Other/Mixed Russian Bear for fighters, a good option for overall strength and stamina?

[Rúben Sousa]

Hi, people.
I have been following your stuff for a long long time, reading threads and learning more and more with the amazing content of this forum. And for that, just let me say thank you, before asking a simple question.
First of all, let me introduce myself briefly: Iam 24 year old martial artist from the Genbukan Organization looking to get stronger. When I heard about pavel and his methods, I started to pratice Simple & Sinister with just a 24kg dumbbell (I didn't have a kettlebell at the time, so I needed to save money to buy one).
At the begininng, I could only do TGU and (dumbbell) swings with just 12 kg. Very frustating for me, that I have been always working hard - until failure -, because of the warrior's/fighter's mindset that I have been educated. And that is ok, at the right moment, in fights and moments when it is needed. However, I needed to vanish my ego, and start to do things properly.
So I faced this as a pratice and not a workout, as pavel says. After 4 months, I was pressing 24 kg. Turkish get up & Swing 32kg. But the most interesting thing to me was that I never really praticed deadlifts, and I joined a Gym so that I could try my max. I deadlifted 160 kg, at a 70 kg bodyweight, practicing at home only with a 24 kg dumbbell. So I got mindblown by the results and bought immediately a 32kg Kettlebell. After 2 months, I can KB MPress 32 kg for 2 reps, TGU 46 kg and one arm swing the same amount of weight.

My question: Iam currently trying to gain some mass, stamina and overall strength. So I have thought to create a plan for myself, while I keep practising S&S. But Iam afraid that this approach could lead me to overtrainning.
So the program goes like this

Russian Bear - Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Alternating week after week between this combos.
Combo A:
Zercher Squat - Bench Press - Zercher Squat.
Combo B:
Bench Press - Deadlift - Bench Press.

S&S - Thursday and Saturday

Rest days: Tuesday, Sunday.

As the bear it is a very exhausting routine, I prefer to do easy days on the S&S. Like some 5 TGU. Only. Or some easy one handed swings. 50 I would say. It depends in how I feel. But never more than that.

So, what do you think guys?

Greetings from Portugal, and continue to post great stuff, as always.

Kind regards, Rúben.

 

[Steve Freides]

@Rúben Sousa, welcome to the StrongFirst forum.

-S-

 

[Erik]

Hi, people.
I have been following your stuff for a long long time, reading threads and learning more and more with the amazing content of this forum. And for that, just let me say thank you, before asking a simple question.
First of all, let me introduce myself briefly: Iam 24 year old martial artist from the Genbukan Organization looking to get stronger. When I heard about pavel and his methods, I started to pratice Simple & Sinister with just a 24kg dumbbell (I didn't have a kettlebell at the time, so I needed to save money to buy one).
At the begininng, I could only do TGU and (dumbbell) swings with just 12 kg. Very frustating for me, that I have been always working hard - until failure -, because of the warrior's/fighter's mindset that I have been educated. And that is ok, at the right moment, in fights and moments when it is needed. However, I needed to vanish my ego, and start to do things properly.
So I faced this as a pratice and not a workout, as pavel says. After 4 months, I was pressing 24 kg. Turkish get up & Swing 32kg. But the most interesting thing to me was that I never really praticed deadlifts, and I joined a Gym so that I could try my max. I deadlifted 160 kg, at a 70 kg bodyweight, practicing at home only with a 24 kg dumbbell. So I got mindblown by the results and bought immediately a 32kg Kettlebell. After 2 months, I can KB MPress 32 kg for 2 reps, TGU 46 kg and one arm swing the same amount of weight.

My question: Iam currently trying to gain some mass, stamina and overall strength. So I have thought to create a plan for myself, while I keep practising S&S. But Iam afraid that this approach could lead me to overtrainning.
So the program goes like this

Russian Bear - Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Alternating week after week between this combos.
Combo A:
Zercher Squat - Bench Press - Zercher Squat.
Combo B:
Bench Press - Deadlift - Bench Press.

S&S - Thursday and Saturday

Rest days: Tuesday, Sunday.

As the bear it is a very exhausting routine, I prefer to do easy days on the S&S. Like some 5 TGU. Only. Or some easy one handed swings. 50 I would say. It depends in how I feel. But never more than that.

So, what do you think guys?

Greetings from Portugal, and continue to post great stuff, as always.

Kind regards, Rúben.

In my opinion. I believe running the bear program and a martial art can be done only if the martial art is practiced at the time with very low intensity. pad work, heavy bag work, kata and shadowboxing only for technique to help stay loose. Whenever I decided to go harder and/or harder (several times not smart)during my enshin practice it made my squatting during the russian squat assault program more exhausting. Whenever I worked on just flowing and staying relaxed it improved my recovery polish up a skill a little bit. I also added in the fast and loose method to avoid getting tight and tense.

 

[bluejeff]

Yes, running the bear and S&S AND martial arts is quite a lot. As a general rule of thumb, I would recommend adding things slowly and seeing how your recovery works.

Better to do a little less today, than to do too much.

To gain size, very generally speaking, you need to accumulate volume (bear) and then rest and eat. So you might do best to do the bear a couple times a week, and do it the day before a rest day, so that you're not cutting into your recovery time by doing something else.

Elsewhere on the forum, I believe I have seen the bear recommended as 2x/week deadlifting and 1x/week benching. Three day a week with high volume at heavy weight will likely be pushing your recovery abilities with everything else you want to do.

My suggestion is to do bear 2x/week, S&S 2-3x/week and see if and how it impacts your martial arts practice. Think about what you want to prioritize; you can't prioritize gaining muscle, endurance, and keeping up with a legit martial arts practice all at the same time. Maybe you could, but it would be a very delicate balancing act.

 

[Philippe Geoffrion]

As others have noted, The Bear is quite demanding of recovery. It is a mass gaining program so if that’s your goal, it’ll assist in helping you move up a weight class. However, it’ll steal that energy from martial arts training.

I thinkPavel’s 3 x 5 program or Mind Over Muscle May suit your purposes better though Mind Over Muscle is 5 days a week. For mass, The DeLorme is also a great option as recovery here will be less demanding thanThe Bear.

 

[Rúben Sousa]

Hi, guys.
Thank you so much for the replies. Iam very grateful for that.
I tried this protocol several weeks in detriment of my martial arts practice, because as you say, totally right, one thing at a time.

I really liked the zerchers, and I think that Iam gonna stick with that type of squat. It builds tremendous tension in the whole body.
However, the deadlift prove to be, at least in my experience, more functional, even in fighting. Funnily, I don't know why, fatigue didn't got me with the bear. As a fighter, Iam kind get used to that kind of beatdown.
I feel kind of sissy, when I have to stop ??.

So, I became more focused in developing just pure strength with the PTTP Program, along with my simple routine of martial arts.
Currently, my goal is strength. Just strength.
However, I built some goooooood volume with the Bear.

Could it be possible to, at least keep that results, while practicing the PTTP routine?


Iam currently deadlifting 160kg and benching 100kg at 73kg of bodyweight (sorry in Europe we use kilos, don't know how many pounds it is), without even doing a pure protocol of strength in that lifts before.

It will be fine to do some pullups to keep that volume? Iam kind "scared" to lose what I built these weeks. ??

Any ideas?

Pavels teachings are life changing. Never kicked or punched so hard before. He is a WIZARD. I even closed a 2.5 CoC with 3 months doing his greasing the groove. Looking forward to close the 3. Love to crushhhh that gripper. Kind of addicted with grip strength, eheheheh.

Kind regards, and thank you so much for the response guys. You are awesome ??

 

[Rúben Sousa]

As others have noted, The Bear is quite demanding of recovery. It is a mass gaining program so if that’s your goal, it’ll assist in helping you move up a weight class. However, it’ll steal that energy from martial arts training.

I thinkPavel’s 3 x 5 program or Mind Over Muscle May suit your purposes better though Mind Over Muscle is 5 days a week. For mass, The DeLorme is also a great option as recovery here will be less demanding thanThe Bear.

I have done Delorme before with amazing results. Let me show you.

Left side, only with bodyweight training. At home & dojo without any knowledge about Pavels methods. I weighted 65kg at the time.

Right side is in the end of Delorme 6 week. 74 kg. I gained 4 kg with this protocol...

I think that I have to ignore my genetic potential for hypertrophy. And just doooo the lifts ??

Thank you so much for your advice ?

 

[Rúben Sousa]

I have done Delorme before with amazing results. Let me show you.

Left side, only with bodyweight training. At home & dojo without any knowledge about Pavels methods. I weighted 65kg at the time.

Right side is in the end of Delorme 6 week. 74 kg. I gained 4 kg with this protocol...

I think that I have to ignore my genetic potential for hypertrophy. And just doooo the lifts ??

Thank you so much for your advice ?

Sorry, I wrote 74 KG by mistake, I did want to say 73kg. My bad ?

 

[Rúben Sousa]

Yes, running the bear and S&S AND martial arts is quite a lot. As a general rule of thumb, I would recommend adding things slowly and seeing how your recovery works.

Better to do a little less today, than to do too much.

To gain size, very generally speaking, you need to accumulate volume (bear) and then rest and eat. So you might do best to do the bear a couple times a week, and do it the day before a rest day, so that you're not cutting into your recovery time by doing something else.

Elsewhere on the forum, I believe I have seen the bear recommended as 2x/week deadlifting and 1x/week benching. Three day a week with high volume at heavy weight will likely be pushing your recovery abilities with everything else you want to do.

My suggestion is to do bear 2x/week, S&S 2-3x/week and see if and how it impacts your martial arts practice. Think about what you want to prioritize; you can't prioritize gaining muscle, endurance, and keeping up with a legit martial arts practice all at the same time. Maybe you could, but it would be a very delicate balancing act.

Hi, bluejeff. Thanks for your recommendations. You are totally right.
But I have a question: since I archived the simple goal for about 3 months, there is any protocol that I can do for fighters, also with the 32kg kettlebell?
I need to save money to buy the 48kg. It would be great that you could recommend some kb stuff. Honestly, I kinda get bored with the barbell. The only lifts that I really enjoy doing is the deadlift and the zercher.
Bench is kinda of "hetero normative", just like the curls. Everyone wants to do them... but hey! Who doesn't like to see that chest pumping after some heavy sets ?

Kind regards ?

 

[bluejeff]

Could it be possible to, at least keep that results, while practicing the PTTP routine?

You may lose a little if you're reducing volume, but if you stay lifting fairly heavy, are training other things, and keep your food intake high enough, it'll probably be minimal. What you may lose is not actual muscle, but "muscle fluid."

But I have a question: since I archived the simple goal for about 3 months, there is any protocol that I can do for fighters, also with the 32kg kettlebell?

Have you read Pavel's Quick and the Dead yet? Since you are a martial artist, it may work quite well for you. The main model for the book is an Italian boxer. Q&D is a strength-endurance protocol, but is power focused.

It would be great that you could recommend some kb stuff. Honestly, I kinda get bored with the barbell. The only lifts that I really enjoy doing is the deadlift and the zercher.

As I've seen many a coach say, "if you don't enjoy it, you won't continue doing it." Try out some KB complexes:

Strength Aerobics: A Powerful Alternative to HIIT | StrongFirst

Hard-living types love killing themselves in the glycolytic pathway. But this is far from the only way to achieve good conditioning.

www.strongfirst.com

or try these and modify for 1 KB:

https://www.strongfirst.com/?s=complex

 

[Rúben Sousa]

You may lose a little if you're reducing volume, but if you stay lifting fairly heavy, are training other things, and keep your food intake high enough, it'll probably be minimal. What you may lose is not actual muscle, but "muscle fluid."


Have you read Pavel's Quick and the Dead yet? Since you are a martial artist, it may work quite well for you. The main model for the book is an Italian boxer. Q&D is a strength-endurance protocol, but is power focused.


As I've seen many a coach say, "if you don't enjoy it, you won't continue doing it." Try out some KB complexes:

Strength Aerobics: A Powerful Alternative to HIIT | StrongFirst

Hard-living types love killing themselves in the glycolytic pathway. But this is far from the only way to achieve good conditioning.

www.strongfirst.com

or try these and modify for 1 KB:

https://www.strongfirst.com/?s=complex

Thank you so much for the replie. I will do PTTP until my numbers get fairly high and then do the minimalist approach to The quick and the dead with deadlift singles in the end.
Maybe I would try some complexes, when I feel that Iam barely strong.

Kind regards ??