Today’s newsletter is presented by WHOOP. If you need a wearable that accurately tracks your weight training progress, WHOOP’s new Strength Trainer feature offers a deep dive into your workouts. And since you’re a BarBend reader, head here for a free WHOOP 4.0 strap, one free month of the service, and a $0 signup fee.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• The best natural fat burners

• Using supersets for time-saving hypertrophy

• The most controversial Mr. Olympia of all time

Nutrition

Burn, Baby, Burn

Looking for another tool in your fat-burning arsenal? Once you’ve dialed in your caloric intake and training protocols, it might be time to start examining nature’s supplement aisle.

That’s right — you don’t need to take powders and pills you’re unsure about in order to light up your love handles. In fact, some of the best options are foods and other ingredients you’ve heard of before. (Mostly.)

Click below to find out how adding these fat burners into your regimen can be as easy as including them as ingredients in your meal prep or cheaply adding them to your vitamin shopping list.

From Our Sponsor

Find Your Strength With WHOOP

What is the worst part of lifting weights? Tracking lifts and progress during sessions.

Well, WHOOP has put all that frustration and guesswork in the past with their latest update: the Strength Trainer.

This all-new feature works by measuring the exercises you perform, the number of reps you do, and the weight you use to accurately track how your strength training routine impacts your strain, body, and recovery.

For a limited time, BarBend readers can get a free WHOOP 4.0 strap, an extra month of service, and a $0 signup fee.

Training Tips

Supersets, Super Gains

One of the most commonly used techniques in any gym is the superset. Supersets can help add some much-needed intensity to your workout and allow you to get through doing stupid stuff you hate (but know you have to do) much faster.

A superset just consists of doing two or more exercises back-to-back. It’s not rocket science. Having longer sets and more strain on one muscle, or across multiple muscles, creates greater fatigue and stimulates growth.

As with all simple concepts, supersets come with the disclaimer that the devil is in the details. While innately providing greater muscular endurance than just doing three sets of 10 reps with two minutes rest, tweaking the superset to provide the proper stimulus still provides a programming challenge. Click below to get that one-of-a-kind, skin-splitting pump supersets can provide.

Bodybuilding

Judgment Day

The 1980 Mr. Olympia isn’t really looked back upon fondly, even by the winner. From broken trophies to a lot of trash talk, this show set the standard for oiled-up alpha male drama.

Nearly every bodybuilding show to have ever taken place features some level of criticism of the winner, but the 1980 Olympia is particularly reviled (even though the winner was one of the most iconic media figures of the 20th century).

So, what did happen when a retired legend (and burgeoning movie star) decided to enter the biggest bodybuilding contest of the year with no preparation? Rampant changes to the structure of the sport and the loss of a major TV deal. And that was just the beginning of the fallout. Click to see more, and decide for yourself who should have come out on top.

From Our Sponsor

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Everything Else

Cleaning and Shaking

• The kettlebell is one of the most adaptable pieces of equipment for building full-body strength and conditioning. Get the most out of it by learning how to light up your posterior chain with the kettlebell clean.

• Is that protein shake in the gas station fridge sitting next to a can of Four Loko really what you want to put into your body? Instead, opt for some of these top-rated brands.

• Did you know that your pre-workout could go bad? Learn how to spot expired powder and find out ways to help it stay fresh for longer.