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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything in store for you today:

• Navy SEAL training — as hard as you imagine

• High-fiber diets linked to longer life

• Last chance on these stellar Labor Day fitness sales!

Training

Best of the Best

Navy SEALs are some of the baddest folks on the planet. The physical, mental, and psychological makeup required to operate as part of a SEAL unit is otherworldly. Basic Underwater Demolition/SEALs (BUD/S) training famously has a failure rate of 80%, meaning only one-fifth of eligible candidates even make it through the first few weeks.

Dr. Mike Israetel, of Renaissance Periodization, took on the challenge of a Navy SEAL physical fitness test. Alongside retired Team 6 operator DJ Shipley, Israetel challenged himself to meet the minimum SEAL standards for strength and endurance. Seasoned vet Shipley set his sights on achieving the more difficult “Be a Pro” classification for each of the seven sections of the workout.

Anyone who knows people in Special Forces knows they don’t typically look like The Rock — but that doesn’t mean they aren’t strong as balls. Even though Israetel is a bodybuilder by trade, retired SEAL DJ Shipley was easily able to smoke him in all the barbell-based tests. Go ahead and take on this seven-step SEAL fitness challenge and see if you can keep up with the toughest SOBs in the world (not kidding about that).

A Message From Fay Nutrition

A nutrition plan designed uniquely for you

Tired of diet plans that don't consider your unique lifestyle or health needs? Real, lasting change comes from a strategy tailored specifically to you. 

That’s why Fay connects you with a professional Registered Dietitian for true 1-on-1 coaching.

Your dietitian will work with you to create a sustainable plan that aligns with your personal health goals, whether you're managing a condition like PCOS or just want to feel your best. They consider your preferences and routines to design a strategy that actually works, using clinically proven methods like meal planning and journaling. 

It’s time to stop guessing and start getting guidance that’s 100% personalized.

Find Your Dietitian Now

Nutrition

Hi, Fiber

With the cyclical nature of dietary advice, we’ve seen foods like eggs, sodium, and steak transition from being avoided at all costs to becoming staples of a healthy diet. Other items of note, like bran muffins, rice cakes, and chicken with absolutely no seasoning on it whatsoever, have dropped out of the S tier to make room for these additions.

Dr. Layne Norton is here to get the fiber hype train running back on its late ‘80s, early ‘90s tracks, and he brings with him a bunch of data to shovel into the engine.

Dr. Norton shares a new study that finds increased dietary fiber intake has positive health outcomes across various diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cancer. In a repudiation of modern Carnivore (and Carnivore-adjacent) eating habits, Dr. Norton makes the bold declaration, “If you don’t want to die young, eat fiber.” 

Read up on the topic and see where your gut takes you on the topics of fiber, nutrition, and gut health.

Labor Day 2025 Sale

It’s the Final Countdown!

You’re running out of time to take advantage of our favorite Labor Day fitness deals. We’re talking about sales on everything from treadmills and all–in-one trainers to your favorite creatine and pre-workouts. Check out some of our faves.

Equipment

• Assault Fitness: Save up to $500 on Runners.

• Aviron: Get 32% off all equipment.

• Bowflex: Up to $700 off select equipment.

• Force USA: Save big on All-In-Ones: Up to $500 off all-in-one trainers

• Flybird Fitness: Anniversary blowout — up to 50% off select items

• Horizon Fitness: Take up to 35% off assorted cardio equipment.

• Hydrow: Get up to $750 in savings

• NordicTrack: Save up to $1,700 on bundles and up to $1,000 on smart machines before price increases take effect in the coming weeks.

• Titan Fitness: Save up to 60% on functional trainers, power racks, and more.

• TRX: Get 20% off across the site

Supplements

• Bulletproof: Labor Day sale 30% off sitewide.

• Cellucor: Get 15-35% off subscriptions to creatine, protein, pre-workouts, and more.

• Gainful: 30% off all products. Use code LBD30

• Legion: Right now, Legion has a BOGO 50% off site-wide deal.

• MyProtein: Save up to 35% when using the code POWERUP

Recovery Equipment

• Ekrin: Summer Sale - Up to 30% off Ekrin massage guns.

• Hydragun: $400 off the Supertub 0.8 with code "LABORDAY."

• The Plunge: Get up to $3,500 off plunges and saunas. Plus, get 50% off Plunge Protect extended warranties and $1,000 off pro sauna assembly, and receive a $500 bonus for signing up for SMS alerts. (8/18-9/9).

• Polar Monkeys: $500 off your purchase with code "WELCOME-500."

• Therabody: Save up to $150 on massage guns and more.

• Redwood Outdoors: Fire and Ice bundles $1,500 off for a limited time.

• Sun Home Saunas: Save up to $1,450 on saunas and plunges through 9/1.

• Sunlighten Saunas: Up to $2,000 off and free shipping.

Quick Hits

💪 Rest Like This: Join bodybuilder Brett Wilkin as he teaches former NFL defensive lineman Derek Wolfe all about the wonders of rest-pause training and its uses in sculpting a thick set of shoulders and upper back muscles.

♥️ Keep Losing This: Visceral fat, long known for its deleterious effects on health, may be the culprit behind a whole new supervillain level of malevolence. Recent studies show that the type of fat that surrounds and coats your organs may be accelerating the rate at which your heart ages.

🏋️ Bench This: Learn how maintaining your structural balance can give your bench press a much-needed boost.

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