Thursday, November 30, 2017

25 Days of Gifting: A Functional Fitness Pack from Bear Komplex!

To launch our 25 Days of Gifting extravaganza, BarBend and Bear KompleX are teaming up to give one lucky winner a brand new functional fitness package from Bear KompleX, including a backpack filled with items like Bear KompleX Hand Grips and more!

With a BKX military-style backpack valued at over $89, Bear KompleX grips valued at over $34, and more, this is a prize package you don’t want to miss!

[Find out why Bear KompleX’s knee sleeves are some of our favorite knee sleeves on the market!]

Enter below to win, and don’t forget to check out our 25 Days of Gifting home page for all the great partnerships and giveaways we’re bringing to you this December!

Bear KompleX Functional Fitness Package Giveaway

This giveaway runs for 7 days (through December 7th), so don’t miss out!

Images courtesy Bear KompleX

The post 25 Days of Gifting: A Functional Fitness Pack from Bear Komplex! appeared first on BarBend.

BarBend’s 25 Days of Gifting Giveaways!

This year has been big one for us at BarBend, and we’re incredibly grateful for our readers who make it all possible. In spirit of the holiday season and to give back to those who support us, we’ve put together an epic December lifting gear giveaway with some great companies.

Every day leading up to December 25th, we’ll be holding a different giveaway, where one lucky winner will receive a product or product package (enter as many times as you like!). Once a giveaway is posted, we’re going to leave it open for seven days, so everyone has a fair chance to enter. Check out today’s giveaway below, along with a full list of giveaways released so far! We’ll be announcing new giveaways every 7 days, so check back with this page early and often 🙂

Bear KompleX Functional Fitness Package Giveaway

Check out the full 25 day schedule below; we’ll be updating it every seven days with the next round of giveaways!

December 1: Bear KompleX – Functional Fitness Package
December 2: Slingshot – Original Slingshot
December 3: Eleiko – 45 lb Sports Training Barbell
December 4: BarBend – Double Leather Power Belt Package
December 5: Athletic Greens – 3-Month Supply of Athletic Greens
December 6: Kizen Training – 12-Week Kizen Training Program
December 7: Earth Fed Muscle – T-shirt & Supplement Package
December 8:
December 9:
December 10:
December 11:
December 12:
December 13:
December 14:
December 15:
December 16:
December 17:
December 18:
December 19:
December 20:
December 21:
December 22:
December 23:
December 24:
December 25:

Every day we plan to post an individual page for each giveaway, which will be linked above, and will include links to the company, along with links to our content highlighting them. If at any point you forget to enter in a day, or just want to track a certain giveaway, then be sure to keep this page bookmarked for all of December!

Thank you again for all of the continued support, and good luck!

The post BarBend’s 25 Days of Gifting Giveaways! appeared first on BarBend.

There Are a Ton of Changes Coming to the 2018 CrossFit Games Regionals

Artem Efimov Deadlifts 420kg at 103kg (and Goes for a Double!)

Vietnam, Colombia, and India Come Up Big to Open 2017 Weightlifting World Championships

How Your Maxes Compare to Some of the Best Athletes at Weightlifting Worlds

Rogue Announces New Pyrros Weightlifting Bar

Landmine Press: Muscles Worked, Exercise Demo, Benefits

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

When to Watch USA Weightlifting’s Athletes at the 2017 World Championships

New Research Suggests Working Out In Groups Improves Quality of Life

Powerlifter With Dwarfism Rich Willis Defies Odds, Aims for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

Weighing in at 51kg (112.4lb), and only starting powerlifting at the age 47, Rich Willis isn’t your typical powerlifting athlete, and he only recently set his sights on competing at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with the British Paralympic Team. So why is Willis’ journey so different than most Olympic hopefuls?

He was born with a condition called Diastrophic Dwarfism, a rare disorder that affects normal bone and cartilage development. One of the most notable impacts is on the limbs, leaving them shorter and more prone to early onset osteoarthritis.

Image courtesy BBC Three YouTube channel. 

Willis experienced the osteoarthritis firsthand as a child, and endured multiple surgeries to combat the condition. Then at 35, his left knee collapsed, and he was told his leg would have to be amputated.

Luckily after two years passed, Willis found a doctor who confirmed he’d be able to save his left leg. After surgery and multiple years of rehab, Willis found himself and his daughter watching the 2016 Rio Paralympics, where athletes compete in the bench press. His daughter recognized another powerlifter who had dwarfism, then turned and asked,

“Daddy, do you think you could do that?”

After hearing that question, he kicked an opioid addiction and has been training consistently ever since. If you need inspiration, check out the full video originally posted by BBC on their YouTube channel below.

To say Willis has overcome a lot would be an understatement. As of today, he’s been training a little over six months and has exceeded even his own expectations. At the top of the bench press he’s held 110kg, which is well over 2x his body weight.

“The examples I’m hoping to set is that anything is possible. maybe things you don’t think you can do, you can do, if you give it a try.”

In addition, Willis competed in a meet only five months after beginning lifting and performed very well. Willis says in the video, “The thing I think I’m most proud of so far, I went into the English Weightlifting Championships doing powerlifting on the bench and there I came sixth in the country.”

After only 6-months of training, Willis went from having no bench press experience to hitting 100kg presses. At this rate, we think it’s entirely possible he could make it to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Feature image screenshot from BBC Three YouTube channel. 

The post Powerlifter With Dwarfism Rich Willis Defies Odds, Aims for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics appeared first on BarBend.

Banded Pull-Ups vs. Ring Rows

Monday, November 27, 2017

3 Phases of Building Successful Weightlifting Athletes

MyProtein MyPre V2 Review — Two Kinds of Pepper

MyProtein is perhaps best known for their popular, inexpensive whey concentrate called Impact. But they have a lot of peri-workout products too, including seven different branch chain amino acid supplements, an intra-workout, a post-workout, two different pre-workout pills, and the product we’re reviewing today: MyPre V2.

It has about as much caffeine as you’ll find in 1.5 cups of coffee, but there are a ton of other ingredients with caffeine-like properties. So what’s in it?

MyProtein MyPre V2 Nutrition & Ingredients

There’s 150 milligrams of caffeine and 50 milligrams of theacrine, an alkaloid found in tea that has similar effects.

There’s also beta alanine, l-citrulline malate, n-acetyl l-tyrosine, betaine anhydrous, l-arginine AKG, two kinds of yohimbine, two kinds of creatine, choline bitartrate, astragalus, black pepper extract, and capsimax, a compound made from peppers.

There are also a few B-vitamins — folate, niacin, and B12 — and the electrolytes sodium and potassium.

The “Other Ingredients” portion just has natural and artificial flavors, the artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium, some food dye, some salt, and a couple of anti-caking agents.

MyProtein MyPre V2 Benefits and Effectiveness

There are a lot of ingredients here. The first ingredient I usually look at is the caffeine: 150 milligrams. But there are other ingredients with similar effects, especially the 50 milligrams of theacrine.

To simplify things, I’ll try to group the ingredients by their most notable effects.

Power: The creatine and betaine anhydrous come into play here.
Endurance/Anti-fatigue: Besides the caffeine and theacrine, the choline bitartrate is linked to reduced time to fatigue and astragalus may also improve endurance.
Focus: Yohimbine is a stimulant that may help with focus and creativity, while the tyrosine may help with focus and have anti-stress effects.
Fat loss: The product contains Capsimax, a pepper extract that might help mobilize fats for energy production.
Absorption: Black pepper extract may improve the absorption of all of these ingredients.

The B-vitamins, while associated with energy production, do not act as stimulants here. But if you don’t get sufficient amounts of these vitamins from your diet, then regularly taking this supplement may help you feel more energized.

I was pleased by the dosages in this product — most of the ingredients reach effective amounts, though I would have liked to have seen a little more yohimbine and astragalus.

MyProtein MyPre V2 Price

It’s $27 for 38 servings, so 71 cents per serving. That’s really cheap. Most pre-workouts fall between 84 cents and 1 dollar per serving. The only pre-workout I’ve seen thus far that’s cheaper is MusclePharm Assault, which is 70 cents per scoop.

MyProtein MyPre V2 Taste

I tried the watermelon flavor. It was delicious, but surprisingly sour for a pre-workout. If you don’t like sour flavoring, make sure you mix it with something like two cups of water. Note that the Capsimax may produce a slightly spicy aftertaste.

The Takeaway

I was really impressed by MyPre V2. It has a good hit of caffeine and plenty of the most commonly sought after ingredients in pre-workouts, plus a lot of extras that you don’t typically find in this price range. I think a couple of the ingredients, particularly the astragalus and the arginine, have been a little overhyped as far as improving sports performance. But there are so many effective ingredients, at effective doses, at a low price, that I think this is definitely worth the money.

The post MyProtein MyPre V2 Review — Two Kinds of Pepper appeared first on BarBend.

Check Out Mart Seim’s Crazy Fast (and Heavy) Press and Squat Complex

Turkmenistan Will Host the 2018 IWF World Championships

How to Watch the 2017 Weightlifting World Championships

IWF Executive Board Approves Recommendations of Clean Sport & Sports Programme Commissions

Tuck Jump Alternatives

Saturday, November 25, 2017

KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED Review — A Pre-Workout With Vegetables?

KAGED MUSCLE makes all their products in a Good Manufacturing Practices-certified facility in Idaho, and they have an unusually extensive line of supplements that includes citrulline, carnitine, and fat burners. We’ve tried their intra-workout BCAAs but we wanted to try PRE-KAGED, which has one of the most unusual ingredients lists we’ve seen in a pre-workout. It’s not just high in caffeine — it contains powdered vegetables, too. Let’s take a closer look at the Krisp Apple flavor.

KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED Nutrition & Ingredients

One scoop contains 15 calories and an enormous amount of ingredients, one of the most extensive I’ve seen in a pre-workout. They’re all divided into six categories; I’ll name them all here and discuss their effects in the next section.

The Neuro-Focus Matrix has the caffeine — 274 milligrams, or a little more than you’ll find in 2.5 cups of coffee — plus taurine (2g), and 1.85 grams of tyrosine from two sources.

Pro-Pump has citrulline (6.5g) and quercetin (200mg).

The Muscle Fuel Matrix is a 3.5-gram blend of the branched chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and the next “Anabolic-Activator” section has an extra 3 grams of leucine. (That’s 4.75 grams of leucine all together.)

Then the Strength & Power Matrix has beta alanine (1.6g), betaine (2g), and creatine HCI (1.5g).

Finally, there’s a Hydrate & Defend blend of coconut water (500mg) and a 100-milligram blend of greens called SPECTRA™, which contains dozens of concentrated vegetables and herbs including broccoli, spinach, turmeric, and oregano.

The other ingredients include a few B-vitamins and a blend of anti-caking agents and flavorings. It’s worth pointing out that while it does contain the artificial sweetener sucralose, there are no artificial colors or flavorings. Note that it does contain tree nuts.

KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED Benefits & Effectiveness

There are a lot of ingredients to unpack here, so I’ll try to group them by their effect.

Power: The caffeine, creatine, and betaine are all supplements that may improve power output.

Blood flow: The citrulline has the strongest link with blood flow and circulation.

Endurance: The beta alanine and the BCAAs have links with endurance.

Focus: The taurine, tyrosine, and BCAAs are all associated with improved focus.

Antioxidants: The quercetin and the green superfood blend are powerful antioxidants, so they may reduce cellular damage and increase cellular oxygen consumption, potentially affecting performance and endurance. (There’s also evidence quercetin may improve time to fatigue when combined with caffeine.)

Nutrition: There are B-vitamins in this product, but it’s worth pointing out that while they’re associated with energy production, they’ll probably only have an effect if you’re already low in these vitamins. That said, the Vitamin B6 may help with muscle retention.

I was particularly impressed by the dosages in this product. A lot of pre-workouts have citrulline, beta alanine, betaine, and taurine, but they tend to underdose them. PRE-KAGED has pretty generous amounts of all of these ingredients, particularly the citrulline.

KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED Price

You can pick up 20 servings for $36, so it’s about $1.80 per serving. That’s pricier than most pre-workouts, which average at 80 cents to $1 per serving. However, PRE-KAGED is a combination pre-workout, BCAA supplement, and (low dose) greens powder, plus it’s better dosed than most of its competitors.

KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED Taste

The Krisp Apple flavor was somewhat tasty, but it’s very strong, very sour, and had a slightly bitter aftertaste. That’s understandable given it contains branched chain amino acids, which are naturally bitter. I think it’ll go down easy if it’s mixed with at least 3 cups of water.

The Takeaway

I thought PRE-KAGED is a very effective supplement. It contains just about every ingredient most people look for in pre-workouts — caffeine, beta alanine, citrulline, betaine, tyrosine, taurine, betaine, creatine, B-vitamins — and a lot of ingredients people don’t usually look for, like the greens powder and the BCAAs.

It is pricier than some competition and the caffeine content is high enough that you may prefer a different product or a diluted serving if you’re sensitive to its effects. But in my opinion, the price is completely justifiable for such a versatile, innovative product.

The post KAGED MUSCLE PRE-KAGED Review — A Pre-Workout With Vegetables? appeared first on BarBend.

Martins Licis’ 500-Pound Steinborn Squat Is the Heaviest We’ve Ever Seen

Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Review — Are High Dosages Always Good?

Legion is a Virginia-based supplement company based that was founded by Mike Matthews in response to what he saw as low-quality supplements and unnecessary additives in most of the products on the market.

Most of his supplements are free of artificial sweeteners and colors including Legion Pulse Preworkout, their signature pre-workout. It comes in Fruit Punch, Grape, Green Apple, and Watermelon flavors, but we decided to take Blue Raspberry for a spin.

Legion Pulse Nutrition & Ingredients

One scoop has 5 calories and 350 milligrams of caffeine, about as much as you’ll find in 3.5 cups of coffee. There are a couple of other pre-workouts that contain this much caffeine, but I’ve never seen one with a higher dose. This is about as strong a pre-workout as you’re likely to find.

Besides the caffeine, there’s beta alanine (4.8g),  taurine (2g), theanine (250mg), betaine (2.5g), l-citrulline DL-malate (8g), and l-ornithine HCL (2.2g). I’ll discuss the effects of these ingredients in the next section.

There are a few electrolytes too, 6 percent of the recommended daily intake of sodium and potassium — that’s a very high dose, higher than you’ll find in your standard sports drink ending in “-ade.”

The “Other Ingredients” section is just a mixture of anti-caking agents and natural flavorings including stevia, maltodextrin, and erythritol, a sugar alcohol. Fun fact: the blue coloring of this product comes from spirulina, a type of nutrient-dense algae.

Legion Pulse Benefits and Effectiveness

So what do these ingredients do? The caffeine, of course, reduces fatigue and can also increase power output, focus, and endurance.

For some people, such a large dose of caffeine results in a lack of focus, or an increase in “jitteriness.” What’s cool about Pulse is that it includes big doses of taurine and theanine, which are intended to reduce the jitters and lack of focus that can accompany a big caffeine hit.

The citrulline is linked to improved blood flow and “pumps,” while the betaine is more associated with power output. The ornithine, meanwhile, has been shown in some research to reduce fatigue in long workouts (think 45 minutes-plus) and one study also showed it can help with power as well, though that study is pretty old and the only one to show this effect.

A lot of pre-workouts have these ingredients, but don’t include enough of them to have the desired effect. Pulse does not have that problem — all of these ingredients are present in very high amounts, higher than many of their competitors.

Finally, there’s beta alanine, which has a strong link with endurance. This one is dosed even higher than the other ingredients, relatively speaking: there’s 4.8 grams of it in one scoop. The general scientific consensus is that 1.6 grams of beta alanine is enough to have an effect on endurance. There’s only one real downside to including so much of it: beta alanine tends to produce a tingly, itchy feeling on the skin. It’s harmless and a lot of people enjoy it, but if you’re not a fan then you might be bothered by this product.

The same goes for the caffeine: it’s high enough that people who are sensitive to it may find it overwhelming. The good news is that the other ingredients are so highly dosed that you can halve the serving size and still have a pretty darn effective supplement.

Legion Pulse Price

You can pick up a tub of 21 servings for about $40. That’s $1.90 per serving, which is relatively pricy — most pre-workouts are between 80 cents and $1 per scoop. That said, this has way higher doses in just about every ingredient when compared to your standard 80-cents-per-serving pre-workout, so you might find it a justifiable expense, especially when you take into account the fact that it’s an all-natural product.

Legion Pulse Taste

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of Blue Raspberry, because it really tasted like raspberry candy — even though there are no artificial sweeteners or sugar. When I mixed one scoop with a cup of water there was a very, very slightly bitter aftertaste when I was taking a big gulp, but when sipping it I didn’t have a problem.

The Takeaway

I thought Pulse was very good. The doses of every single ingredient are super high, so high that if you’re put off by the caffeine or beta alanine, you can halve the serving without much of a problem. (The citrulline will wind up a little low, but that’s pretty much it.)

If you try to avoid artificial ingredients, you’re covered. The ingredients list isn’t really missing anything — it’s even way higher in electrolytes than its competitors. It is more expensive than usual, but besides that, there’s little to find fault with.

The post Legion Pulse Pre-Workout Review — Are High Dosages Always Good? appeared first on BarBend.

Friday, November 24, 2017

Chen Wei-Ling (47kg) Deadlifts 180kgs (4.5kg Over the World Record)

Our Favorite Black Friday Equipment Deals for 2017

Love it or hate it, Black Friday brings out some of the internet’s best deals on strength equipment. From belts to barbells, from big discounts to cheap shipping, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite can’t-miss deals below (organized by brand)!

[Looking for equipment to round out your home gym? Check out our full rankings of the best home gyms and equipment available online!]

BarBend — Belts, Straps, Apparel, Tape, and More!

Use code BARBENDBF30 at Shop.BarBend.com to get 30% off store-wide! Every item is eligible for the discount, and our favorites include:

The belts have been an especially big hit recently. American-made by expert craftsmen, they’re the last training and competition belts you’ll ever need!

Deal valid through November 28th.

Rogue Fitness’s Matte Black Friday Sale

Image courtesy Rogue Fitness

Buy 5 or more items across Rogue Fitness’ site (as long as they have the “5for$5” symbol) and the full package will ship for just $5 in the Continental USA.

Rogue is also featuring select sales on “Hot Items” throughout the Black Friday weekend.

Deal valid through November 26th.

Eleiko Training and Competition Bars (Event-Used, Through Rogue Fitness)

Image courtesy Rogue Fitness

Rogue Fitness is offering huge discounts on competition-used Eleiko bars (which, let’s be honest, are basically like brand-new). Check out the selection of discount Eleiko training bars and competition barbells.

American Barbell

Image courtesy American Barbell

American Barbell is offering big discounts on bars, bumper plates, medicine balls, sleds, storage, and more. Check out the full selection here.

Deal runs through November 29th.

Bowflex Home Gyms

Save big on Bowflex home gyms, treadmills, and more through November 27th using code BLACKFRIDAY17. Check out the discounts site-wide here.

Image courtesy Bowflex

TRX Suspension Trainers

TRX is offering $50 off signature trainers and 30% off all other products site-wide during their Black Friday sale. The company says this will be the year’s largest site discount on their signature products.

Amazon

Image courtesy Amazon.com

It’s just not a discount day without Amazon deals. Though they’re not always marked as Black Friday deals, this weekend Amazon has tons of discount on gym equipment and home gyms, like this crazy-cheap CAP Barbell 300-Pound set.

The post Our Favorite Black Friday Equipment Deals for 2017 appeared first on BarBend.

5 Benefits of Tuck Jumps

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Final Weightlifting World Championships Start List Announced

Behdad Salimi Clean & Jerks 260kg in Training for Weightlifting World Championships

Overcoming Excuses: What’s REALLY Holding Back Your Strength

I know very few people in this community that train and compete simply for the sake of doing so. The vast majority of bikers and runners do so for activity and social reasons; they have no desire to actually compete at the highest level. In the strongman world, nearly everyone who competes wants to get incredibly good and move up to the top of the sport. As the quality and amount of competition grows, it becomes much more difficult to take that top spot.

When the final points have been scored, are you looking for mistakes in your game or excuses for your placing? Let’s examine three of the most common excuses and how to stop them from holding you back.

“I don’t have enough time to train the way I want.”

There are very few people who this applies to. I’ve seen Ph.D candidates get pro cards, people in law school, athletes with five kids and more than one job; you get the point. You may be busy but there is usually enough time in the week to accomplish quality work necessary to improve. Try the following techniques that will free up your schedule.

  • Actually keep a written full day schedule. Start it with a wake up time that is as early as you can handle and go from there. Mark it off in 15 minute increments and make the most of your day.
  • Grab “Micro Sessions”: Keep some kettlebells or dumbbells around your work space and get in your accessory work whenever possible. Work for your posterior chain, accessory movements or mass gaining lifts can be performed during the day, keeping your training sessions less cluttered.
  • Focus on the big three major movements. If you can only get in the gym a few days per week make certain you are spending that time squatting, deadlifting, and pressing. 80 percent of your base comes from these movements. Personally, I would use a low volume/high intensity set up and do all three, three times per week with just a few quality work sets across a range of repetitions.
  • Cancel your cable (or any other distractions). The average person watches 33 hours of TV a week. Social media and video games can add even more wasted hours. When I was hyper focused, I didn’t even own a TV and man did I get work done. You may think it’s not draining your time but if it’s in your home, it will suck you in.

“I got screwed by the judge. OR, I just needed one more rep.”

Competitor Reed Tompkins recently showed us how important every rep can be in a contest:

Here’s how much every rep, every second, every foot counts at a big show like nats, especially with a huge class like middleweight men.

My score from Nats:

Log -1 rep, Frame -17 reps, Husselfeld -363ft, Yoke 10.97, Stone 9 reps

Total points 277

9th place

Now factor in this

1 more rep log, Frame same 17 reps, Husslefeld same distance, Yoke 1 sec faster, Stone 1 more rep

Total points 299

Overall

1st place- 313

2nd place-296

3rd place- 285 or 295 I couldn’t read it.

Not that getting one more rep or going that much faster is always possible, but it just shows you how big mistakes can be and how thin the margin is between competitors.”

Crazy how it adds up so quickly, isn’t it? Reed himself is a coach, so he knows about how to examine the bigger picture. Getting hung up on mistakes or judging errors that hurt you can wreck your psychology, so get bullet-proofed before getting to the contest.

  • A properly peaked athlete should perform better than they did during training. If you are getting more reps in training than on game day, are you really contest ready? Don’t be that guy.
  • Did you set your goals right for the day? If you overreach, it can set you back just as much as not being ready. Make sure you know where you should be!
  • Did you meet your judge and make eye contact with them prior to the event? Make sure you are following their commands and understand what they are saying. From what I have seen, many judging mistakes were the fault of a lifter not knowing what was expected of them, because they didn’t pay attention or got ahead of themselves.

“I don’t have the genetics.”

This is the one I find hardest to accept and yet it is the most common excuse athletes give for when they hit (what they believe to be) their ceiling. You inherit not only your physical structure from your parents but your psychological make-up as well. While these characteristics can make or break an athlete, you really should consider the following before you decide if you would be better off running marathons or becoming an ex-athlete.

  • Are you cutting excessive amounts of weight? Are you the shortest or tallest athlete in your class? Ask yourself, are you in the right weight class? More often than not, I see people in their first few years become overwhelmed trying to be a body type they are not. Get serious with your capabilities.
  • Are you really ready for the mental challenges of strongman? This sport is one of the most physically and therefore mentally challenging on the planet and you must get tougher to get better. If you haven’t had workouts that made you suffer, and you successfully pushed through, then you aren’t ready yet. Get serious with handling pain.
  • Is your training actually quality? Is it correct? Do you have an actual professionally written training program (not a “workout”)? Are you hitting the right reps and sets? More often than not, athlete’s programs just outright suck. They either do whatever they feel on training day, or have had a well meaning but under experienced “coach” program their work. Hire a real coach to write your sessions, have a pro watch your form and take their advice seriously. It’s far too easy to hang your coaching shingle out and start an online business; don’t be a sucker. Get a quality program and follow it.

It can be difficult to take the excuses off the table and fix your game. A real winner won’t accept a loss and brush it off by shrugging off the responsibility for the outcome. Own your performance, examine it, and fix it. Then and only then can you actually win at anything.

Images courtesy Michele Wozniak

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 Overcoming Excuses: What’s REALLY Holding Back Your Strength appeared first on BarBend.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Eddie Berglund Benches 192.5kg at 66kg for an Unofficial World Record

Perfecting Your Program: Add Pounds to Your Bench Press

10 “Unhealthy” Foods That Are Great for Athletes

9 Steps For Improving Your Toes To Bar (Plus Why You’ll Want To)

16-Year-Old Janik Velgos Benches 340kg for an Unofficial World Record

A 16-year-old has benched three hundred and forty kilograms equipped. Three hundred and forty kilograms. That’s 749.6 pounds. It didn’t look easy, but Janik Velgos nailed this lift at a Global Powerlifting Committee (GPC) meet in Israel this week.

The -125kg Slovakian teenager’s performance was emotional. After making the lift, he fell to his knees in gratitude and embraced his father, who was clearly overjoyed for his son’s accomplishment. We won’t say that Velgos burst into tears, but it’s clear that he shed one or two — and why wouldn’t he?

Take a look at the lift below, filmed over two minutes from the stage itself.

And you can watch another angle from the crowd in the clip below.

This was a GPC Junior World Record for his weight class — in fact, he added twenty kilograms to that record, according to the GPC’s records list. It’s worth noting that before this lift, the record was 320 kilograms (705.5lb) and for comparison’s sake, the record for the 18 to 19 year age group is 190 kilograms (419lb).

Of course, that previous 320kg record was also set by Velgos, which he set barely two months ago at the GPC World Championships in the Czech Republic. That pause at the bottom must have been the longest two seconds of his life.

Three months before that, he was setting the previous world record with 310 kilograms (683.4 pounds). These are some seriously incredible leaps in strength.

Even though he’s just 16 years old, Velgos has been training for at least seven years. We found this footage of the lad squatting 50kg (110.2 pounds) for a triple in 2010.

These days he’s squatting closer to 340 kilograms.

With 7+ years of training experience at 16 years old, we think there’s a pretty good chance we’re witnessing the creation of a serious open athlete.

Featured image via Ľuboslav Velgos on YouTube.

The post 16-Year-Old Janik Velgos Benches 340kg for an Unofficial World Record appeared first on BarBend.

Lindsay Hilton Was Born Without Limbs, Still Crushes Workouts

Tuck Jumps – Muscles Worked, Video Demo, and Exercise Benefits

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Check Out the First Event of Fraser Froning Vs. The World

Naim Süleymanoğlu, 3-Time Olympic Champion Weightlifter, Passes Away At Age 50

Turkish weightlifter and multi-time Olympic and World Champion Naim Süleymanoğlu has passed away after a lengthy battle with liver disease. Süleymanoğlu is considered by many to be the greatest weightlifter of all time. He was 50 years old.

Earlier this year, Süleymanoğlu was hospitalized with liver failure after several years of reports regarding his health. Though he received a liver transplant on October 6th, Süleymanoğlu passed away on November 18th at an Istanbul hospital.

Nicknamed “Pocket Hercules” as a reflection of his legendary strength and short stature, Süleymanoğlu — who stood 4’10” at his competition peak — was born in Bulgaria to Turkish parents. He began weightlifting at a young age and found international success as a teenager, winning two World Championships for Bulgaria before his 20th birthday.

He missed out on the 1984 Olympics due to the Bulgarian-joined Soviet boycott. Two years later, Süleymanoğlu defected to Turkey, and a legal battle ensued over who he would represent in competition. (In the end, Turkey paid $1,250,000 to the Bulgarian government to settle the dispute.)

Süleymanoğlu — who competed at 56kg, 60kg, and 64kg during his career — went on to win three straight Olympic gold medals for Turkey while setting multiple World Records. He also won five more World Championships and became the only lifter in history to clean & jerk 10 kilograms over triple his bodyweight; that legendary lift is embedded below.

In addition, his 504 Sinclair Total from the 1988 Olympics remains the highest in international competition history. His performance at the 1996 Olympics — in close competition with Greece’s Valerios Leonidis, his main career rival — is widely considered one of the finest weightlifting battles in history.

After retiring following the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Süleymanoğlu once again trained to compete at the 2000 Athens Games. His run at what would have been a record fourth straight Olympic Gold ended when he missed all three snatch attempts.

After his athletic career, Süleymanoğlu became active in Turkish politics.

Featured image via Samet Yılmaz on YouTube.

The post Naim Süleymanoğlu, 3-Time Olympic Champion Weightlifter, Passes Away At Age 50 appeared first on BarBend.

Friday, November 17, 2017

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Jaroslaw Olech Wins His 17th IPF World Title, Breaks World Deadlift/Total Records

If you haven’t heard Jaroslaw Olech’s name before, you should know that he may in fact be one of the most accomplished powerlifters of all time. At the IPF Open World Championships that are being held all week in the Czech Republic (here are some of the most impressive squats we’ve seen from the event), Olech just won his seventeenth straight IPF World Title in the -74kg division, and he set two world records in the process.

Olech, who is 43 years old and hails from Poland, set a world record total with 908 kilograms (2001.8 pounds), beating out his previous record by 3 kilograms, and he made a world record equipped deadlift of 328 kilograms, or 723.1 pounds. You can watch it below — note that he’s able to start his sumo deadlift with his hips below his knees.

[Not a fan of the sumo deadlift? Here are four benefits to it you may have overlooked.]

The previous world record for the equipped deadlift in that weight class was 327.5 kilograms (722 pounds), which was made by Sergei Gaishinetc at a 2015 meet in Germany. He was twenty-nine years old.

Olech also attempted to break his squat world record, which he set with 367.5 kilograms back in 2013. He loaded the bar with 368 kilograms, but it was not to be.

So does seventeen straight titles make him the most accomplished IPF athlete of all time? Maybe. Between 2002 and 2017, Japanese powerlifter Hideaki Inaba has won an extremely impressive sixteen world titles in the across the -67.5kg, -74kg, and -75kg weight classes, but Olech may well have the longest streak we know of. (Let us know in the comments if you can think of anyone else.)

Oh, and just to pad his resume a little, Olech is also a three-time World Games champion. You can watch all three of his lifts from this year’s Games below.

He squatted 355 kilograms (782.6lb), benched 212.5 kilograms (467.4lb), and deadlifted 315 kilograms (694.5lb) for a total of 882.5 kilograms (1945.5lb), which was 25.5 kilograms lighter than the total he just put up at the IPF Worlds.

This is a man who may well deserve a spot among the most impressive powerlifters ever.

Featured image via AerinQQ on YouTube.

The post Jaroslaw Olech Wins His 17th IPF World Title, Breaks World Deadlift/Total Records appeared first on BarBend.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2017

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2018 Arnold Strongman Classic Roster and Events Announced

The roster and event schedule for the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic was just released, and it’s going to be an epic event. Every year in March, the Columbus, Ohio based Arnold Classic acts as finals for the Arnold Strongman Pro World Series. This means that the other Arnold Classics held throughout the previous year in Europe, Australia, Africa, and South America act as qualifiers for this final competition.

This is why the Columbus based Arnold Strongman Classic is often regarded as one of the biggest events in the strongman season — and at the festival. The roster for this year is stacked with some of the sport’s best and is attached below. Something to note, a couple popular names like Eddie Hall and Zydrunas Savickas won’t be in attendance.

  • Brian Shaw (USA)
  • Mikhael Shivlyakov (Russia)
  • Rauno Heinla (Estonia)
  • Mateusz Kieliskowski (Poland)
  • Hafthor Bjornsson (Iceland)
  • Matjaz Belsak (Slovenia)
  • Mateusz Ostazsewski (Poland)
  • Jerry Pritchett (USA)
  • Jean-Francois Caron (Canada)
  • Dimitar Savatinov (Bulgaria)
  • 1st Alternate: Vytautas Lalas (Lithuania)

In addition to the stacked lineup, the event schedule is equally stacked with action and fan-favorite events. Check out the event schedule and details below.

Friday, March 2nd

1. The Bag Over Bar

For this event, competitors will toss bags over a 15-foot bar as many times as they can. The bags will have a weight of 50 to over 100 lbs.

2. Timber Carry

Competitors will carry a timber frame weighing of 1,140 lbs up a 35-foot ramp. They’ll be judged on their time and distance traveled.

Saturday, March 3rd

3. Appolon’s Wheel

This is an event where competitors clean an axle bar with wagon wheels on each side, then press the weight overhead. There’s still no word posted on judging or weight being used for this event.

4. The Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift

The weight this year will begin at 749 lbs and athletes will be allowed 30-seconds to complete each of their deadlift attempts.

5. The Timber Carry

This is the final event, and official details haven’t been presented on what it will officially entail.

Feature image screenshot from ArnoldSportsFestival YouTube channel. 

The post 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic Roster and Events Announced appeared first on BarBend.

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Tuesday, November 14, 2017

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Wednesday, November 8, 2017

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Alma Kimura Started Powerlifting At Age 58 and Now Holds Multiple Records

Alma Kimura didn’t have your typical powerlifting beginning, as in she didn’t actually start competing, or even lifting like a powerlifter until 58 years old. Now 63, Kimura is a weathered powerlifting veteran, a holder of multiples American records, and a prime example of how age is just a number.

Kimura’s career and life revolves around working as a successful lawyer, taking part in book clubs, and playing tennis. Until the summer of 2013, this was the norm for Kimura’s day-to-day routine. It was at this pivotal moment when one of her friends recommended trying a new sport, which led her to powerlifting.

[Interested in starting powerlifting? It’s never too late, check out our definitive guide on how to start powerlifting after the age of 40.]

Her first day at the powerlifting gym began like many other athletes who step into this style gym for the first time. She recites in her KUOW news story that when she first began training it took her almost 2-weeks to gain the flexibility to hit proper depth in the squat. After learning the movements, beginning to train more, and falling in love with the gym’s atmosphere, Kimura found herself hooked and prepping for her first meet.

In KUOW’s story Kimura talks about the gym’s environment and says, “Whenever somebody is doing a heavy lift, everyone stops and watches that person and encourages the person. It’s just an unbelievable atmosphere.” Kimura’s first meet was in 2015 at the Washington State Powerlifting Championships, and keep in mind this meet was only 7-months after she started powerlifting.

A lot of powerlifting athletes treat their first meet as a way to go 9-for-9 and gain confidence on the platform, but not Kimura. She ended up setting three American Records, which included a 242 lb squat, 294 lb deadlift, and a 662 lb total. Check them out below.

Kimura lifts out of Seattle Strength and Power in downtown Seattle, Washington. She holds multiple state and American records, and continues to push the envelope for her masters class.

Kimura is a great example of why it’s never too late to start in strength sports. Only 7-months after learning how to squat, she was hitting 242 lbs, and setting a new American record.

Feature image screenshot from George Marts YouTube channel.  

The post Alma Kimura Started Powerlifting At Age 58 and Now Holds Multiple Records appeared first on BarBend.

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Sunday, November 5, 2017

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Pacific Team Wins Their First-Ever Title At 2017 Reebok CrossFit Invitational

Coming into the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Invitational, the Pacific Team had never ended up better than third (out of four) after one of the sport’s annual all-star events. But this year — competing for the title on home soil, the first time the competition had ever been held in the Southern hemisphere — the Pacific’s roster was simply too packed full of talent to be denied for another year. Having the first and second place female Individual finishers from the CrossFit Games is, understandably, a massive advantage.

The Pacific Team — made up of Tia Clair-Toomey, Kara Webb, Rob Forte, and James Newbury — emerged victorious after five events, winning three on their way to a commanding performance over second-place finisher Canada.

The final standings are below:

1. Pacific — 26 Points
2. Canada — 19 Points
3. USA — 10 Points
4. Europe — 8 Points

Archived footage of the full event is embedded below, courtesy of The CrossFit Games on Facebook.

The event took place in front of a packed crowd at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena. The defending European champions spent much of their preparation leading up to the event without team member Sara Sigmundsdottir, who was recovering from illness.

Over events that featured team worm cleans, synchronized bar muscle-ups, and partner tire flips, the Aussies showcased their preparation and timing, moving beautifully in-sync where it counted while other teams — notably the United States, which had only Kari Pearce competing as an Invitational veteran — stumbled out of contention before the final event.

By Event 5, it was practically a two-team race between Canada and Pacific, with the Pacific needing a top-2 finish on the event to guarantee their first title. In a show fitting of their dominating Sunday performance, they blasted through the 21-15-9 couplet of worm thrusters and burpees nearly a minute faster than any other squad.

And with chants of “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!” filling the arena, the Pacific Team secured the title for the first and likely not last time.

Featured image courtesy of The CrossFit Games on Facebook

The post Pacific Team Wins Their First-Ever Title At 2017 Reebok CrossFit Invitational appeared first on BarBend.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

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How CrossFit Pushed NHL Player Brooks Laich to the Next Level

Hockey players have a crazy ability to handle high volumes of work both on the ice and in the gym. The sport involves perpetual dynamic movements across every movement plane coupled with varied explosive bouts, aka shifts. So when it comes to CrossFit® training, it makes perfect sense that hockey players naturally have an ability to quickly pick it up.

Brooks Laich, 34, is a professional hockey player who’s played organized hockey since the age of 5. He left home at 16 to pursue the hockey dream, then a year later played in the Western Hockey League at 17, turned professional at 19, and was drafted to the NHL at 20. Over the course of his career, he’s played in the NHL for a total of 14 years.

Currently, Laich is a free agent with no guaranteed NHL contract, and has been using CrossFit to help him stay at the top of his game. Laich is 34, so he’s older than most of his NHL peers, and knows that without a contract this year his career could potentially be over. Check out CrossFit HQ’s recent feature on Laich, his career, and CrossFit.

This video is awesome for a few reasons. First, it shows how passionate Laich is for his sport and the game, even after his long career. Second, it highlights how CrossFit has helped him improve his mobility, strength, and understanding in areas of fitness he lacked. It’s cool to see that a weathered professional hockey player still has a ton of room to grow athletically.

Third, Laich’s mentality towards his current life situation. In the video he states, “If you want to make god laugh, tell him your plan.”

And lastly (spoiler alert), the video finishes with a small clip of text saying that Laich signed a one-year contract with his hometown team the Los Angeles Kings. This was the team and goal Laich was aiming for throughout all of the training and uncertainty, so his hard work ended up payed off.

Was it all because of CrossFit? Of course not, but it was a factor that helped him push to new feats, learn a few of his weaknesses, and build a well-rounded athletic base.

Feature image screenshot from CrossFit YouTube channel. 

The post How CrossFit Pushed NHL Player Brooks Laich to the Next Level appeared first on BarBend.

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