Whether or not you agree or disagree about whether or not competition makes us an 'athlete', there are definitely some competitions you can 'enter' and successfully conquer. Let's look at a few of my favorites!
The Bear Cub/Teddy Bear Challenge
Recently, a client of mine sent me a message with a workout that was named the 'Bear Complex'.
This complex included the following exercises done with a barbell:
- Clean
- Front squat
- Push press
- Back squat
- Push jerk
- Exercises completed in order, one rep each, 5 times through the cycles of each exercise before resting for one to two minutes between sets of 5 reps
- Complete 5 rounds of the 5 cycles of the 5 exercises, and time your rest, record the weight used, and try to beat it after another week of training
- Start with a weight that should not exceed the amount you can overhead press with good form ten times
- Set weight down after push jerk, and perform the clean from the floor
- Only if you have excessive hamstring tightness should you think about doing a hang clean versus full
My sample workout looked like this:
Rounds 1-6 (couldn't help myself from trying 139 after beasting 129)
89
99
109
119
129
139
Also rested 2 minutes between rounds 4, 5 and 6
Total time taken was 21 minutes. Actually admit to feeling a bit nauseous after completing the 5th and 6th set. Love that feeling!
Side note: I have nicknamed this workout the Bear Cub/Teddy Bear Complex because this is a great way to start getting to know the difficult yet rewarding world of complexes. Jumping into impossible complexes is a surefire way to get hurt and also ensure the exercises are not done with quality form. That said, for fat loss for the intermediate/advanced client, these complexes are highly effective at both delivering a lot of reps within a short period of time and also having a huge effect upon the trainee's metabolism.
The Grizzly and Polar Bear complexes will be released tomorrow and Wednesday.
Until next time,
Coach Kev
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