SIMPLY COMPLEX

SIMPLY COMPLEX
By Shane Robert

Everyone is busy. Talk to anybody you meet and ask them if they think they are busy. The answer is almost always a resounding “yes!” This means people don’t have a lot of extra time. Indeed, time, or a lack of it, is one of the main reasons people claim for not working out. This is a shame because the reality is that an  amazing workoutcan be had in a short amount of time. 

Perhaps the best way of accomplishing this is with complexes. A complex is a series of exercises performed back to back with the same implement, with no rest between movements. Complexes (at least as we know them) were created by strength coach Istvan Javorek to improve the strength of his weightlifters as well as the conditioning of his sport athletes. I first heard about complexes from Dan John and Alwyn Cosgrove sometime in the early 2000’s, and have been using them in some form since then. 

The biggest advantage of complexes is the condensed amount of work that is completed in a short time. Because each “set” might consist of 4-10 exercises of 3-20 reps, the total amount of work/tonnage completed is enormous. This leads to muscle building, fat burning and cardiovascular improvement. Trust me, complexes will leave you gasping for breath while lying in a puddle of your own sweat.

The key to any complex is to err on the side of too light. Base the working weight on the weakest movement. If, for instance, you are doing a complex with curls in it, use your curl weight for the whole complex, even for deadlifts or squats. When I first started working with complexes, I had far too much ego and did the following complex from Charles Poliquin with 135 pounds:

Deadlift
Row
Power Clean
Front Squat
Press
Back Squat

The reps were 5,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,5 of each movement WITHOUT REST. In other words, you ended up doing 30 reps of each movement without any rest at all. After the 5 reps, you go straight into 4 reps, and so on. At the time, I couldmaybepress 135 for 2, so I had to do push presses. The plan was to do 5 sets. I got through 1 set before nearly dying. This pushed my body so far past its abilities that I got sick with some kind of respiratory virus by the next day. So heed my advice and start light!

Below are examples of some complexes that I love, starting with the granddaddy of them all from Javorek.

Original Javorek Barbell Complex #1

Upright Row x6 
Clean Grip Muscle Snatch x6 
Behind the Head Squat Push Press x6 
Good Morning x6 
Bent Over Row x6        
Clean Grip Muscle Snatch x6

Complete all reps of each movement before doing the next movement. Do 3-6 “sets” of the whole complex.                                

Single Kettlebell Complex Ladder

Swing x5,10,15,20
High Pull x5,10,15,20
Snatch x5,10,15,20
Clean x5,10,15,20
Press/Jerk x5,10,15,20
Squat x5,10,15,20

Do 5 reps of everything, switch sides and do 5 of everything. Switch again and repeat the process with 10 reps. Continue in this manner until you have done 20 reps of each exercise on both sides. Rest and repeat as many times as you have demons to slay. The unilateral nature of this complex makes it a crazy cardio challenge, especially if you try to move fast.

Cosgrove Evil 8 

Deadlift
Romanian Deadlift
Bentover Row
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Good Morning

Do 6 reps through. Rest 90 seconds. 5 reps through. Rest 90. 4 reps. 90. 3. 90. 2. 90. 1. This takes about 12-15 minutes but will leave you feeling like you did 2 hours of work.  

The Southwood Bear Complex

Power Clean
Front Squat 
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press

Start with a weight you can complete for 8 reps of each movement. Rest. Add weight for 6. Rest. Add weight for 4. 

Snatch Complex

Honest Beach Body Complex (with a nod to Vince Gironda)

Reverse Curl
Upright Row
Press
Overhead Triceps Extension 
Curl 
The goal is 6x6, 8x8 or 10x10 with only 15-30 seconds rest between sets.

There you have it. None of these workouts take more than 30 minutes but only a true psycho will feel like they didn’t do enough.