The Beauty of Complexes

 If you can not stand to walk on the treadmill, if running is too boring, and if you are too uncoordinated to ride a bike, try complexes. These are truly made to test your mettle, as you may think your lungs may burst mercifully before you pass out. Some of the best coaches torture their athletes with these; they save time and will have you on the floor in a matter of minutes. But don't let that scare you, give them a shot! This snippet comes to you from an old T-Nation article. Enjoy.





Complexes: Not So Complex
Quick review: A complex is where you pick up a barbell, perform several reps of an exercise with it, then move right into another exercise, then another, and another, and maybe one or two more. Then you see black spots, get all ripped 'n shit, and bang swimsuit models.
Okay, okay, Coach Dan John has a much better definition: "A complex is a series of lifts performed back to back where you finish the reps of one lift before moving on to the next lift. The bar only leaves your hands or touches the floor after all of the lifts are completed."
Alwyn Cosgrove is even more concise: "A complex is a circuit using one piece of equipment, one load, and one space."
So maybe you perform front squats for 8 reps, then push presses for 8 reps, then bent-over rows for 8, and finally back squats for 8 — all without putting the damn bar down.
It's brutal. Better still, it's brutally effective for fat loss and improving all the physical qualities I listed in my snazzy intro.
But the best thing? You can't do it while talking on the fucking cell phone or otherwise "going through the motions." It requires focus, discipline, hard work, and quite possibly a touch of insanity.
Make no mistake, if anyone says this is easy you can bet they've never actually tried it.

So When Do You Use Complexes?

• As a replacement for boring-ass cardio during fat loss phases
• As a conditioning tool for sports
• As an off-day "bonus" workout if you just feel like going to the gym when you're not scheduled to (OCD, anyone?)
• As part of an unloading/deloading week.

 

 

 

Poor guy. Even puppies get tired from complexes...