Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything we have for you today:

• 3 biceps exercises for enhanced size and strength

• Work your whole body with thrusters

• Split squat variations for single-leg gainz

Exercise Selection

Biceps Boosters

The term “lengthened position” has become a buzzy term in hypertrophy circles for a reason — science says this is the optimal way to incite new muscle growth.

Dr. Mike Israetel is here to drive that point home even further, and he goes as far as to say your conventional biceps training techniques are horribly out of date. Get on the winning team by using these three underrated biceps exercises to max out the muscle’s stretch and finally obtain the arms you have always coveted.

Ever hear of Bayesian curls? This game-changing cable curl variation is primed to give your biceps a big stretch. Same goes for the two lying curl versions Dr. Mike suggests. And we’re not just naming the moves — we’ve got full tutorials to help you nail the form so you can beef up those bis before summer. 

Workouts

Engage the Thrusters

While not quite an Olympic lift like the clean and jerk, the CrossFit-inspired thruster provides all of the overhead explosiveness of its competition-worthy cousin.

Without the need for a complicated “catch,” and thus no need to ascend to immortality upon the peak of Mt. Olympus, the thruster might be the most useful full-body lift mere mortals (and maybe some demigods) have in their pantheon of exercises.

After all, what could be better than a deep front squat? Oh, that’s right. Instead of merely returning to a standing position, you get to throw the weight straight up over your head. This kind of bar travel requires using the muscles from the tips of your toes to your fingers as you uncoil like a viper.

Consult the Oracle below and, assuming you already know thyself, go ahead and make sure you know all about the thruster.

Exercises

Pick Up the Split

The split squat, a.k.a. “that thing in your training program you always skip,” is one of the most pumptastically painful lower-body exercises ever conceived inside a gym. 

More focused than lunges and harder than goblet squats, the split squat is an essential tool that often gets overlooked because, well, it’s really hard to do. 

If you want a similar type of workout with a more flexible difficulty curve, we’ve rounded up nine split squat variations for beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters.

Want to take it slow? Try reverse lunges and build up your strength. Want to go a teensy bit harder? That’s what the hex bar split squat is for. Want to absolutely punish your legs and embark upon a full-body burn? Let us tell you all about the front rack barbell split squat. 

Whatever your experience level may be, everyone deserves a brutal leg day. Check out our favorite split squat variations below.

Quick Hits

📺 Watch This: Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman recently went into detail on the therapy routine he uses to help rehab from his injuries over the years.

👟 Shop Here: Get a leg up in training with our picks for the top cross-training shoes for general workouts, CrossFit, and more.

🪓 Chop This: Pick up some rotational power and train your obliques (the sides of your abs) by hooking yourself up to a pulley machine and knocking out some cable chops.

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