BarBend Podcast

Today we're talking to pro strongwoman Jessica Fithen. Among her many accomplishments, Jessica is the first strongwoman to block press 100 kilograms or more. She’s also very active on social media and is the brains behind the Instagram page “You Look Like a Man,” which highlights and parodies some of the more ridiculous — and usually unsolicited — things women lifters and strength athletes he...

Today we're talking to coach Travis Mash. In some circles, Travis is best known as a champion, world record-breaking powerlifter, and his career in that sport is legendary. But fewer people know that Travis’ first strength love was weightlifting, a sport he spends most of his time coaching these days. Travis joins us to talk about training athletes based on scientific principles, starting a c...

Today we're talking to kettlebell sport champion Kim Fox, who holds multiple all-time world records in the sport. She’s also one of the most accomplished Americans to ever compete in the sport. If you’re not familiar with kettlebell sport, this conversation is a solid introduction to what it entails, the intense mental and physical challenge involved, how a world champion trains, and the smal...

Today we're talking to OUT Foundation founder Will Lanier. Formerly known as OUTWOD, the OUT Foundation’s mission is to remove the barriers that block LGBTQ+ individuals' access and participation in fitness, health, and wellness to ensure their success. Will takes us back to the group’s origins as an informal workout community in New York City, and he details how — over nearly ten years...

Today we're talking to British weightlifter Sarah Davies, who represents England at the highest levels of international competition. The 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist is also the IWF Athlete Commission’s Chair, a role that sees her advocating for athlete representation within the sport’s international governing body. Over the past year, massive shakeups, corruption allegations, and...

Today we're talking to health & fitness journalist Michael Easter, a contributing editor at Men's Health magazine and journalism professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Michael is one of the fitness space’s most prolific writers of in-depth profiles, covering the people, trends, and breakthroughs that keep this industry moving forward. He joins the show to talk about his un...

Today we're talking to Alyssa Royse, owner and coach at Rocket Community Fitness — formerly Rocket CrossFit — in Seattle. Today’s episode is a bit different from the norm, and Alyssa joins us to talk about a variety of issues regarding representation, diversity, and inclusivity in fitness.  Some listeners may be familiar with Alyssa’s name after an exchange she had with CrossFit founder and f...

Today we're talking to professional strongman Gabriel Pena, also known online as Texas Titan Gabe. He joins the show to talk about his experiences in the sport, including his 2020 World’s Strongest Man debut. At that competition, Gabe had to make a tough, health-based call, and we dive into his thought process. We also discuss why Gabe, a native Texan, decided to represent Mexico at the 2020...

Today we're talking to Dr. Daniel Lieberman, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and Chair of Harvard’s Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. Dr. Lieberman is also the author of numerous books, most recently one titled “Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding.” Dr. Lieberman took time out of his busy teaching and research schedule...

Today we're talking to Mo Fürste, the founder of HYROX and one of the greatest field hockey players of all time. This interview focuses on HYROX’s growth as a fitness challenge and competition, but it’s worth calling out Mo’s impressive athletic resume beyond HYROX: he’s a three-time Olympic medalist in field hockey for Germany, including two golds, and was the International Hockey Federation...

Today we're talking to Dave Durante, a former member of the U.S. National Gymnastics Team and one of the masterminds behind Power Monkey Fitness. Dave talks about discovering CrossFit after a storied gymnastics career, and how he and his partners came to build the annual Power Monkey weekend into what can only be described as fitness summer camp for adults. We also discuss gymnastics elements...

Today we're talking to Brett Ewer, Head of Government Relations at CrossFit. Brett is also a driving force behind the Community Gyms Coalition, a group of fitness industry companies and gym organizations — including CrossFit, Zumba, Orange Theory, Anytime Fitness, Jazzercise, and more — lobbying congress to provide direct relief to gyms hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In today’s special ep...

Today we're talking to Josh Clemente, Founder and President of Levels, a company producing wearable tech so users can track blood glucose in real time to maximize diet and exercise results. It’s a new company, and after a $12 million fundraise, they’re already in use by top pro athletes and are even making waves in the strength sports community. Josh is a veteran of both SpaceX and Hyperloop...

Today we're talking to CrossFit athlete and coach Adam Neiffer. Adam has been in the competitive CrossFit space since well before it exploded in popularity, and with a competition history dating back to 2009, he’s one of the most experience team athletes in the sport’s history. More recently, Adam was a visible figure at the 2020 CrossFit Games finals, where he served as coach to Rookie of th...

Welcome to a very special episode of the BarBend Podcast, one that covers a bit more ground than normal. Today we're talking to Laith Nakli, a star of stage and screen probably best known for his roles in The Long Road Home, The Wall, and as Uncle Naseem in the hit TV series Ramy. He’s also a cast member on the upcoming Ms. Marvel series on Disney Plus. Before his acting days, Laith was a com...

Today we're talking to CrossFit Games athlete and Doctor of Physical Therapy, Amanda Barnhart. Amanda is one of the CrossFit world’s highest-performing athletes in the space since making her Games debut in 2018. That includes back to back Top 10 finishes at the Games in 2019 and 2020. In our conversation, we talk about how athletes recover after the brutal CrossFit Games competition season, a...

Today we're talking to athlete and coach Steph Hammerman, better known online as Steph the Hammer. Steph was born with cerebral palsy, and since discovering CrossFit years ago, she’s been a prominent force in the space as both a coach to all and an advocate for adaptive athletes. In many cases, that meant leading from the front by being the first person with cerebral palsy to compete at numer...

Today we're talking to Liz Plosser, the Editor in Chief of Women’s Health. Liz is one of the fitness industry’s head honchos when it comes to content, but journalism definitely wasn’t the first place her career started out. And ending up at the top of Women’s Health’s content was far from an overnight success story. Today, Liz and David Thomas Tao discuss careers in health and fitness journal...

Today we're talking to Bill Grundler, a coach, athlete, and media personality who’s been one of CrossFit’s most visible personalities for nearly a decade. Bill also owns CrossFit Inferno and co-hosts the Get with the Programming Podcast, which analyzes programming in the CrossFit landscape including Worldwide Qualifiers, Age Group Online Qualifiers, Sanctioned Events, The Open and CrossFit Ga...

Today I’m talking to weightlifter, coach, and former bodybuilder Jon North, who has been a prominent figure in American Strength Sports for nearly a decade. Jon’s story is one with a number of twists and turns: From overcoming addiction to earn his way among the top ranks of American weightlifters, Jon was one of the first virtual weightlifting coaches to build a large following online, and he als...

Today we're talking to writer and journalist Haley Shapley, the author of Strong Like Her. Published earlier in 2020, Strong Like Her is an examination and celebration of women’s athleticism and strength throughout history. Haley is passionate about strength and fitness, and her own athletic journey served as an inspiration to write about history’s strongest women, something that’s been all t...

Today we're talking to Amanda Kohatsu, an elite powerlifter who’s also the owner and CEO of Doughnuts & Deadlifts, an apparel brand focused on the strength community. We chat about how Amanda took over Doughnuts & Deadlifts, the ups and downs of running an apparel brand focused around strength, and what balance really can and should mean to people who strength train. We also chat abou...

Today we're talking to Dr. Aaron Horschig, a physical therapist, strength & conditioning coach, speaker and writer. Aaron is the author of one book on mobility and movement, with another on the way, but he’s probably best known as the creator and mind behind Squat University. In our chat, we discuss what so many elite strength athletes are missing when it comes to movement, and how Aaron’...

Today we're talking to Devon Lévesque, a trainer and fitness influencer based out of Jersey City, New Jersey. Devon is probably best known for — and I promise I’m no exaggerating here — bear crawling a full marathon. In about 22 hours this past October, Devon — who already held the world record for distance in the bear crawl — bear crawled 26.2 miles and raised hundreds of thousands of dollar...

As we approach the holiday season, BarBend wants to celebrate by revisiting some of our most popular podcasts from the past 12 months. This episode with Jordan Shallow prompted a ton of discussion, and we're excited to share this remastered version! According to Dr. Jordan Shallow, the way we warm up — and the way most people think about movement —  is fundamentally broken. The chiropractor,...