The Bear Complex Workout – Simple & Effective Way To Get Stupid Strong For Rugby!
Are you looking for a ridiculously effective workout that will challenge you and give you incredible cardio and strength? Then you need to try the bear complex workout. The bear complex is the perfect workout for all athletes including rugby players and will allow you to generate more power and push for longer!
In this article we are going to break down what the bear complex workout is, how you can perform it and even show you some variations you can use to increase your strength and cardio!
What Is The Bear Complex?
The bear complex is a Crossfit workout which utilizes a single barbell and multiple weightlifting movements without rest. To complete a bear complex perform the following exercises:
- 1 X Power Clean
- 1 X Front Squat
- 1 X Push Press
- 1 X Back Squat
- 1 X Push Press (behind the neck)
Performing the 5 exercises counts as one 1 rep. Perform 5 sets of 7 reps to really challenge yourself.
Check Out A Demo Of The Bear Complex Below!
The bear complex was workout is an amazing way to grow your legs, back and shoulders and develop thick abs. Don’t be surprised if you have trouble walking after this brutal workout.
The bear complex is ideal for rugby players who are looking for functional strength gains and need a cardio boost. If you perform the bear complex regularly in the off-season you will be driving past the gain line when running with ball and dominating your opposition during tackles.
What Muscles Does The Bear Complex Work?
The bear complex is an all over body workout that specifically targets the following muscles:
- Abdominal
- Quadriceps
- Hamstring
- Spinal Erectors
- Traps
- Deltoids
- Glutes
By performing the bear complex you will experience enormous growth in your lower body and back. You can expect your quads and lower back to increase in size dramatically.
Your core strength will also shoot through the roof and you will develop much wider and more powerful shoulders.
You can these newly developed muscles to start dominating on the rugby field and crush your opponents. You will be sprinting through those gaps at lightning speed that no one will be able to catch you!
How Long Does The Bear Complex Take?
To perform a single rep of the bear complex takes 10 seconds. To complete a 7 rep set takes 1.5 minutes. And to finish an entire 5 set 7 rep bear complex workout including short breaks takes 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
Check Out How Long These Athletes Take To Complete The Bear Complex!
The bear complex is a short workout where you pack a whole lot of volume and work into a small time frame. With the bear complex you do not take a break between each movement and do not put the bar back on the ground.
A single rep of the bear complex where you perform each of the 5 movements once will take 10 seconds. To complete a full 7 rep set will take 1.5 minutes and expect to be working out hard for 20 minutes if you want complete the full 5 set workout.
The bear complex is not for people who are out of shape as the lack of rest combined with the complex weightlifting movements makes this workout suitable for intermediates and above athletes.
Due to the lack of rest rugby players can use the bear complex to mimic the cardio requirements of rugby. Rugby players will notice big cardio improvements by adding the bear complex to their training regimes.
Can I do Bear Complex Everyday?
The bear complex should be performed a maximum of 3 times a week. By performing the bear complex everyday you increase the risk of injury as your body will struggle to recover. To see consistent improvement in your strength, muscle mass and cardio do a bear complex 2 times a week.
Barbell complexes such as the bear complex are very tough on the body as they tax multiple energy systems and place significant amount of stress on your legs, shoulders and back.
If you perform bear complex workouts too frequently your performance will decline and you place yourself at increased risk of injury particularly to your shoulders and lower back.
If you want to reap all the benefits of bear complex workouts including increased explosiveness, muscular endurance and cardio then you need to perform it 2 days a week. By doing the bear complex 2 days a week you give your body plenty of time to relax but still provide it with enough stimulation to adapt and improve.
Does The Bear Complex Build Muscle?
The bear complex builds muscle particularly in the lower and upper back, the quads and the shoulders. Complexes with weightlifting movements are not as effective at building muscle compared to bodybuilding style training but you will increase your muscle mass if you perform the bear complex regularly.
All you need to do is take one look at Crossfit athletes and weightlifters and you can see that they don’t suffer from lack of muscle. The bear complex and other similar weightlifting complexes are used by many Crossfit athletes to not only build strength but increase their muscle mass.
If you are looking for a way to quickly build muscle, increase your cardio and strength then you can’t go wrong doing a bear complex workout!
Many rugby players have found that the bear complex is a great to build big rugby legs and also helps them increase their on field speed which comes in handy when evading tacklers and chasing down opposition players!
Bear Complex Variations
Let’s look at some different bear complex variations you can perform for weight loss, strength, muscle mass and speed. Each of these bear complex workouts is slightly different and helps you target a different athletic quality. Try them out today!
Bear Complex For Building Muscle
You can’t go wrong with the simple and standard bear complex. With the classic variation you can expect to build significant muscle while also boosting your strength and overall conditioning. To get started with the bear complex perform these 1 rep of these 5 exercises with no break:
1 X Power Clean
1 X Front Squat
1 X Push Press
1 X Back Squat
1 X Push Press (behind the neck)
Completing all 5 exercises counts as 1 rep. You should compete 5 reps and 7 sets. Aim to finish the workout in under 30 minutes!
Bear Complex For Strength
To supercharge the bear complex and make it better suited to providing mega strength gains perform the following:
- Set 1: 65%
- Set 2: 70%
- Set 3: 75%
- Set 4: 80%
- Set 5: 85%
- Set 6: 90%
- Set 7: Max out!
By ramping up the weights you will be pushing your body’s limit and forcing it to adapt to the new stress. You should aim to be increasing your best set every time you perform the bear complex!
Bear Complex For Cardio
Do you really want to get your lungs burning and take your cardio to the next level? Then try this challenging bear complex workout:
Set the timer for 20 minutes and then for every minute perform a bear complex. Start off with 70% of your best bear complex and then increase the weight every week. It won’t be long until your cardio is supercharged!
Bear Complex For Weight Loss
Tap into your inner Mat Fraser and dig deep in this bear complex workout. This is a great variation if you are looking to lose some extra fat or get shredded and show off those abs!
All you need to do is grab a partner who is of similar strength to you and race each other to complete 40 reps. Perform 4 sets if you want to burn lots of calories!
Bear Complex For Power
The bear complex is a great way for rugby players and athletes to develop power particularly in their legs. Try this bear complex variation to radically boost your power output and grow those rugby legs!
Take 70% of your best bear complex result and perform this rep scheme:
- 5 Power Cleans
- 5 Front Squats
- 3 Push Press
- 8 Back Squats
- 3 Push Press
If you can complete 4 sets you are an absolute champion!
Bear Complex For Conditioning
Are you looking for a bear complex variation that will help your conditioning? Then give this brutal bear complex a go and try to finish it as quickly as possible!
- 1 rep exercise
- 2 rep each exercise
- 3 rep each exercise
- 4 rep each exercise
- 5 rep each exercise
Start off with a light weight and aim to rest as little as you can!
Wrapping Up All Things Bear Complex
The bear complex is an amazing workout which will help deliver you increase strength, cardio and muscle gains. All you need to get started is 1 barbell and a few weight plates. Remember to start off light but the bear complex can really cause your lungs and legs to burn.
If you perform the bear complex 2 times a week in the rugby off season you will notice a huge on field performance boost. Don’t be surprised if your teammates struggle to catch when you are sprinting down the sideline!
