The Mark of the Bear.

So we have done many workouts using our beloved 5x5 setup, and we will continue to do so in the future. But I thought it would be fun to carry on this idea a couple digits higher for a couple more days. This brings us to The Mark of the Bear. It is a workout based completely on the number six. In this workout it was interesting to see how a sixth rep, and especially a sixth round was particularly stressing for us to complete. It was purely mental blockade too, we finished it without dying so our bodies were obviously capable. It was just that when you are used to round five being the final round, having to take off running again and complete one last round took some serious mental resolve. There's a lot of running in this workout. And with the type of pushing and pulling movements in between it is very similar to a mud run or obstacle course type race. Spartan Race, Dirty Duo, Warrior Dash and the like are effectively trained for with this and many of our other circuit style workouts.

6666 The Mark of the Bear
 (12) 

6 Rounds for time.

70lb swing and 50lb C&P standard

400m Run
6 Bar Dips
6 Pull Ups
12 Swings
6 R Hand KB Clean and Press
6 L Hand KB Clean and Press

This workout is grueling and should be performed fast, as though each round of movements is an obstacle standing between you and your next run. Running is a great rest time for a workout like this, no slacking though. You can better control your breathing and clam your heart rate during your running periods. Return to the pull up bar with relaxed arms and solid, controlled breathing and you will crush the ensuing movements. My personal requirements for a bar dip are that the athlete's sternum touch the bar at the bottom of the dip and that the elbows lock at the top for a complete rep. Any less range of motion than that and you are only cheating yourself. How will you ever get your muscle up solid without strength throughout the dip's range of motion? Basically, you won't.

  Our pre-workout session consisted of the usual stretching and warmup procedure. We simply performed some skill development movements such as Turkish Get Ups and some KB juggling practice with little structure. Sometimes spending 15 minutes working on a skill you want to work towards achieving, or building your skill at movements you have already accomplished is more effective than a structured pre-workout lift session. You can only perfect the details and the small points of your skills by practicing them! I don't mean for you to spend fifteen minutes chatting with your teammates and doing a TGU every few minutes, I mean for serious concentrated work. Not play time, but juggling KBs is playing in a way, is it not? Have fun! But work hard, and get warmed up and ready for the workout of the day!