Complex Questions

Doing some research for an article at present on complexes, and as usual I'm getting really into them at the same time.

What's a complex? Two or more exercises, back to back (choose bang-for-your-buckers, no filler isolation moves!), done back to back for a set number of reps, sometimes timed, with the same resistance--bodyweight, barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, your dog. Then you have a timed rest period; then you repeat ad vomitissumus. If you're using a barbell, you never put it down. If you're using a dumbbell, you never put it down. If you're using a kettlebell, that's right, you never put it down. At this moment, I'm still holding the barbell, dumbbell, and kettlebell I was using this morning. Very tough.

To clarify: I mean you never put it down till the set is over.

Cool thing about complexes: they can be virtually as easy or hard as you wish. You can grab a 45-pound bar (or less!) and do a complex consisting of three sets of five deadlifts and push presses, resting two minutes between efforts. Not that tough for you if you're in decent shape. Or you can load an Olympic bar with 25-pound plates do a complex consisting of six sets of eight reps each of

deadlifts

Romanian deadlifts

bent rows

power cleans

front squats

push presses

back squats

good mornings

...resting 30 seconds between sets, and barf your fool head off before you pass out with a stupid grin on your face. Believe me, Chuckles, 95 pounds for eight reps--tough but manageable in isolation, an Everest of a fitness challenge done in sequence--never felt so heavy (thanks to Alwyn Cosgrove, true to his rep as the creator of hurlicious workouts, for the above sequence!).

Complexes are part of the "New Wave" of hybrid training--part cardio, part strength, all rock-n-roll--which I think is really the way to go when what you're looking for is a body that's both athletic and looks great. You won't get huge on complexes--but then again, few people WANT to get huge. Virtually across the board, some people want to gain a LITTLE musce--EVERYONE wants to lose fat. And EVERYONE, unless you're certifiable--wants to feel better and have a body that works better. Complexes are a great way to do that. Robert Dos Remedios, who I interviewed for this article, said that you could "throw a blanket over 95% of the population's fitness goals and complexes would be beneficial for all of them."

Benefits: they're fast, they're tough, they're scalable, they're convenient, they're functional, they're masochistically fun, they'll build your cardio while preserving--and, assuming you work on the heavier, faster side, actually BUILD--your muscle mass. This is truly working out at its finest. Nothing civilized or low-key about it.

Drawback: if complexes are easy or manageable or comfortable or fun...you're not doing them right. You've set the bar too low for yourself. I tried Cosgrove's complex with just 65 pounds and peacocked around for a few minutes thinking I was tough because I didn't find the workout that tough. Then I jumped to 95 pounds and the cursing began. I couldn't hold onto the bar.

Throw some in at the beginning--as a pick-you-up warmup--or the end--as a kill-your-children finisher--of your workout, or do them as a standalone--maybe three, or even four complexes back to back, with a break in between. Just make sure you don't plan on doing much the next day--and keep a bucket handy.