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Welcome to The BarBend Newsletter! Here’s everything you need to know for today’s edition:

• How to walk with a purpose for weight loss

• Frank Zane’s 1,000-rep-a-day ab routine

• How to follow our live 2025 CrossFit Games coverage

Weight Loss

The Non-Hitchhiker’s Guide to Weight Loss

Let’s face it, life in modern-day America is a sedentary one. “Sitting is the new smoking” hasn’t quite caught on as a slogan, but that doesn’t make it any less true. The solution to this lifestyle choice is as simple as it is effective: Take a walk.

Walking might be the most effective lever in your tool chest when it comes to tackling weight loss — but you have to have a solid strategy before you can really reap its benefits.

Walking’s ease may be part of its undoing; too many people want to “feel” like they had a sick workout instead of practicing habits that reliably get the job done. Fresh air, sunlight, and gentle movement are all vital for the basic thermodynamics of fat loss and play a more complex role at the hormonal level (where people who want to drop weight can oftentimes get stuck). 

Odds are, you need more ambulation in your life. Discover how incorporating positive walking habits can help reduce your waistline with our comprehensive guide below.

A Message From Transparent Labs

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Ab Training

Insane in the Frank Zane

Three-time Mr. Olympia winner Frank Zane is known for having one of the most aesthetically pleasing male bodies in human history. And, yes, the guy had some divine legs, a powerful chest, and a legendary pair of arms. But Zane will forever be remembered for having some of the best abs to ever grace a bodybuilding stage.

Zane’s ab routine, from way back in the dark ages of the 1970s, is still killer today. In fact, the man nicknamed “The Chemist” might have stumbled onto some hardcore science when it comes to training for sweet abdominals.

Not dissimilar from Bruce Lee’s style of core training, Zane worked his way up to performing 1,000 reps of abs per day. That’s…wild to think about. Then again, it worked. 

If you want crazy results, sometimes you have to be willing to put in some crazy work. Learn all about this bodybuilding icon's four-figure ab routine and see if you can hang with one of the greats. 

2025 CrossFit Games

Albany Is for CrossFit Lovers

The Fittest on Earth will head to Albany, NY, August 1-3, for the 2025 CrossFit Games. It's the first time the sport’s pinnacle event is being held in the Empire State. 

On the men’s side, James Sprague looks to retain his title against a loaded field with at least 10 men who have a legitimate claim to the top podium spot. 

In the women’s division, all eyes are on seven-time champ Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr. Though the GOAT spent most of the season training for HYROX, she set her sights on an eighth Games title following her dominant performance at the Torian Pro. 

Follow the action with our live leaderboard below — and be sure to keep up to date with exclusive content over on the Morning Chalk Up Instagram page.

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Quick Hits

💪 Pump This Up: The devil is always in the details, and IFBB Pro Josh Jewett doesn’t want to leave you stranded at a crossroads empty-handed. Follow his thorough guide to getting the most out of your cable lateral raise and perfect those pop-out shoulders you so covet.

🪑 Shape This Up: If you’re not looking to perform 1,000 reps like Frank Zane, maybe you’d want to learn how to master the L-sit to build the stronger core your body deserves.

🏋️ Prepare to Pull: Want to hit a new PR on the deadlift? A two-to-four-week peak phase is what it takes to hit new heights.

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