💪 5 best push/pull workouts for any goal

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

• Escalate things quickly with some push/pull workouts

• 10 unique ways to squat just in time for your next leg day

• 5 hot topics leading up to the CrossFit Games

Workouts

Push It Real Good

The push/pull split is truly the Salt-N-Pepa of the lifting world. Since twisting is overrated, this simple split utilizes the top two movement patterns your body can manufacture — and it lets you do it a lot.

These full-body push/pull workouts allow you to break your entire workout into two days or stack multiple iterations together to form a complete training week.

Technically, you could probably call these workouts “anterior/posterior” training sessions, but thinking in terms of ranges of motion is more convenient (and more correct, since the antagonistic side always has to support the main mover). For even more tailored advice, we crafted workouts for five different goals:

• Strength

• Bodybuilding

• Bodyweight

• Fat Loss

• Beginners

No matter your goal, these workouts combine lots of big movements rather than focusing on isolation exercises, so strap in for a series of compounding sets of squats, presses, rows, and hip hinges.

This is a pretty fun way to train, and will really give you the sense of having accomplished something. Train your body like it was made to move by trying out the workouts below.

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Training

Crisis on Infinite Squat Racks

Squats need no introduction. They are the pinnacle of weighted human movements and the very standard by which all other exercises are measured against.

The squat family tree is both wider and taller than many people know, with each branch and leaf offering a slightly different take on the main theme. Here are 10 such extended relations to throw into the next leg day you have penciled and with a sticky note saying “DO NOT SKIP” posted to it.

Some of these variations can help you warm up to your preferred squat, while others will be more ideal as a finisher, and some might even totally replace your favorite for a time.

Belt squats are incredibly on-trend and much easier on the lower back. And if you like to look to the past for your style, then Anderson squats might help you relate to the sport’s history. A plentiful land of squatting awaits your eager eyes, all contained in the simple-to-use link below.

CrossFit

A Veritable WOD of Drama

Beautiful Albany, NY, will be the setting for this year’s CrossFit Games. As a sea of sleeve tattoos and knee-high socks descends on the state’s capital (and therefore most important and illustrious city), they bring with them all the theater and human-interest that comes along with high-level sport.

These five questions are the most pressing we could think of, and may very well shape the storylines of this year's biggest CrossFit event.

Aside from the results, the biggest question is what the future holds for Dave Castro, the man who leads the programming for the Games. Even without the pressure placed on him in the wake of Lazar Ðukić’s death at the 2024 Games, his relationship with the sport and its governing body can be described as “tumultuous.”

Some old faces are looking for new glory, and the debutante’s Rookie of the Year title looks to be a fierce one. Prepare yourself for Albany by memorizing this primer, and get ready to sit back and enjoy.

Sound Off!

Are You Game?

Quick Hits

😘 Wink This: “Butt wink,” right up there with believing every squat should be done ATG, is one of those terms internet nerds invented because they couldn’t stand watching bigger, stronger people outlift them in the gym (now there is some editorial bias showing). Find out if this pelvic tilt is a deadly snake in the power rack’s grass, or just another one of these things it’s sort of good to know about.

💪 Erect These: Thick spinal erectors are one of the most overlooked and valuable parts of the body. When someone with quality erectors throws their arm around your waist for a tight-in selfie, they instantly know whether or not you’ve got the goods to be an elite strength athlete. Get in touch with your lower back by learning how to intentionally isolate these important stabilizers with these three exercises.

🐮 Spare This Rod: Spoiled Child Collagen joins the ranks of some of the strangest choices for names in fitness, but that doesn’t mean their product is or isn’t top-notch. Investigate whether this $1.63/per shot product can be the perfect supplement to leave you with the same smooth hair and skin as Nonna’s favorite.

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