Barbender Academy

Day two of the S&S Fall Brawl was an incredible finale! We're so proud of all our athletes and the effort they brought to the platform. The Barbender team showed up strong, with some athletes even taking home hardware! 🥇💪🏾 *Typo: Jacob placed first in teens not Jibben Devin (82.5) - 7/9 @devinclin 175/135/237.5 This was Devin’s second meet, we rode a bit of a rollercoaster. We walked away with comp PRs across all lifts but fell short of some bigger goals we set. Overall, it was a strong showing, and we’re excited to see him transition into the hybrid ranks as he preps for his first WL meet in January. Jacob (90) - 7/9 @korffliftsheavy 155/107.5/175 The youngest Barbender on the squad came guns blazing! Jacob nailed huge PRs on squat & deadlift, along with a smaller but solid bench PR. All in all, it was a fantastic day, and this young lifter has a bright future ahead. Jibben (100) - 8/9 @jibbenhillen 155/87.5/230 A first-timer on the team, Jibben joined us a few months ago after self-programming for a while. He had an incredible showing, with his first 500lb pull! We’re excited to build on this momentum. Garret (110) - 8/9 @garrettmaron 162.5/90/170 After an injury sidelined us from shining in our spring meet. Garrett came back crushing it with a huge competition PR on bench and solid squat PR, and his first-ever 170kg deadlift. Very proud of his resilience and positive attitude. Jean (140) - 8/9 @_thelastbarbender 310/195/295 Last but not least, it’s me—ya boi! Competing in my first powerlifting meet in over three years with just 9 weeks of prep, my main goal was to have fun. All that aside, we walked away with an ATPR on squat and some very satisfying bench and deadlift numbers. I’m excited to be back and looking forward to sticking around for a little while longer this time.

It’s Party Time!! Barbender Academy is officially live, offering elite training programs and coaching for all your Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, Personal training and Hybrid performance needs! 🏋🏾‍♂️💪🏾 Led by coach @_thelastbarbender , we’re building a strong community of weightlifters and powerlifters committed to pushing boundaries. 📥 Be part of something powerful by clicking the link in our bio for athlete registration 🔗 Stay tuned for more updates, and follow our journey! #BarbenderAcademy #ElementalStrength #thelastbarbender #powerlifting #weightlifting #personaltraining #gym #nyc #workout #strong #strength #boxing

We did a thing… Offical Tishial 👀 Dm for coaching, programming or just some hehe hahas

Albert’s First USAW Online Qualifier! 6 months ago, Albert came to me wanting to learn the ways of the hybrid athlete. Already successful in powerlifting, he set his sights on weightlifting with the goal of qualifying for U25 USAW Nationals. Within USA Weightlifting, there are opportunities throughout the year where you can compete virtually. During online qualifiers, we simulate all the official standards of a meet. Calibrated equipment, referees, singlets, all filmed and submitted for review. With that in place, Albert delivered yesterday! Two major PRs. A 100kg snatch and a 122kg clean and jerk for a 222kg total, a number that would qualify him for U25 Nationals on a standard platform. Now we wait for final judgment from USAW. I’m proud of the work he’s put in. A hardworking, talented athlete, and this is just the beginning. If you are looking to take that next step, whether it is your first meet or a bigger stage, reach out for coaching! 🤝

Road to U25 Nationals @albertsonslifts #brooklyn #photography #oly #weightlifting #strong

USAPL State Championship - Miles Honsberger @miles.doesnt.lift #powerlifting #newyork #lifting #photography #media

Barbenders 🏋️‍♂️ and future teammates, this one’s for you. In-person team coaching now runs every Wednesday evening & Saturday mornings, starting Saturday, April 4th. 
More chances to train. More chances to grow. More time under the bar together. Pull up! 🔥 DM us with any questions or to get started. #powerlifting #weightlifting #strength

We’re excited start the year off by officially welcoming Coach Cooper to the team! @_.coojo._ 🥊🏋🏻‍♂️ With over a decade of boxing experience, competitive accolades, and a deep background in strength and hybrid performance, Cooper brings high-level, intentional coaching to every athlete he works with. Our journey together started back in 2020. We trained for his first Powerlifting Nationals in 2023 and his first Junior Weightlifting Nationals in 2024. As his hybrid path came full circle, we’d often joke about how closely our journeys and philosophies aligned. After a particularly rough stretch of injuries and frustration with my own training, Cooper stepped in and offered to help me rebuild, on my own terms. That’s where something new was born. In September 2024, we officially began working together to bring me back to Powerlifting Nationals and USAW Finals. What we’ve built since then is the hybrid dream I’ve always wanted, and I couldn’t be more proud of the athlete and coach Cooper has grown into. I’m beyond excited to have him by my side as a Barbender coach and can’t wait to see what’s next. #powerlifting #oly #weightlifting #boxing #strength

Moving through it to move forward Showing up to the platform despite how I felt leading up to it is still processing as a win for me. Resilience can’t be built by avoiding hard parts. It also isn’t built solely on singular grand moments of bravery. That forward movement doesn’t shape itself as point A to point B either. Sometimes it’s a giant maze, and you keep finding yourself at the same dead end over and over again. Until one day, you turn a new corner and make it a bit further through it. Learning about my hypermobility was that corner for me. This past year, I’ve had to manage close to five injuries on and off. There have been so many moments where I wanted to carve my way out, just hoping I’d finally get a stretch of consecutive training days without adjusting my program or working around pain. There are still a lot of things I’m finding answers to, but the map out reveals itself clearer with every corner. #powerlifting #strength #usapl #lifting #sbd #gym #strong #weightlifting #hypermobile #barbenderacademy

he flies where the sun dares him not to

Closing out our #WhatsInMyBag deep-dives is @_thelastbarbender 🛄 What’s the number one thing you always forget to put in your bag? 🫠 #powerlifting #weightlifting #oly #lifting #gym #fitness #gymreels #barbender #barbenderacademy

If there’s a gadget for it, chances are @christophejmb has already tried it 🤖 #whatsinmybag How many headphones do you normally carry lol? Is there anything you have a backup for? #powerliftingmotivation #powerlifting #weightlifting #fitness #gym #lifting #sports