Brisbane North Barbell

Some people have hobbies.

I buy barbells. 🤷‍♂️

Two brand new Goliath stainless steel deadlift bars have arrived at BNB, ready for Saturday's APL Australian Powerlifting League powerlifting competition. 🏋️

That brings us to a total of SIX Goliath deadlift bars available for warmups, preloaded with:

70kg x 2
120kg x 2
170kg x 1
220kg x 1

Less time loading plates.
More time resting between warmup sets.
More efficient warmups for our lifters. 💪

And honestly, just look at them. 🤤

The stainless steel finish is ridiculously shiny, and I absolutely love the feel and smooth whip of these bars off the floor.

Huge thanks to Goliath Barbell for continuing to help us build what I consider to be the best-equipped warmup area in Australia. 👊

Goliath Barbell

🏋️ BNB BRAWN IX 🏋️

This Saturday, 29 August, BNB hosts our next Australian Powerlifting League powerlifting competition!

The competition shirt pictured here is a reimagining of one of BNB's all-time most loved shirts, the legendary "OCD OR G**O". A big shout-out to brear for the design and John Ellis for bringing it to life. If you’d like to grab a shirt, singlet, crop or tank, please flick me a message and I will sort you out.

📍 Brisbane North Barbell, Brendale
🗓️ Saturday 29/8
🕗 Doors open: 8:00am
🏋️ Lifting starts: 9:00am

Rough schedule for the day:
🏋️ Squats, 9:00–11:00am
💪 Bench, 11:00am–1:00pm
🔥 Deadlifts, 1:00–3:00pm
🏆 Medal presentation immediately afterwards

Spectators are welcome and there is no entry fee, so come down and watch some great powerlifting!

The competition will also be live streamed via the BNB YouTube channel for those who cannot make it in person. 📺

A huge thank you to the army of BNB volunteers who are giving up their Saturday to make Brawn IX happen. We have 40 people volunteering their time to help ensure a smooth, efficient and enjoyable competition day for everyone involved. We genuinely could not do it without you. ❤️

Competitors, a reminder that weigh-ins are Friday 28 August, either 9:00–11:00am or 5:00–7:00pm.

See you Saturday! 💪

BNB v4 is coming.

Over the past 6–12 months, there has been a lot happening behind the scenes at Brisbane North Barbell.

Some of you will know bits and pieces of what has been going on. Others probably have no idea.

The short version is that, after nearly a decade at our current location, unfortunately BNB will not be offered a further lease renewal when our current lease ends mid 2027. In fact, we'll probably need to move locations sooner rather than later, but let's save that wild story for another time… 😅

This situation has meant spending a significant amount of time, money and energy working through some fairly complicated issues, including involving solicitors and other professionals to protect the interests of BNB, our members and our coaching clients.

It has been frustrating. It has been expensive. And it has been absolutely mentally exhausting.

But one thing has never been in question.

I'm all in on BNB.

I've spent more than 12 years building this place, and I'm not interested in simply finding another shed and starting again.

I'm looking for BNB v4.

The goal is to find a permanent home for Brisbane North Barbell, somewhere we can continue to grow, run competitions, coach athletes, train strongman, build the community and hopefully stay for a very, very long time.

And this is where I could use your help.

I'm actively looking for a new property to purchase, preferably in Brendale or the immediate surrounding area.

I do have a bit of a wish list for BNB v4, so if you know someone with an industrial property who might be considering selling, or you spot something that looks like it could work, I'm happy to share the details. You don't need to be a property expert, just send it my way and I'll do the digging.

Even if you're not sure, I'd rather have a look than miss an opportunity.

You never know where BNB v4 might be hiding.

BNB v1 started in 2014.

BNB v2 came in 2015.

BNB v3 is where we've built BNB from 2017 into what it is today.

Now it's time to find the home for BNB v4.

I'm very, very excited about what comes next. 🖤

🎡 EKKA WEEK AT BNB! 🎡

The Ekka might be on, but BNB is open as normal! 💪

🏋️ Free training for non-members from 10–16 August
⏰ Normal opening hours
🤝 Coaching as usual

So whether you are heading to the Ekka or heading to BNB, we have you covered! 😂

And remember, if any member asks, “Are you open today?”

You can choose your punishment:
🏋️ 100kg sled drag
💪 100 empty EZ bar curls
🚴 100 calories on the bike

Because apparently, we need to clarify that BNB is ALWAYS open. 😂

See you at BNB! 👊

Success doesn't always look the way you expect. Sometimes, the best competitions aren't the biggest ones.

BNB Brisbane Strongman Series Round 2 was one of those competitions.

One week before competition day, a number of competitors had to withdraw, leaving us with just 10 athletes taking the field.

After weeks of planning, organising equipment, writing events, recruiting volunteers and setting everything up, I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed.

My mind went straight to...

Were the events not appealing?

Were the weights too heavy? Too light?

Is Strongman losing momentum?

After a few weeks to reflect, I do not think any of those things were true.

Sometimes it is simply timing.

Round 2 landed amongst some huge South East Queensland events, including Empire's Grudge Match and Strength Junction's Queensland's Strongest. There are only so many competitors to go around.

What I saw on competition day was not a lack of passion.

It was 10 athletes giving everything they had.

It was 15 Brisbane North Barbell volunteers giving up their Saturday to deliver another smooth, professional competition.

It was friends, families and supporters cheering every lift, every carry and every metre.

With a smaller field, I even threw in a surprise bonus event that morning, a 30-second max distance sprint on the Rogue Echo Bike. It ended up being one of the highlights of the day.

Even better, the Novice Men, Men's Division 2 and Men's Division 1 were all tied going into the final event. You could not ask for closer competition.

Round 2 reminded me that success is not measured by how many names are on the entry list.

Sometimes it is measured by the people who show up.

To every competitor, volunteer, referee, loader, scorekeeper, spectator and supporter, thank you.

We'll be back for Round 3. 💪

Huge thanks to our sponsors for making these competitions possible:
Bulk Nutrients
Sams Fitness - Gym Equipment

Small upgrades. Big BNB improvements. 💪

People often notice the big purchases... a new machine, competition bars or calibrated plates.

But it's often the smaller upgrades that quietly make the biggest difference to your day-to-day training.

Here's what's been happening around Brisbane North Barbell lately (top to bottom, left to right)...

🟢 More resistance bands for warm-ups, rehab, accommodating resistance and assisted movements.

🔷 A new trap bar for shrugs, carries, deadlifts and much more.

⬛ Upgraded and rearranged 20mm deadlift mats for a cleaner, more consistent lifting surface.

⚫ Custom BNB Bulgarian Split Squat pads, because if you're going to suffer... you may as well be comfortable. 😅

🇮🇹 Our 2023 World Powerlifting Championships Italy banner is now proudly hanging in the gym.

🔴 New cable attachments for even more exercise variety.

📺 Two new 75" TVs showcasing member achievements, BNB history and, of course, our famous inside jokes. If you've been around long enough... you'll probably understand why Sleepy the first cut. 😂

None of these upgrades were essential... but we think our members deserve them. ❤️

Every year we continue reinvesting into Brisbane North Barbell.

Sometimes it's a huge upgrade.

Sometimes it's something small.

But every improvement has the same goal...

Making BNB an even better place to train. ❤️🖤

🙌 Huge thanks to:
• Sams Fitness - Gym Equipment for the resistance bands, trap bar and cable attachments.
• Owie for upgrading the deadlift platform.
• Jax for the custom Bulgarian Split Squat pad covers.
• Jax, Piglet, BB, Tasha & Talulah for proudly representing BNB at the 2023 World Powerlifting Championships in Italy. 🇦🇺❤️

Bonus points if you recognised the Tony Stark "Jericho" pose in the first photo. 😎

"I choose you... Strongmanchu!" ⚡💪

Competition week has arrived!

This Saturday, Brisbane North Barbell hosts Round 2 of the Brisbane Strongman Series, with athletes taking on four big events throughout the day.

📅 Saturday 25 July
📍 Brisbane North Barbell
🚪 Gym opens: 8:00am
👕 Competitor briefing: 8:30am
🏁 First event: 9:00am

The events:
🏋️ Deadlift Bar Deadlift, 60 second AMRAP
💪 Barbell Clean & Press, 60 second AMRAP
🚶 Yoke, 2 × 15m
🪨 Atlas Stone Over Yoke, 60 second AMRAP

With a smaller field this round, competitors will have plenty of time to warm up before each event, making for a relaxed day while still delivering some huge lifts and exciting competition.

If you cannot make it down on the day, the entire competition will be live streamed on the Brisbane North Barbell YouTube channel. 📺

A massive thank you to our event sponsors, Bulk Nutrients and , for their continued support.

Also, a huge thank you to for designing another awesome competition shirt, and John Ellis for bringing it to life.

One thing I've noticed after running Strongman competitions for a few years... Strongman athletes seem to love shirts that are as loud and colourful as possible. The brighter and more eye-watering the colours, the happier everyone seems to be. 😂

See you all Saturday! 💪

What does $15,000 worth of WPI look like? 👀

Turns out... a good chunk of my garage. 😅

Bulk Nutrients announced another WPI price rise recently, so before it took effect on 1 July, I stocked up... again.

This time I purchased another 170kg of WPI (17 boxes, 10kg in each), spending a little over $10,000 and saving around $1,700 in the long run. Combined with the stock I already had on hand, there's now over $15,000 worth of WPI sitting here ready for the BNB crew. 💪

Current prices (while this stock lasts):
🏷️ 1kg bag, $70
🏷️ 3kg (3 x 1kg bags), $200

Once this batch is gone:
🏷️ 1kg bag, $80
🏷️ 3kg (3 x 1kg bags), $220

For anyone wondering about expiry dates, every bag from this latest order is dated into 2028. Between me getting through around 1kg every week and the amount of WPI we sell at BNB, I'm very confident every last bag will be gone well before then.

In fact, doing the maths afterwards, I'll probably get through around 150kg myself before these bags expire... which means I probably should have bought twice as much. Unfortunately, my bank account wasn't quite as enthusiastic as I was. 😂

I know you'll probably notice Kenny dressed as a ninja... don't ask, I have no idea either 🤷‍♂️😂

But if you've made it this far, can you spot Scarlett? 👀