Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Best Reviewed Pre Workout Supplements

Of all the workout supplements you can buy, pre workouts may have the widest variety of ingredients, dosages, and effects — which is why it’s so hard to find the best pre workout for your needs.

Although there are many stimulant-free options, people tend to think of pre workouts as caffeine supplements. But there are scores of other ingredients that appear in the mix, including chemicals and plant extracts that have been formulated to improve endurance, power output, focus, fat loss, blood flow, and more.

That’s why we’ve tried dozens of pre workouts, from the biggest brands to the newest up and comers, to find out the absolute best pre workout for twelve different purposes.

Best Pre Workout: KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED
Best Pre Workout for Women: FitMiss Ignite
Best Pre Workout for Pump: Legion Pulse
Best Pre Workout for Cardio: Legion Pulse
Best Pre Workout for Men: Old School Labs Vintage Blast
Best Pre Workout for Cutting: Evlution Nutrition Engn Shred
Best Pre Workout for Running: Old School Labs Vintage Blast
Best Pre Workout for Weight Loss: Evlution Nutrition Engn Shred
Strongest Pre Workout: Legion Pulse
Best Pre Workout Without Creatine: Legion Pulse
Best All Natural Pre Workout: Legion Pulse
Best Pre Workout Without Caffeine: The Genius Brand Genius Pre

Keep reading for a detailed breakdown as to why we picked each of the winners, and the runner-ups in each category.

Best Pre Workout

KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED was our overall favorite pre workout. Basically, it’s a great all-rounder: It’s high in caffeine (274mg), beta alanine, citrulline, betaine, and creatine, so it can support just about any kind of workout. There’s a significant amount of taurine and two kinds of tyrosine for focus, and there are branched chain amino acids, an unusual addition in a pre workout which can make it easier to exercise on an empty stomach and retain muscle.

Add all that to the fact that there are actual ground up vegetables in it to deliver a hit of antioxidants, which may reduce cellular damage during exercise, and you have a truly unique product. Learn more about KAGED Muscle here.

Legion Pulse came in second. It doesn’t have BCAAs and it’s pricier than PRE-KAGED, but it’s even higher in caffeine (350mg), beta alanine, citrulline, and betaine, making for another very versatile product whether you’re working out for endurance, power, or anything in between. It’s also free of artificial flavors, sweeteners, and colors, which should please athletes looking for a more natural way to boost their workouts.

Pre JYM was our third favorite pre workout. Like Pulse, it’s more expensive and has fewer antioxidants than PRE-KAGED. It’s also a little lower in ingredients linked to focus and a couple of the ingredients, like alpha GPC, may not be very well dosed. But by and large, it’s one of the best pre workouts we’ve seen: it’s got a lot of caffeine (300mg), citrulline, and betaine, it has a decent hit of beta alanine, it has a solid six grams of BCAAs, and there’s some black pepper extract to help everything absorb efficiently.

Best Pre Workout for Women

FitMiss Ignite was our favorite pre workout that’s specifically targeted to women. There are a few differences that women may look for in a pre workout, but a common complaint is that many pre workouts can be too strong for lighter athletes. FitMiss Ignite is lower in caffeine than the options listed above — it has 100mg, the amount you’ll find in a cup of coffee — plus it’s so cheap (55 cents a scoop) that if you want a stronger effect, you can double your serving without spending too much.

It also contains several ingredients linked to endurance and especially focus, plus the Strawberry Margarita flavor we tried was delicious. Learn more about FitMiss Ignite here.

StrongGirl Pre-Workout came in second as far as our picks. It’s not quite as cheap as FitMiss, but it’s still very reasonably priced. It’s also a little stronger in caffeine (125mg) and it still has a lot of ingredients linked to focus and endurance. Unusually, it’s also very high in antioxidants, which might help reduce cell breakdown and improve skin health, plus it has the interesting addition of Japanese raisin tree extract, which may reduce the severity of hangovers. The downside is that it’s a proprietary blend, so we don’t know the exact doses.

PUMPSURGE was another good choice for female athletes. It’s got more betaine than either of the other two options, meaning it could be a great choice for strength-based workouts. The big difference, however, is that instead of a big dose of caffeine it contains rhodiola, a Scandinavian plant that has strong links with reduced fatigue and improved focus.

Best Pre Workout for Pump

Legion Pulse was our favorite pre workout for pump. The reason is pretty simple: out of all of the pre workouts we tried, it has the highest dose of citrulline at 8 grams. Citrulline is linked to improved blood flow and nitric oxide, which is linked with solid muscle pumps. At 144mg, it also has more sodium than most other pre workouts, which can help to draw water into the muscles. Learn more about Legion Pulse’s ingredients here.

KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED is another great option for athletes looking for a pump. With 6.5 grams of citrulline and 75 milligrams of sodium it’s not quite as highly dosed as Pulse, but it’s still remarkably high in these two ingredients and should deliver for athletes looking for skin stretching pumps.

Old School Labs Vintage Blast was our third pick for the pump. It has 5 grams of citrulline and 50mg of sodium, plus it has a gram of arginine AKG and that can help oxidize HMB, a substance that could help to build lean mass.

Best Pre Workout for Cardio

Legion Pulse was our favorite pre workout for cardio sessions. This is primarily because it has a big 4.8 grams of beta alanine, which is linked to endurance — studies suggest that 1.6 grams is enough to have an effect and it’s very rare to see a dose as high as that found in Pulse. There’s also a lot of citrulline to help with blood flow and the betaine anhydrous could help with anaerobic output in case you want to mix in some high intensity bursts. Learn more about Legion Pulse’s product here.

Earth Fed Muscle’s Stammpede is another great choice for cardio. While it doesn’t have as many ingredients linked to focus and it’s pretty low in citrulline, it’s actually higher in beta alanine than Pulse with 5 grams per serving. It also has six grams of BCAAs, which may help with endurance and muscle retention, particularly if you’re exercising on an empty stomach. Bonus: there are no artificial flavors or sweeteners in this one.

Pre JYM is another great pick for cardio workouts. It has 2 grams of beta alanine — which is still an effective dose — and it also has beet extract, which can help with nitric oxide and endurance. There are also BCAAs, though it’s a little low in a few ingredients linked to power.

Best Pre Workout for Men

Old School Labs Vintage Blast might be the best pre workout for men. That’s not just because it’s super high in citrulline and it contains l-carnitine l-tartrate, which can help with endurance and focus. It also has d-aspartic acid, which some studies suggest may temporarily increase testosterone. Learn more about their formulation here.

GAT Nitraflex is another great pick for male athletes. It’s super high in caffeine (325mg) and there are a lot of ingredients linked to focus and, in the case of citrulline, even hypertrophy. The kicker is that it has calcium fructopyranose borate, an ingredient that has also been linked to a temporary boost in testosterone. Nitraflex is also pretty cheap, but the downside is that it’s a proprietary blend, so we can’t be sure of exact doses.

Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Pre-Workout was our third pick for male athletes. We singled out Gold Standard because unlike most pre workouts it contains a hefty dose of Vitamin D, and adequate intakes of this nutrient have been linked with healthy testosterone production.

Best Pre Workout for Cutting

Evlution Nutrition Engn Shred was our favorite best pre workout for people cutting weight. Not only is it a pre workout with plenty of beta alanine, caffeine, and tyrosine, but it has an “Engn Shred Matrix” that’s full of ingredients that are linked to improved fat loss like red pepper extract, coleus extract, and yohimbine. It’s also tasty, reasonably priced, and the coleus extract could even help with hormonal function. Learn more about Evlution’s pre workout formula here.

C4 Ripped is another great pre workout for cutting. As the name suggests, it’s focused on fat loss and it contains many of the same ingredients in the Engn Shred Matrix above, but in smaller doses. (That’s why it came in second.) An interesting difference is that it contains green coffee bean extract, which has some links with fat loss.

Ghost Legend is another good pick for athletes on a cut. It’s more transparent than the other options on this list — we know the exact weight of every ingredient — and while it’s not as high in popular cutting ingredients like cayenne pepper and coleus extract, it does contain raulwolfia and olive leaf extract, which have both been linked to faster fat loss.

Best Pre Workout for Running

Old School Labs Vintage Blast is an excellent choice for running. It isn’t just a great source of citrulline, which could help with nitric oxide and thus boost endurance. Its real strength is that it contains 150 milligrams of caffeine anhydrous and 100 milligrams of micro-encapsulated caffeine. The micro-encapsulated caffeine particles are coated with a thin, edible film that makes them break down more slowly, so there’s a “two-stage” effect that gives you two hits of caffeine: one at the outset and another mid-workout. That makes it ideal for longer runs.

Learn more about their formulation here.

MyProtein MyPre V2 is our second pick for running workouts. It’s cheaper than Vintage Blast and it’s higher in beta alanine, which is great for endurance-based workouts, plus it has more tyrosine to help with focus, an underrated component of running. It also contains the adaptogen astragalus, which might help remove lactate and ammonia and thereby reduce muscle soreness.

Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Pre-Workout was our third favorite for running. This is more or less for the same reasons we liked MyPre V2: it has plenty of beta alanine, tyrosine, and astragalus, just in lower amounts. It also contains a solid 3 grams of creatine, which could help with anaerobic power.

Best Pre Workout for Weight Loss

Evlution Nutrition Engn Shred is a fantastic pre workout for weight loss, in our opinion. It has a huge variety of ingredients that are linked to weight loss, including red pepper extract, coleus extract, conjugated linolenic acid, and yohimbine, which is a stimulant that’s similar to caffeine but has a stronger link to fat loss. It’s also free from creatine, which can increase power but it can also cause people to hold on to water weight. Learn more about Evlution’s pre workout formula here.

C4 Ripped has plenty of ingredients linked to weight loss, too. The doses are a little lower than Engn Shred, and C4’s “Ripped Blend” that contains the weight loss ingredients is proprietary, so we don’t know the precise doses. Nonetheless, it contains an impressive breadth of weight loss ingredients, from green coffee bean extract to cayenne pepper, coleus extract, and l-carnitine tartrate. It’s also free from creatine.

MyProtein MyPre V2 is our second favorite for weight loss. It contains two kinds of yohimbine as well as Capsimax®, a kind of chili pepper extract that’s less spicy than some of its competitors. Note that it does contain creatine, but just two grams of it — enough to boost power, but probably not enough to cause a significant increase in size.

Strongest Pre Workout

Legion Pulse was our favorite, super strong pre workout. All of our top three have 350 milligrams of caffeine per serving, about as much as you’ll find in three and a half cups of coffee. But what made Legion Pulse the top contender is that it’s also the strongest pre workout in terms of citrulline (with 8 grams) and betaine (2.5 grams), making it an excellent choice for endurance- or power-based workouts. Learn more about Legion Pulse’s formulation here.

Nutrex Research OUTLIFT is another excellent, and very powerful pre workout. It’s also got 350 milligrams of caffeine and it’s just as high in citrulline as Legion Pulse, plus it contains a significant three grams of creatine. It’s also pretty darn high in beta alanine (3.2 grams) and taurine (2 grams), meaning it should boost endurance and focus, plus it has branched chain amino acids to help with muscle retention and endurance. One downside: at $2.50 per serving, it’s very expensive.

Animal Fury is our third favorite pre workout as far as caffeine strength goes.  It’s got 350 milligrams of the stuff, plus at one gram, it has more tyrosine than the previous two options. It’s also got 2 grams of beta alanine and 6 grams of citrulline plus 5 grams of BCAAs. While it’s not higher in these ingredients than Pulse or Outlift, the doses are still effective and it’s markedly cheaper than either of them at $1.50 per scoop.

Best Pre Workout Without Creatine

Legion Pulse came in first once again. It’s got some of the highest doses we’ve ever seen of caffeine, citrulline, beta alanine, plus it’s got a lot of taurine and theanine, ingredients that can help with focus and reduce the jitteriness associated with large doses of caffeine. Another bonus: it has 2.5 grams of betaine, which is linked to power output, so you may not miss the power-boosting effects of creatine.

Learn more about Legion Pulse’s formulation here.

Animal Fury is another excellent choice for a creatine-free pre workout. It doesn’t have any betaine, but the tyrosine and the enormous 350 milligrams of caffeine could very well ratchet up your power output anyway. It’s also so high in citrulline and beta alanine that it should benefit endurance-based workouts.

Ghost Legend is a really good choice for a creatine-free pre workout. It may have “just” 200 milligrams of caffeine and some of the ingredients are a little underdosed, but it’s pretty high in beta alanine and citrulline and it has a ton of extra ingredients that help focus and even a few, like olive leaf extract that could speed up fat loss. Plus, the Sour Watermelon Warheads® flavor tastes just like the candy.

Best All Natural Pre Workout

Legion Pulse is the best all natural pre workout on the market, in our opinion. It doesn’t have any artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners, and it’s flavored instead with an unusual variety of sweeteners: stevia, maltodextrin, and erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol that’s used in a lot of low-calorie snacks. Another fun fact is that the Blue Raspberry flavor we tried is colored with spirulina, a type of algae that’s used in many natural health supplements owing to its high concentration of B-vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll.

Old School Labs Vintage Blast is another great, all natural pick. It just comes in Blueberry Lemonade flavor, which is somewhat sour and not quite as easy on the palate as Legion Pulse, but it’s still a great quality supplement that’s flavored with stevia and pineapple juice powder. The active ingredients support a variety of athletic goals but owing to its two-stage formula it’s especially useful for endurance athletes.

Rootz Paleo Energizing Superfood is a very interesting option for all natural pre workouts. It actually doesn’t have any beta alanine, citrulline, or many of the other popular pre workout ingredients but that’s its niche: it’s a pre workout for people who don’t like the tingling, unnaturally energetic feeling that can accompany some supplements on the market. It’s instead comprised of fruits, vegetables, roots, and herbs that have been traditionally used in cultures around the world for their energizing properties. The result is a smooth, enjoyable energy source that won’t knock you off your feet.

Best Pre Workout Without Caffeine

The Genius Brand Genius Pre was our favorite caffeine-free pre workout. It’s a little on the pricier side, but instead of caffeine it uses rhodiola rosea and theobromine, ingredients that have been linked to reduced fatigue and improved focus. Along with very high doses of pre workout stalwarts beta alanine and citrulline, it’s also got a lot of unusual ingredients often left out of pre workouts, like ElevATP for power and astragalus, which can help with focus and possibly reduce muscle cramps. Learn more about their formula here.

PUMPSURGE is another excellent, caffeine-free supplement. It has a shorter ingredients list but like Genius Pre, it uses rhodiola — twice as much — to help users beat fatigue without feeling overstimulated. It also has remarkably high doses of citrulline and in particular betaine anhydrous. Note that it doesn’t have any beta alanine and it’s a little low in ingredients linked to endurance, but that could be good news for folks who dislike the “tingly” feeling that beta alanine tends to produce.

Onnit Total Strength + Performance is our third favorite for folks who don’t want stimulants. The all-natural supplement has BCAAs for muscle retention, endurance, and focus; beta alanine for endurance; and an unusually high number of plant extracts that have been linked to optimal levels of testosterone and estrogen in the body. The downsides are that it’s fairly pricy, and it has proprietary blends, so we don’t know exactly how effective the doses are.

What Are the Benefits of Pre Workouts?

The first thing people tend to associate with pre workouts is caffeine, which can affect just about every part of a workout from power and endurance to cognition and perceived exertion. A small cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams of caffeine, and pre workouts range from 80 to as much as 350 milligrams per serving.

But again, a pre workout isn’t just caffeine. (And sometimes they don’t even have that.) The most common additions include beta alanine for endurance, citrulline for blood flow, betaine for power, and tyrosine for focus.

Those ingredients have relatively solid research behind them, but plenty of pre workouts contain unusual plant extracts, like toothed clubmoss or hawthorn berry, which don’t have the most convincing body of evidence supporting their abilities to improve performance.

When judging a pre workout’s effectiveness, we didn’t disqualify anything that had a questionable ingredient. Rather, we looked at the overall effect of the product. Even if there are a couple of not-so-science-backed inclusions, are there enough reputable, well-dosed ingredients that the product will be useful?

Final Word

We tried dozens of pre workouts to land on this list of the best on the market for almost any athlete, whether you love or hate caffeine, want to improve your run time or just get a better pump. We looked at the price, taste, ingredients, and effectiveness for every one of these supplements and while plenty of people have different ideas as to what constitutes a “quality” supplement, but we think we’ve put together the best darn guide to picking a pre workout on the internet. For more information on each of the products, just make sure to click through to the full review. Enjoy!

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The Complete Guide to Naturally Boosting Growth Hormone

Matt Sohmer Squats 805 lbs for Three Easy Singles

5 Predictions for Strongman in 2018

Watch 17 Year-Old Powerlifter Alex Pavlov Squat 675 Pounds

It’s not every day a lifter makes a milestone lift, and when they do, it’s always better to do it surrounded (and spotted) by friends.

And that’s probably what makes Alex Pavlov’s latest squat PR so special, especially since his friend Claudio Rivera was around to capture it all on camera. Pavlov, who has been lifting seriously for less than three years, told Rivera he was going for a new PR squat and asked if his friend — a filmmaker — would be interested in documenting the session.

Rivera jumped at the opportunity, and the result is a short mini-doc about Pavlov’s squat and ambitions in the sport. Rivera actually reached out to us to see if we’d be interested in featuring the lift, which makes for an even better story: Friends supporting friends through their respective passions for strength and film.

Watch it for yourself:

The squat itself is impressive, but watch until the Q & A session at the end, which is a great look into the mindset of a young powerlifter who’s still relatively new in the sport. Pavlov originally found strength training through bodybuilding, and only in early 2017 did he shift his focus primarily to powerlifting. Clearly, the switch has paid off, and when he talks about his goals for next year, you get the sense that a 800 pound back squat really isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

It looks like Pavlov has a promising strength career in front of him, and we’re excited to see what he does next. But it’s also worth taking a moment to give recognition to young filmmakers like Rivera, whose work helps popularize strength sports by adding a human interest perspective and story to every lift.

Featured image: Claudio Rivera on YouTube

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5 Benefits of Muscle Cleans

Weightlifting Throwback: Leonid Taranenko Attempts a 270 Clean & Jerk!

On Christmas Eve, the best weightlifting video we’ve seen — or at least most interesting, the actual resolution isn’t anything to write home about — is a true throwback. It’s a video from the 1987 European Weightlifting Cup Gala, a tournament that showcased some of the top lifters of the era. And while the video features tons of great lifting in 55 minutes, the most impressive attempt is actually a miss toward the end of the video (roughly the 54:20 mark).

It’s Soviet/Belarusian superheavyweight Leonid Taranenko attempting a 270kg clean & jerk, and it’s certainly worth a watch — just minutes after attempting 266kg. Check out the lift below.

For those not aware, Taranenko actually hit a 266kg clean & jerk the following year for what remains the all-time heaviest clean & jerk in international competition. But what’s especially remarkable about the above video is that 270kg is the heaviest weight (on video) we’ve ever seen a lifter rack to their shoulders, though Taranenko was unsuccessful in standing it up. It’s worth noting that there ARE videos of lifters completing 270kg rack jerks in training, which you can watch here.

Another interesting tidbit: Though Taranenko’s 270kg attempt is perhaps the closest we’ve seen anyone come to cleaning that weight on video, it’s not the heaviest clean & jerk attempt in international competition history. That distinction belongs to Russian superheavyweight Andrei Chemerkin, who attempted 272.5kg — for what would have been a comeback victory — at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

You can view that attempt below.

An impressive pull, but certainly not in the same realm as Taranenko’s attempt as far as where he actually got the bar.

Featured image: Weightlifting News Agent on YouTube

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25 Days of Gifting: Reebok Legacy Lifters

To finish up our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Reebok are giving one lucky winner a pair of Reebok Legacy Lifters!

Our final giveaway of December is perfect for any strength athlete: A brand new pair of Reebok Legacy Lifters in their size! One of the hottest and most popular lifting shoes on the market, the Reebok Legacy Lifters are a dedicated lifting shoe used by weightlifters, powerlifters, strongman athletes, and functional fitness competitors. Enter for your chance to win today!

[Check out our review of the Reebok Legacy Lifters here!]

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the giveaways you can still enter even after the 25th!

Reebok Legacy Lifters

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25 Days of Gifting: Onnit Supplement and Equipment Package

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Onnit are teaming up to give one lucky winner a holiday gift package featuring Onnit supplements and equipment!

Love Onnit supplements? Love Onnit equipment? This is the package for YOU! One lucky winner will receive an amazing selection of Onnit supplements along with a special equipment prize (okay, we’ll come clean — it’s one of Onnit’s world-famous kettlebells!). Don’t miss out on this one!

[Check out our review of Onnit Total Strength + Performance here!]

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

*Note actual Onnit kettlebell may vary from the model pictured below.

Onnit Supplement and Equipment Package

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Mat Fraser and Rich Froning Release Their Second Partner Challenge Workout

25 Days of Gifting: Athletic Greens Christmas Bundle

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Athletic Greens are teaming up to give one lucky winner a holiday bundle package!

The world’s most famous greens supplement is joining us for their biggest giveaway yet! This giveaway with Athletic Greens includes 2 packages of Athletic Greens, 1 package of Athletic Greens Travel Packs, 1 Whey Protein, 1 Omega 3 package, and 1 D3/K2 supplement! One lucky winner is about to get the biggest package in our series of Athletic Greens giveaways!

Athletic Greens is one of the world’s most famous greens powders (and all BarBend readers can get 24% off their greens powder here). As tasty as it is nutritious, Athletic Greens is densely packed with probiotics, vitamins, minerals, and more to supplement performance.

[Learn why Athletic Greens topped our list of Best Green Superfood Powders here! We also reviewed Athletic Greens in-depth.]

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

Athletic Greens Christmas Bundle Giveaway

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Research Suggests Whole Eggs Better for Muscle Building Compared to Egg Whites

Muscle Clean – Muscles Worked, Exercise Demo, and Benefits

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: Wags & Weights Apparel Package!

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Wags & Weights are teaming up to give one lucky winner an apparel package with gifts perfect for cold weather training!

Wags & Weights is the brand that celebrates that special bond between fit humans and their pups, and we’re teaming up to give one lucky winner a Wags & Weights t-shirt, coffee travel thermos, and mug! Perfect for those cold winter training days where you need an extra cup to get going.

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

Wags & Weights Apparel Package Giveaway

The post 25 Days of Gifting: Wags & Weights Apparel Package! appeared first on BarBend.

Our Favorite Sick Angles Photos from the 2017 Weightlifting World Championships

Training for Tokyo: An Interview with Andrei Aramnau

Author’s note: The questions for this interview were written by Stephen Powell. Daniel Engman asked Andrei these questions in Russian and translated his answers to English. Additional edits for length and clarity were made by Stephen Powell.

Andrei Aramnau (Aryamnov) was born in April of 1988. He began training at a young age and won the Jr. and Sr. World championships in 2007 and ran away with the competition in the Men’s 105kg category in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After winning the 2010 European Championships, the future seemed bright and limitless for Andrei as many more victories and records were eagerly awaited by weightlifting fans. Instead, he only competed Internationally once more before announcing his retirement in 2016.

Now, Andrei is back in training with plans on competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. Here Andrei explains what kept him from competing more often, how he trains, and what he thinks of the current state of doping in weightlifting.

Stephen Powell: In the 2008 Olympic Games, you won quite easily. Which numbers were you ready to lift to win, should there have been tougher competition?.

Andrei Aramnau: Anything can happen in a competition, so this will be an approximation. I was ready to do 205 in the snatch and 240-245 in the clean and jerk.

At what age did you start to lift, and what did the coach at that time emphasize in your development as a weightlifter?

I started to lift when I was 10 years old. In Belarus we start with basic athletic development for children. Besides that, we did press behind the neck with snatch grip, press with clean grip, front and back squat. Overhead squat to learn to hold positions. Then just snatch and clean & jerk.

Do you work on mobility or flexibility?

Weightlifting, is like this. First technique is stressed, then you work on strength and speed. I only do very basic stuff to warm up the muscles like plyometrics. The only stretching I do is with the bar.

After your victory in Beijing you only competed twice Internationally before announcing your retirement in 2016.  Why did you compete so infrequently?

I was ready to to break my records after Beijing. I trained to set records and compete only when one of my records was in jeopardy of being broken. My main goal was to set World records that no man could ever break. In chase of these records I got injured.

First it was my left hip, then other injuries started to pile up. I realized that the way I was training would lead to consistent injuries and made adjustments but the injuries to my hip kept bothering me. I had to continue training to stay on the Belarus national team.

In 2010 I was in a competition, in the warmup room I did 180 in the snatch, then something happened to my hip, and I was again injured.

After that you all know that the Belarusian team did not extend my contract with me and that conflict is well known.

Why did you decide to comeback and compete for the 2020 games?

I have two answers, yes, I am preparing for 2020, to do that need I need to compete twice Internationally.

No one will just put me on the Olympic team. I hope to compete again Internationally at the 2019 European Championships. The Belarusian team has had some issues with doping so it might not be until Autumn of 2019. Due to these reasons I am considering lifting for another country as Belarus does not support me. If this were to happen I hope it will be sooner than later. I need to provide for my family.

God willing I will go to the Olympics in 2020, if not I will be happy with the gold medal I won in Beijing.

Have your training philosophies changed as you have gotten older.  Has anything changed about you program, do you change the training routine based on how you feel?

My training is always pre-written. I have a specific volume I need to lift each week to improve but if I feel tired or overtrained I will back off and rest. Training is a process and so right now I’m strengthening my weaknesses.

I train 6 days a week for about 3 hours I day. I do very long warm ups with light weights. It takes me almost 45 minutes to get to my work sets for the snatch.

Do you currently have a coach?

No, I don’t need a coach, I have enough knowledge to train myself. I used to need a coach to support me mentally, but now I’m older and don’t need a coach to play psychologist. What I do need is a sports doctor.

What are your best lifts in training thus far?

I I’m still in basic training but near the end of November I plan on doing 180 and 210-215 kg. Maybe a little more.

When you won the gold medal in Beijing. Did you get any financial support?

Yes, I was offered a home. Instead of accepting it I told them to use that money to repair a sports school for children and teens. It was important for me to give back and I am the coach of that club.  

Other than training and coaching what do you do in your spare time?

I live with my wife and daughter. I love to go fishing, learn how to cook with my wife and spend time with my family.

In looking ahead for Tokyo, are you in favor of the stricter doping tests and regulations?

Doping is wrong, and it needs to be stopped. However, doping will always exist. Lifters who cheat will eventually get caught. Weightlifting is hard on the body. Although I am against the use of steroids and other PED’s there are some medicines on the banned list that support heart health and function that should be taken off the banned list. However, I do not feel sorry for lifters who lose their medals due to using any banned substances.

It’s been widely believed you had to have a finger removed in order to continue weightlifting. Is this true?

Yes, I was born with six fingers on one hand, I had the 6th finger removed surgically  when I was a teenager. I could not compete in weightlifting if I hadn’t. The rules of competition are the same for all participants.

Any final thoughts?

I’m a simple person, I speak honestly about what I’m asked. I speak my mind. Some like it and some don’t.

I would like to thank Stephen Powell and Daniel Engman for reaching out to me and to whomever will read this interview. I would like to come to the U.S. and do some seminars and travel there.

I also thank anyone in the U.S. who knows of me. The U.S. is doing well Internationally again and may God Bless any American lifter who is aiming to make the 2020 Olympics as I am.

Thank you.

If you would like to keep up with Andrei’s training and coaching, visit his YouTube page. Some of his videos have English subtitles.

The post Training for Tokyo: An Interview with Andrei Aramnau appeared first on BarBend.

Glute Ham Raise vs Back Extension

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: $120 Trifecta Gift Card!

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend Trifecta are teaming up to give one lucky winner a $120 gift card for Trifecta meals!

Find out why Trifecta is the athlete’s choice for healthy meals! One lucky winner will receive a $120 Trifecta gift card, plenty to fuel training and recovery with delicious meals all week!

[Learn more about Trifecta’s food and delivery in our full review of their meals! And all BarBend readers can get amazing deals on Trifecta meals and food here!]

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

Trifecta Nutrition $120.00 Trifecta Gift Card Giveaway

The post 25 Days of Gifting: $120 Trifecta Gift Card! appeared first on BarBend.

2017 Strength Athlete Holiday Gift Guide

Why Every CrossFit® Gym Needs a Cable Crossover Machine

CrossFit Games Announces Liftoff Winners. How Do Your Lifts Compare?

4 Underrated Accessory Exercises for Weightlifters

4 Benefits of Glute Ham Raises

Monday, December 18, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: 2POOD Weightlifting Package

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend is teaming up with 2POOD to give one lucky winner an awesome package of weightlifting gear!

Lift well, look good: BarBend and 2POOD are teaming up to give one lucky winner a strength gear package including a 2POOD belt, shorts, shirt, and knee sleeves! If your training wardrobe needs an update, this is definitely one giveaway you don’t want to miss!

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

2POOD Weightlifting Package Giveaway

The post 25 Days of Gifting: 2POOD Weightlifting Package appeared first on BarBend.

Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym Review

CrossFit® Athlete Armand Poreaux Trains with Cerebral Palsy and Excels Through Strength

Watch Olympic Weightlifter Benjamin Hennequin Compete in Powerlifting

French weightlifter Benjamin Hennequin made his name in strength sports as an 85kg weightlifter on the international stage, and he represented his country at multiple Olympic Games, making his first appearance in 2008. He was the overall silver medalist at the 2011 Weightlifting World Championships, bronze medalist at the 2014 European Championships, and gold medalist at the 2015 European Championships.

Simply put, he’s been an elite-level strength athlete for a long time. But in the true spirit of strength, Hennequin fairly recently decided excelling in just one sport wasn’t good enough, and he’s spent the past year or so building proficiency on a different kind of platform: powerlifting.

Hennequin began training for powerlifting competition sometime around early 2017, and though he’s actually competed in a few meets since then, we only recently came across this video from a competition in September of this year. It shows his heaviest lifts from the Western Europe Athletic Strength Championships, in which he won the -93kg weight category, a bit up on his weightlifting days at 85kg bodyweight.

Check out Hennequin’s lifts below, complete with one of the deepest back squats you’ll ever see on a powerlifting platform (he started as a weightlifter, after all).

Hennequin’s heaviest successful attempts in each lift are listed below:

300kg squat
170kg bench press
285kg deadlift

Impressive numbers, but what stands out most is his back squat technique, which looks like a direct carryover from Hennequin’s weightlifting days: High bar, outstanding depth, with a rhythm you’ll usually only see from years of back squats for weightlifting. It’s not the most common squat technique in powerlifting, but clearly Hennequin decided to play to his strengths and keep a good thing going.

We’re excited to see Benjamin Hennequin’s continued growth as a powerlifter!

Featured image: Captain Fight on YouTube

The post Watch Olympic Weightlifter Benjamin Hennequin Compete in Powerlifting appeared first on BarBend.

Glute Ham Raises Alternatives

Final Release Date Announced for the Reebok CrossFit® Nano 8

25 Days of Gifting: Myprotein Strength Supplement Package!

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend is teaming up with Myprotein to give one lucky winner an awesome package of strength supplements!

[Interested in learning more about Myprotein? Check out our review of their TheWhey protein powder here! And find out why we thought their Mypre Pre Workout stood apart from so many other formulations.]

Myprotein is one of the world’s top manufacturers of high-quality supplements, and we’re teaming up with their US branch to give one lucky winner a gift bag of amazing products. The winner will receive Mypre Pre Workout, Myprotein’s famous “TheWhey,” and a box of their delicious protein cookies (a huge favorite around the BarBend office!).

Myprotein – Strength Athlete Supplement Package

The post 25 Days of Gifting: Myprotein Strength Supplement Package! appeared first on BarBend.

Saturday, December 16, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: BarBend Weightlifting Belt and Apparel Package

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend is giving one lucky winner one of our signature white weightlifting belts, plus other great BarBend apparel like socks and wrist wraps!

The BarBend Weightlifting Belt is the last lifting belt you’ll ever need. Designed with the Olympic lifts in mind — but fantastic for all strength sports — this genuine leather belt features a tapered design. It gives unparalleled security without getting in the way of bar path or movement.

[Don’t want to leave it up to chance? Buy your own BarBend White Leather Weightlifting Belt here!]

The 4″ back tapers to 2.5″ on the sides and front, conforming to International Weightlifting Federation standards.

A belt as beautiful as it is functional, this belt adjusts easily and fits comfortably against the torso to avoid pinching or pulling during dynamic lifts.

[Looking for the perfect weightlifting belt? Check out our rundown of the top belts on the market here!]

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

BarBend Weightlifting Belt and Apparel Package

The post 25 Days of Gifting: BarBend Weightlifting Belt and Apparel Package appeared first on BarBend.

Lasha Talakhadze Shows Off Insane Raw Strength with 310kg Clean Pull

Powerlifter Wendy Chan (47kg) Sets Junior World Records in Squat, Deadlift, and Total

Friday, December 15, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: USA Weightlifting Exclusive Apparel & Merchandise Package

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and USA Weightlifting are teaming up to give one lucky winner a signed USAW apparel package!

Our partners over at USA Weightlifting have cooked up something really special for one lucky winner. It’s a Team USA goodie bag, including an umbrella, note cards, Tervis cup, USAW Socks, luggage tag, and more. Oh, and did we mention a select few of these items will be signed by 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist and weightlifting legend Pyrros Dimas?!

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

USA Weightlifting Exclusive Apparel & Merchandise Package

The post 25 Days of Gifting: USA Weightlifting Exclusive Apparel & Merchandise Package appeared first on BarBend.

Watch Sarah Lewis Deadlift 520 lbs for Four Reps

Territory Foods Meal Service Review

The Different Exercises Used With an Axle Bar and Their Benefits

Glute Ham Raises – Muscles Worked, Exercise Demo, and Benefits

Thursday, December 14, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: Athletic Greens Travel Health Package

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Athletic Greens are teaming up to give one lucky winner a travel health package!

The world’s most famous greens supplement is about to make your travel a lot tastier. This giveaway with Athletic Greens includes 3 x 20 count Athletic Greens Travel Packs and a portable Athletic Greens Shaker. Perfect to keep your nutrition on point no matter where your trips take you! 

Athletic Greens is one of the world’s most famous greens powders (and all BarBend readers can get 24% off their greens powder here). As tasty as it is nutritious, Athletic Greens is densely packed with probiotics, vitamins, minerals, and more to supplement performance.

[Learn why Athletic Greens topped our list of Best Green Superfood Powders here! We also reviewed Athletic Greens in-depth.]
Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

 

Athletic Greens Travel Health Package Giveaway

The post 25 Days of Gifting: Athletic Greens Travel Health Package appeared first on BarBend.

How to Survive (and Even Embrace) Rest Days

The Top 10 Most Searched Workouts of 2017 (Strength Sports Made It Twice)

My Favorite Books for Strength Athletes in 2017

In the digital age we have an endless amount of media with endless ways to consume it. As a producer of some of that content, I thank you all for reading and sharing my work that is a speck in a vast ocean of choices. To better my product, I attempt to keep my mind sharp, open to new concepts and challenged with new ideas. Ever since I could read, I have loved books. This year I made my way through 45 of them, and these five were the best I found for shaping perspectives of coaches and athletes.

1. Faster Higher Stronger by Mark McCulsky

Technology is changing everything, including the way we train. We can now measure almost every aspect of sports performance and then analyze the data to make smarter decisions when it comes to training and competition. We can avoid overtraining, enhance recovery and lessen our mistakes on the field, taking the athlete from an also ran to the top of the podium. This book reinforced the necessity of tracking poundages, taping and reviewing sessions, understanding sleep, picking the right contests, making supportive dietary choices and doing anything you can to manage your career as a Strongperson.

Find it on Amazon

2. Behave by Robert Sapolsky

Taking a Stanford biology course online from Professor Sapolsky made me anxious for the arrival of this book. The complex subject of why humans behave as we do is made surprisingly understandable in a very enjoyable, humorous read. As a coach this book is a must. It is our job to communicate in a way an athlete will respond to in a positive manner. When you understand the mix of genetic, environmental and hormonal factors that truly dictate what we perceive to be “free will,” you can become less frustrated yourself and develop an enriched perspective of why human do such odd things.

Find it on Amazon

3. DNA Is Not Destiny by Steven Heine

“Man, that guy is way better than me. He must have awesome genetics.” We are genetic fatalists, says Heine, arguing that people have resigned their fate to what is encoded in their DNA. The problem with this commonly held viewpoint is that the more you understand genetics the less likely you are to agree with it. By seeing yourself as genetically inferior in a sport can radically effect your ability to perform. Our DNA can actually change and respond to our actions. We can not fully predict height, weight, heart disease or cancer risk simply from DNA alone. As competitors, you should forgo the thought of a fixed destiny and instead fight for your own personal future.

Find it on Amazon

4. What the Luck by Gary Smith

With an infinite number of variables that can happen to us in any situation, one must conclude that much of life has to do with luck. Running into the right contact that landed you a new job? Narrowly miss getting hit by a bus today? Perfect score on a standardized test? Smith illustrates how everyone and everything can over (or under) perform but will eventually return to the average of their potential. My big take away from this was what every successful person constantly trumpets; no matter what, you must keep trying no matter how often you fail. While it is no guarantee of success, you will better your odds.

Find it on Amazon

5. Extreme Ownership By Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

These combat hardened SEAL veterans are now executive consultants, and their message is simple: It’s all on you. Sales team fail? You didn’t communicate how to achieve success or you picked the wrong people. Production fall behind schedule? You failed to manage the problem successfully. It is easy to pass of the responsibility but you must understand, it is the tool of the weak and breeds more weakness. Own every rep of every set. Own your nutrition program. Own your sleep schedule. Own the consequences of your actions. The message is clear; once you do, you will experience freedom and a feeling of control that is quite powerful. Your life is yours and you must drive it, it is not a ride along.

Find it on Amazon

You don’t have to grab any of these suggestions though. Just pick up something and read it. It will engage the brain and in some way make you a better athlete and person. Weight training is the best thing you can do to muscular fitness, but do not neglect your intellectual training as well!

Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.

The post My Favorite Books for Strength Athletes in 2017 appeared first on BarBend.

When to Use Straps in Powerlifting and Strongman

All strength sports have their own little quirks; powerlifting has sumo deadlifts, CrossFit has kipping, and strongman, well, strongman kind of has a few that irk others. But it isn’t the hitching or the continental cleans that seem to rile people up the most; that honor seems to be reserved for the strapped deadlift.

This isn’t just speculation either, as I say this from experience. While running the social media for Official Strongman, I’d face a torrent of comments each and every day insisting that Eddie’s 500 pull and all the others be struck from the history books because they thought those athletes were ‘cheating.’ All because of a few inches of canvas wrapped round a bar. Fortunately we, as real enthusiasts of strength, can all agree that this isn’t some grand conspiracy and instead just accept the lifts for what they are – strongman records.

[Interested in using straps but don’t know which pair is best for you? Check out our full rundown of the top straps on the market here!]

Despite accepting the lifts of others, even seasoned  powerlifters can overlook straps in their own training, dismissing them as an easy way out. Which is such a shame as straps can add serious weight to your pulls, even when you take them off. Here’s how.

Save your grip for what counts.

When it comes to building a grip strong enough to hold on to anything you can pull off the ground, there are two distinct schools of thought. The first is simple – if you’re training deads with a high enough volume then your grip will grow build on its own and you don’t need to do any specialized hand work. For some this approach works wonders, especially for those lucky enough to naturally have a great grip, work a manual job or just have giant hands.

However, if you’ve ever lost a lift because your grip wasn’t good enough, then it’s time to start listening to the other side and adding in some supplemental grip work.

Finish off your sessions with some farmers walks, weighted hangs and fat bar rows and you’ll have mighty mitts in no time. The problem is that if you start hammering your hands and forearms with farmers walks, weighted hangs and fat bar training, when it comes time to deadlift again your grip will be smoked. This results in you being limited to even less weight on the bar, especially in the short term. That is, of course, unless you strap up for your main deadlift session, while you allow your grip to recover. As with bringing up any weakness this is something best done in the off season, so that as competitions get closer you can start to build back in your strap free deadlift with newly improved grip strength. This is especially important if, like most people, you lift with a mixed grip.  

Injury Prevention

In some of the more hardcore strength circles I’ve heard that having a torn bicep is seen as a badge of honor, a sacrifice to the strength gods, a show of dedication. And while this might be a great story to tell others once you’ve injured yourself, I’m pretty confident that it’s still a club you’re only proud to be in after the fact.

However, we all still all want to deadlift heavy, and with this comes an increased risk of tearing a bicep, especially if you pull with an over under grip. But if you bring straps into the equation for your heavier off season lifts, you can reduce this risk. This is best done by only bringing out the straps for your heaviest work sets and pulling RAW for your warm up and back off sets. This way you get the best of both worlds, reduced risk of a training injury, while still going heavy. This allows you to slowly develop the tendon strength you need while reducing the risk of losing a bicep during a training session.

The other mostly unspoken benefit is that I’m yet to see someone who didn’t benefit from mixing their grip and hand placements up every now and then. Variety is the spice of life after all. As with the previous point do this in the off season and as your powerlifting meet gets closer slowly phase out straps from your heavier sets and reacclimate yourself to lifting how you will on the day.   

Increased Load

No matter how good your grip is, there will be a point where you have to make a choice. Do you stay RAW and lift less or do you throw on a couple of plates, strap your hands to that bar and go rogue. Whether we’re talking a high rep set, a rack pull, a trap bar deadlift or a combination of all three, if straps help you hit that set harder and that’s the goal for the day put protocol aside and strap up. The exact same is true for accessory lifts where grip is going to be a limiting factor, namely rows, shrugs and pull downs.   

Using straps in training isn’t about becoming dependent on a crutch, instead it’s about using every tool at your disposal to get stronger. Just as you might use caffeine or your favorite song to help you push a little harder in a tough workout, straps can be allow you to do things your normally couldn’t. Don’t dismiss it or anything else just because it’s not the most commonly done thing in your sport.  

Editor’s note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the authors and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.

The post When to Use Straps in Powerlifting and Strongman appeared first on BarBend.

Deficit Deadlifts – Training Percentages and Carryover to Deadlift

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: Lift Lab Co. Weightlifting Apparel Package!

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Lift Lab Co are giving one lucky winner a HUGE apparel package (our biggest yet!) with multiple performance gear shirts, a Lift Lab Co backpack, hat, and more!

In fact, this package is by far our biggest apparel giveaway yet, worth over $200!

One lucky winner is about to look even better on the platform! We’re teaming up with Lift Lab Co gym to give out a a Weightlifting Apparel backpack full of Lift Lab Co t-shirts and a brand new hat, perfect for showing off your training style.

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

Lift Lab Co. Weightlifting Apparel Package

The post 25 Days of Gifting: Lift Lab Co. Weightlifting Apparel Package! appeared first on BarBend.

Rogue Fitness Named World’s Strongest Man Official Equipment Provider

7 Reasons You’re Not Getting Stronger (and How to Fix Them)

An Uncut and Unfiltered Interview With Strength Coach Mark Rippetoe

Rack Pulls vs Rows – Which Is Best for Strength?

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: Strong Strong Friends 12-Week Strength Training Program & Gear!

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Meg Squats of Strong Strong Friends are teaming up to give one lucky winner a strength program and Weightlifting Gear!

Good progress starts with great coaching. We’re teaming up with Strong Strong Friends to give one lucky winner a 12-week strength program designed by Meg Squats, along with a goodie back of Strong Strong Supply Weightlifting Gear!

[Curious about the Strong Strong Friends brand? Check out our in-depth interview with founder Meg Squats!]

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

Strong Strong Friends: 12-Week Strength Training Program + Weightlifting Gear

The post 25 Days of Gifting: Strong Strong Friends 12-Week Strength Training Program & Gear! appeared first on BarBend.

Earth Fed Muscle Stammpede Pre Workout Review — All Natural, Still Effective?

Earth Fed Muscle is a Pennsylvania-based company that was founded a couple of years ago by the guys behind Garage Strength, a training facility in Fleetwood, PA. The company sponsors a lot of athletes from various disciplines.

They specialize in all-natural workout supplements, and Stammpede Pre Workout has no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. Here’s what’s in the Lemon Lime flavor.

Earth Fed Muscle Stammpede Nutrition & Ingredients

One scoop has 7.3 calories and has 200 milligrams of organic caffeine, about as much as you’ll find in two small cups of coffee.

Besides that there are 6 grams of branched chain amino acids: 3 grams of leucine and 1.5 grams each of isoleucine and valine.

There’s also 5 grams of beta alanine, 1.5 grams of tyrosine, and 1 gram of citrulline malate.

The rest of the ingredients are just natural flavoring and organic stevia.

Earth Fed Muscle Stammpede Benefits & Effectiveness

I really like the fact that there are branched chain amino acids, which may improve endurance, focus, and muscle retention, particularly if taken on an empty stomach. It’s pretty unusual to find BCAAs in a pre-workout.

The rest of the ingredients are well-researched. The beta alanine has a strong link with endurance, the tyrosine with focus, and the citrulline with blood flow.

Most of these are well-dosed. Generally, it’s recommended that you take 1.6 grams of beta alanine and 500mg of tyrosine, so the fact that Stammpede has 5 grams of the former and 1.5 grams of the latter, in addition to the large caffeine hit, suggests that it’s a very effective supplement.

However, it’s pretty low in citrulline malate: there’s just 1 gram of the stuff, and studies suggest you need a good 5 or 6 grams to have an acute effect on a workout.

Earth Fed Muscle Stammpede Price

You can pick up 30 servings for $50, so it’s $1.66 per serving. That’s pretty expensive, since most pre-workouts are between 80 cents and $1 per serving. Then again, there aren’t many pre-workouts that are all-natural and have such effective doses of beta alanine and tyrosine.

Earth Fed Muscle Stammpede Taste

The Lemon Lime flavor, which tastes like sweetened lemon tea. It’s a little bit earthy, but it’s not at all unpleasant or overwhelmingly bitter or sweet.

The Takeaway

For an all-natural supplement, Stammpede is pretty tasty and effective, with research-backed doses of researched-backed ingredients that are linked to power, focus, and endurance. It’s a little low in citrulline so I’m not that confident in its ability to increase blood flow, plus it’s pretty pricy. But if you’re after an all-natural pre-workout that will power, focus, and endurance, this is still one of the better options on the market.

The post Earth Fed Muscle Stammpede Pre Workout Review — All Natural, Still Effective? appeared first on BarBend.

More Research Suggests That Active Kids Perform Better Academically

Oleg Chen (-69kg) Block Snatches 4 Kilograms Over the World Record

Bowflex PR3000 VS. Bowflex Blaze

Nike Officially Announces Metcon 4 Details and Release Date (Pics Included)

Rack Pulls – Muscles Worked, Exercise Demo, and Carryover to the Deadlift

Monday, December 11, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: Bear Grips Functional Fitness & Apparel Package

To continue our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Bear Grips are teaming up to give one lucky winner a Functional Fitness & Apparel Package!

Work out in style and protect your hands and joints with this functional fitness package from Bear Grips! Featuring Cross Fitness Grips, Wrist Wraps, Knee Sleeves, Shin Sleeves, and a Bear Grips T-Shirt, this is one giveaway sure to keep you outfitted for many WODs to come.

[Looking to up your grip game? Check out our article on 9 time-tested grip exercises!]

Don’t miss out of any of our awesome December giveaways! Check the 25 Days of Gifting homepage for the latest.

Bear Grips: Functional Fitness & Apparel Package

The post 25 Days of Gifting: Bear Grips Functional Fitness & Apparel Package appeared first on BarBend.

How Trying Too Hard is Killing Your Gains, Plus How to Fix It

Ben Rice Makes an 800-Pound Beltless Deadlift PR for Charity

Quiana Welch (75kg) Hits 108kg Snatch and Breaks American Record

Kazakhstani News Outlet Reports Ilya Ilyin Can Return to Sport In Seven Months

5 Benefits of Half Squat

Ritual Essential for Women Review

Ritual is vitamin supplement company that created a women’s daily vitamin called Essential for Women. The product claims to take the confusion and unknown ingredients out of women’s daily vitamins and replace it with traceability, affordability, and simplicity.

 

We decided to take a closer look.

Ingredients

According to Ritual’s research, most women are lacking in nine specific nutrients, but they wanted to deliver those nutrients in a single pill. The resulting pill is a lineup of vitamins K2, D3, B12, and E, plus boron, iron, magnesium, folate, and omega-3.

On the website, Ritual provides where in the world each of the 9 ingredient is from, an explanation of ‘why’ the ingredient is essential, and the research that explains why each ingredient is in the form it’s in.

Vitamin D3 2000 IU  

Ritual uses Vitashine™, the world’s only Certified vegan D3 ingredient made from UK-sourced lichen, different than sheep’s wool or fish liver oil – which means that Ritual can be taken by vegans, too. Plus, Vitamin D3 has been shown to help with bone health, immune strength, cognition, and calcium absorption.

Vitamin E 10 IU  

Sourced from Argentina, Ritual claims their Vitamin E is delivered to the body in the same form found in antioxidant foods. 

Vitamin K2 MK7 90 mcg


K2 is known for contributing to healthy skin, bone health, and heart health, and Ritual says they use a pure, non-soy, Norway-originating form of it.

Folate 600 mcg  

The brand’s research suggests close to 40% of women’s bodies are not efficient at absorbing the synthetic folate, folic acid, so instead Ritual uses it’s natural form from Italy, which is supposed to make it easier for our bodies to unlock its supposed health benefits of folate like better mood, DYN synthesis, and brain health.

Vitamin B12 8 mcg


Ritual’s B12 comes in the form of methylcobalamin.

Iron 8 mg


Ritual employs an American form of the mineral that they say has been shown to be more easily digested. Which means you you’ll get some of the benefits of iron like increased energy, better brain function, and healthy red blood cells, without the gas.

Magnesium 50 mg  

When it’s comes to vitamins and minerals, magnesium is the ultimate overachiever. To name some of it’s benefits: curbed anxiety, stronger immune system, and healthier heart and bones. Ritual delivers magnesium in a form that protects it from interacting with other, more oily vitamins, which means better absorption.

Boron 1 mg  

Naturally found in prunes, almonds, and raisins. But instead of prune juice, Ritual says they’ve included a food-form of boron in the pill that is preferred by the body (and less harsh on the stomach) for bone, heart, and joint health.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids DHA & EPA 320 mg

You already try to seek out healthy fatty acids in your food (cue: avocado toast and salmon sushi)—but according to Ritual’s research, more than 70 percent of women don’t get enough omega-3s in their diet. So Ritual went vegan by sourcing omega-3s from American algal oil rather than fish.

[Find the best price on Ritual Essential from the manufacturer here.]

What’s Missing?

Vitamin-enthusiasts may be surprised to find that a few of the go-to multi vitamins like calcium and Vitamin C are missing from the ingredient list. That’s because Ritual’s research team says most women get enough Vitamin C from our daily diets. And instead of calcium, the capsules have vitamin D3, K2, boron, which supposedly work together to change how our bodies utilize calcium in and from the foods we eat.

Rituals Benefits and Effectiveness

Before Ritual, my health and wellness routine was completely void of vitamin supplements. 

When I unscrewed the cap the first time, I immediately noticed that the vitamin doesn’t smell the way I expect a vitamin containing omega-3 to smell: like fish. Instead, the the vitamins smell and taste like mint. Each bottle contains a food-grade insert infused with pure peppermint to keep your vitamins smelling minty fresh. That means that even though one of our heart-helping ingredients (algal oil) has an oceanic aroma, the vitamins don’t smell like seaweed.  

The minty taste and smell means I can (and did) take my two Ritual pulls after I brush my teeth without worrying about a funky after-taste.

What stands out to me the most about Ritual is that I never got a stomach ache from the pill, and that’s saying something because my stomach has reacted poorly to supplements containing iron in the past. Ritual uses a vegan, delayed-release capsule that helps bypasses the stomach to prevent nausea.

But Ritual is a daily multivitamin, not pre-workout or a cup of coffee, so neither immediately after taking nor after a month, do I feel any different. According to the website, while some people will feel a difference within 1-2 weeks, many, like me, don’t notice anything at all. But while I don’t feel better-than-ever, I certainly don’t feel worse.

The biggest drawback about the vitamin is that it’s a pill. While the pill is size-0 (or about the size of a chiclet of gum), that’s not negligible, and you have to take two, so if you have a hard time swallowing pills, these probably aren’t for you.

Ritual Price

Ritual follows a pricing plan millennials are used to, and is currently offered only on a subscription basis. For $30 a month (one dollar a day), you’ll receive a monthly shipment of the product delivered right to your door. However, Ritual is surprising easy to cancel if you move or simply aren’t feeling it.

And if you aren’t happy after your first bottle, Ritual picks up the tab. They have a happiness guarantee, so they’ll refund your first bottle no questions asked.

The Takeaway

I enjoyed Ritual Essential. It has nine ingredients research shows women are lacking, some pretty solid potential benefits, and only costs $1 a day. Plus, it has a minty taste and didn’t upset my stomach.

If you have a tendency to forget to cancel a subscription services, have a hard time swallowing pills, or want to see immediate benefits, this may not be the vitamin for you.

But otherwise, I see few drawbacks and some potential upside in incorporating this vitamin into your wellness routine.

The post Ritual Essential for Women Review appeared first on BarBend.