Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Very Hard

A long 40-minute AMRAP with moderate barbell loading and continuous bodyweight crawling creates high cumulative fatigue. Each round contains 35 barbell reps via the Bear Complex plus a demanding 50 m bear crawl, taxing shoulders, core, and legs. The low skill ceiling narrows rest opportunities, driving sustained work and significant stamina and aerobic demands.

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (9/10): High-rep barbell complexes and repeated bear crawls accumulate large time-under-tension, especially through shoulders, trunk, and legs, demanding sustained muscular output.
• Endurance (8/10): Forty minutes of continuous work with minimal built-in rest challenges aerobic capacity and breathing control while moving under fatigue across both bodyweight and barbell elements.
• Power (4/10): Power cleans and presses benefit from crisp hip drive, yet the dominant feel is sustained grind rather than repeated maximal explosiveness.
• Strength (4/10): Load is moderate, not maximal. Strength helps keep positions stable and bar path efficient, but the workout does not test 1-rep max capacity.
• Flexibility (3/10): Front and back rack positions plus overhead push presses require respectable shoulder and thoracic mobility, with hip and ankle range for squats, but not extreme flexibility.
• Speed (3/10): Cycling speed is deliberately controlled to preserve form over a long duration; quick transitions help, but sprinting early leads to premature failure.

Scaling Options

Scale to: 7 Bear Complex (75/55 lb) • 5 Bear Complex per round (95/65 lb) • 25 m Bear Crawl per round or hands-and-knees crawl for 50 m

Scaling Explanation

These options keep the time domain and stimulus—sustained shoulder/core stamina and moderate barbell cycling—while adjusting load, reps, or crawl demand to maintain continuous movement and safe mechanics.

Intended Stimulus

Steady, sustainable grind. You should move continuously with controlled breathing, short planned breaks, and deliberate barbell cycling. The crawl taxes shoulders and core, setting up the barbell to feel heavy. Aim for consistent round times across the entire 40 minutes rather than surging early and fading late.

Coach Insight

Pace each round so your first and last splits are within 10–15 seconds. Break the 7 complexes into manageable sets (e.g., 3–2–2 or fast singles) with quick, intentional rests. Your one key: protect your shoulders. Keep elbows high on the front squat and punch a vertical press—don’t turn presses into sloppy jerks. Avoid sprinting the first crawl, over-gripping the bar, and losing count. Set a clear lane and chalk marks for 50 m to stay honest and efficient.

Benchmark Notes

Scores are total completed rounds in 40 minutes. Most intermediate athletes land around 4–5 rounds, advanced 6–7, and elites may push 7+. Use these tiers to set pacing, choose loading, or modify reps so you keep moving steadily across the full duration.

Modality Profile

The bear crawl is a bodyweight/gymnastics locomotion piece that eats significant time and shoulder stamina. The Bear Complex is pure weightlifting and dominates total work volume. There’s no monostructural cardio here; pacing emerges from steady barbell cycling and controlled crawl segments.

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