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Here’s everything we have for you today:

• Which glute exercises need to be in your routine — and which you should ditch

• Grip exercises for incredible hand strength

• Does Ozempic lead to lower muscle mass?

Exercise Selection

Commit the Sin of Glute-Only

Other than randomly getting punched in the throat while working out, Jeff Nippard is most famous for his fluency in the realm of exercise science (with a hard emphasis on the word science.)

In this article, he applies his wizened science brain to the task of ranking the best exercises for developing full, luxurious glute muscles.

Sporting an incredible physique, a testament to the prowess of his brain, Nippard walks through a series of movements targeting the all-important muscles of the butt, ranking them not just from A to F, but also adding in super special S and S+ categories. 

A few sacred cows may get ranked lower than you might think (be warned, kettlebell swing fans). And as it turns out, the simplest exercise you can think of, rather than some fancy-schmancy thing, gets put in the elite S+ ranking. 

Shapely glutes are here to stay, so let Nippard shepherd you through your journey to training your backside.

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Training

Get a Head Start on Old Man Strength

Nothing says strong like a firm grip. Whether you’re reaching in for a handshake, tugging on a gi, or helping a friend move some boxes, the old adage holds firm: you can’t lift what you can’t hold.

If you aren’t already spending some of your gym time working on this singularly important strength metric, these 10 exercises for a crushing grip are the perfect place to start.

Farmer’s walks could make a case for being the most important exercise in the gym — and when it comes to grip, it’s still the foundation for everything else. You can get similar benefits in a commercial gym by doing heavy rack pulls and deadlifts with a pause. Or, you can mix up your pull-ups by using varying hand positions (or, even better, towels). 

At some point in your life, you’re going to wish you had a better grip, so start training now to make sure you never come up lacking.

Science

The Ozempic Question

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic have become ultra-popular up and down the socio-economic sphere in the past few years. This weight loss drug has seen a huge uptick in popularity, seemingly being used by everyone from Hollywood actors to us ordinary folks.

Since BarBend readers should have a better-than-average understanding of exercise physiology than most, the next question on everyone’s lips should be obvious: Does all this catabolism negatively impact muscle mass, or is this a straight-from-Miracle-Max pill that only rids the body of unwanted fat?

Dr. Layne Norton tackles the question in a new video. Somewhat demystifying the more wizardly view of Ozempic, he also tempers expectations for what you can expect from any cutting supplement, be it made of eye-of-newt or turmeric. It doesn’t look like these dietary aids are going away any time soon, so it would behoove you to understand how they work.

Big Lifts

Check out this 151-kilo/335-pound hang clean from @youknowbo6. Wait ‘til the end - spoiler, he gets it. 🙌

Do you want us to share your next big lift? Just use the hashtag #BarBendLifts on Instagram to be featured on our page!

Quick Hits

📕 Read This: GQ recently sat down with Dr. Mike Israetel, who talks about everything from his training and vitamin routines to why he simply doesn’t understand breakfast. Give it a read.

👨‍🚀 Watch This: Astronauts have to do a lot more than be off-handedly versed in advanced physics; they also need to train their bodies for the rigors of eight days in space (or when eight days turns into nine months). See how they use resistance training to prep their musculoskeletal systems for the impacts of zero gravity.

💪 Pump This: Nitric oxide supplements are popular for explosive marketing and equally explosive muscle-pump effects. Find the best NO product to help you split open your skin with swoleness during your next session.

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