💪 a potentially dangerous exercise you should ditch

POWERED BY:

Here’s what’s in store for you in today’s edition:

• 3 reasons to ditch upright rows

• A strength athlete’s guide to losing belly fat

• Learn to box squat for more absolute strength

Exercises

In Which We Get Uptight About the Uprights

We’ve explored the “pro” side of upright rows in the past, and now, taking a cue from a Debate Club exercise, we’re flipping over to argue the counterpoint.

Here, then, is a list of three things dead wrong about doing upright rows.

Courting or avoiding an exercise is sometimes a personal choice; one “terrible” exercise may work amazingly well for you, while “must-dos” just never seem to hit the spot for your morphology. Upright rows can cause shoulder issues to pop up in certain people, especially since they can sometimes provide the temptation to load them heavier than is strictly necessary.

Understand the potential drawbacks to what could be a great muscle builder but what could also be a no-fly zone during your upper-body training charter flight.

A Message From Nike

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Fat Loss

Slim Down the Power Gut

Strength athletes may need to prioritize specific physical capabilities and muscle mass over fat loss, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be ignored altogether. These tips can help even the most iron-devoted lifter drop some inches from their belly without missing out on other important training modalities.

Small insidiousnesses, such as high stress and low sleep, may be adding notches to your lifting belt that you really don’t need. Same with an increase in calories in the pursuit of “bulking.” While it was a badge of honor for strength athletes to be bloated and unhealthy in days gone by, that mindset has been out of vogue for several decades; if you’re still clinging to it, you’re just attached to nostalgia that really never was.

There’s always room to slim your belly up a little more, even if your main priorities lie on the platform.

Strength Training

Introduce Your Butt to the Box

The strongest athletes in the world have been using box squats, spreading the gospel of box squats, and reaping the benefits of box squats for at least three or four decades. So, why is it still so uncommon to see the move performed, especially now that seemingly every strip mall gym has a line of power racks where Bosu balls and ab crunch machines used to live?

It’s time to break the mold and start fully realizing the power of box squatting.

First and foremost, the box squat is still a squat, a.k.a. the “King of Exercises.” You can play with depth a little more by using high-box and low-box variations, but achieving some significant depth is still your priority. Staying tight and maintaining your spine angle is also essential, as they help correct imperfections in your squat technique that develop from bombing into and out of the hole.

The box squat can be just the ticket your training routine needs to reach greater heights — just make sure you’re doing it right by consulting our guide.

Big Lifts

Haack Squats

World-record powerlifter John Haack (@bilbo_swaggins181) recently took to Instagram to show off his “pretty easy week.” Of course, for Haack, that means squatting 644 pounds and benching 446 pounds for three reps each.

🔥 Look at the depth of those squats. Look at the pause on those bench reps. Somebody get us a cigarette…

The Results Are In!

Give Us a Jolt

In the June 2 edition of The BarBend Newsletter, we asked how you take your pre-workout. Here’s how you voted:

We’re shocked — shocked! — that pre-made cans of pre-workout came in last place. Do none of you go to Wawa or 7-Eleven before the gym anymore? And to the people who take absolutely nothing before the gym, we salute you.

Since most of you are pre-workout powder people, you might be interested in our latest review on Naked Energy from Naked Nutrition. This one features 200mg of caffeine and has no artificial sweeteners or additives.

Quick Hits

🏃‍♂️ Run Like This: Since we’re living in the data age and all, it seems strange to leave it on the kitchen counter, unutilized, during trackable activities. These nine running apps can help you get your road work in, improve your metrics, and make the monotonous process of running just a little bit more enjoyable.

🦵 Fail At This: Calf training has always been difficult for some people (one of the few ways many of us can relate to Arnold and his quest for a better physique). If your calves constantly lag behind the rest of your body, it might be time to explore some intensification techniques and learn to train to, or even past, your point of failure.

💪 Fly Away: We’ve talked about our love of the reverse flye before, and now we’re here with nine variations of this classic exercise to help you build your rear delts and enhance your pulling strength.

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