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

• The best ways to pair up barbells and biceps

• How to train legs when you’re dealing with back pain

• The best barbells for powerlifting

Training

Of Barbells and Biceps

Is there any combination in the world more beautiful than that of barbells and biceps? Peanut butter and jelly? Close, but still so far away. Steak and potatoes? A distant runner-up.

The fact is, combining the two great B’s of the world is the whole reason gyms exist in the first place (or should be). The 10 exercises we detail below let you celebrate the joy of putting these two beloved nouns together in the most wholesome ways possible.

You can, of course, stay with the basics; there’s nothing un-aesthetic about the simple, revered barbell curl. If you want to add some flourishes and niceties to it, you can turn your hands over and hit the reverse grip variant or pin your elbows back and master the weirdly difficult drag curl. If you want to get really funky, we suggest the tall-kneeling or landmine curls.

There is, in reality, an entire universe of combinations possible when you have access to a set of biceps and a basic barbell. Get in the lab and start mixing and matching with these ideas.

A Message From Velites

Hybrid 1.0 Drop 002 – Don’t Miss Out This Time!

It’s happening—Velites’ Hybrid 1.0 training shoes are back for Drop 002!

If you need a shoe that keeps up with every workout, this is it. Stable enough for heavy lifts, agile enough for sprints, and comfortable enough to go all day—Hybrid 1.0 does it all.

Why you need it:
✔ Serious grip & support for strength training
✔ Light & responsive for fast-paced workouts
✔ All-day comfort for whatever you throw at it

Here’s the deal—Drop 001 sold out fast. Some colors disappeared in just hours.

Last chance to lock in your color before it’s gone...again

Exercise Selection

You Can’t Hold Back a Good Pair of Legs

Back pain can seriously get you down, especially when leg day comes around and you have a vicious debate with yourself over whether you should step into the squat rack or sit pain-free on the couch and watch Top Chef all afternoon.

Fortunately for you, heavy barbell squatting isn’t the only game in town when it comes to lower-body training. The exercises we’re talking about today are the perfect way to train your legs when your back pain just won’t let you add any more load to it.

One solution could be to try belt squats, which are free from the dreaded spine compression caused by the barbell. You can also make sure your quads get blasted by using leg extensions or Bulgarian split squats. Remember, this is about hypertrophy, and those two moves are some of the best.

Back pain doesn’t need to keep you sidelined, so grab your gym bag, check out the article below, and keep your track record of not skipping leg day alive and well.

Equipment

Power Up

Powerlifting has taken off in the 21st century. With the number of competitors and federations always growing, equipment manufacturers have had to keep up the supply side to deal with the increased demand for 7-foot (or longer!) pieces of steel.

These six barbells are the best the market can throw at you if your goal is to lift them in a powerlifting style. Notably absent from this list is a famous old-school bar named after a famous isolationist U.S. state, but don’t worry, Rogue’s Ohio bar fills in to keep up the nation’s reputation for knurled greatness (and legality in the ultra-popular IPF). You’ll have other options, ranging from budget choices to skin-tearing grippiness.

However you choose to engage in the world of powerlifting, one of these bars is the right choice for you.

The Results Are In!

In the March 14 edition of The BarBend Newsletter, we asked if you’ve ever tried CrossFit. Here’s how you responded:

Boy, you aren’t into CrossFit, huh? Well, the brand is having its own problems at the moment.

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