🏋️ build bigger biceps without weights

Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Momentous. If you need a high-quality creatine for your workout routine, Momentous has you covered. Find out more here.

Here’s what we have for you this week:

• How to train your biceps without weights.

• Common side effects of pre-workouts to look out for.

• Squat tips from one of the strongest powerlifters on Earth.

Exercise Tips

Welcome to the Gun Show

If you ain’t curling, you ain’t trying. That’s the unspoken mantra of upper-body training in weight rooms around the world. Training “bis” isn’t just a hobby; it’s a full-time job you signed up for the first time you received a membership card to your local gym.

But why are you stuck staring longingly into the mirror, doing curls at the dumbbell rack 100% of the time? Instead, you should learn to embrace the beauty of bodyweight workouts for a training session that’s more intense than any dumbbell can grant you. (A simple glance at the shape and size of gymnasts’ biceps while doing the rings shows the efficacy of this type of workout.)

But you don’t need to be a highly trained gymnast if you want to look like you have softballs in your arms. Throw in the simple, and amazingly hard, bodyweight biceps workouts below for a change of stimulus.

From Our Sponsor

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Nutrition

Pre-Workout Jitters

Quickly chugging a bottle of pre-workout is a rite of passage for nearly every gymgoer who’s ever touched a weight plate or barbell. But despite their omnipresence, these supplements often come with a few ingredients that might not sit well with your body. Though the trade-off is often worth it, there are certain pre-workout side effects you shouldn’t brush under the rug.

From digestive issues to the trademark jittering and tingling that comes with these supplements, we’re detailing everything you should know about the downside to your favorite pre-workouts.

Plus, we’ve got research-backed advice on dosing options and more tips on maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks.

Powerlifting

Learn From the Best

Jesus Olivares is a massive name in raw powerlifting (as well as being just regular ol’ massive). He’s not only an IPF record holder, but he is also more than willing to go on record to help out his fellow lifters, even if they aren’t usually quite as strong.

Olivares is a man who has squatted over 1,000 pounds raw on no less than three occasions in competition. While most squatters may not be able to achieve his amazing strength, everyone can increase the weight on the bar by paying attention to four crucial pieces of technical advice he recently shared on his Instagram.

Olivares wants you to focus on the finer details of the motion. So, get a pencil and paper, take some notes, then slap on your lifting belt and go take the advice for a test drive.

From Our Sponsor

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Everything Else

BarBend’s Origins

• BarBend founder David Tao was a guest on the Niche Website Builders podcast to discuss his experiences in entrepreneurship. Not just about the fitness industry, David goes into detail about his journey building a company in the internet age. Find out more about how Tao built — and eventually sold — BarBend in this wide-ranging interview.

• Anti-rotational ab training is a core tenet of the gym, so why are you still doing five minutes of crunches at the end of a workout and calling it a day? Instead, do this premium-grade abdominal exercise for core stability: the half-kneeling Pallof press.

• This week, The BarBend Podcast brings you insight into the mindset of elite weightlifters in this interview with Dr. A’Naja Newsome. Dr. Newsome brings her experience as a competitor and coach, along with her PhD from the University of South Florida, to this riveting discussion.