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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything going on in today’s edition:

• Inside Eddie Hall’s $1 million home gym

• 5 fitness myths you need to ignore

• The case for (and against) fitness wearables

Strongman

When Hardcore Goes Upscale

When you think of a home strongman gym, dark caverns coated with chalk come to mind, along with homemade equipment made out of junkyard scraps and whatever giant rocks were close enough to haul inside.

This perception is one thing, of many, that makes Eddie Hall’s home gym seem so anomalous. Looking more like a luxury spa in Gstaad catering to the high-and-mighty who just happen to love hitting some heavy leg press reps in between martinis, Hall’s gym is a modern temple to keeping his body healthy and refreshed. 

Mixing his background as a competitive swimmer with his strength sport legacy, Hall still prioritizes pool time in his weekly fitness schedule. Take note of how a serious athlete lays out his home gym to treat his body right, and if you don’t exactly have $1M and 2,000 square feet of extra space burning a hole in your pocket, at least use this as inspiration for your own self-care.

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Exercise

Axioms That Need the Axe

The fitness world, and especially the subculture of strength and muscle, is full of half-truths, misinformation, and educational resources as diverse as Verkhoshansky and “This one guy my cousin knows.”

Given the torrent of information and the general human desire to know things rather than do things, it’s not surprising that this can be a difficult field to navigate. Case in point: The five (incorrect) strength rules in the article below are almost universally accepted, and BarBend thinks it’s time to change that.

You’ll hear some variation of “You have to get sore muscles to have a good workout” at even the highest levels of strength and muscle acquisition. Patently untrue, this tactile perception of progress is a giant nothing-burger in the grand scheme of training. And don’t even get us started on the so-called “anabolic window” that would have you stuffing your face full of protein within 30 minutes of a workout or risk losing your precious gains to the Phantom Zone forever.

Do some deep digging and uncover the truth about these would-be rules, then call your cousin and tell you “his guy” is about to get a knowledge bomb dropped on him.

Technology

Wearable Woes

The Progress Paradox was published over 20 years ago by the tastefully named Gregg Easterbrook (of Tuesday Morning Quarterback fame), and, since the early oughts are all juicy and retro right now, it’s the perfect time to check back in.

In this edition, we examine the role wearable technology, and the absolute fire hose of information said technology is able to spray out, plays in our health and fitness.

“Paralysis by analysis” used to be a buzzy forum term back in the day. In the modern world, it seems that athletes and laypeople alike can’t seem to get enough biometric data. Is this access to real-time information helping to make us more fit, or just giving us one more thing to distract us from living our lives to the fullest?

Sound Off!

Looking to build your own home gym? Our team of expert reviewers has compiled their favorite home gyms right here. Whether you’re looking to train for powerlifting, CrossFit, bodybuilding, or just need something simple to break a sweat, we’ve got what you need.

Quick Hits

🏋️ Join the Club: Powerlifter Colton Engelbrecht joined an elite group of lifters by sumo deadlifting 500kg. While his grip failed him during his meet-official attempt, he was able to throw on some straps (just like everyone else who has tugged 500kg), and lock out the enormous weight.

💪 Bust Through With This: The much maligned, abused, and longingly stared-at chest press machine may be one of the most misunderstood animals in the iron farm. Use this guide to learn all about using it to bust through plateaus you run into with your usual chest training activities.

📺 Watch This: Former NFL standout Jason Kelce is seemingly everywhere nowadays. Same goes for Dr. Mike Israetel (well, if you’re really into YouTube fitness gurus, that is.) This thoroughly beefy duo recently teamed up for a workout that gave Dr. Mike ample opportunity to critique Kelce’s training style. Watch it here.

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