In any sport, it is rare to find high level talent that directly spans generations in the same family. In America, we can relate to the Vardanian family, where in recent years Norik Vardanian has set new ... Continue Reading
Russian Weightlifting Federation Elects New President
In an article released this week on the website of the Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF), Maxim Agapitov has been elected as the new permanent President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation. He ... Continue Reading
Nathan Damron Clean & Jerks 205kg, 10kg Above Junior American Record
Twenty year old American weightlifter Nathan Damron continues to make a run at big numbers after moving up to the 94kg weight class (we think permanently; he switched back and forth between 85kg and 94kg ... Continue Reading
Report: Ilya Ilyin Ordered to Return Olympic Medals, Plans to Retire
On November 23rd, two articles from Kazakhstani news outlet Kazinform announced that weightlifter Ilya Ilyin had been ordered to return his two Olympic gold medals (Beijing 2008 and London 2012) following ... Continue Reading
6 Lateral Stability Exercises for the Functional Athlete
Strength athletes usually lift things up and put them down. And it's awesome. But there's sometimes an issue among powerlifters, Olympic lifters, and functional fitness athletes when ... Continue Reading
Kettlebell History Goes Back Much Further Than Russia
The problem with kettlebell history is that surprisingly few people care. “Let’s say you’re a baseball fan. You play recreationally, you know who Babe Ruth is, you know the different stadiums. But in ... Continue Reading
The Ultimate Preview of the 2016 American Open (All Weight Classes)
On November 17th, USA Weightlifting published the latest (and hopefully final) athlete start list for the 2016 American Open, to be held December 8th to 11th of this year in Orlando, Florida. Noticeable ... Continue Reading
Wes Kitts Unofficially Snatches New American Record (174kg)
Wes Kitts may still seem new to many in the American weightlifting community, but after an impressive career start followed by almost a year training at California Strenght, he continues to exhibit immense ... Continue Reading
Watch Sam Dancer Hang Clean 405 Pounds
Is Sam Dancer the strongest individual CrossFit Games athlete? Sources say: Probably? We've always known Dancer — who got second at the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games as part of CrossFit Conjugate and ... Continue Reading
USA Men and Women Finish 2nd Overall at University Worlds
On the last day of the World University Championships in Merida, Mexico, the American team picked up right where they left off – on the medal podium. Led by official team coaches Danny Camargo, Sean ... Continue Reading
IOC Officially Sanctions 9 Weightlifters from Beijing Olympics, Asks for Return of Medals
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally announced sanctions for nine (9) weightlifters from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, including medal winners. These are not the only weightlifters with ... Continue Reading
BarBend to Live Stream the MFLH Invitational on Saturday, December 3rd
BarBend and Move Fast Lift Heavy are pleased to announce a new partnership that will bring the MFLH Invitational to more people than ever. Photo: @ericalivoti On December 3rd, some of the ... Continue Reading
Cooper and Tatum Add to American Medal Count at University Worlds
In Wednesday afternoon’s premier session at the World University Championships, USA Weightlifting continued to add to their medal count as James Tatum and Travis Cooper swept the silver medals in the ... Continue Reading
Mattie Rogers Wins World University Championship
Continuing a hot streak for American weightlifters, Mattie Rogers took home gold in the snatch, clean & jerk, and total to win the World University Championships in the women's 69kg category. Rogers ... Continue Reading
Want Optimal Testosterone Levels? Eat More of This
Strength athletes and the fitness industry at large just cannot stop talking about testosterone. And why should they? Healthy testosterone levels are incredibly important, and not only for ... Continue Reading
USA’s Kerri Keegan and Caitlin Hogan Medal at World University Championships
In the first session of Weightlifting at the 2016 World University Championships, USA Weightlifting (USAW) won six medals respectively between the first two women to compete. In a combined 48KG (106lb) and ... Continue Reading
How to Watch the 2016 World University Weightlifting Championships
The 2016 FISU World University Weightlifting Championships is currently underway in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. The competition runs from November 13th through the 17th, and the weightlifting portion is ... Continue Reading
4 Fitness Vacations That Will Make You Stronger
Need to get away but don’t want to lose progress in your lifts? Believe it or not, you don't have to! If you're the kind of person whose ideal week off involves sunshine, cocktails, and barbell ... Continue Reading
Olympic Weightlifting Medalist Mohamed Ehab Youssef’s Insane Push Press Fight
Egyptian weightlifter Mohamed Ehab Youssef is a World and Olympic medalist (as of Rio), and besides being one of the strongest 77kg males on the planet, he's known for a couple things: 1. His intensity ... Continue Reading
Elle Hatamiya: Follow the 11 Year Old Weightlifter’s Olympic Dream
It’s always a great day when strength sports receive mass media coverage. Bleacher Report recently did a story on Elle Hatamiya, an 11 year old weightlifter with an Olympic dream. Not only is Hatamiya ... Continue Reading
Watch Olympic Gold Medalist Aleksey Torokhtiy Make His Transition Into CrossFit
At BarBend we always love when elite athletes try out different forms of stength sports. For example, Max Lang, a 77kg German weightlifter “suffering” through a CrossFit® class and giving his thoughts ... Continue Reading
Allergic to Your Barbell? Why Some Bars Give Lifters Itchy Reactions
Today at BarBend HQ I was speaking with David about front rack positions. We got into the topic of lifters with an allergy to nickel and how it can cause irritation and itching with some lifts. It was at ... Continue Reading
How Triphasic Training Can Improve Your Power Production
Every lift involves a concentric, eccentric, and isometric muscle action. Triphasic training employs the concept of loading each muscle action with the purpose of creating a specific training adaptation - ... Continue Reading
USA Weightlifting Looking to Recruit from CrossFit Liftoff Participants
The 2016 CrossFit Liftoff runs from November 3rd to 7th this year, and the remote competition will test athletes across max lifts in the snatch, clean & jerk, and a to-be-released conditioning ... Continue Reading