The article below is part of our in-depth April Fool's coverage. April Fools! If this post gives you some serious planche envy, check out our ultimate guide to doing an actual, real-life, ... Continue Reading
12 Telltale Signs You’re a Calisthenics Athlete
In the wide world of fitness, calisthenics is a relatively small niche. However, bodyweight athletes all face similar experiences in their everyday lives. If you regularly practice calisthenics (and if you ... Continue Reading
The Bench Press Arch — Is it Safe and Effective?
You've seen it before: a powerlifter sets up to perform a bench press, and they arch their back in a way that would make McDonald's jealous. You ask yourself, "What the heck are they doing" and then shrug ... Continue Reading
Gua Sha Therapy — Does It Work for Strength Athletes?
There are a lot of methods a strength athlete can utilize to help them recover. Besides your typical eat well and get a good night's rest, there are methods that involve soft tissue massage. In ... Continue Reading
Dumbbell Jump Squat – Benefits and Technique
The jump squat (either with dumbbells, barbells, bodyweight, or vest) is a great exercise to be used for power purposes, increase one’s ability to harness and transfer energy during ballistic athletic ... Continue Reading
Is a Glutamine Supplement Actually Worth Your Money?
Your new tub of protein powder may be very eager to advertise something like: “Now with four grams of glutamine per serving!” You might think to yourself, “Great! Now I don’t need an extra glutamine ... Continue Reading
Emerald Balance Total Nutrition Drink Mix Review
The self-described "ultimate whole body superfood," Emerald Balance is a greens powder from the Carlsbad, California-based SGN Nutrition. Comprised of forty-two foods and six kinds of probiotic bacteria, ... Continue Reading
3 Simple and Highly Effective Accessory Workouts to Add Size and Strength
After squats, cleans, and mobility work, there is only so much mental capacity (and energy) left to devote to accessory workouts. Many great athletes and coaches will push themselves, with the ... Continue Reading
Bodyweight Versus Barbell Movements: Is One Really “Better”?
Before we can talk about building strength, let me start by asking you a question: how do you define “strength”? In the world of athletics, the concept of “strength” is rather ambiguous. Take elite ... Continue Reading
5 Exercises to Build a Stronger and Healthier Squat
As coaches and athletes, we know all too well the powerful effects of the almighty squat. We also know how daunting and elusive a strong, stable, and healthy squat can be for many athletes, client's, ... Continue Reading
Does Alcohol Affect Strength Training?
“Not tonight, bro, I gotta lift tomorrow.” For many strength athletes, alcohol is the first thing to go when someone endeavors to “clean up” their diet. After all, alcohol is a poison. You can die from ... Continue Reading
4 Advanced Exercises Elite Chinese Weightlifters Do To Build Strength and Power
Squats, pulling, pressing, and the Olympic lifts find their way in all weightlifting programs, regardless of who you are and where you are from. Past the surface layer, we find many unique variations and ... Continue Reading
Dr. Andreo Spina on How to Improve Your Mobility Each Time You Work Out
For many of us, mobility isn’t a process. We go into the gym, and start our movements, roll with a foam roller, get to working out, and when it’s time for the next workout, we do it all over again. If ... Continue Reading
Why L-Arginine Isn’t Such a Great Pre-Workout
We know – the world of fitness supplements can be confusing. You probably know that protein powder is an easy way to reach your calorie and macronutrient goals and that creatine is a safe and effective ... Continue Reading
The Jump Squat: How, When, and Why Weightlifters Should Include Them In Training
The jump squat can offer performance enhancing benefits, many of which are specific to weightlifting, functional fitness, and formal athletics (running, sprinting, sports, etc). In previous articles, I ... Continue Reading
How to Keg Toss Like Thor
“It’s such a fun event because there aren't a lot of times you get to throw something under technique and control, but also as hard as humanly possible.” In a nutshell, that’s the keg toss: the rarest ... Continue Reading
5 Awesome Benefits of Ring Chin-Ups/Pull-Ups
When it comes to upper body exercises very few compare to the pull-up and chin-up. They’re both a little different in their mechanics, but each offer great benefits. An alternative and effective movement ... Continue Reading
What You Need to Know About Kettlebell Sport, Part 2: Strength and Endurance
It’s no secret that BarBend writers are obsessed with strength, but I would be lying if I said that’s all I cared about. Sure, some strength athletes still look at endurance training as a saboteur of their ... Continue Reading
7 Strongman Lifts for Beginners (and Nearly Every Athlete)
Strongman training is not for the faint of heart. Often, strongmen (and strongwomen) need to showcase unparalleled strength, muscular endurance, and anaerobic capacities while pushing, pulling, dragging, ... Continue Reading
Mat Fraser Announces Nike Metcon 3 Release Date
Nike Metcon fans rejoice; the Metcon 3 has a release date, and it’s very soon. Perfectly timed too, with the Christmas season in full swing, Metcon fans can start off their new year with a new pair of ... 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
Woodchopping Is the Best Strength Workout You’ve Never Tried
Swinging a bladed weapon in a fatigued state isn’t what most people would call a healthful activity, but those people don’t know the truth about woodchopping. It’s an astoundingly effective combination of ... Continue Reading