The Bear Workout - Clean to Front Squat to Push Press to Back Squat to Push Press

Andy (2 D) from BB.com introduced me to this exercise. I decided to give it a try today as I recover from my glute injury. It is basically a Clean to Front Squat to Push Press to Back Squat to Push Press combo.

A more in depth description can be found in Mens Health.

There is no one simple exercise that gives you a complete full-body workout. But there is one complex exercise that can. Strength coach John Davies, author of Renegade Training for Football, calls this "The Bear," and it is. It's not for novices--and even experienced lifters may want to go through the moves with just a bar at first. If you can handle it, you'll boost your strength, size, and explosive power. It involves five moves using the same weight. Simple, really.

• Hold the barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand, shoulder-width grip, your knees slightly bent, your upper body bent forward at about 45 degrees, and your back straight.
• Dip your knees, shrug your shoulders, and, rising up on your toes, explosively pull the bar to chest level and "catch" it on your front shoulders by dropping under it into a partial squat, as you turn your elbows underneath the bar so your palms face up. Your upper arms should be parallel to the floor when the bar lands on your shoulders.
• Lower your body into a full front squat--or at least until your thighs are parallel to the floor--by pushing your hips back and bending your knees as much as possible. Keep your back slightly arched in its natural alignment.
• In one move, drive your feet into the floor and straighten your knees as you press the barbell over your head until your elbows lock.
• Pause, then lower the barbell behind your head and rest it on your upper back as you would when performing a squat.
• Lower your body into a full back squat--like the front squat, except for the position of the barbell.
• In one move, drive your feet into the floor and straighten your knees as you press the barbell over your head until your elbows lock. Pause, then return the barbell to the starting position. That's one repetition.

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=menshealth&channel=fitness&...

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• clean
• front squat
• back squat
• push press
• bear workout
• cross fit

[jeepinjeepin]

@theShankman. Looks like 135lbs. Standard bar is 45lbs. Those plates look like 45lbs plates. Then again they could be plastic and it's more like 55lbs total. Only the guy lifting can tell for sure.

[YoCard]

@jeepinjeepin 45 pound bar with 2x 10 pound plates on each side (bumper plates) for a total of 85 pounds.

[raymondtyn]

omg the music is driving me nuts holy shit turn that shit off

[YoCard]

@raymondtyn Haha I really like this song.

Always turn off volume :P

I guess no one likes techno like me haha.

[barclay135]

wouldnt it fuck up your knees if you went lower that your knees?

[YoCard]

Ripptoe disagrees. Check out some of his stuff.

[Jayskyglider23]

there are some flaws in your technique. You need to this as more of a fluid motion. you stop way to much in between some of the moves. The first motion is should start with the clean and end up in a squat. The second motion is the push of the bar above your head. Not squat then push. its all one motion. and when you get the bar above your head, you need to hold it there for a few seconds. next slowly lower the bar, then squat. and in one motion push squat and lift the bar over your head.

[Kastoob]

I like your gym.

[ahriman87]

bad choice of music

[Steffesa]

This isn't good. The clean is bad, you need to drive the hip forward more, and not pull with your arms so soon. Also, the front squat is bad, get your elbows high and up! if you had some real weight there it would kill your wrists and you would lose the weight. The only thing I thought was good here was the back squat, good form and nice depth. Yes I know I'm just a youtube commenter, but look through the litterature, and you'll see that these are good points :) Anyway sorry for not encouraging!

[MilesTheDrummer11]

I did 4 set of 5 reps with 95 pounds yesterday. Shit suckkkkkkkkss

[fatchickennugget222]

yo is that a hang clean in the start cause he just stood up from the deadlift then cleaned it

[Alpha7xxx]

I don't care how much you can press or squat - this music is fucking terrible. Christ. Horrible.

[lechoso72]

@YoCard true. we have that range of motion on our knees for a reason. I have been deep squatting for more than 10 years and it has been the best thing I could've done for my knees. I love to hate that exercise and only do it when I am short on time

[Nightbird]

I bet alot of gay men who identify as Bears were disappointed coming here..lol.

[iIRiSIH]

Yeah, he's not lifting much but I don't think I've done anything harder than the bear. We do a lot of squats (I'm a rower) and I could barely move the next day after 4 circuits including 20 bear reps in each.