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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s what’s on tap for today’s edition:

• Powerbuild your way to greatness in 10 weeks

• 8 ways to train your lower abs

• Dieting for lowered inflammatory response

Training

The PB&J of the Lifting World

Combining words together can be really fun. Pineapple. Cowboy. Manbearbig. It kinda makes you feel like you’re speaking German.

Powerbuilding combines both the linguistic and resistance training essences of both powerlifting and bodybuilding, meaning you can get the best of both worlds.

The basic idea is to develop a program that allows you to train for both size and strength — two things most people in the gym want to improve. BarBend has done the hard part for you: our resident CPT has developed a 10-week powerbuilding program with these two goals in mind.

And this is no mile-high view on getting stronger. Our program goes into painstaking detail on each week’s progression, the equipment you’ll need, the moves (plus sets and reps) on each day, and research-backed advice to build your own program.

In layman's terms, we've put the ball on the tee — all you have to do is hit a touchdown.

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Exercise Selection

Journey to the Center of the Abs

Lower abs are kind of a bear to train. Not only are the movements really hard, but it can seem like the lower two cans in your six-pack are just impossible to isolate.

Never fear, because the eight exercises should be all you need to strengthen the part of your core nearest to your body’s actual center.

Rocky fanatics may have always dreamed of doing real dragon flags, but you probably need to build up to the ultra-impressive-looking move with leg raises and jackknives first (told you these were hard). You can craft your abs however you want, but to get the most out of them, you’ll need to use all these techniques to work your lower abs enough to really count.

Nutrition

Less Body Fat, Less Inflammation

Dieting is about a lot more than just cutting belly fat for beach season. Adhering to nutritionally sound weight-loss principles has numerous benefits, including improved energy levels, less gastric distress, and lower levels of inflammation.

The last bit is what Dr. Layne Norton is concerned with today. Specifically, Dr. Norton examines a study that analyzes whether conventional calorie-restriction diets or intermittent fasting protocols are more effective in reducing systemic inflammation.

Since body fat is a major driver of inflammation, what we’re largely looking at is which technique is more effective at disposing of unwanted adipose. Sometimes, it might just come down to personal preference rather than hard biology. If you can commit long-term to one style or the other and have a hard time sticking with the less-favored diet, then the science really is in the compliance. 

Learn to both look and feel better by using the right kind of fat-busting diet for your life.

Big Lifts

Two-Point Stance

Watch 62-year-old Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh do a version of the Hatfield squat at 405 pounds for a few quick reps. The start of the new NFL season may be months away, but this Lombardi-winning signal-caller is in playoff form.

Quick Hits

🍗 Deliver This: Meal delivery services fill a hole in the busy lives of serious dieters who don’t want to devote huge chunks of their day to prepping. Find out if Hungryroot can help make sense of your macro nutritional needs.

🦵Lie Down Here: The prone leg curl provides one of the most intense contractions available to card-carrying gym members. Master the movement to develop beefy hamstrings and some satisfying DOMS.

⚡️Get a Boost: Niacin (vitamin B3) helps turn carbs, fats, and proteins into energy that your body can use. To help you get the most out of this powerful nutrient, we’ve reviewed some of the top niacin supplements on the market.

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