Bunny Lifter

    So we have all seen them before. You know, the guys at the gym who spend more time parading around with their towel across their shoulders than they do actually moving any weight. And even if you do catch them doing anything constructive you will observe slow motion, isolation movements on some cushy, glitzy chrome piece of gym equipment. You know, the machines that allow you to either sit or lay down in padded comfort as you "workout", often positioned to you can stare at your glorious muscles in a mirror. Well this guy is our example. Yes, he will be our role model from now on. I want you to look at this guy, and study his every move. What he eats, what his lifting routine is, his supplements, everything. Then please take all that information, and keep it firmly in your memory. And never ever do it! Make sure you lift, eat and live your life as completely opposite as that mirror obsessed tank top trainer! The core lifts practiced in barbell training, olympic lifting, and kettlebell training are the taboo of the big box gym world. Pick up most any muscle magazine off you local news stand and you'll read articles promising "Incredible gains in just weeks." and "Get Huge Fast!" and what will they tell you? They will suggest all kinds of silly accessory isolation movements that will waste countless hours of valuable training time. Oh, and they'll probably try to sell you a supplement or two while they are at it. If only the honest truth was printed in those magazines... They would go out of business! They could fit almost every useful weightlifting movement into one or two issues. And as for the get big quick guys, well, patience pays off. Here's the abbreviated program: "Five steps to gaining muscle" Eat, Squat, Eat, Squat, Pick heavy shit up. Period.




    So I'm sure you have noticed my bitter contempt towards the big box metrosexual gym loving bicep pumpers out there. And it's true, I can't stand it! But don't get me wrong, don't confuse just what it is I'm so miffed about. I don't hate them. Not that poor mirror addict. I hate all the terrible marketing driven misinformation floating around that these poor chaps soak up like sponges. How are they to know that a magazine owned by a supplement company isn't out for their best fitness interests? Who are they to discredit the newest PectBlaster 4000 that just got installed at their gym. I mean, it was $4000 right? It must work! Well the truth of the matter is that the real athletes and strongmen of our century were not built in a Lifestyles family fitness gym. They were forged from hard work and simple, brutal training. Some of the strongest men to ever compete in the "World's Strongest Man" competition train alone, in their garages. And guess what they trained with? Simple, brutal, and heavy as hell workouts. They lifted the usual tools of the athletic greats, the barbell, the dumbbell, and the kettlebell. And they also picked up plenty of irregular, unusual, heavy objects. Tires, barrels, logs, stones, sandbags, fat bars, anything they could lift! And these guys built massive strength and size. They ate good food, and lots of it. They trained hard. And I mean HARD. like it was a life or death struggle each and every time. And they became great, powerful athletes.

    Now I'm sure you are wondering just what this has to do with Bear Fitness. We don't strive for massive strength and size like a powerlifter. We aren't claiming we can deliver the perfect pair of biceps with matching pects (like a nice glove and purse combo) either. What we are selling is the idea that simple, effective diet, exercise, and lifestyle can propel you to  your athletic goals and beyond. Without a single pill, powder, or especially without one single bicep curl. We promise strength beyond your expectations, stemming not only from your body but from your mind. You cannot survive half of our workouts unless you have decided that you are going to yourself, on your own. I can coach, and I can train, I can show you the path, and I can guide you down it. But it is you, the athlete, that decides to make that journey. We don't sit down and lift in a comfortable air conditioned room. We train in real environments, we lift real weight, and pull our own weight around too. You'll never see a single cable or pulley to help you out, it's all on you to get that kettlebell over your head! We have discovered that the simplest methods deliver the best results. The greatest strongmen and athletes have carved their paths for centuries without ever visiting a Golds Gym, and neither shall we. The methods we employ and the movements we utilize are all developed from old school, tried and true strength training.

     We mix in many other aspects in addition to strength in our quest to avoid specialization. We want to be earth moving strong, but not at the expense of losing out on possessing blistering speed, and endless endurance. A well rounded athlete is a dangerous and unassuming one. Who says you can't have it all? So if you ever get discouraged by the grinding menace that our workouts may pose then just remember, it's all in the name of you. We are here to make you a better, more functional human being. A capable one, and unstoppable one. One that could care less if there was a mirror available as they finish out their last set of a 5x5 kettlebell press, one that lectures their friends to no avail on dietary facts. And most of all, a happy, proud, and energetic human who has worked hard for what they can now call their own. Here's to you fellow Bears.

Bunny Lift


Let's bring our old friend the tank top trainer along for this one, if we can drag him away from the mirror...

5 Rounds

5 Power Clean
10 Diagonal Sledgehammer Swings per side
5 Press
5 Ring Dips
5 Front Squats
5 Deadlifts
5 Dead Hang Pullups

    All movements will be performed with double KBs and they must be the heaviest pair of KBs you can manage and still finish in good form. A basic guideline: Double 70lb Advanced, Double 50lb Standard, and Double 35lb Beginners. Double 25lb for women. And anything less than that will be scaled. Scale Ring Dips and Pullups by either using resistance bands to facilitate the movement, or replace either/or/both with pushups. Everyone can do pushup. This is the most torturous version of an ironclad 5x5 I could think of on a whim. It won't make your birdcage chest into a bulging pair of pects, and it sure won't make your biceps into shining beacons of glory. But it sure will make you a strong, tough, unbreakable son of a bitch. That I can promise.