🏋️ historic upset at the 2022 mr. olympia!

The BarBend Newsletter is proud to be a sanctuary away from Mariah Carey's holiday back catalog and endless reruns of A Christmas Story. But we didn't come to the holidays empty-handed: Check out the web's best strength news and workout tips below.

There were plenty of memorable (and downright shocking) moments at the 2022 Olympia this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. Catch up on all the highlights from a historic two nights of bodybuilding.

Sometimes, it’s not enough to burn calories — you need to scorch them. And these HIIT workouts will do the trick.

Go through any social media app, and you'll likely find a fitness influencer pulling off some outrageous stunt in the gym. It's all in the name of entertainment, but are their antics helping or hurting fitness culture?

Olympia 2022

A Wild Weekend of Bodybuilding in Sin City

Go back in time a week, and you wouldn't have found many people willing to bet against Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay retaining his Mr. Olympia title in Las Vegas. Turns out, Hadi Choopan wasn't ready to just hand a third Sandow trophy over to the two-time champ.

Choopan stepped onto the stage at this past weekend's Olympia looking massive and conditioned, and it was more than enough to convince the judges to name him the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Ramy, meanwhile, slipped to 5th place behind Derek Lunsford (2nd), Nick Walker (3rd), and Brandon Curry (4th). To see a similarly dramatic drop for a reigning Mr. O, you'd have to go back to 1984 when Samir Bannout fell to sixth place after winning it all in 1983.

But that's far from the only highlight of the weekend. We also saw longtime champs like Chris Bumstead (Classic Physique) and Andrea Shaw (Ms. Olympia) extend their respective dynasties. Meanwhile, divisions like Men's Physique and Women's Physique got brand-new titleholders. There's a lot to catch up on, so check out our full rundown below to get in the know.

Workouts

Greatest HIITs

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts can be an extremely effective and (relatively) enjoyable part of any fitness plan. It’s a particular training protocol that alternates periods (or “intervals”) of high effort followed by periods of recovery for the duration of the workout. A critical element of HIIT workouts is those first two words. High. Intensity.

Many generic HIIT workouts you see on the internet are “intense” because of short rest periods and insufficient recovery, rather than requiring high-intensity output during the work intervals. This short rest/high volume approach can have its place in a workout routine, but it’s just interval training, and it’s not going to give you the same outcome as following these truly high-intensity workouts.

If you really want to feel the burn, we’ve put together some HIIT workouts that check all the boxes.

Feature

The Fitness Influencer Arms Race

Chances are you’ve seen a video from fitness influencer ​​Matthias McKinnon on social media. He’s famous for pulling off gym stunts like performing muscle-ups in the squat rack with a full-sized weight bench dangling from his belt.

It’s eye-catching, sure, but to what end?

​​The marriage between fitness and social media is often a rocky one. What began as humble bench press tutorials on YouTube has since morphed into a tooth-and-nail fight for online stardom among influencers. While the stunts these influencers perform are undoubtedly entertaining, what does it all mean for the state of fitness on social media? Are “gymfluencers” using the power of the algorithm to endorse a healthy lifestyle, or are they racing to the bottom of the barrel?

Everything Else

A Future CrossFit Star?

• After dominating the DFC in 2022, is Karin Freyová primed for CrossFit Games success? We analyze her potential for 2023.

• Whether you’re cutting weight or bulking up, we picked the best meal replacement shakes and bars on the market today.

• Incline curls are your ticket to bigger, stronger biceps. Learn how to do ‘em to harness their power.

Sound Off!

Your Mr. Olympia

The Results Are In!

You're a Conventional Bunch

In the December 12, 2022, edition of The BarBend Newsletter, we asked you to vote on your favorite way to deadlift. Here are the results:

1. Conventional deadlift (51.0%)

2. Trap bar deadlift (20.9%)

3. Romanian deadlift (13.1%)

4. Dumbbell deadlift (5.9%)

5. Other (5.2%)

6. Stiff-leg deadlift (3.9%)