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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what’s up in today’s edition:

• 10 different paths to burning 100 calories

• The perfect back and bis workout for you

• The best non-stim pre-workouts

Fat Loss

Orders of Magnitude

It’s easy for humans to think in nice, round numbers, and, boy, do we have some nice juicy ones in stock right now. These numbers include a set amount of calories you can burn in a relatively brief time (100 kilocalories) and the number of ways you can achieve this feat (10 types of movement).

You don’t need to be in marathon training mode to knock out 100 quick ones (calories, that is). You may only need a short run or even a slightly longer, brisk walk. Even getting up and dancing along to your favorite song can get your body up and moving enough to churn through 100 of your most beloved units of energy. 

Small changes can lead to big results, so don’t neglect these 10 simple ways to move around and torch off 100 calories at a time.

A Message From Lumen

Better Metabolic Health in One Breath

Most people follow generic diet advice—without knowing if it actually works for their body. Your metabolism is unique. What fuels someone else’s fat burn might stall yours.

Stop guessing. Start eating smarter.

This guide breaks down how to eat in sync with your metabolism. Learn how to:

✔ Identify whether you’re burning fat or carbs
✔ Adjust your meals to improve energy and weight loss
✔ Optimize your metabolism for long-term health

Don’t waste time on one-size-fits-all nutrition plans.

Join over 300,000 Lumen users and discover how to fuel your body the right way.

Try Lumen today.

Workouts

Back, Bis, and Business

Putting back and biceps together on the same training day is as classic a combination as exists in the world of bodybuilding. Both muscle groups require pulling exercises, so having an entire day of bringing weight into your body is kind of like a two-for-one deal.

Whether you’re a rank beginner or grizzled gym vet, having a back and biceps combo day just makes sense. What makes even more sense is changing the day’s specifics to account for which strata you are embedded into. From top to bottom, you will find a workout in the article below to blow up all the pulling muscles of your body.

Exercise complexity and mind-muscle connection change as you climb the ladder, but the basics of training your back and bis stay mostly the same. Learn how to get wide and fine-tune your biceps with the short read below.

Supplements

No Stims Till Brooklyn

Pre-workouts can hit harder than the NES version of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, but sometimes you’re just not ready for the ultimate boss fight, even if your ultimate gym mix playlist is gloriously ringing in your ears.

The stim-free pre-workouts we’ve tested below help your body get primed for hard work without overloading your central nervous system with a boatload of caffeine. And as always, these supplements are tested by our team of reviewers, so you’re getting legit picks from Legion, Transparent Labs, and more.

From muscle-building amino acids to pump-friendly additions, these pre-workouts can get you an A+ workout without the D- jitters.

Trivia

A Burpee by Any Other Name

Big Lifts

One More Time

We already featured @batya_sw last week, but we just had to show him a little more love after seeing this post. We can’t explain it. We won’t even attempt it. But we can marvel at it.

Quick Hits

👨 Lengthen Like This: Height is extremely useful in many sports, but lifting usually isn’t one of them. If you’re on the taller side and want to find the best exercises to suit your height, we’ve got plenty of options.

🦵 Balance This: Single-leg deadlifts can’t be loaded like their more famous two-legged brethren, but the lighter weight doesn’t mean less flavor when it comes to strength gainz. Learn how to do this criminally underrated deadlift variation and harness its power to supercharge your overall strength.

🍫 Chew on This: Tasting Table recently put 14 different flavors of Barbells protein bars to the test to find the best one. (Banana Caramel might sound gross, but it’s a gosh-darn delight.)

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