Exercise of the Week: Bear Mountain

The STACK Exercise of the Week will help you improve your overall sports performance—including strength, speed, conditioning and flexibility. This week, we highlight the Bear Mountain, a complex of exercises that builds full-body power.

Who’s Doing It

• Mike Green, Washington Capitals D
• Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks D
• Jordan Eberle, Edmonton Oilers RW

Muscular Benefits

• Increases full-body strength and power, with a focus on the legs and hips
• Improves anaerobic endurance

Sports Performance Benefits

The Bear Mountain is a unique combination of four different exercises that build full-body strength and power. Its primary focus is to improve hip drive, which will make you faster and improve virtually any athletic skill. The Bear Mountain is also a great conditioner. Performing repetitive power movements helps you fight fatigue when you have to take multiple shots or throws in a row, or make repeated checks or tackles.

Bear Mountain How To

• Assume athletic stance
• Hold bar above knees, then perform Clean
• Catch Clean in quarter-squat position, then drive up out of squat
• Perform Front Squat
• Drive up to start position, then perform Push Jerk
• Lower bar behind head and rest on traps, then perform Back Squat
• Drive up to start position, then perform Push Press
• Return to start position; repeat for specified reps

Sets/Reps: 2-4x5

Coaching Points

• Don’t rush movements
• Fully extend hips at end of rotation
• Perform each movement explosively, using hips to generate power

Do you have an exercise that you want to see featured as an Exercise of the Week? Leave a comment below.