The Starting Line.

   

Thinking about beginning your journey on the path to Bear Strength? Many people find themselves intimidated about a new fitness program. Some just don't like the idea of it at all. Whether it is because it is hard, or they think they are too out of shape. What I will say first is that if it's not hard, then it is not worth doing. So take that garbage excuse and place it right where it belongs. In the garbage. I will however address a lot of the concerns and inhibitions many future Bears may have viewing the program, or any program, from the starting line. Primarily we will discuss the buildup phase of your conditioning. As well as the removal of fear from your heart, because you cannot succeed if you are afraid. And some ways you can develop a good support system to help carry you through to your goals. No goal is insurmountable when you plan your training and slowly ramp up the intensity. So let's get started off nice and slow, and with some perseverance and tenacity you will be doing the full force, unscaled workouts in no time!

    One thing that we find happens alot among many beginners is that they are convinced they will be the slowest one there. Or the least fit in a given group of individuals. This leads to embarrasment at the very idea of working out! This is a bad mentality to have, and realyy it's unfounded as well. In any group of people starting a program, should you ask the group to raise their hands if they think they will finish last in a workout. Invariably a large portion of the group will raise their hands! Well we all know it's impossible that most of them are right because there can be only one last finisher. This is based on the misconception that most people are fit. The sad truth to that is that most people are not. Even if they appear to be fit. As a musclebound mirror loving gym rat to run a 10k, he'll die. Ask a marathoner to deadlift twice his bodyweight, he will fail. There are many different definitions of "fit" and most of the population falls into none of them. So abandon your fear of being the "last" or "slowest" one and begin working at your pace. Your pace will be your "fit". Trust me, if you stick with it you will be falling into many more categories of "fit" in a very short period of time. Assess your current physical state (And be honest! Don't play yourself up or sell yourself short!) and we will provide some guidance for your beginning stage of training.

    You must remove the fear from your heart. If there is fear in your heart, you will fail. Approach every new workout with honesty, and determination. Find your groove, find your pace. You will not fail if you do not allow it to happen. One way to fnd the courage to enter into a new activity is to find a friend, or a group for a solid support system. You'll be alot less embarrassed or inhibited if you have a frined or a bunch of like minded individuals around you. A group also adds a level of accountability too, reducing skipped workouts. We find that when new Bears also change their diet (it usually needs a change) and begins eating better simulaneously with starting the programming they are more likely to stick with it, and succeed. This is probably because of the doubled up benefit of both new lifestyle changes which do alot to increase a persons well being, alertness, and focus. They feel so much better and more energetic that they want to come back, instead of dreading it. This is all because they dropped any feelings of inhibition and jumped right in, not with the intensity, but with the lifestyle change. If you think you need to slowly change your diet, then you are fooling yourself. Old habits die hard, and before long you'll be eating just as badly as you ever did. It must be a diet change! Not just a fad diet for a couple weeks. This and the slow, but consistent upward ramping of intensity in your training will have the pounds falling off.

    So on to the training. Girevik Bear Fitness is a tough program and involves lots of complicated movements for a beginner. Just reading our workouts can be intimidating to even some experienced athletes! Fear not, we must walk before we run, and we must swing before we snatch and clean and such. To begin I will use a principal often employed when coaching beginning runners. Run till you're tired and walk till you are bored, then repeat. Well we can modify this for swings as well. You should get used to running, and swings. Because you will be doing plenty of them. They are the building blocks upon which most of The Bear's programming is built. Just to get used to the physical exercise one can just pick up their shiny new KB and swing it. Just swing it till you are tired or your grip gets weak and put it down. Once your breathing slows to close to a resting rate, and you no longer feel winded, pick it back up and swing some more. Keep your back tight and strong, as well as your abs. Actively push the KB down on the downward swing to really fire things up for your core. Imagine your arms as ropes, freely swinging and only serving as a connection between the KB and your body. Shoulders should stay tight and string, sucked into their sockets. Not loose and forward inviting injury. Try to feel your hips driving the weight upward, and as Pavel always says "Pinch a coin." with your glutes at the top of the rep for ideal form. Continue this process for as many rounds as you are comfortable with, but don't sell yourself short and quit before you are actually exhausted. 15-20 minutes is a good time to shoot for for your initial workouts.

   Also use this same method with running. Just run till you can't anymore, then walk. Once you are rested, run again. Continue for 30 minutes with this routine. Repeat both your running and swinging routines until you can swing for a solid ten minutes, and run for a solid 20 minutes. This very basic and simple program can have you ready to begin learning other KB movements, and performing our scaled workouts very quickly. Even in just a months time for some.

   Do not worry over how much weight you lose, but keep track anyways, because it feels good to see the pounds dropping once they start. Instead focus on how you feel, and how you perform. Those are the real measurments of athleticism. Not just bodyweight. If you are very sore, take a rest day the next day. No more than two rest days in a row should be used in a given week though, and even that's a bit much once you get going. You want to get your body used to a shortened recovery time. You'll need it. Drink lots of water before, and after workouts. Sip it sparingly during a workout though to aviod cramps. Cramps suck. Just stay tough, be relentless in your drive, and give it your all. Eat better, and work harder all the time. You must always challenge yourself if you intend to get better. Trust me, you will see results very quickly. Good luck to the beginners. You have set foot onto a long and difficult path. But it is a path that can make help you reach your athletic best. Become a whole different animal. Become a mighty Bear!