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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything in store for you today:

• Navy SEAL training — as hard as you imagine

• High-fiber diets linked to longer life

• Last chance on these stellar Labor Day fitness sales!

Training

Best of the Best

Credit: Renaissance Periodization / YouTube

Navy SEALs are some of the baddest folks on the planet. The physical, mental, and psychological makeup required to operate as part of a SEAL unit is otherworldly. Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs (BUD/S) training famously has a failure rate of 80%, meaning only one-fifth of eligible candidates even make it through the first few weeks.

Dr. Mike Israetel, of Renaissance Periodization, took on the challenge of a Navy SEAL physical fitness test. Alongside retired Team 6 operator DJ Shipley, Israetel challenged himself to meet the minimum SEAL standards for strength and endurance. Seasoned vet Shipley set his sights on achieving the more difficult “Be a Pro” classification for each of the seven sections of the workout.

Anyone who knows people in Special Forces knows they don’t typically look like The Rock — but that doesn’t mean they aren’t strong as balls. Even though Israetel is a bodybuilder by trade, retired SEAL DJ Shipley was easily able to smoke him in all the barbell-based tests. Go ahead and take on this seven-step SEAL fitness challenge and see if you can keep up with the toughest SOBs in the world (not kidding about that).

A Message From Fay Nutrition

A nutrition plan designed uniquely for you

Tired of diet plans that don't consider your unique lifestyle or health needs? Real, lasting change comes from a strategy tailored specifically to you. 

That’s why Fay connects you with a professional Registered Dietitian for true 1-on-1 coaching.

Your dietitian will work with you to create a sustainable plan that aligns with your personal health goals, whether you're managing a condition like PCOS or just want to feel your best. They consider your preferences and routines to design a strategy that actually works, using clinically proven methods like meal planning and journaling. 

It’s time to stop guessing and start getting guidance that’s 100% personalized.

Find Your Dietitian Now

Nutrition

Hi, Fiber

Credit: LaffTV / Giphy

With the cyclical nature of dietary advice, we’ve seen foods like eggs, sodium, and steak transition from being avoided at all costs to becoming staples of a healthy diet. Other items of note, like bran muffins, rice cakes, and chicken with absolutely no seasoning on it whatsoever, have dropped out of the S tier to make room for these additions.

Dr. Layne Norton is here to get the fiber hype train running back on its late ‘80s, early ‘90s tracks, and he brings with him a bunch of data to shovel into the engine.

Dr. Norton shares a new study that finds increased dietary fiber intake has positive health outcomes across various diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cancer. In a repudiation of modern Carnivore (and Carnivore-adjacent) eating habits, Dr. Norton makes the bold declaration, “If you don’t want to die young, eat fiber.” 

Read up on the topic and see where your gut takes you on the topics of fiber, nutrition, and gut health.

Labor Day 2025 Sale

It’s the Final Countdown!

Credit: BarBend

You’re running out of time to take advantage of our favorite Labor Day fitness deals. We’re talking about sales on everything from treadmills and all–in-one trainers to your favorite creatine and pre-workouts. Check out some of our faves.

Equipment

• Assault Fitness: Save up to $500 on Runners.

• Aviron: Get 32% off all equipment.

• Bowflex: Up to $700 off select equipment.

• Force USA: Save big on All-In-Ones: Up to $500 off all-in-one trainers

• Flybird Fitness: Anniversary blowout — up to 50% off select items

• Horizon Fitness: Take up to 35% off assorted cardio equipment.

• Hydrow: Get up to $750 in savings

• NordicTrack: Save up to $1,700 on bundles and up to $1,000 on smart machines before price increases take effect in the coming weeks.

• Titan Fitness: Save up to 60% on functional trainers, power racks, and more.

• TRX: Get 20% off across the site

Supplements

• Bulletproof: Labor Day sale 30% off sitewide.

• Cellucor: Get 15-35% off subscriptions to creatine, protein, pre-workouts, and more.

• Gainful: 30% off all products. Use code LBD30

• Legion: Right now, Legion has a BOGO 50% off site-wide deal.

• MyProtein: Save up to 35% when using the code POWERUP

Recovery Equipment

• Ekrin: Summer Sale - Up to 30% off Ekrin massage guns.

• Hydragun: $400 off the Supertub 0.8 with code "LABORDAY."

• The Plunge: Get up to $3,500 off plunges and saunas. Plus, get 50% off Plunge Protect extended warranties and $1,000 off pro sauna assembly, and receive a $500 bonus for signing up for SMS alerts. (8/18-9/9).

• Polar Monkeys: $500 off your purchase with code "WELCOME-500."

• Therabody: Save up to $150 on massage guns and more.

• Redwood Outdoors: Fire and Ice bundles $1,500 off for a limited time.

• Sun Home Saunas: Save up to $1,450 on saunas and plunges through 9/1.

• Sunlighten Saunas: Up to $2,000 off and free shipping.

Quick Hits

💪 Rest Like This: Join bodybuilder Brett Wilkin as he teaches former NFL defensive lineman Derek Wolfe all about the wonders of rest-pause training and its uses in sculpting a thick set of shoulders and upper back muscles.

♥️ Keep Losing This: Visceral fat, long known for its deleterious effects on health, may be the culprit behind a whole new supervillain level of malevolence. Recent studies show that the type of fat that surrounds and coats your organs may be accelerating the rate at which your heart ages.

🏋️ Bench This: Learn how maintaining your structural balance can give your bench press a much-needed boost.

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The Home Gym Club (presented by Garage Gym Reviews) is a three-minute digest on gear reviews, training, and nutrition.

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^{We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See our disclosures page for more.}

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Let's dive into today's topics:

• Build foundational core strength the right way

• How to add more function to your fitness

• The best Labor Day 2025 fitness sales

Core Training

Begin With the Beginning

Credit: UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock

It may never be too late to start again, but how much better would our lives have been if we'd just started out on the right path in the first place?

The foundational ab workout in this article is the best place to start your journey as a beginner. And even if you're already getting a little longer in the tooth, this program is the perfect way to get back to basics and on the straight and narrow. In addition to the workout, we dive into the logistics of core training, including how often you should train and what benefits you’re missing out on. 

For big compound movements like deadlifts and squats, the core is usually where things break down and cause the lift to fail. Getting your foundation dialed in isn't taking a step back; it's a step forward for your biggest lifts. Tighten up, strengthen your base, and find relief in the knowledge that you're going to be moving in the right direction.

A Message From FITAID

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• Delicious Flavors: Enjoy the refreshing taste of Watermelon Wave or Pink Himalayan Lemonade.

💥 Now’s your chance to try both flavors for ONLY $2

SHOP NOW and experience hydration with a higher standard.

Workouts

Let’s Get Functional

Gif by nanalan on Giphy

Fitness and functionality used to be one and the same. Pictures of silver-age bodybuilders doing gymnastics on the beach in horizontally striped tank tops flooded magazines, and the concept of “physical culture” was alive and well.

In the article below, we break down what functional fitness actually is, its benefits, and provide you with four workouts tailored to various goals, including endurance, conditioning, and more. 

You might already be doing some of these moves without knowing it; CrossFit and similar workouts are loaded with functionality, after all. Being a better human should be the goal of everyone, and moving better sounds like a pretty good place to start. Discover the joys of functional fitness with this primer.

Sales

Labor Days of Love

On your day of rest from your weekly toil, kick back with a hot dog and a cold one and use modern technology to shop from your back porch. The Labor Day fitness deals we’ve curated make it well worth your time, so look no further than the article below for all your holiday exercise savings. 

With the ability to save hundreds of dollars on high-ticket items and cleanse yourself with the lure of free shipping, this is one of the most prestigious sales weekends of the year. We’re talking about deals on everything from treadmills and all–in-one trainers to your favorite creatine and pre-workouts. Check out some of our faves.

Equipment

• Assault Fitness: Save up to $500 on Runners.

• Aviron: Get 32% off all equipment.

• Bowflex: Up to $700 off select equipment.

• Horizon Fitness: Take up to 35% off assorted cardio equipment.

• Titan Fitness: Save up to 60% on functional trainers, power racks, and more.

Supplements

• Bulletproof: Labor Day sale 30% off sitewide.

• Cellucor: Get 15-35% off subscriptions to creatine, protein, pre-workouts, and more.

• Legion: Right now, Legion has a BOGO 50% off site-wide deal.

Quick Hits

🚶‍♂️ Walk This Way: Consorting with the beast through the power of numerology may have been a fun post-Hot Topic activity for you in the early 2000s, but breaking out this 6-6-6 walking workout may be an even better use of those three digits. Discover how this method of organizing your walks can help you consistently meet your weekly activity goals.

🇨🇦 See This Podium, eh? Canada's Strongest Man has been crowned after a beefy field of 13 duked it out over the weekend. See who came out on top with this full event-by-event breakdown.

💪 Lift This: Have you ever heard of the 5×5 training method? Find out how it can boost your gains and supercharge your strength.

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Home Gym Club

The Home Gym Club (presented by Garage Gym Reviews) is a three-minute digest on gear reviews, training, and nutrition.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here's what we have for you in today's edition:

• When to use different bench press grips

• Best ways to use your TRX

• A comparison of back training in 3 Olympia competitors

Exercise Selection

Watch Where Your Hands Are, Pal

Credit: @Xbox / Giphy

For as much time as you spend daydreaming about your bench press, how much effort can you honestly say you've put into deciphering the code of hand positioning on the bar?

These seven bench press grips offer you an insight into what wonders lie on the other side. Each with its own particular function and feel, you might find that you begin kicking yourself for not finding out about your favorite way to hold a barbell years earlier. There are ways to change the muscular feel of the movement (reverse grip, close grip), and methods that might just prove to make the bar finally feel comfortable in your hands (thumbless, bulldog). 

Your grip says a lot about you as a person, so it's high time you expanded your horizons.

A Message From Pacaso

Learn from this investor’s $100m mistake

In 2010, a Grammy-winning artist passed on investing $200K in an emerging real estate disruptor. That stake could be worth $100+ million today.

One year later, another real estate disruptor, Zillow, went public. This time, everyday investors had regrets, missing pre-IPO gains.

Now, a new real estate innovator, Pacaso – founded by a former Zillow exec – is disrupting a $1.3T market. And unlike the others, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company.

Pacaso’s co-ownership model has generated $1B+ in luxury home sales and service fees, earned $110M+ in gross profits to date, and received backing from the same VCs behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

Training

When Three Letters Are All You Need

Credit: BAZA Production / Shutterstock

From its “take it anywhere” mobility to the simple design and its Navy SEAL/MBA marketing, TRX has been a popular brand in the fitness space over the past two decades.

Bodyweight exercises tend to have a learning curve, and while using the TRX system is great for everyone, you might need to stick to the movements appropriate for your fitness level. Luckily, we have the ultimate list of TRX movements catering to your strengths and abilities right here.

Basic upper-body TRX exercises include inverted rows and IYT movements, but if you're closer to a Navy SEAL than a Dad Bod, you might find more joy in kicking things up a notch with provocatively named exercises like the body saw and atomic push-up. 

There is plenty of room for improvement and needed regression up and down the entire length of the TRX. So, grab some sole strands of webbing, find a wall with a hook in it, and get going.

Workouts

Like Rashomon, but for Back Training

Credit: Nick Walker / YouTube

In a way, it's a shame Kurosawa never directed a hero's journey film involving hardcore bodybuilding. Think of the massive muscle franchises American directors could have created by stealing his ideas.

The ideas of import today are not classic cinema, but thick backs and massive silhouettes. To that end, we’re scrutinizing the back training of three top Olympia competitors to see how they differ, what is similar, and what mere mortals can learn from it all.

The most obvious takeaway from these competitors is that they all prioritize hypertrophy over strength. That means all of their workouts are heavy on machines and light on free weights. Being incredibly advanced at their craft, you may find these elite physique competitors have different needs than your average advocate of a push/pull/legs routine. Still, there’s something to learn from each of them.

Check out all the rowing, pulling, and tugging action in the article below.

Quick Hits

🥕 Order This: With all the home delivery meal kits now available to suit your pseudo-TV dinner lifestyle, Splendid Spoon digs into the market with another option. Is this plant-based company with a focus on noodles and shakes enough to supplant your current delivery service? Find out in this review.

🏋️‍♂️ Pull This Down: With all the attachments available for the lat pulldown burning a hole in the corner of your gym, BarBend hazards the question: Does it really even matter? Here, we look at the differences between the wide-grip and narrow-grip pulldowns and help you decide which one is better for your goals.

🏀 Slam This: We love slam balls here at BarBend. (Seriously, we have a whole workout article dedicated to them.) Check out our favorite slam balls on the market for your home gym to improve your workouts.

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The Ripped Report

The Ripped Report Newsletter is everything you need to know in bodybuilding in a three-minute read.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Incredible isometric exercises for newfound strength

• The methods for rapid muscle development

• Sensible alternatives to heavy lifting

Exercises

Iso-Gains

Credit: sportpoint / Shutterstock

Isometric exercises, like the ones listed in the article below, are great for building brutal strength. Inordinately intense, resisting weight and straining without movement can be some of the hardest work you'll ever do in the gym.

The good news is you don't even have to learn new exercises to use isometrics. Your favorite lifts, such as squats, bench presses, and pull-ups, have isometric variants that can help you torch your muscles. Explore these isometric exercises to reach a new level of strength consciousness.

A Message From Pacaso

Big investors are buying this “unlisted” stock

When the founder who sold his last company to Zillow for $120M starts a new venture, people notice. That’s why the same VCs behind Uber and eBay also backed Pacaso. They made $110M+ in gross profit to date. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. Now, you can join, too.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

Training

Fast Is Smooth and Smooth Is Fast

Credit: @DisneyPlus

What's better than building muscle? Building muscle fast, of course.

While slow and steady wins the muscle race, there is no reason you can't throw a rocket on the turtle once in a while. These eight tips can help you build new muscle mass more quickly, allowing you to start enjoying the benefits sooner.

All the rules for slow gainz apply to fast gainz, but you have to prioritize them even more. Adding extra volume will require recovering (sleeping) even harder, but the combo can be magical. You're never more than 12 weeks away from someone new looking back at you from the mirror. See how much more of you there can be by learning how to take advantage of rapid muscle gain.

Lifting

When Mo’ Weight Ain't Mo’ Better

Credit: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock

Popping capillaries in your eyes and turning your face beet red under the strain of a super-heavy load might be one of the greatest joys life has to offer, but it’s not always conducive to a practical workout. (Also, there are some people in the world who do not find it quite as enjoyable.)

Allowing for shorter workouts and offering a viable alternative, these methods for building muscle don't require the mainline intensity of “as-heavy-as-possible” lifting.

Famed strength coach Sebastian Oreb points out that the greatest level of muscle building occurs when you utilize between six and 15 reps. This style of training, naturally, necessitates working with a lower percent of your one-rep max. If your main goal in the gym is to build muscle, strengthen tendons, and generally be fit, consider ditching heavy sets in favor of some submaximal work. Learn how to set up this type of workout by clicking below.

Quick Hits

🏋️‍♂️ Mobilize This: Overhead pressing has regained the once prominent popularity it held in a pre-bench press society, but our modern lifestyle of sitting and scrolling isn't doing our t-spines any favors. Use these methods to increase thoracic spine mobility and put more weight above your dome.

🏃 Max This Out: VO2 max is one of the primary indicators for both longevity and exercise performance (surprisingly, even more so than your max bench press). Easy to estimate with at-home methods, improving your VO2 max can transform your life in both health and fitness. Find out the best route to take to become a fitter version of yourself by reading all about the ways to increase this metric.

🍬 Chew This: We tested out six of the top creatine gummies on the market to find the best one. See which brand topped our list.

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The Ripped Report

The Ripped Report Newsletter is everything you need to know in bodybuilding in a three-minute read.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything fit to print in today’s edition:

• Should you work out in the morning or evening?

• Program your deadlift for success

• Comparing and contrasting the front squat and back squat

Training Tips

Early Bird or Night Owl?

Credit: @boomerangtoons / Giphy

Unless you’re a professional athlete, your work schedule probably dictates your training time. This likely leaves you with two basic options for working out: the mornings or evenings.

In what is always the million-dollar question, we’ve got an article all about helping you understand whether working out early or late is a better option for you.

Luckily, the answer might be as easy as picking the one you like better. While the consistency with which you train will ultimately matter more than what the clock on the wall says, there are some fine details to be aware of if your performance is as important to you as your free time. Learn all about it in the article below.

A Message From NOBULL

30% Off Your First Order at NOBULL

Our mission is to help you be better physically, mentally, and emotionally. No gimmicks. No BS. Just gear that works. Strength. Cardio. Hybrid. However you train. NOBULL keeps up.

Get started with 30% off your first order with code WELCOME30 at nobullproject.com.

No minimum. No BS.

Programming

Of Math and Deadlifts

Credit: @Disneyplus

Sometimes, watching social media for too many hours can convince you that deadlift training is all about just gripping it and ripping it. What you don’t often see is the detailed programming that precedes the maximum effort that draws all the views and thumbs-ups.

The five deadlift programs we’ve created below are exactly what you need to improve your performance on the most visceral of all gym lifts. Logical overload protocols are combined with specific “extra” work to build up your body’s specific deficits, depending on where you are and where you want to end up.

The ‘Gram only shows you the end result of weeks and months of dedicated work, but if you stick to these programs, you’ll have plenty more to show for it than a 10-second clip.

Exercise Tips

Front to Back

Credit: Improvisor/Shutterstock

If the internet has accomplished at least one good thing in the past 30 years, it’s been convincing more people that squats belong in nearly every workout program.

Without getting into the weeds of the old Usenet groups or the name-calling of 2000s-era gym forums, we’ve put together this article on the key differences between two independently great forms of squatting: the back squat and the front squat.

Squatting is still squatting, whichever variant you choose to focus on, so it’s important not to be tribal about such things. Squatting deep and hard with either will work the same muscles, but depending on your specific sport or muscular development goals, one might just offer the extra oomph needed to get you over the hump. Seek out the perfect squat for your life in the article below.

Poll

In the Hole

Credit: StratfordProductions/Shutterstock

Quick Hits

• What does science-based fitness influencer Jeff Nippard keep in his fridge to help him hit his protein goals? We’ve got the full breakdown.

• Stair steppers are a big investment in terms of sweat equity and moolah, so read our best-of list to pick the right one for you.

• Smelling salts are a staple in serious gyms and at every kind of athletic event. Learn why they are used and what they do for athletes who get a big whiff.

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Generation Iron Report

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Lunge variations to spice up your leg training

• USA Weightlifting is unhappy with the Enhanced Games

• A bodybuilder’s bizarre chicken protein shake

Exercise Selection

Lunge, Lunge, Lunge Your Boat

Gif by friends on Giphy

Your options for lunges are far more varied than you realize. In addition to the traditional forward lunge you may have grown up using, or even the popular walking lunge variation, there are just about as many ways to lunge as there are stars in the sky.

Here are 15 options for ways to unilaterally train your legs, each with its own interesting way of hitting your quads, hammies, and glutes.

You can change up your angles by swapping in reverse lunges or going side-to-side with pendulum lunges. You can also load your lunges in almost innumerable ways, from holding dumbbells to sticking a weight overhead and hanging on for dear life with your core. Don’t get stuck in a lunge rut. Stand on the back of some single-legged giants and find out how far you can see.

A Message From Fay Nutrition

A nutrition plan designed uniquely for you

Tired of diet plans that don't consider your unique lifestyle or health needs? Real, lasting change comes from a strategy tailored specifically to you. 

That’s why Fay connects you with a professional Registered Dietitian for true 1-on-1 coaching.

Your dietitian will work with you to create a sustainable plan that aligns with your personal health goals, whether you're managing a condition like PCOS or just want to feel your best. They consider your preferences and routines to design a strategy that actually works, using clinically proven methods like meal planning and journaling. 

It’s time to stop guessing and start getting guidance that’s 100% personalized.

Find Your Dietitian Now

Weightlifting

Enhanced Mode

Credit: Robert Avgustin / Shutterstock

The Enhanced Games is set to take PED-fueled athletic competition out of the shadows and onto the Vegas strip in May of 2026.

However, USA Weightlifting, with its anti-drug indignity flying from the tallest mast it can find, has strongly come out against the Enhanced Games, not least of which because of its perceived poaching of USAW’s athletes.

Calling them an “unwanted sideshow” and claiming the Enhanced Games “violates the spirit of true sport,” USAW President and CEO Matt Sicchio holds down the fort on the only opinion media talking heads are allowed to have on PED use.

Will the Enhanced Games force a more nuanced look at chemical assistance in sports? Will gassed-up monsters fly into a roid rage mid-contest and destroy the event? Probably neither, but, as this article shows, the pot is getting stirred up now more than ever.

Bodybuilding

Costco’s Chicken Bake Has Nothing on This

Giphy

One of the greatest keys to success may be learning to manage setbacks and turn weaknesses into strengths. 2025 Arnold Classic Physique champion Mike Sommerfeld recently dealt with a serious health issue — but worse than that, this emergency made it extremely difficult to eat. (Every bodybuilder’s worst nightmare.)

Sommerfeld, driven by his belief in “no excuses,” turned his inability to chew into something beneficial by learning to drink massive chicken shakes.

“Tastes just like grandma’s soup,” he said in a recent YouTube video.

Building up to October’s Olympia, Sommerfeld has no time to take a break from his high-protein, low-carb diet. Learn about the macros, timing, and secret ingredients he uses to pound down his liquid chicken meals to fuel his workouts.

Quick Hits

🪵 Press This: Strongman competitors have long known the benefits and difficulties of the log press. Still not as common as sleds or sandbags, logs offer a unique take on the traditional “picking weight up from the ground and pressing it overhead” oeuvre. Get your hands in a neutral position, brace your upper back, and get ready to jump on the best log ride around by learning about this unique piece of equipment.

💪 Shake This Up: Protein powders are hardly a secret. Shaker bottles are as common a sight in kitchen cabinets as casserole dishes are at your grandma’s house. Find the best protein blend for your needs by reviewing the 11 best products in this class from 2025.

🏋️‍♂️ Band This: Follow the advice of Justin “Judd” Lienhard, who discusses how he uses resistance bands to develop rotational power, mobility, and athletic ability.

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The Ripped Report Newsletter is everything you need to know in bodybuilding in a three-minute read.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what we have in today's edition:

• The relative merits of wearing a weightlifting belt

• Understanding the differences between mobility and flexibility

• Battle rope workouts to integrate into your program now

Lifting Equipment

Buckle Up

Credit: Dean Drobot / Shutterstock

Aside from being great to wear during a professional wrestling match so that you can whip your opponent with it, weightlifting belts are believed to serve, and overserve, many purposes to many different lifters.

What is a belt actually good for, and when should it be left in your bag? BarBend offers this codex to understanding the vital need for (and spurious use of) everyone's favorite 6-inch-wide piece of leather.

For starters, you can almost always lift more weight while wearing a belt. This is on account of the increased intra-abdominal pressure you create by flexing your core muscles against the belt. Wearing your belt too tightly or getting lazy and not bracing will lead to significantly lessened results, though. Find out if a belt is right for your life, then learn to use it in the most appropriate fashion.

A Message From Jacked Factory

Level Up Your Training with Jacked Factory Pre-Workout

You know the feeling—dragging into the gym, trying to summon energy from nowhere. We’ve been there.

That’s why Jacked Factory created powerful, clean pre-workouts that actually work. No junk. No crash. Just science-backed ingredients that deliver razor-sharp focus, explosive energy, and real performance.

Whether you're chasing PRs or pushing through early morning lifts, Jacked Factory's pre-workouts are built to help you train with intent and leave nothing on the table.

Thousands of athletes trust Jacked Factory to fuel their grind. Now it’s your turn.

Feel the difference. See the results.

Movement

Word Jumble

Credit: Dean Drobot / Shutterstock

Parsing words and equivocating to the nth degree may be a great joy of New York Times crossword addicts, but in the case of mobility and flexibility, attention does need to be paid to the qualifications of each.

In a nutshell, are you wasting time performing flexibility movements when you really need greater mobility? That’s what we’re here to teach in today’s featured article.

Perhaps no better description of the concept comes from yoga instructor Alexandra Sheppard: “Mobility is having strength in your flexibility.” 

Moving your body through its various end ranges of motion is an intricate process, so don't worry if the solution seems complex. Find out what you can do to help limber up and move better by examining the details of mobility and flexibility.

Cardio

Time to Do Battle

Gif by marvelstudios on Giphy

The invention and popularization of battle ropes has been a huge paradigm shift in gym culture. Instead of lame-looking machines (ellipticals, etc.) and fitness classes with an ‘80s aesthetic, people are seeing that cardio can be pretty badass.

Since your gym probably has a set of ropes tied off somewhere in it, check out this guide to building your own battle rope workout.

With this simple piece of natural hemp, you get all the joys of frying your grip, burning your shoulders up, and prying yourself off the ground after you've finished. Admit it: you've been curious about battle ropes for a while now, but you've been too embarrassed to take that first step. Start making waves with this how-to article.

A Message From Fay Nutrition

Nutrition Guidance, Covered by Insurance

Expert nutrition counseling is often expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Most health insurance plans cover sessions with a Registered Dietitian, often at no cost to you. Fay makes it easy to use your benefits by matching you with a top-tier expert in-network with hundreds of plans.

Book Your Covered Session

Quick Hits

🏋️ Triple This: Jesus Olivares, already the IPF record holder with a 478-kilogram squat, isn't slowing down. Smashing a 425-kilogram squat triple in training, he is on track to surpass his already impressive records in the sport.

🏃‍♂️ Go Uphill: Derrick Henry, monster NFL running back and someone who just looks like he could run over your house if he felt like it, develops his otherworldly speed during the off-season. See why his trainer pushes him hard on hill sprints, rather than flat surfaces, and how this helps both his performance and longevity.

💪 Stabilize This: Rotator cuffs are a complex and seemingly fragile link in the body's chain. Find out how coach Jordan Shallow trains this body part for stability and injury reduction.

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Home Gym Club

The Home Gym Club (presented by Garage Gym Reviews) is a three-minute digest on gear reviews, training, and nutrition.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what’s going on in today’s newsletter:

• Dumbbell leg workouts for killer wheels

• How to get in your cardio without running

• A review of OWYN premade protein drinks

Workouts

Flash Some Leg

Credit: Jeremy Bentham / Shutterstock

Dumbbells can often seem like the all-star of upper body day, but they can often be forgotten during leg training. Loaded leg presses and brutal sets of heavy squats may seem like the only option for layering intensity, but the humble dumbbell offers some of the best leg workouts you’ve ever experienced. And we’re here to teach you all about it.

Far from just being a crutch to lean on when you don’t have access to a full gym, training your legs with dumbbells can give you just about all you can handle. Using a single dumbbell in the “goblet squat” position provides you with a way to squat with a load nearer your center of gravity than a barbell back squat, loading your legs and activating your core. Then there are killer moves like the Bulgarian split squat and Romanian deadlift that will tax your legs from your quads through your hammies.

Check out our five favorite dumbbell leg exercises for goals like fat loss, muscle gain, and more!

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Cardio

Runner’s Sigh

Credit: Giphy

Let’s face it, aside from a few sick people who really ought to get some help, the rest of the rational human world hates running. Since the marketing powers behind Big Shoes have stuffed the idea that “running = cardio” into our heads since the 1970s, you can be somewhat forgiven for spending most of your life thinking that conditioning just has to suck.

Well, let’s take a little money out of Phil Knight’s pocket and come to our own conclusions about cardiovascular training. Can’t do it on your own? Discover these cardio alternatives to running, approved by a personal trainer.

Getting your heart rate up and blood pumping can take many different forms, from the tranquility of walking through nature to the fun, party atmosphere of a group fitness class. Not everyone was born to run, so don’t let the monotony of slogging through a jog be the boss of you. Check out these eight cardio alternatives and translate your joys into better health for your heart and lungs.

Reviews

OWYNed and Operated

Credit: BarBend

Sadly not named after Glendower or any other hero from the sovereign states of Wales, Only What You Need (OWYN) offers a high-quality, premade protein that seeks to rival conventional DIY powder mixes.

In this review from BarBend’s team of product experts, we examine how this convenient, “pop it and chug it” mixture holds up. From its vegan ingredients to its essential amino acid-rich blend, does this on-the-go protein infusion make cleaning stinky shaker bottles obsolete? Find out if your taste buds, wallet, and macro needs all converge in a thousand points of light onto this protein shake.

Poll

How Do You Cardio?

Giphy

Quick Hits

🛷 Push This: Twenty years after EliteFTS began selling the Prowler sled — and 19 years, 11 months after the term “Prowler flu” was used to describe the post-workout nausea caused by brutal sessions — the iconic push sled remains one of the most disgusting pieces of fitness equipment ever designed. If you have a strong desire to get fit while also, paradoxically, hating your life, you need to check out the unique benefits of the Prowler.

💪 Mutate Into This: We don’t know exactly what Darwin would say about Nick Walker’s 24-inch arms, but it’s a reasonable assumption he would, at the very least, be somewhat impressed. Nick shares his two pet exercises that are helping him escort his huge guns back to the Olympia this year.

🏋️ (Don’t) Bench This: We love the barbell bench press here at BarBend. Everyone does, right? Well, count six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates as someone who absolutely loathes this gym staple. Check out why he hates the flat barbell bench and see if you agree.

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Home Gym Club

The Home Gym Club (presented by Garage Gym Reviews) is a three-minute digest on gear reviews, training, and nutrition.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here's what we've got going on today:

• How to build a massive chest without massive weights

• Full or body-part split for fat loss? Science decides

• Repair your calluses the easy way

Workouts

Pump Up the Pecs

Credit: BarBend

Chest training is always big news, but the headline of the day is that bench pressing might not always be the king when it comes to building muscle. Below, you’ll find a list of six weightless chest exercises to help you build muscle with barbells, dumbbells, or fancy-schmancy machines.

Aside from various push-up variations (all of which you should master), we also break down the right way to do dips and teach you why the TRX chest flyes need to be on your radar. Once you’ve mastered the moves, we combine them into three full workouts to help you build your chest quickly.

A Message From AG1

The #1 Daily Health Habit

It’s halfway through the year - how many of your New Year’s resolutions have you ACTUALLY kept?

Prioritizing your health can be hard. Especially when you have meetings, errands, and endless to-dos on your constantly demanding schedule.

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AG1 is a Daily Health Drink formulated to help fill common nutrient gaps and support whole-body health in one simple scoop.


With a blend of high-quality vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, and phytonutrients, it’s designed to work in synergy with your body.

No gimmicks. No guesswork. Just an easy daily habit you can feel good about, every single morning.

Subscribe now and get:

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✔️ FREE Vitamin D3+K2 Drops
✔️ FREE Canister + Shaker

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Get a FREE AG1 Welcome Kit!

Fat Loss

Organize the Chaos

Credit: Ground Picture / Shutterstock

We've already established that a solid strength training routine is an invaluable aid when it comes to fat loss. Equally as well known is that not all resistance training programs are created equal.

Full-body splits and body-part programs are equally popular for muscle building, but one might be strictly better when the focus of the training block is fat loss.

The root cause of the benefit may be slightly surprising. In a “less is sometimes more” plot twist, it seems like doing fewer sets with harder effort might actually help your body drop weight more readily than prolonged efforts.

While learning to cook, eat, and rest for your goals may take up a larger portion of the fat loss pie, dialing in your weight training programming could be the next step you have to take toward the lean frame you want.

Recovery

Smooth Criminal

Credit: @Friends / Giphy

Callused hands are a badge of honor, but also an annoying impediment to furthering your life goals. If your training session has ever been ruined by some barbell knurling tearing off a big hunk of skin, learning to take care of your rough hands will keep you in the game for longer.

Your glove-free connection to the barbell is an important kinesthetic link in your lifting chain. Simple self-care, like shaving down big bumps or using a file to whittle down chunky calluses, can become a part of your basic hygienic maintenance routine.

Smooth hands are most certainly not the devil's playthings, so soften up some of those rough areas with our callus maintenance guide.

Quick Hits

🦵 Lunge Like This: Lunging is a primary movement just about everyone can benefit from. However, if you've got lunges on your schedule, you probably make at least one of these form mistakes. Luckily, the fixes for these problems are just as common.

💪 Stand On This: Among forgotten classic lifts like the windmill and barbell pullover, the handstand pushup is one of the hardest and most traditional of them all. Think differently about your shoulder training with some help from the world of gymnastics.

🏋️‍♂️ Don’t Try This: An 815-pound squat? A 535-pound bench press? Learn more about the feats of Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor and a whole host of other college football stars in The Athletic’s “Freak List.”

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The Ripped Report

The Ripped Report Newsletter is everything you need to know in bodybuilding in a three-minute read.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• All about forearm training

• How to build the rear delts for complete shoulders

• Lifting weights and fat loss — the real story

Training

Get Those Popeye Forearms

Giphy

Big forearms and a commensurately significant grip are a classic sign of brute strength. Plenty of people may train for pretty upper arms or flashy abs, but a thick set of forearms usually means one thing: this person is seriously strong.

So what’s keeping you from joining this kind of elite company? Absolutely nothing. All that stands between you and the forearms of your dreams is air and opportunity. The comprehensive guide below will take you as far as you want to go.

The best part is that these workouts really don’t even take all that long, with most of the routines consisting of around three exercises. We’ve taken the liberty of breaking these workouts into different goals — strength, endurance, dumbbell-specific routines, etc. — and we even added full tutorials for our favorite moves to make things easier. Personally, farmers’ carries and the bottoms-up kettlebell carry are two moves you’ll want to emphasize once you get the lay of the land. You can also pull from the land of bodybuilding and integrate simple wrist curl variations into your plan to get those forearms to pop.  

Learning to grip it and rip it will make every other aspect of your life better. And it all begins with the knowledge below. 

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Workouts

Playing the Hand You’re Delt

Credit: BarBend

If you’re in the market for bigger and stronger shoulders, you’ve got to do more than pressing. Building your rear delts — a.k.a. your posterior deltoids — gives your shoulders a well-rounded, 360-degree pop, helps you lift heavier in compound pulling movements like pull-ups and rows, and promotes healthier shoulder musculature. And if you spend a lot of time hunched over your computer or phone, well-developed rear delts can work wonders for your posture.

In addition to providing your shoulders with some serious “fullness,” training the posterior aspect of your body’s most complicated joint helps fight the slouched-over posture modern-day life constantly encourages. In short: stronger rear delts will help you sit a little straighter, stand a little taller, and feel a whole hell of a lot better. 

To get your upper-body training up to snuff, we’ve got one of our patented listicles focusing on the best rear delt exercises and workouts you’ve been missing out on. Use this knowledge to supercharge your shoulders and keep your body stable and healthy.

Weight Loss

Lift It Off

Credit: ALL best fitness is HERE / Shutterstock

For many people, the weight room is hallowed ground for getting bigger. Hoisting plate-filled bars over your head in the hopes of slapping some extra pounds onto your shoulders is a basic human need that must be met. It’s in our blood. 

But is weight lifting an overlooked way to also lose weight? Yes, yes, it is, but, as always, it’s not quite as simple as that.

Strength training, like all human activity, burns calories. Simply stepping into a power rack and knocking out five sets of five probably isn’t the solution to dropping body fat, but it can be part of your overall cutting plan. See how, where, when, and why you should integrate resistance training into your fat loss plans if you’re serious about getting (and staying) lean. 

A Message From Fay Nutrition

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Quick Hits

🏋️ Stretch This: Increase mobility and pliability within your body by utilizing the fascia squat. Here’s a rundown on how to do it the right way.

📸 Shrug It Off: In the wide world of modern-day sports, sometimes winning the social media engagement game can be just as important as achieving in-contest victory. Dig into the data behind the CrossFit Games — not the weights or times, but the source of all new life in 2025: Instagram followers. Who got them, who lost them, and why is the overall trend down this year?

🦵 Ham It Up: Chances are that you concentrate more on your quads than your hamstrings on leg day. Right that wrong by reading about these hamstring-training hacks from a pro bodybuilder.

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The Ripped Report

The Ripped Report Newsletter is everything you need to know in bodybuilding in a three-minute read.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here's what's happening in this edition:

• How to pick the right high-protein, low-calorie foods for muscle growth

• Learn to craft a strong body with simple calisthenics

• The top mini massage guns to aid recovery

Nutrition

High and Low

Credit: Giphy

Protein is one of three macronutrients that make up all of human food (fats and carbohydrates being the others). You know you're supposed to eat more protein, but you also know you're supposed to eat fewer total calories. Since protein contains calories… what gives?

Eating foods high in protein and low in fats and overall calories lets you tick off a positive result in both boxes. You can see 20 such foods by clicking the link to an article about this very thing below.

It should be no surprise that various lean meats take up many of the top spots (animal protein long being the gold standard). Science can also help in the form of bars and powders if your access to meat is limited or if your moral code of conduct forbids it. 

Plenty of people have cracked this high/low code, so stand on the backs of these lean, shredded giants and see farther than before.

A Message From Hydrow

Set Aside 20 Minutes for Hyrdow 🚣‍♂️

Your day is full. You've got meetings, school drop-off, meal prep, and (hopefully) carving out some quality time with friends and family.

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Strength Training

No Weights, No Problem

Credit: BarBend

While using big weights to get jacked is an awesome use of your time, some of the biggest, strongest, meanest-looking physiques in the world were built without Smith machines and eight-plate deadlifts. How did they do it? Simple: calesthenics. 

Calisthenics doesn't sound like an overtly aggressive word, but it encompasses a lot more than a spandex-heavy step aerobics class has to offer. Using just your body weight, you can master these bodyweight exercises to build a muscular physique worthy of a Greek statue or even a federal penitentiary.

Removing external weights doesn't mean removing the intensity; quite the opposite, actually. Blasting your legs with jumping lunges combined with step-ups is just about enough to make anyone question the choices they have made in their life. And, remember, you haven’t felt a true burn until you’ve mastered the Bulgarian split squat. 

You can join a huge list of elite athletes who built their bodies with simple calisthenics, but you'll need to prepare for some tough training days ahead to achieve the same results.

Recovery

A Message About Massages

Credit: sportoakimirka / Shutterstock

Message guns have lasted long enough to move from “fad” to “staple” in the spot in your oversized gym bag reserved for recovery tools.

One of the annoying downsides has always been their awkward size and bulk, but the mini massage gun aims to solve that while still bringing a strong muscle-thumping right cross to the party. We here at BarBend have taken time out of our busy lives as a fitness periodical to find the six best mini massage guns for your minimalist lifestyle.

Whether you want to get through TSA with a minimum of stress, downgrade to a smaller travel bag, or just reach hard-to-get spots on your body more easily, you'll be spoiled for choice when it comes to these invaluable compact muscle relaxation devices.

Quick Hits

🐮 Drink This: The new ready-to-drink, grass-fed protein shake from Transparent Labs touts 30 grams of protein and leaves all the junk ingredients behind. Learn more about this high-quality, low-calorie option for your muscle-building needs.

🏀 Slam This: Medicine balls both look cool and give you the chance to train your core in an explosive manner. Learn the simple joys of throwing @#$% around the gym as hard as possible by investigating the relative merits of the medicine ball slam. 

👨 Head’s Up: Is your deadlift lagging because of your head position? Learn all about the mistake you might be making and how you can fix it.

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The Ripped Report

The Ripped Report Newsletter is everything you need to know in bodybuilding in a three-minute read.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what’s on tap in this edition:

• The top cable moves for size and strength

• 3 accessory exercises for better squats

• Full 2025 CrossFit Games results

Exercise Selection

Cable Gains

Credit: BarBend

Reports of the death of cable have been wildly exaggerated. For clarity’s sake: We’re not talking about the thing you jam Law & Order reruns on when you’re in a hotel. That cable is absolutely dead. We’re talking about the cable machine at your local gym.

Almost limitless in its possibilities, a solid cable machine can be almost as valuable as a barbell and a power rack. Here, we present 15 of the best ways to use this iconic weight room contraption to build size, strength, and stability.

The freedom the cable gives your body to pursue its own ideas about range of motion is what sets it apart from other types of machines. The angles you can create let you train every single muscle in your body, from abs with cable crunches to lats with the classic low row to triceps with the often-used pushdown. And that just scratches the surface.

Sign up for the package deal with your local cable machine today, and channel surf your way through these 15 exercises for all your different muscle groups.

A Message From AG1

The #1 Daily Health Habit

It’s halfway through the year - how many of your New Year’s resolutions have you ACTUALLY kept?

Prioritizing your health can be hard. Especially when you have meetings, errands, and endless to-dos on your constantly demanding schedule.

That's where AG1 comes in.

AG1 is a Daily Health Drink formulated to help fill common nutrient gaps and support whole-body health in one simple scoop.


With a blend of high-quality vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, and phytonutrients, it’s designed to work in synergy with your body.

No gimmicks. No guesswork. Just an easy daily habit you can feel good about, every single morning.

Subscribe now and get:

✔️ 10 FREE Travel Packs
✔️ FREE Vitamin D3+K2 Drops
✔️ FREE Canister + Shaker

All for less than $3 a day.

Get a FREE AG1 Welcome Kit!

Strength Training

Accessorize Your Squat

Credit: Stoltman Brothers / YouTube

It’s not entirely fair to say that top strongman competitors can lift more than powerlifters, are bigger than bodybuilders, and are more explosive than Olympic lifters — but you wouldn’t be that far off the mark if you went out on a limb and made that claim.

In order to build his squat to the level it needs to be to compete on the world stage, three-time World’s Strongest Man winner Tom Stoltman relies on these three major accessory movements to keep his body humming along.

You might think one of the strongest people on the planet would need some kind of ultra-fancy setup to keep improving his squat, but these exercises are all things that wouldn’t be out of place at a Planet Fitness. Stoltman’s preferred method is to hit ultra-high reps with these, possibly saving his body’s heavy efforts for when they really matter, while also coaxing along the hypertrophy that is so important to an athlete his size.

If you really want to squat like a strongman, this is the type of stuff you need to be working on.

2025 CrossFit Games

History Is Made in Albany

The 2025 CrossFit Games is officially in the books, and if you haven’t been paying attention, there’s a lot to catch up on. First off, Jayson Hopper took home the win for the men, putting on an incredible performance in one of the tightest leaderboards we’ve ever seen.

Then, of course, there’s Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, who won her record eighth CrossFit Games in the women’s division. And…it wasn’t really close. Catch up on all the action in our full leaderboard below.

Quick Hits

Best of the Games: Even if you couldn’t care less about CrossFit, it’s hard not to be impressed by the women who competed over the weekend. How about Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr beating two-thirds of the men’s field during the first event? Or Lucy Campbell hitting some epic one-handed cleans in Event 3?

Hydrate With These: Need to get back some of the nutrients you lost after a hard workout? These seven tested-and-approved electrolyte drinks offer you the perfect blend of tasty flavor and replenishing vigor.

For Revolutionary Pecs: If you are looking to build a bigger chest, specifically your upper pecs, look no further than the guillotine press. The guillotine press is a means of achieving serious upper chest development with a light weight. Here’s how to do it the right way.

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Eat This, Not That!

Your ultimate source for expert nutrition tips and health advice, covering wellness, healthy recipes, cooking hacks, food news, style trends and shopping.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything you need to know for today’s edition:

• How to walk with a purpose for weight loss

• Frank Zane’s 1,000-rep-a-day ab routine

• How to follow our live 2025 CrossFit Games coverage

Weight Loss

The Non-Hitchhiker’s Guide to Weight Loss

Credit: @Paramount / Giphy

Let’s face it, life in modern-day America is a sedentary one. “Sitting is the new smoking” hasn’t quite caught on as a slogan, but that doesn’t make it any less true. The solution to this lifestyle choice is as simple as it is effective: Take a walk.

Walking might be the most effective lever in your tool chest when it comes to tackling weight loss — but you have to have a solid strategy before you can really reap its benefits.

Walking’s ease may be part of its undoing; too many people want to “feel” like they had a sick workout instead of practicing habits that reliably get the job done. Fresh air, sunlight, and gentle movement are all vital for the basic thermodynamics of fat loss and play a more complex role at the hormonal level (where people who want to drop weight can oftentimes get stuck). 

Odds are, you need more ambulation in your life. Discover how incorporating positive walking habits can help reduce your waistline with our comprehensive guide below.

A Message From Transparent Labs

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They’re all about keeping it clean, and not in a vague “clean” kind of way. We’re talking:

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Try their Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate—it comes in 16 flavors. (Chocolate chip banana bread? Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie? Yes, please.)

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Ab Training

Insane in the Frank Zane

Credit: @best_body_muscular / Instagram

Three-time Mr. Olympia winner Frank Zane is known for having one of the most aesthetically pleasing male bodies in human history. And, yes, the guy had some divine legs, a powerful chest, and a legendary pair of arms. But Zane will forever be remembered for having some of the best abs to ever grace a bodybuilding stage.

Zane’s ab routine, from way back in the dark ages of the 1970s, is still killer today. In fact, the man nicknamed “The Chemist” might have stumbled onto some hardcore science when it comes to training for sweet abdominals.

Not dissimilar from Bruce Lee’s style of core training, Zane worked his way up to performing 1,000 reps of abs per day. That’s…wild to think about. Then again, it worked. 

If you want crazy results, sometimes you have to be willing to put in some crazy work. Learn all about this bodybuilding icon's four-figure ab routine and see if you can hang with one of the greats. 

2025 CrossFit Games

Albany Is for CrossFit Lovers

Credit: @CrossFitGames / Instagram

The Fittest on Earth will head to Albany, NY, August 1-3, for the 2025 CrossFit Games. It's the first time the sport’s pinnacle event is being held in the Empire State. 

On the men’s side, James Sprague looks to retain his title against a loaded field with at least 10 men who have a legitimate claim to the top podium spot. 

In the women’s division, all eyes are on seven-time champ Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr. Though the GOAT spent most of the season training for HYROX, she set her sights on an eighth Games title following her dominant performance at the Torian Pro. 

Follow the action with our live leaderboard below — and be sure to keep up to date with exclusive content over on the Morning Chalk Up Instagram page.

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Quick Hits

💪 Pump This Up: The devil is always in the details, and IFBB Pro Josh Jewett doesn’t want to leave you stranded at a crossroads empty-handed. Follow his thorough guide to getting the most out of your cable lateral raise and perfect those pop-out shoulders you so covet.

🪑 Shape This Up: If you’re not looking to perform 1,000 reps like Frank Zane, maybe you’d want to learn how to master the L-sit to build the stronger core your body deserves.

🏋️ Prepare to Pull: Want to hit a new PR on the deadlift? A two-to-four-week peak phase is what it takes to hit new heights.

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Home Gym Club

The Home Gym Club (presented by Garage Gym Reviews) is a three-minute digest on gear reviews, training, and nutrition.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything fit to print in today’s edition:

• How dynamic warm-ups can help your main workout

• Trap bar deadlifts vs. using the conventional barbell

• The 10 tastiest protein powders

Warm-Ups

Be the Dynamo That You Are

Credit: PeopleImages. com - Yuri A / Shutterstock

Warming up has a complex relationship with the in-crowd in strength and fitness. Nobody wants to be the dude in bicycle shorts foam rolling and cat-cowing for 45 minutes before hitting the Nautilus circuit, but even fewer people want to rely on the old-fashioned warm-up of plate, plate, plate, plate, working set.

The more athletic option is to include short bursts of movement into your routine before chalking up and hitting the barbell hard. Don’t know where to start? You could do a lot worse than these 15 dynamic warm-ups.

Some of these are a mini-workout in themselves, really reinforcing the “warm” in warm-up. By doing all 15 of these, you get a truncated full-body workout before you do your heavy stuff. Alternatively, you can focus on the movements that hit hot spots in your body and focus your pre-workout energy on correcting issues you know limit your performance. However you choose to utilize them, it’s a good idea to get on a first-name basis with these dynamic warm-ups.

A Message From Nike

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Exercise Selection

For a New Deadlift Experience

Giphy

Trap bar deadlifts are a different kind of animal than the extremely popular and doted-upon barbell deadlift (hereafter simply referred to as “a deadlift”). Sometimes reviled, sometimes used only out of physical necessity, the trap bar offers a different take on the old-fashioned concept of picking weight up off the ground.

When deciding on the best way to use weights to build a strong back and grip, it would be a mistake to discount the unique uses of the trap bar. So much so, in fact, that we wrote a whole article about it.

In a modern-day irony fit for a Greek parable, the same sectors of the internet that will doubt the trap bar will opine wistfully about the farmer’s walk. Don’t let this humongous blind spot shield your eyes from the obvious; it’s, uh, kinda the same thing. Since absolute weight can sometimes be the perfect antidote to lagging muscles and boring training, the trap bar’s ability to be loaded heavier than a barbell (for most people) really allows for some significant work to be done. Saddle up and ride or die with a new deadlift brother.

Supplements

Palate Cleanser

Credit: BarBend

Long gone are the days of buying baggies of unflavored protein powder that smelled like really bad meat or really good cheese. The protein industry has come a long way, and unlike the tobacco industry, manufacturers' efforts to make their products taste like long-gone childhood treats have not been looked down upon.

These 10 protein blends are the pick of the litter when it comes to exciting your taste buds and helping you keep on track with your macronutritional goals. You’ll have your delicious pick between classic whey blends, vegan options, traditional brands, and all-natural options. Missed meals are missed opportunities for more muscle and a leaner body.

With these protein blends, you’ll never want to leave the house without a shaker bottle again.

Quick Hits

📺 Watch This: The CrossFit Games looms ever closer, which means it’s time for you to set up your viewing schedule to allow for maximum consumption of the Fittest on Earth. Find out how to watch every kip, snatch, and carry with our guide to watching the 2025 CrossFit Games.

💪 Extend This: Quixotically known as a Roman Chair, the hyperextension machine has somewhat been eclipsed by other posterior chain developers in the 20th century (including by its Bizarro World cousin, the Reverse Hyper). Get back to the old times and do as the Romans do by flexing up all the muscles of your backside with the hyper.

🦵 Squat This: Ever heard of a slant squat? Learn all about this move, courtesy of “The Knees Over Toes Guy,” and find out how it can help your overall fitness.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Training legs with an achy back

• 6 of the best reasons to increase your grip strength

• The cost of chasing CrossFit glory

Workouts

Don’t Put Your Back Into It

Credit: @latenightseth / Giphy

You should always treat pain at its source, trust your doctors, and never ignore any injuries. Read that sentence twice before proceeding.

If you’re a meathead, you not only didn’t follow the instructions in the second sentence above, but you saw something about “pain” and “doctors” and just skipped the whole thing.

Whether or not you take care of yourself in the most appropriate ways possible, chances are you probably need a little help modifying your training when dealing with back pain. This is doubly true when trying to get bigger, stronger legs while dealing with a bad back. After all, barbell squats can be mercilessly painful if you’ve got a herniated disc.

Thankfully, lower-impact squat variations like belt squats and box squats can feel amazing whether you’re banged up or not. Focusing on unilateral work like step-ups and dumbbell lunges can also help balance you out and give you a more “athletic” feeling. 

It’s usually fine to keep exercising when you have a hitch in your giddyup, but it’s a doubly good idea to make sure you’re on the right track with things.

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Strength Training

Get a Grip

Credit: Giphy

Grip strength isn’t just for bringing up the groceries in one trip; it’s actually one of the leading markers of longevity. Yes, that limp-fish handshake you dread feeling when meeting someone new at a corporate event is a major indicator for all-cause mortality, in addition to being a sure sign Bob from accounting isn’t going any further up the corporate ladder.

A potentially longer lifespan is just one of six significant reasons you should care more about your grip and your grip training than you currently do.

If living longer doesn’t do it for you (we get it), then we bet you’re the kind of person who is obsessed with lifting more weight. Well, guess what? Being able to hold more weight means — dum de de dum — you can lift more weight! 

Do you want to be the cool grandparent who everyone in the neighborhood comes to when they need help opening a jar of pickles? Then get your grip right with the article below, and your entire life will follow accordingly.

CrossFit

You’ve Got to Spend Money to Make Podiums

Living the life of a rockstar athlete isn’t always what social media makes it out to be. In a reminder that what you see on TV still isn’t real, Morning Chalk Up caught up with elite CrossFit athlete Hannah Black to examine the financial realities of pouring your heart, soul, and financial solvency into the quest to chase down sporting greatness.

Black’s basic expense list looks like that of a lot of 20-somethings, just with the addition of a huge black hole of travel expenses from contests. Black also had to leave her high-paid STEM job to train full-time; many parents and clock-punchers will note the difficulty of squeezing in enough time for “regular” training, much less the ruthless schedule of a semi-professional athlete.

Sponsorships pay less than you think, prize money is a drop in the bucket, and all these commitments leave little time left in the day for coaching. See the true cost of “chasing the dream,” which all but a very small handful of top athletes struggle with as they try to snatch and box jump their way to immortality.

World Record!

A Mountainous Pull

Instagram post

Hafthor Björnsson officially broke the all-time world record deadlift over the weekend at the Eisenhart Black Competition with a massive 505 kilograms! Check out the lift in the Instagram post above, and read our full rundown of the list here.

Quick Hits

💪 Bulk Up: Learn the four exercises that bodybuilding legend Charles Glass does to grow his triceps.

🐞 Lie Down Like This: Dead bugs are one of the more literally named core training movements. Lying down and imitating a roach, which managed to outlive several extinction-level events, might be all you need to do to apocalypse-proof your abs for another century of fun. Here’s how to do it.

🏋️‍♂️ Keep Ahead of This: The 2025 CrossFit Games has a new series of safety measures in place to avoid another catastrophic incident like last year. See what new Head of Safety Wendy Guthrie has in store for the competitors' physical and mental health at this year’s edition of the event.

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Your ultimate source for expert nutrition tips and health advice, covering wellness, healthy recipes, cooking hacks, food news, style trends and shopping.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what we’ve got in store for you today:

• Chest and tris, designed for your needs

• How to pump up with only one dumbbell

• Hip hinge your way through life by mastering the KB deadlift

Workouts

Press on the Victory

Credit: Srdjan Randjelovic / Shutterstock

The headline act all the summer festivals want this year, and every year, is the chest and the tris. Lucky for you, BarBend has booked this premier act to perform specifically for you during your next upper-body workout.

These workouts, which focus on your most prominent "pushing" muscles, are specifically tailored to your training level and ability. They also happen to feature some of your favorite movements, like the barbell bench press, weighted dips, and triceps extensions.

Expanding in terms of complexity and weight tolerance, these workouts can help you scale from a neophyte to the kind of person strangers come up to on the street and ask about your routine (because you’re so jacked, you see). Honestly assess your comfort level with these workouts, slot yourself into the appropriate category, and get ready to look better in a T-shirt from every angle.

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Lifting

One Dumbbell to Rule Them All

Credit: BarBend

When you think of dumbbells, you tend to think about grabbing them in pairs. Expand your mind a bit and realize that, sometimes, all you need is a single weight to do all the work you could ever need.

In the article below, we’ve crafted seven single-dumbbell workouts focused on the following goals:

• Strength

• Conditioning

• Upper-Body

• Full-Body

• AMRAP

• Core

• Arms

At first glance, it’s easy to look at single-dumbbell workouts as a training disadvantage. Maybe you’re lacking the array of equipment you’re used to, and you’re certainly limited in weight selection with just one implement. However, single-dumbbell workouts have a lot to offer lifters of all levels, and they might be just the thing your routine needs to shake things up.

Kettlebells

It All Hinges on This

Credit: hurricanehank / Shutterstock

Somewhat less famous than some other fundamental human movement patterns (like squatting and horizontal pressing), the hip carries with it the greatest capacity for explosive movement. Responsible for things like jumping and loading Atlas stones over a bar, understanding how to aggressively hip hinge is as important for athletic dominance as it is for getting off the toilet after a particularly lengthy secret TikTok session.

One of the simplest ways to get a pump in your butt and drive the idea of the hip hinge into your bones is to learn the kettlebell deadlift.

Both a gateway to swings, snatches, and heavier types of pulls, as well as a useful standalone exercise, the kettlebell deadlift is worth taking the time to learn. Whether you have the flexibility and trunk strength to maintain posture all the way from the ground up, or if you need to prop the kettlebell up on a box or some plates, this is a core movement you need to have down pat.

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Quick Hits

📰 Read This: Pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan passed away on July 24 at the age of 71. Read more about his life here and, for the hell of it, check out the album he recorded in Japan in 1983.

💪 Row These: Renegade rows are an amazing back builder and stabilizer that can give your overall strength a serious shot in the arm. Utilizing kettlebells adds a new wrinkle to the move and might provide even more benefits. Learn the best way to do them here.

🏋️‍♂️ Rest Up Like This: Mitchell Hooper has withdrawn from Brian Shaw’s Strongest Man on Earth contest. Following an unusually lackluster performance at a Giants Live event, and admitting to not feeling his best at this year’s World’s Strongest Man, Hooper plans to take a step back from the near-constant cycle of preparation and competition he has had in his schedule ever since making his debut in international strongman in 2022.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything you’ll find in today’s edition:

• Try this one-month push-up plan for a strength boost.

• How to get a protein-rich meal at a fast-food joint.

• 3 muscle-building strategies (potentially) debunked

Workouts

A Month of Push-ups

Credit: Marvelous Movie Clips 4K HDR

Getting back to basics is always one of the hardest things to force yourself to do. If you’ve had your hands gripped resolutely around a barbell for years and years without making the progress you want, returning to the ground to meet your old friend from gym class — the venerable push-up — may just be in order.

Designed for beginners and anyone else who hasn’t gotten on their face in a long time, this month-long push-up program will have you on your hands and toes in your garage while you get in serious shape.

If you can’t do an honest-to-God proper push-up, that’s still okay. You can use a variety of assisted push-ups and planks to build yourself up (after all, what is a push-up if not a dynamic plank?)

Over the month, you’ll logically progress and come out in better shape than two-thirds of the gym-going population. Start your journey now, and push yourself into the upper echelons of fitness.

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Nutrition

Gains in the Fast Lane

Credit: Giphy

Eating on the road, or just being in a hurry, doesn’t mean you need to make a gas station run to load up on pizza-flavored Combos and all-red packs of Starburst. America’s greatest weaknesses can also be its strengths, with several of the nation’s top fast-food chains offering protein-heavy meal options for the muscle-conscious dieter on the go.

The guide below helps you navigate the oil-encrusted world of fast food chains to find the protein-laden options hidden behind the 42-ounce sodas. Southerners will rejoice at seeing their favorite chicken establishment’s name high up on the list, heavily touted for its bevy of grilled (not fried) choices of poultry (and even sides of kale). 

Whatever your local fast food place is, there is a way to work the system to get the macros your body needs without running it over with thousands of calories. Keep your diet on point wherever you are with this guide.

Exercise Science

Debunked?

Credit: beehiiv / AI-Generated Image

In July 2025, Menno Henselmans, the director of Bayesian Bodybuilding, reviewed three recent studies that challenged popular beliefs about hypertrophy training. The takeaways suggest that more nuance is involved with certain training techniques. The three biggest were:

• Pre–Exhaustion Could Inhibit Gains

• Mind-Muscle Connection Might Be Overrated

• Lengthened Partials Seem Exercise-Dependent 

So, what’s the deal? Are these strength-training strategies a waste, or is the truth a bit more complicated? And is Henselmans even correct in his assertions? Keep reading to find out.

Sound Off!

McCravings

Credit: Giphy

Quick Hits

• Check out who took home the crowns of Britain’s Strongest Man and Strongest Woman over the weekend.

• A big barbell can lead to big gains in pulling strength and back size. Check out how to do the axle deadlift to reap the rewards.

• Event 5 for the 2025 CrossFit Games has been released. Check out what the athletes will face in Albany next week.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what’s happening in today’s edition:

• Escalate things quickly with some push/pull workouts

• 10 unique ways to squat just in time for your next leg day

• 5 hot topics leading up to the CrossFit Games

Workouts

Push It Real Good

Credit: @Peloton / Giphy

The push/pull split is truly the Salt-N-Pepa of the lifting world. Since twisting is overrated, this simple split utilizes the top two movement patterns your body can manufacture — and it lets you do it a lot.

These full-body push/pull workouts allow you to break your entire workout into two days or stack multiple iterations together to form a complete training week.

Technically, you could probably call these workouts “anterior/posterior” training sessions, but thinking in terms of ranges of motion is more convenient (and more correct, since the antagonistic side always has to support the main mover). For even more tailored advice, we crafted workouts for five different goals:

• Strength

• Bodybuilding

• Bodyweight

• Fat Loss

• Beginners

No matter your goal, these workouts combine lots of big movements rather than focusing on isolation exercises, so strap in for a series of compounding sets of squats, presses, rows, and hip hinges.

This is a pretty fun way to train, and will really give you the sense of having accomplished something. Train your body like it was made to move by trying out the workouts below.

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Training

Crisis on Infinite Squat Racks

Credit: MexChriss / Shutterstock

Squats need no introduction. They are the pinnacle of weighted human movements and the very standard by which all other exercises are measured against.

The squat family tree is both wider and taller than many people know, with each branch and leaf offering a slightly different take on the main theme. Here are 10 such extended relations to throw into the next leg day you have penciled and with a sticky note saying “DO NOT SKIP” posted to it.

Some of these variations can help you warm up to your preferred squat, while others will be more ideal as a finisher, and some might even totally replace your favorite for a time.

Belt squats are incredibly on-trend and much easier on the lower back. And if you like to look to the past for your style, then Anderson squats might help you relate to the sport’s history. A plentiful land of squatting awaits your eager eyes, all contained in the simple-to-use link below.

CrossFit

A Veritable WOD of Drama

Credit: Ava Kitzi

Beautiful Albany, NY, will be the setting for this year’s CrossFit Games. As a sea of sleeve tattoos and knee-high socks descends on the state’s capital (and therefore most important and illustrious city), they bring with them all the theater and human-interest that comes along with high-level sport.

These five questions are the most pressing we could think of, and may very well shape the storylines of this year's biggest CrossFit event.

Aside from the results, the biggest question is what the future holds for Dave Castro, the man who leads the programming for the Games. Even without the pressure placed on him in the wake of Lazar Ðukić’s death at the 2024 Games, his relationship with the sport and its governing body can be described as “tumultuous.”

Some old faces are looking for new glory, and the debutante’s Rookie of the Year title looks to be a fierce one. Prepare yourself for Albany by memorizing this primer, and get ready to sit back and enjoy.

Sound Off!

Are You Game?

Credit: @crossfit

Quick Hits

😘 Wink This: “Butt wink,” right up there with believing every squat should be done ATG, is one of those terms internet nerds invented because they couldn’t stand watching bigger, stronger people outlift them in the gym (now there is some editorial bias showing). Find out if this pelvic tilt is a deadly snake in the power rack’s grass, or just another one of these things it’s sort of good to know about.

💪 Erect These: Thick spinal erectors are one of the most overlooked and valuable parts of the body. When someone with quality erectors throws their arm around your waist for a tight-in selfie, they instantly know whether or not you’ve got the goods to be an elite strength athlete. Get in touch with your lower back by learning how to intentionally isolate these important stabilizers with these three exercises.

🐮 Spare This Rod: Spoiled Child Collagen joins the ranks of some of the strangest choices for names in fitness, but that doesn’t mean their product is or isn’t top-notch. Investigate whether this $1.63/per shot product can be the perfect supplement to leave you with the same smooth hair and skin as Nonna’s favorite.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything going on in today’s edition:

• Inside Eddie Hall’s $1 million home gym

• 5 fitness myths you need to ignore

• The case for (and against) fitness wearables

Strongman

When Hardcore Goes Upscale

Credit: SHAWSTRENGTH / YouTube

When you think of a home strongman gym, dark caverns coated with chalk come to mind, along with homemade equipment made out of junkyard scraps and whatever giant rocks were close enough to haul inside.

This perception is one thing, of many, that makes Eddie Hall’s home gym seem so anomalous. Looking more like a luxury spa in Gstaad catering to the high-and-mighty who just happen to love hitting some heavy leg press reps in between martinis, Hall’s gym is a modern temple to keeping his body healthy and refreshed. 

Mixing his background as a competitive swimmer with his strength sport legacy, Hall still prioritizes pool time in his weekly fitness schedule. Take note of how a serious athlete lays out his home gym to treat his body right, and if you don’t exactly have $1M and 2,000 square feet of extra space burning a hole in your pocket, at least use this as inspiration for your own self-care.

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Exercise

Axioms That Need the Axe

Credit: Thanumporn Thongkongkaew / Shutterstock

The fitness world, and especially the subculture of strength and muscle, is full of half-truths, misinformation, and educational resources as diverse as Verkhoshansky and “This one guy my cousin knows.”

Given the torrent of information and the general human desire to know things rather than do things, it’s not surprising that this can be a difficult field to navigate. Case in point: The five (incorrect) strength rules in the article below are almost universally accepted, and BarBend thinks it’s time to change that.

You’ll hear some variation of “You have to get sore muscles to have a good workout” at even the highest levels of strength and muscle acquisition. Patently untrue, this tactile perception of progress is a giant nothing-burger in the grand scheme of training. And don’t even get us started on the so-called “anabolic window” that would have you stuffing your face full of protein within 30 minutes of a workout or risk losing your precious gains to the Phantom Zone forever.

Do some deep digging and uncover the truth about these would-be rules, then call your cousin and tell you “his guy” is about to get a knowledge bomb dropped on him.

Technology

Wearable Woes

Credit: @Portlandia / Giphy

The Progress Paradox was published over 20 years ago by the tastefully named Gregg Easterbrook (of Tuesday Morning Quarterback fame), and, since the early oughts are all juicy and retro right now, it’s the perfect time to check back in.

In this edition, we examine the role wearable technology, and the absolute fire hose of information said technology is able to spray out, plays in our health and fitness.

“Paralysis by analysis” used to be a buzzy forum term back in the day. In the modern world, it seems that athletes and laypeople alike can’t seem to get enough biometric data. Is this access to real-time information helping to make us more fit, or just giving us one more thing to distract us from living our lives to the fullest?

Sound Off!

Looking to build your own home gym? Our team of expert reviewers has compiled their favorite home gyms right here. Whether you’re looking to train for powerlifting, CrossFit, bodybuilding, or just need something simple to break a sweat, we’ve got what you need.

Quick Hits

🏋️ Join the Club: Powerlifter Colton Engelbrecht joined an elite group of lifters by sumo deadlifting 500kg. While his grip failed him during his meet-official attempt, he was able to throw on some straps (just like everyone else who has tugged 500kg), and lock out the enormous weight.

💪 Bust Through With This: The much maligned, abused, and longingly stared-at chest press machine may be one of the most misunderstood animals in the iron farm. Use this guide to learn all about using it to bust through plateaus you run into with your usual chest training activities.

📺 Watch This: Former NFL standout Jason Kelce is seemingly everywhere nowadays. Same goes for Dr. Mike Israetel (well, if you’re really into YouTube fitness gurus, that is.) This thoroughly beefy duo recently teamed up for a workout that gave Dr. Mike ample opportunity to critique Kelce’s training style. Watch it here.

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter. Here’s what’s going on in today’s edition:

• Potential dangers of gym machines

• All about BCAAs

• Bench press guidelines to measure yourself by

Exercise Safety

The Most Dangerous Game

Credit: Renaissance Periodization / YouTube

As safe a space as the gym can be when you feel persecuted for your musclehead way of life, there are intrinsic dangers to slinging weight around through material space.

Even weight machines, sometimes marketed as “simpler” or “safer” alternatives to the menace of free weights, carry their own risks. Five machines specifically stand out to Dr. Mike Israetel as possible doombringers of the fitness world.

For starters, the vertical leg press. While it might seem like a top-tier quad-builder (it is a favorite of The Rock after all), it turns out the reduced range of motion and the pressure it packs onto your spine make it an injury waiting to happen. And the Smith machine? It’s not a whole lot safer than a standard barbell if you’re not careful about the amount of plates you pack onto it.

Remember, no piece of equipment is safe if used incorrectly or without proper physical and mental preparedness. Find out if you’ve been living in a high-danger zone for too long, and go on to see what you can do about remedying that in the future.

Supplements

BCAAuuuuse….

Credit: BarBend

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) were all the rage several years ago, and while the hype train behind them may have slowed down a bit, their effective use as part of a diet and supplementation plan hasn’t gone anywhere.

Simply put, these amino acids play a vital role in muscle protein synthesis (science-talk for “getting swole”). While a protein-rich diet naturally contains plenty of BCAAs, supplementing them in powder or pill form remains a popular way to stay topped up.

Though they’re undeniably useful, it’s important to drop your idea of BCAAs as a “miracle” muscle builder and understand the possible side effects grabbing a bottle of them can have. Delve deep into the science and application of branched-chain amino acids with the link cleverly inserted below to learn all about the benefits (and potential drawbacks) of BCAAs.

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Strength Training

Very Im-Pressed

Gif by ben-l on Giphy

Nobody is ever going to say, “Eh, it doesn’t really matter what I bench.” Nihilism, apathy, and the complete state of Nirvana are immune to the pounding desire of wanting to put up enough weight on the bench press.

Looking around the room, you might not always know what is “enough.” The bench press strength standards in the article below offer a clear and concise insight into exactly where you stand on the worldwide leaderboard of horizontal pressers. 

Remember, these numbers are intended to serve as an assessment tool for your training, not to drive you crazy with envy or make you feel bad about your current standing. If anything, hopefully they’ll give you a goal to shoot for. So, if you’re on the cusp between an intermediate and advanced lifter, seeing these numbers in black and white might give you the push you need.  

Go ahead and see how you currently stack up and make a roadmap for where you want to be in the future.

Quick Hits

💪 Strengthen This: It seems oxymoronic to suggest using your living body as a tool to increase your deadlift, but, strange as it may sound, these 20 (yes, 20!) bodyweight exercises may be the key to unlocking your full deadlift potential.

🏋️ Use These: Dumbbells are as widely used a tool in strength and conditioning as anything. If you’re looking for a new set, this list offers the best choices on the market now.

🌊 With the Flow: What is flow training? Learn all about it here, and see how you can utilize this technique during your workouts.

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The Ripped Report Newsletter is everything you need to know in bodybuilding in a three-minute read.

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