Imagine these scenarios. You walk into the gym ready to train and it’s packed, and all the squat racks and benches are taken. Or your boss calls you into work early because of an important deadline and ... Continue Reading
4 Beginner Friendly Deadlift Variations
The deadlift is a compound movement that can build total body strength, hypertrophy, and improve athletic capacity. Beginners can benefit from the deadlift, if and only if they take the time to develop ... Continue Reading
3 Crucial Tips for Using Speed Work In Powerlifting
Speed work for raw lifting gets a bit of a bad rap. Many lifters believe that it isn’t an effective way to train, and honestly, if you follow the common recommendations for speed work (45-55% of 1RM for ... Continue Reading
What’s the Best Whey: Concentrate, Isolate, Hydrolysate?
You know that if you want to build or retain muscle, it’s important to consume a good amount of protein per day. (Here’s how much protein is ideal, if you’re unsure.) But with protein typically being ... Continue Reading
5 Unusual Explosive Movements for Building Power
For athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike, being able to generate maximum power is an ability that needs to be conditioned just like any other fitness attribute. Many of us may assume that power and ... Continue Reading
3 Common Deadlift Errors and How to Fix Them
Ah, the deadlift — a lift loved by many and loathed by some. The deadlift is simplistic in nature, but can become incredibly complex when things are not going swimmingly. Typically, the deadlift is more ... Continue Reading
The Fascinating Untold History of Powerlifting
To me, there is nothing more humbling than watching the powerlifters train in my local gym. Huddled around a barbell, sniffing ammonia, slapping each other's backs and violently screaming as they rip ... Continue Reading
How to Choose the Perfect Cross Training Shoe
Over the course of my two years here at BarBend, I've spent a ton of time reviewing, testing, and wearing the best cross training shoes on the market. After all of my reviews, I've learned two major things ... Continue Reading
What Powerlifter Blaine Sumner Eats To Bench Press 1,003 Pounds
What does Blaine Sumner, a 400 pound elite powerlifter, have to eat to maintain weight and bench press over 1,000 pounds? When you think about the amount of calories an elite athlete needs to consume in ... Continue Reading
How Much Protein? New Guidelines From the International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations — that’s the international governing body for the sport of athletics — has published a new consensus statement in The International Journal of Sport ... Continue Reading
Strength Training With Top NFL Athletes: Ndamukong Suh and Darius Slay
Ever wonder what a strength training program looks like for NFL athletes? For any position on the football field strength is non-negotiable. Even though athlete’s sizes may vary dramatically, what’s ... Continue Reading
Breakfast Skipping Is Bad for the Heart? Not So Fast
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has reignited the old question of whether or not it’s okay to skip breakfast.(1) Conducted by Wei Bao, an assistant professor ... Continue Reading
Why Pulling Is An Underrated Cue for the Bench Press
If you're a strength training regular and love the bench press, then there's a good chance you've heard the cue "pull the bar apart" at least one time or another. This cue is thrown around a lot in ... Continue Reading
The Best Foods and Supplements for Fighting Inflammation
Inflammation is a word that gets thrown around a lot, and it’s such a common phenomenon that it tends to get misused. Every other supplement “fights inflammation.” Sitting too much causes inflammation.(1) ... Continue Reading
Athletic Greens Whey Protein Review – Is Grass-Fed Better?
“The purest pasture raised whey on Earth” is the promise made by Athletic Greens for their 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein. Founded in 2010, Athletic Greens is best known for their greens supplement, which I ... Continue Reading
Can Turmeric Really Improve Your Workout Recovery?
Have you heard? Turmeric is spicing up the wellness and fitness world. Commonly known as a spice that’s used in many Asian and Indian dishes, turmeric has gained new-found fame in “wellness” drinks and ... Continue Reading
World Champion Powerlifter Shares Her Secret to the Perfect Rack Pull (VIDEO)
It's not often that you get to learn from the best, but we were lucky enough to do so in our latest training video. The rack pull is an awesome deadlift variation for working through close-to-lockout ... Continue Reading
Improve Your Weightlifting With Aleksey Torokhtiy’s Matrix-Style Lifting Videos
A dream that Aleksey Torokhtiy and his partner Sergei Putsov have had in the making for years is finally becoming a reality. Torokhtiy and the crew at Warm Body Cold Mind are set to release a series of ... Continue Reading
8 Ways to Bust Through a Stubborn Bench Press Plateau
The bench press, one of the most beloved and frustrating lifts that can be performed in the gym. Barbell training journeys often start on the bench, and ironically, they often get stuck on the bench as ... Continue Reading
Why Pushing Is An Underrated Cue for the Deadlift
In the world of strength sports, some of the most beloved and frequently used coaching cues include the word pulling. On the bench press we have, pull the bar apart and pull the scapula back, and for the ... Continue Reading
How Many Times Should You Squat and Deadlift Per Week?
The question of workout frequency tends to be a hot topic for general lifters. How much is enough and how often should you be performing a particular lift? More and more, research is suggesting that ... Continue Reading
Here’s What Rich Froning is Eating as He Trains for the CrossFit Games
We’ve seen what Noah Ohlsen eats when he trains but we’ve always wanted a close look at the diet of the man who has won the title of Fittest Man on Earth™ more than anybody else: Rich Froning. The ... Continue Reading
5 Beginner Friendly Squat Variations
The squat can be a daunting movement for beginners (and intermediate/advanced lifters alike). With a plethora of squatting variations, styles, and coaching perspectives on the squat and its purpose in a ... Continue Reading
3 Foolproof Exercises to Improve Ankle Mobility
For all athletes, and particularly weightlifters, being able to access full range of motion in the ankles is a movement characteristic that may easily be overlooked. Not being able to access full range in ... Continue Reading