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

• All about forearm training

• How to build the rear delts for complete shoulders

• Lifting weights and fat loss — the real story

Training

Get Those Popeye Forearms

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

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

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

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

A Message From Jacked Factory

Level Up Your Training with Jacked Factory Pre-Workout

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

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

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

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

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Workouts

Playing the Hand You’re Delt

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

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

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

Weight Loss

Lift It Off

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

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

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

A Message From Fay Nutrition

Nutrition Guidance, Covered by Insurance

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

Book Your Covered Session

Quick Hits

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

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

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

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