The Bear Crawl Workout That Gets You In Rugged Condition Fast

You hear all kinds of ways to describe conditioning or some weird saying like Functional or something along those lines. Before you know it, they become a cliché and its meaning becomes meaningless. Johnny Grube describes his style as "Conditioned Strength" (whatever the fuck that really means since it's probably the most made up term for training) but it's not the worst one I've ever heard. When it comes to conditioning, it should sound ferocious, cunning, manly, old school and something that relates to those who've been through the ringer; something like, "Rugged Conditioning." To me, that sounds like something that's intense, combative, powerful and badass. 

One of the things I've seen Grube do (when he's not ranting like a lunatic and bullying anybody that doesn't share his set of "values") was go hard on his Rogue Bike for several minutes doing a reverse tabata style format which is 10 seconds on, 20 seconds off for 10 rounds (which roughly totals 5 minutes) and you know where I'm going with this. I took that concept and made it a Bear Crawl workout. Clearly I don't own a Rogue Bike but maybe one day I will but the Bear Crawl is just as awesome to do. I'll give him this, he's awesome at conditioning training and utilizes simplistic approaches to exercise that works for him and I respect his work ethic but outside of that, he just goes off the deep end doing nothing but running his mouth about people that have nothing to do with him or his family and acting like a crazy bigot. 

Let's get back on track, the Bear Crawl Workout that will get you in Rugged Condition fast. It's simple, quick and hits more muscles than you can imagine. With consistency (keeping it to 2-3x a week) it's possible to burn fat like a furnace, put on natural and functional muscle and have you be explosive so you'll be ready for anything. Did I forget to mention that it potentially makes you stronger in the long run and have crazy stamina? What's even crazier is that it can be done practically anywhere and the only thing you need is a HIIT Timer so things are set which you can find on your cell or grab one of those Gym Boss Timers. Hell, I've done this workout in my living room and I feel like a million bucks afterwards. It was one of the first workouts I did after recovering from my Sciatica Injury. 

Being in shape goes far beyond what you see on the outside, you may not look like a model or have that ripped Instagram look but if you can go hard and be able to have gas left in the tank and are healthy, looks aren't always going to matter. Hell you can look like a Skinny Yogi like Rahul Mookerjee or small like Royce Gracie and still be deceptively strong (but that may be pushing it a bit since he likes to brag about what he's "capable" of doing and Royce would destroy someone like Rahul in seconds) but the point is, you can be big, small, tall, short and still be in awesome shape, it's just a matter of what you do to be consistent.  

This would be a hell of a finisher to really kickstart your metabolism after a regular workout or it can a punishment for wrestlers/MMA Fighters to do before and after practice, whatever works. This isn't the type of workout that should be pushed to the side or taken lightly. It's hard, it's rough and it tests you in ways that you didn't think were possible. Despite the doubled amount of rest, you still barely have time to truly catch your breath before the next round. The moment those ten seconds are up you got one of two choices: 1. Stay in the Bear Crawl Position (which isn't really resting still) until you've done all the rounds or 2. Get up and walk to the starting point and get into position for the next round. As Billy Robinson once said "There's no rest in wrestling" neither do you in this workout.

You don't need to be a pro athlete to be in awesome shape but it's important to understand that to be in awesome shape, we take some things from the very best and mold them to our goals and making the most of what our bodies CAN handle.  Be safe, hope you have/had a great 4th Of July, train with great intensity and keep being amazingly awesome. 

 

It's Always Good To Have A Backup

Always keeping my training simple, the workouts can vary to either going hard one day and "taking it easy" the next. Physique wise, it could be better and putting in more effort to trim down since I couldn't do a whole lot while I was injured. Keeping an eye on doing more Isometric Style training (with an emphasis on the Hybrid Forms, check out Overcoming Isometrics on that one) and other things. 

I love going to the park and playing basketball and shooting around, some days I bank them in, other days not so much but I enjoy it. Every now and then, some guys would want to shoot around or play one on one. In addition, I like to bring along my Worldfit Iso Trainer and when I'm not shooting, I put the strap around the back of the hoop and do things like Rows, Pushups, Squats, Hangs and Pull-ups. One day not too long ago, I went to the park to shoot around but there was an event going on and there was a promotional jeep covering the side of the court, not wanting to hit the damn vehicle, I had my back up Iso Strap and just did 50 Rows & 50 Push-ups in 5x10 each exercise. Always good to have a back up, after the exercises, went onto the grass and did an animal workout doing my favorite dice game until I was ready to head back home. 

Sometimes you just have to adapt and improvise. You won't always have things align right, the stars won't always be in your favor and you won't always know if you'll get an empty space around you or getting a crowd of people. Do what's possible with what you have. That's one of the reasons why I love Isometrics, they're always there with or without equipment and having the strap in your bag can make up some stuff you're not always able to do. Training is about discovery, conditioning the mind to always have something there and be able to come up with stuff on the fly if needed. It's important to have that knowledge because some workouts may not always be at your disposal so you come up with something doable and something you can do for the moment. 

Find ways to train that will be in your favor, learn to improvise in certain situations and get what you need with what you have at the time even if it's just your own bodyweight. Never settle to just one thing or one type of workout. The knowledge and creativeness you can possess can take you places that many won't or be able to come up with. I mean seriously, who the hell puts a suspension trainer around a basketball hoop and can do an animal workout on the fly? Not many but that's the beauty of being intuitive and understanding what you know and be able to act on a workout you didn't expect to do. When I got to that park, I expected to just normally shoot around, put on some tunes, get some exercises in with the strap and that was it but that didn't happen. There are events that go on about every other weekend at that park and most days, I'm just there by myself with literally no one in the vicinity other than the restaurant right next to it and the houses around the corner. It's peaceful, get a great view of the mountains, getting in fresh air and just having a blast putting on my speakers. On that particular day, I had to do something different and had to tone down the volume I normally use with my speakers to where only I can really hear it and just do a couple of exercises and an animal workout which turned out great and had fun. 

Always good to have a backup in mind whether training or whatever. Hope everyone is having a great summer so far and stay safe tomorrow for Independence Day. Be amazingly awesome. 

Rugged Cardiovascular Conditioning

 I'm always finding ways to test myself and what I'm capable of in terms of Strength, Endurance, Conditioning, Toughness & Durability. Yesterday was one of those crazy tests. It's not just to be strong but to keep that strength for a solid period of time and still have something left in the tank. It's putting yourself into that mindset of having a kickass workout that means something you can use later on.

Since my recovery, I wanted to see how far I can push myself without killing myself. One workout I normally do is a Superset for sometimes up to 30 minutes or more doing carries (either with a kettlebell or the sandbell) and doing Step Ups for building leg strength & conditioning. This time I took a step further by strapping 50 lbs to my body (2-5 lb Ankle Weights & 40 lb Weight Vest) and did a Farmer's carry of my 70 lb Kettlebell 2x and than 20 Step Ups. Did this back and forth for 20 minutes non stop. 

Essentially with the added weight on me, walking with 70 lbs was the equivalent to working with 120 lbs total or 240 lbs all together (Walking the bell in the left and then right hand) in one set. It's tough as hell and really tests your grip, stability and shoulder/core strength. With the Step Ups it was 10 each leg with just the Vest & Ankle Weights. This was to feel as if gravity was really pulling you down or if you were walking in a Gravity Chamber. I think even Goku might've been impressed.

This isn't typical cardio training, you're taking things to another level and seeing how you fair with utilizing strength tools along with not being able to stop as you take on endurance work as well. Combining these two elements at the same time can make someone dangerous and rugged. I'm not saying I'm intimidating or some scary bastard with maniacal tendencies but I do train hard to the point where it might scare off gym rats and the machine loving mirror posers. I train with simplicity and intent which is what training is all about. It's not complicated and it doesn't take long before you feel something. In most of my workouts, I don't ever stop to smell the roses or play little games on my phone as I rest, I keep going and sure I may slow down a bit as time goes on but I always feel there's something left in me at the end. 

This isn't meant to build a beautiful and shredded physique, it's meant to build tough as nails tendons, thick rugged muscle and a strong lung capacity. The workload is not something to take lightly and although basic, it's never easy even without the added weight on you. It's real world strength and conditioning. It's having that Labor Strength and working in awkward positions. I'm not a Blue Collar type of guy and never claimed to be but I do respect those who are (when it comes to work ethic, personality wise, some are just plain assholes while others are badass and amazing to hang out with) and I train that way out of respect and to maintain a level of strength for when I work on yards, hauling furniture, chopping wood and/or moving logs around. 

Train to be useful, not to look pretty. Some women on Tik Tok have videos where there's a voiceover that says "I don't want to strong, like man who look pretty. I want to be strong like bitch that fight bears in the forest" in a thick Russian accent. For guys, we can change the narrative to "I don't want to strong like man who look pretty. I want to be strong like motherfucker that fight lions in the Serengeti." Workouts like these jack up a man's testosterone big time and builds incredible mental toughness. 

Build real strength and muscle, it goes a long way to seeing what you're truly capable of. Keep being amazingly awesome everyone.