💪 3 Best biceps and triceps exercises

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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter, a.k.a. your cure for the Monday blues. Here’s what we’ve got today:

• A new study has finally settled on the three best exercises for biceps and triceps growth

• The 2025 Arnold Classic is officially in the books, and we’ve got the full results

• The 2025 CrossFit Open started last Thursday — is it living up to the hype?

Training Tips

Do the Right Moves

Traditional biceps curls are a cornerstone arm exercise for beginners but far from the best option for intermediate and advanced lifters. Most tension during standard arm curls occurs mid-rep, but many back exercises cause more tension in the same position. Therefore, standard biceps curls alone won’t maximize biceps growth.

That begs the question: Which moves should you focus on during arm days?

A new 2025 study aims to give us the answers by providing research-backed evidence pointing to three moves you’ve gotta do for biceps and triceps, no matter how advanced of a lifter you are. We’ve got a full breakdown of the study and the individual exercises below.

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Contest Results

Collision in Columbus

The 2025 Arnold Sports Festival brought fitness fanatics from around the globe together for a weekend packed with community events, vendors, and competitions in a range of sports, from strongman and strongwoman to arm wrestling and (somehow) foosball.

Like every other year, the weekend was highlighted by the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition, which saw contests across seven IFBB divisions. The action culminated in Derek Lunsford edging out Samson Dauda to take the Men’s Open crown (along with the $500,000 payday.) Remember, Dauda had just beaten Lunsford a few months ago at the 2024 Olympia, so we might be looking at bodybuilding’s next great rivalry.

Check out the full 2025 Arnold Classic results below.

2025 CrossFit Open

Good News…Bad News

The 2025 CrossFit Open officially started last Thursday with the announcement of workout 25.1. The deadline to submit your score is tonight at 8 p.m. EST, so if you’re still planning on competing, you’d better act fast! And if you are competing, be sure to take advantage of our exclusive tips before tackling the workout.

That’s the good news. The bad news? Interest in the Open looks to be trending down. The live-steam numbers for the debut workout announcement are lagging behind 2024, and the overall registration numbers are down even more.

We want to hear from you! Are you doing the Open this year? If not, why? Reply to this email with your thoughts.

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Quick Hits

💪 Looking to upgrade your home gym? Coop, from Garage Gym Reviews, lists the equipment he’s most excited about in 2025.

🏈 Watch Michigan running back Donovan Edwards bang out 23 bench press reps at 225 during the NFL Combine.

🏋️ Lucy Underdown hit a ridiculous 676-pound elephant bar deadlift during the 2025 Arnold Strongwoman Classic. Take a look.

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