alike: nitric oxide has entered the chat. What is nitric oxide? The simple answer is that it’s a gas that already exists in your body, ... Continue Reading
Your Guide to CrossFit Benchmark Workouts
CrossFit isn’t like other sports. Instead of having a few standard lifts to get good at or a set of specific physique goals, CrossFit is all about training a little bit — well, a lot — of every aspect of ... 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
How to Do the ATG (Ass-to-Grass) Split Squat for Unprecedented Leg Gains
In the land of leg gains, depth is king. No matter what exercises you perform or what your goals are, by and large, utilizing a full range of motion will move the needle better than cutting things ... 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
How to Eat for CrossFit — A CrossFitter’s Guide to Nutrition
As a CrossFitter, you know how to train. You go hard, you go fast. You pace yourself and push yourself past the point you thought you could reach last time. But if you want to do all that sustainably, you ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Kettlebell Deadlift to Master Your Hip Hinge
When you think of the deadlift, you may well approach it from the perspective of powerlifting. You’ll envision hefting a heavily loaded barbell that takes an enormous toll on your body. At its core, ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Smith Machine Bent-Over Row to Build a Bigger, Stronger Back
In the same way that your phone comes loaded with applications that you don’t use, your gym comes stocked with equipment and machines you don’t use…yet. First, you need a good reason to work with it. ... Continue Reading
The CrossFit Angie Workout Explained and Scaled for Every Skill Level
The CrossFit Total. The Sandbag Ladder. The Other Total. These are CrossFit workouts that have an obvious challenge — lift as much weight as you can. But if you’re a CrossFitter, you know that this sport ... 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
How to Train Your Chest for Maximum Hypertrophy
Let’s be honest. A big chest might be the number one reason why you head to the gym — especially on Monday. But it’s not just about those pecs. Building your chest can have a ripple effect on your entire ... Continue Reading
Does Creatine Make You Gain Weight?
When it comes to evidence-based supplements, creatine tops the charts as one of the most effective ways to improve your performance both in the gym and on the track. Not only is it considered safe for just ... Continue Reading
Your Guide to Prime Cuts — The Training-Nutrition Strategy for Long-Term Muscle Growth
Physique athletes are often very familiar with two distinct phases of training. You’ve got bulking, which is a period of eating and training to gain lean muscle mass. Then you have the cutting phase, which ... Continue Reading
Try This Shoulder and Biceps Workout to Build Muscle
When it comes to constructing the perfect workout routine for muscle growth, it’s easy to feel like you have too many options. After all, body part splits are fantastic for muscle-building — if you can put ... Continue Reading
The Best Powerlifting Chest Workouts to Help You Bench Heavier
If a bigger pair of pecs is the apple of your eye, you can perform endless chest exercises to reach your goal. But if you have goals of becoming a competitive powerlifter, your main focus should be the ... Continue Reading