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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here's what we have for you in today's edition:

• When to use different bench press grips

• Best ways to use your TRX

• A comparison of back training in 3 Olympia competitors

Exercise Selection

Watch Where Your Hands Are, Pal

For as much time as you spend daydreaming about your bench press, how much effort can you honestly say you've put into deciphering the code of hand positioning on the bar?

These seven bench press grips offer you an insight into what wonders lie on the other side. Each with its own particular function and feel, you might find that you begin kicking yourself for not finding out about your favorite way to hold a barbell years earlier. There are ways to change the muscular feel of the movement (reverse grip, close grip), and methods that might just prove to make the bar finally feel comfortable in your hands (thumbless, bulldog). 

Your grip says a lot about you as a person, so it's high time you expanded your horizons.

A Message From Pacaso

Learn from this investor’s $100m mistake

In 2010, a Grammy-winning artist passed on investing $200K in an emerging real estate disruptor. That stake could be worth $100+ million today.

One year later, another real estate disruptor, Zillow, went public. This time, everyday investors had regrets, missing pre-IPO gains.

Now, a new real estate innovator, Pacaso – founded by a former Zillow exec – is disrupting a $1.3T market. And unlike the others, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company.

Pacaso’s co-ownership model has generated $1B+ in luxury home sales and service fees, earned $110M+ in gross profits to date, and received backing from the same VCs behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

Training

When Three Letters Are All You Need

From its “take it anywhere” mobility to the simple design and its Navy SEAL/MBA marketing, TRX has been a popular brand in the fitness space over the past two decades.

Bodyweight exercises tend to have a learning curve, and while using the TRX system is great for everyone, you might need to stick to the movements appropriate for your fitness level. Luckily, we have the ultimate list of TRX movements catering to your strengths and abilities right here.

Basic upper-body TRX exercises include inverted rows and IYT movements, but if you're closer to a Navy SEAL than a Dad Bod, you might find more joy in kicking things up a notch with provocatively named exercises like the body saw and atomic push-up. 

There is plenty of room for improvement and needed regression up and down the entire length of the TRX. So, grab some sole strands of webbing, find a wall with a hook in it, and get going.

Workouts

Like Rashomon, but for Back Training

In a way, it's a shame Kurosawa never directed a hero's journey film involving hardcore bodybuilding. Think of the massive muscle franchises American directors could have created by stealing his ideas.

The ideas of import today are not classic cinema, but thick backs and massive silhouettes. To that end, we’re scrutinizing the back training of three top Olympia competitors to see how they differ, what is similar, and what mere mortals can learn from it all.

The most obvious takeaway from these competitors is that they all prioritize hypertrophy over strength. That means all of their workouts are heavy on machines and light on free weights. Being incredibly advanced at their craft, you may find these elite physique competitors have different needs than your average advocate of a push/pull/legs routine. Still, there’s something to learn from each of them.

Check out all the rowing, pulling, and tugging action in the article below.

Quick Hits

🥕 Order This: With all the home delivery meal kits now available to suit your pseudo-TV dinner lifestyle, Splendid Spoon digs into the market with another option. Is this plant-based company with a focus on noodles and shakes enough to supplant your current delivery service? Find out in this review.

🏋️‍♂️ Pull This Down: With all the attachments available for the lat pulldown burning a hole in the corner of your gym, BarBend hazards the question: Does it really even matter? Here, we look at the differences between the wide-grip and narrow-grip pulldowns and help you decide which one is better for your goals.

🏀 Slam This: We love slam balls here at BarBend. (Seriously, we have a whole workout article dedicated to them.) Check out our favorite slam balls on the market for your home gym to improve your workouts.

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