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🏋️‍♂️ grow your biceps with these 12 barbell exercises

It’s time to put the fun-size Snickers away and get back to reality. Thankfully, for the next three minutes, your reality revolves around the best exercise tips and fitness content your inbox has ever seen.

Here’s what’s on tap today for your viewing pleasure:

  • The best barbell exercises for your biceps.

  • Mitchell Hooper’s incredible 2023 Rogue Strongman Invitational performance.

  • Brianny Terry sets a new women’s all-time deadlift record.

Workout Tips

Bar Exam 

Credit: @WWE / Giphy

There may be a litany of machines, fads, and gimmicks you can use to train your biceps, but sometimes, the best things in life are the simplest. So get back to your arm training roots with our list of 10 barbell exercises that are sure to boost size and strength.

Like the billionaire who finds joy restoring the Yugo from his youth, or the NBA star returning to play on an asphalt court, you, too, can reap the rewards of going back in time to when your only option for increasing your arm size was a 45-pound stick of metal.

Be warned: Your bar probably isn’t going to be overflowing with plates on these moves, but it’s more important to nail down proper form than it is to ratchet up the weights here. Trust us, you’ll get enough of a pump using a reasonable amount of weight as long as you stick to these biceps bulging options.

Strongman

Rogue Lifter

Credit: @Rogueinvitational / Instagram

The dust has settled at the 2023 Rogue Strongman Invitational, and, to the surprise of no one, Mitchell Hooper continued his incredible run over the weekend. With strong showings in the Iron Bull and Tower of Power events, the Canadian once again proved that he belongs firmly at the top of the sport. 

Competition was fierce, with the usual suspects like Tom Stoltman and Mateus Kieliszkowski beating Hooper in individual events. But Hooper didn’t need to win any event outright to claim the overall victory on the day — he instead used his combination of static strength and mobility to place high enough in each test-of-strength to earn the trophy. As the cliche goes, slow and steady won the day for Hooper. 

Check out all the results, and marvel at what these athletes are capable of.

Powerlifting

A Huge Pull

Credit: @briannyt / Instagram

Women’s powerlifting has gone nuclear in recent years, seemingly eclipsing the men’s division with its volume of world-class athletes. The weight being moved has also been going up exponentially as more competitors push the envelope of what is possible.

Such is the case with Brianny Terry, a 75kg powerlifter, who just deadlifted the most weight of any woman in the history of the Raw division. Not just the most in her 75kg weight class, mind you, but the most of any woman ever. The 291-kilogram (641.6-pound) lift went down at this weekend’s 2023 WRPF American Pro 2 in Manassas, VA, which itself was the site of multiple broken records.

As a testament to how competitive women’s powerlifting is, Terry finished fifth in the Best Lifter competition despite her record achievement. Watch the deadlift below if you’re in the market for being amazing by huge lifts.

Everything Else

Big Wrist Energy

Credit: Mangkorn Danggura / Shutterstock

  • Happiness is lifting more weight, and sadness is missing a lift because, of all things, your wrists can’t handle it. Try this hot dose of wrist mobility and call back in the morning.

  • There’s only one way to watch this year’s Mr. Olympia contest, but don’t fret, because we’ve got everything you need to know to tune into the biggest bodybuilding contest of the year.

  • Walking is in, sitting is out in the futuristic-sounding year 2023. Get your step count up and keep your body moving in your home office with these six under-desk treadmills.