🏋️‍♂️ 5 best pre-workouts that give an epic pump

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Today's newsletter is sponsored by Lumen, the world's first portable device that measures your metabolism with a single breath. Head here to learn how Lumen can help you hit your fitness goals and get 15% off your order.

Here’s everything you need for the weekend:

• The best pre-workouts for getting a pump

• 8 bench press variations for your chest day

• The Bear’s post-workout “Meal of Champions”

Supplements

Pump You Up

Everyone knows the quote from Pumping Iron about what getting a pump feels like (and if you don’t, YouTube it as soon as possible). But if you’re spending too much time chasing the pump and not living the pump, you might need a little more help along the way.

The pre-workout supplements we rounded up below will help you get there and provide all the exercise enhancement your gym shorts can handle.

Rather than just trusting the marketing teams of these supplement companies, we have actual professionals fully dissect the ingredients and compounds making up these commercially available powders. You can decide on your price point, whether or not you need an added stim, and exactly what your taste buds can handle. If you need a pump, make sure you read this before you head to the gym and Hulk out.

A Message From Lumen

Understand Your Metabolism

If you’ve been dieting, lifting weights, and doing cardio without seeing the results you want, you might be missing out on one key piece of the puzzle: your metabolism. And with Lumen, you can get a better understanding of your metabolism right at your fingertips. 

Lumen is the world's first portable device that measures your metabolism with a single breath by tracking your CO₂ concentration. With the help of Lumen, you receive:

• Guidance on whether you are burning fat or carbs as fuel so you can choose your pre-workout meal accordingly

• Pointers on how to improve your nutrition, workouts, sleep, and stress management

• A personalized nutrition plan for the entire day based on your measurements so you know whether your body needs a low-carb or low-fat day.

• Complete macro breakdown that leads to improved metabolic flexibility, which is your body's efficiency in shifting between using fats and carbs

The result of all this data? More sustainable muscle growth and fat loss tailored to your individual needs and goals.

If you want to unlock the potential of your metabolism and start crushing your fitness goals, read more about Lumen here. Right now, BarBend readers will get an exclusive 15% discount on their purchase.

Workout Tips

Shake It Up

When the Founding Fathers wrote out the original Bill of Rights, the 10th Amendment was originally created to protect every American’s right to bench press. (This was eventually changed to an amendment that doesn’t help you get swole, which is kind of a bummer.)

July 4th may have come and gone for another year, but that doesn’t mean you need to waive your right to horizontally press a loaded bar. And the eight bench press variations below will keep the country’s favorite lift fresh and add new size and strength to your chest.

For example: Switching your hand placement from wide to narrow can put pressure on the muscles from different angles, while switching to a Swiss bar can further alter the activation required. Learn how small changes can add up to big gains on your next chest day by adding some of these new bench press variants.

Nutrition

A Bear of a Meal

Celebrity chef, actor, and internet personality Matty Matheson takes time out of his normally high-calorie lifestyle to show off his healthy take on a post-workout meal.

Matheson, who claims to have lost over 40 pounds eating meals in this general oeuvre, calls this construction the post-workout “Meal of Champions.” Matheson’s tasty-looking salmon-and-rice bowl is a next-level take on a classical bodybuilding-style dish that proves your taste buds don’t need to suffer when you want to eat for performance. Eat better and look better with food taken directly from the mind of one of the stars of The Bear.

Everything Else

Get Ripped

• Have you subscribed to The Ripped Report yet? This free newsletter touts the best bodybuilding content on the web, from training and nutrition advice to in-depth features and contest coverage. Click here to sign up!

• Elite Strongman has another can’t-miss event on the calendar for static-strength monsters. Brian Shaw’s event, which will crown the Strongest Man on Earth, has released the entire roster and series of events, set for mid-August.

• Pyrros Dimas, one of the most accomplished weightlifters in the history of bumper plates, recounts how his journey toward strength began at a young age. (Spoiler alert: He was squatting 200 pounds at 7 years old.)

• If you’re in the market for a new barbell, we’ve got you covered with this list of the best bars available.