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Barbell Russian Bear - 80% minimum back off set

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I am thinking of Russian Bear on Saturdays and Sundays. I can commit a good amount of time and energy on those two days. If I can Bear the hell out of a Press on one day and a Deadlift on the other, 2 days in a row I can recover for the next weekend. I know from experience I will be sore afterwards. Those two days would be just about all out. Then I don't have to think about and improvise what to do on the day, and just lift. It would help keep me focused, as opposed just doing a random upper and lower day. During the week I do some random kettlebell exercises as I get a chance.

Any experience with 2 days a week of Russian Bear?

Saturday Press before Sunday Deadlift(what I was thinking), or Saturday Deadlift before Sunday Press?

Maybe go a bit heavier on a Deadlift and Bear sets of 3 occasionally?
 
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I am thinking of Russian Bear on Saturdays and Sundays. I can commit a good amount of time and energy on those two days. If I can Bear the hell out of a Press and Deadlift 2 days in a row I can recover for the next weekend. I know from experience I will be sore afterwards. Those two days would be just about all out. Then I don't have to think about and improvise what to do on the day, and just lift. It would help keep me focused, as opposed just doing a random upper and lower day. During the week I do some random kettlebell exercises as I get a chance.

Any experience with 2 days a week of Russian Bear?

Saturday Press before Sunday Deadlift(what I was thinking), or Saturday Deadlift before Sunday Press?

Maybe go a bit heavier on a Deadlift and Bear sets of 3 occasionally?

You're gonna bear both lifts on consecutive days?

You'd better eat and sleep and hydrate well after day 1!

Good luck!
 
I see. That would be more advisable.

But since you can train on two days, you might also include an exercise that doesn't directly compete.

For example.

Saturday - Bear protocol press + KB front squat
Sunday - Bear protocol DL + Rows or pull up
 
Im around eight weeks in doing the bear on deadlifts. My back has blown up and very clear size progression from it.

Currently doing ten sets of five with 140kg - now at a point where I question to keep progressing the weight or stick to that weight and bump up to twenty sets slowly (my initial prefered option I think)?
 
So two days of bench (floor press in my case) and one day of deadlift a week is the preferred Bear protocol.
One day of bench, one day of overhead press, and one day of deadlift a week is a very good alternative.
And protein and calories are your friend and savior.
Is there any place for a little swinging?
 
Im around eight weeks in doing the bear on deadlifts. My back has blown up and very clear size progression from it.
Nice work!

Currently doing ten sets of five with 140kg - now at a point where I question to keep progressing the weight or stick to that weight and bump up to twenty sets slowly (my initial prefered option I think)?
Volume with a heavy weight is what you're after. Adding sets will favor getting bigger, while adding weight will favor getting stronger - but both will do both, so I'd trust your gut on which way to go.

-S-
 
I came across Charles Poliquin's "Advanced German Volume Training". It looks similar in premise to the Russian Bear. Cool to see another thumbs up to sets of 5 as the basis of a hypertrophy program. That protocol is 10 sets of 5 with 90 seconds rest.

For those familiar with the 5/3/1 Boring But Big program, I wonder if a "Boring But Bearish" program with 10 sets of 5 instead of 5x10 would be a good variation?
 
I'm intrigued by those of us who have time to do things like 10 sets with 90 second rest breaks. Are you unemployed? Single? Do you go to the gym at 3am, when there is no competition for equipment?
 
@LukeV

Deadlifts for me takes about twenty five to thirty five minutes if im quick and strict with rest - quick progression through warm up sets, top end set of 5 then 15 minutes when keeping to 60 seconds rest.
 
25-35 minutes for deadlifts isn't bad at all. There's a big difference between 90 seconds rest and five minutes of rest when it comes to total time while training.
 
Definitely @Antti - my natural preference is slow and relaxed pace and its easy to use an entire hour on deadlifting but a timer and keeping to strict rest intervals makes a massive difference even if I do feel like a crossfitter :)
 
quick question guys. pavel recommend drop with the deadlift in PTP. should i lower the weight slowly in "the bear" program for better hypertrophy, or drop with the deadlift ?
 
An interesting question, @q.Hung - I would say hypertrophy argues for a controlled negative, but a high volume of deadlifts argues for safety first and minimizing the negative.

I think you're on your own here - if you can be sensitive to your own fatigue and the day progresses, you could start with controlled negatives and then give them up as the sets add up.

It's also going to depend on the weight.

-S-
 
So 1st set five minute rest. 90% set five minute rest. 80% sets ninety seconds rest.
 
I came across Charles Poliquin's "Advanced German Volume Training". It looks similar in premise to the Russian Bear. Cool to see another thumbs up to sets of 5 as the basis of a hypertrophy program. That protocol is 10 sets of 5 with 90 seconds rest.

For those familiar with the 5/3/1 Boring But Big program, I wonder if a "Boring But Bearish" program with 10 sets of 5 instead of 5x10 would be a good variation?

Wendler has a 10x5 template that he calls Boring But Strong, although the 10x5 sets are done at a higher percentage than Boring But Big. The BBB sets start out pretty light - I believe he advises 50% of TM. I would think that doing 10x5 with 50% would be laughably light and would get boring real fast. I would say a Boring But Bearish experiment would be interesting. I would say do the 10x5 sets at a higher percentage than 50% but not as high as what's recommended in Boring But Strong. Alternatively, you could try 10x5 with 50% and use super short rests between sets. That would essentially transform the workout into a "50 rep rest-pause" situation which would be very effective for gaining size.
 
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