Complexes Made Simple

by Ben Bruno

Here's what you need to know...

1. Complexes are a great way to build muscle, boost conditioning, and burn body fat while avoiding the boring cardio section of the gym.
2. Despite popular belief, the goal of the complex should be to add weight to the bar, not perform it faster. Too much emphasis on speed can lead to shoddy technique.
3. Complexes are a good way to push your limits in a relatively safe way, provided you do them correctly. There are 10 guidelines you need to follow.

Despite the name, complexes – a series of exercises performed in succession with a single implement – shouldn't be complex. To put together an effective complex that builds muscle and slashes body fat, you just need to follow a few simple guidelines.

Why Should You Use Complexes?

• They're a great fat loss and conditioning tool, especially for lifters who cringe at the thought of traditional "gerbil" cardio like the bike, elliptical, Stairmaster, or treadmill.
• Complexes are far less boring to perform as the cardio is "masked" as lifting, which is much more palatable for most meatheads.
• They're a good option for a quick workout when you're crunched for time. "I only have 20 minutes to work out" is no longer a valid excuse to skip the gym. They also make for a viable option for in-season athletes.
• They're a good chance to work on technique. Because complexes require using significantly lighter weights than what you'd normally use in your strength work, you get a chance to work on your form without your ego getting in the way.
• For banged up folks, it's a chance to do exercises you might not otherwise be able to do. If you have exercises you love doing but run into problems when you do them heavy, you often can do lighter versions of them in a complex without issue. Many times it's not the exercise that's problematic but the load. Cut down the load substantially and you can then perform the exercise without pain.
• It's a great alternative to a deload workout. I loathe deload workouts. I either like to train hard or skip the gym altogether. Complexes allow you to lift hard and get the feeling of pushing yourself without beating up your joints, making it a good option for days where you're ready to get after it mentally, but physically aren't feeling quite up to snuff.
• They're a good way to test your mettle. Complexes can be downright brutal. While you shouldn't approach every workout with the intent to kick the crap out of yourself, no one has ever gotten better by being a pussy. Sometimes you have to forget what the textbooks say, ditch the script, and just see what the hell you're made of.

That's not free reign to be reckless, and many dudes run into problems by being knuckleheads in the name of being "hardcore." However, complexes are a good way to push your limits in a relatively safe way, provided you do them correctly.

10 Complex Principles

I say "principles" rather than rules because one of the beauties of complexes is that they offer a lot of freedom and leeway to construct them according to your personal preferences and goals.

That said, there are some guidelines to follow:

1.  Form still matters.

I hate seeing people use poor form in the name of trying to be more "metabolic."

No matter what program you're following or what your goal is, good form still matters. Just because the weights are lighter and you're trying to burn fat and improve your conditioning doesn't mean you should lift like a spaz.

Use a full range of motion and always make sure you're in control of the weight and not just flinging it around – quality over quantity.

2.  Time isn't a good way to gauge progress.

With some programs, the workout and the load remain consistent and the goal is to complete the workout faster, with a better time indicating improvement.

To me, that's a misguided way to gauge progress because all it tells me is that you used shittier form and rushed through it. So while you may think you're getting better, you're really just shortchanging yourself and needlessly risking injury.

Instead, aim to increase the load you use for the complex while still maintaining good form. In most cases – not just complexes – adding weight to the bar is the best form of progress.

You could also do things like add more rounds or decrease the rest period between rounds, but don't rush the complexes themselves.

3.  Complexes should either have a full body focus or a lower body focus.

Upper body complexes sound good in theory but don't work very well in practice. The upper body doesn't have the same endurance capacity as the legs, meaning you can't challenge yourself nearly to the same degree without dropping the weights to almost pitiful levels.

You can certainly include upper body exercises in a complex, but make sure to alternate them with lower body exercises for a full-body training effect.

Alternatively, lower body complexes work well as a way to blast the legs while also jacking up the metabolism. The downside to them is that you might also jack up your lunch. Consider yourself warned.

4.  If you're using Olympic lifts, put them first in the complex and do no more than five reps.

Olympic lifts can work well in a complex and are a great way to work on technique with lighter loads. However, doing them in a fatigued state late in a complex or doing them for higher reps is a bad idea due to the technical nature of the exercises.

5.  Put the hardest exercises early in the complex.

"Hardest" refers to technically demanding lifts such as the Olympic lifts, along with exercises that require using lighter loads. Do those while you're still fresh.

6.  For full body complexes, alternate between lower and upper body exercises.

This gives the upper body a chance to rest (at least to some extent) while you do your lower body exercise, and vice versa, which in turn allows you to extend the complex without fizzling out.

7.  Try to order the exercises in a way that flows.

Nothing kills your complex mojo like an awkward transition between exercises. Instead, try to structure the complex such that one exercise flows seamlessly into the next so you can maintain a good rhythm.

An example of an awkward transition would be a barbell row into a back squat – you have to clean the weight and put it over your head before you can start squatting.

Examples of better transitions might be a push press into a back squat, a front squat into a military press, or a barbell row into a deadlift because they don't require extra steps to get into position.

8.  Avoid choosing exercises that require a significant reduction in weight as compared to the other exercises.

The load you use for a complex is going to be limited by the weakest exercise, so try to avoid picking exercises that require drastic weight drops so you don't shortchange the whole complex.

For example, rather than a military press, you may be better off with a push press. Similarly, you might be better off using a power curl instead of strict biceps curl, or a high pull instead of an upright row.

This point applies more so to upper body exercises as these tend to be the weakest links.

9.  Try to give your grip a break.

Grip often becomes the limiting factor in how much weight you can use in a complex because the weight never leaves your hands. So whenever possible, give your grip a little reprieve by interspersing exercises that allow you to rest the weight on your shoulders – such as squats, front squats, and lunges – in between more grip-intensive exercises.

10.  Combo exercises can be great.

I'm typically not a fan of combo exercises (i.e. squat to press) for strength work, but they tend to work very well in complexes where strength isn't the primary goal.

Sample Complexes

Abiding by these principles, here are four sample complexes for you to try. That is, if you're up for it. Wussies need not apply.

Barbell Complex

Here, Eirinn Dougherty does 5 hang cleans, 10 reverse lunges with a front squat grip (5 per leg), 10 push presses, 10 squats, 10 high pulls, and 10 Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) all in succession without putting the bar down.

Eirinn makes it look easy, but trust me, it's anything but. Get the puke bucket ready.

Landmine Complex

Here Kevin Anderson uses the landmine to crank out 10 squat-to-presses, 10 single-arm presses per arm, 10 single-leg RDLs per leg, 10 single-arm rows per arm, and 10 reverse lunges per leg, all without letting the bar touch the floor.

Holding the thick part of the barbell really challenges your grip strength, but because the complex is composed primarily of unilateral exercises, one arm rests while the other works, allowing you to extend the set.

Trap Bar Complex

Here's a complex I like using the trap bar or Dead-Squat™ Bar that absolutely fries the legs: 10 split squats (5 per leg), 10 RDLs, and 10 low handle trap bar deadlifts.

For the final leg of the trap bar deadlifts, focus on getting your hips low and almost try to squat the weight up to keep the stress on the quads for a total leg blitz when combined with the RDLs.

Barbell Leg Complex

This one's a real doozy so you'll want to wear your big boy panties. Ten reverse lunges with a front squat grip, 10 front squats, and 10 squats, done as one continuous set.

Kevin knocks that sucker out with 225 pounds on the bar, which is no joke:

Put It To Work

Now that you have the guidelines to put together your own complex and even have a few to try, it's all on you now to put in the work.

4 Ways to Fire Up Work Capacity

by Dan John   

Here's what you need to know...

•  Tumbling and rolling will improve your work capacity and simultaneously change your body composition.

•  It's nearly impossible to hurt yourself while sprinting uphill. Downhill is another matter.

•  When determining the load for sled or Prowler work, err on the side of lighter. If the action makes you look more like a sprinter and less like a plough horse, you have it right.

•  There are thousands of different complexes, but sadly, the guys with the most variations in their training are usually also the weakest and skinniest.

Work capacity: the ability to perform work, which determines your level of fitness that will, in turn, determine your level of preparedness. It's an issue for people in the military and in collision sports. In fact, lifters, off-season athletes, and pretty much anybody and everybody would benefit from improving their work capacity. Here are four ways to do it, three you've probably heard of and one that may surprise you.

Groundwork

Literally at your feet is one of the best pieces of training equipment I know of for building work capacity – the ground. As a child, I did Judo and it built a lifelong appreciation for falling, breaking the fall, and the art of subtle movement. It also taught me to roll in every direction, cartwheel, leap over people (more fun than you think), and not break anything in the process.

When Ken Shamrock's book, Inside the Lion's Den, came out, I saw a gap in my coaching. He recommended a great deal of basic tumbling and so I was inspired to add the same things I'd learned as a child:

• Forward Roll
• Shoulder Roll
• Various Crawls
• Cartwheels
• Basic Tumbling Combinations

The impact on my athletes was immediate. A shoulder injury plague disappeared, my soccer players learned to pop back up into play like football players, and the general conditioning of everyone involved improved overnight. Basic rolling – and I include the Turkish get-up here – can also be considered dynamic foam rolling. Rolling around correctly opens things up and seems to knit you back into place at the same time.

Aside from teaching you a valuable skill, tumbling and rolling can improve your work capacity and simultaneously change your body composition. You'll be surprised how tired and sweaty you get from simply doing five reps of most tumbling moves.

Hills, Drags, Loaded Sprints

The next great way to build capacity is running, pushing, or dragging with a load. Generally, I put these activities in the same category as loaded carries. Hill sprints have been my basic coaching tool for training explosiveness to throwers since Jimmy Carter was president. For whatever reason, it's nearly impossible to hurt yourself (pull a hammie) while sprinting uphill. It's certainly self-limiting and the tired athlete doesn't have the energy to hurt himself. Running downhill, of course, is another issue and I simply don't trust 250-pound plus throwers sprinting downhill. There's this thing called "physics" and even though I don't understand the math, I can only see bad things happening from small refrigerators hurling themselves down a hill.

Today, you can mimic hill sprints in the gym with Prowlers and sleds. The trouble is, I often see people overloading these implements and it takes the "snap" out of the movement. It's a matter of feel, of course, but both too light and too heavy make these exercises less valuable. There are so many factors involved (asphalt versus grass, the make and model, the number of runners on the bottom) that I can't honestly give load recommendations, but you want to err on the side of lighter. If the action makes you look more like a sprinter and less like a plough horse, you have it right. Don't "wallow" as Coach Maughan used to tell us at Utah State when we did sled pulls.

Complexes Made Simple

For years, I've introduced complexes to my athletes at times when I thought we needed a bit more muscle mass. My definition of a complex is simple. A complex is a series of lifts back to back where you finish the reps of one lift before moving on to the next. The barbell only leaves your hands or touches the floor after all of the lifts are completed. You can do them with barbells, dumbbells or kettlebells.

The key to organizing a complex is to make sure the bar passes over your head in some kind of logical manner. In other words, if you do rows followed by back squats, how did the bar get there? You need at least one intermediate move to get the bar onto your shoulders for the back squats. Now I try to have the bar pass backwards over the head after a few lifts, but I only pass it forward again once. I recommend that when you try these you first use a broomstick. It'll save some wasted effort and awkwardness if you get the hang of the transitions before you add much weight.

When I want to increase work capacity and build mass, I only assign one complex for a six-week assault on bulking. There are several reasons for this. First, it helps to master the combination of movements. Now I can whip up a new complex in a manner of minutes, and that may be great if you're in love with variations, but sadly, the guys with the most variations in their training are usually also the weakest and skinniest.

Second, this complex has a nice mix of pushing, pulling, squatting and bending with just enough rest between to allow some recovery. Finally, complexes are, well, complex. I don't want you putting the bar down and trying to remember how to do this or that. I want you to stress and strain for those last seconds. Now, try to recall my 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. The barbell only leaves your hands or touches the floor after all of the lifts are completed. With that in mind, here's my favorite complex:

• Row
• Clean
• Front Squat
• Military Press
• Back Squat
• Good Morning

If the workout calls for eight repetitions, you need to do eight rows, followed by eight cleans, eight front squats, eight military presses, eight back squats, and then eight good mornings. Do NOT load up the bar the first few times you attempt these, though. Trust me, it's a bad idea.

So tumbling, loaded sprints, and complexes are amazingly simple ways to increase work capacity. The other method is simple, too, but it may not make sense at first.

The Deprivation Effect

I've heard hundreds of testimonials from people who bravely assert that they're going to start some tough diet next Monday. These seemingly brave individuals have all the energy and drive to win several Super Bowls, Olympic Championships, and World Wars. Of course, come next Tuesday, I often get a long list of excuses as to why "this ONE time" they couldn't adhere to the diet program.

I know why. Deprivation is tough. Humans seem to be hard wired to not being able to do something. Yet amazingly, deprivation often works wonders. If your favorite gym closes down, you might suddenly notice that the park next to your house is actually a perfect training facility. Arnold used a method of this in his youth. He'd gather up his friends, go off into the woods with his equipment, and train. He'd choose a lift and just keep doing it over and over. There's more to this, but the idea of leaving the comfy confines of your normal gym and venturing out is going to change your methods of training.

Many of us didn't allow our sons and daughters to watch TV on school nights and maybe they missed some popular culture, but they became voracious readers and skilled at games and sports. That's the way deprivation works. You give up something and you gain something that might even be better. Probably the only thing you shouldn't deprive yourself of, though, is sleep. That tends to be a dead end for most people.

So, add the floor (tumbling), some hills (sleds and the like, too), and a classic way of barbell training (complexes) to your training to increase your work capacity. In addition, consider increasing your work capacity by depriving yourself of some things – the perfect gym, the best equipment, TV or whatever it is that keeps you from focusing on living a full life. It's hard to manage, but it's completely worth the effort.

300 Pound Complexes For Max Strength

by Wil Fleming – 6/18/2013

Here's what you need to know...

• Max strength makes everything better, from hypertrophy to fat loss.

• Really heavy, strength-based complexes will challenge your work capacity and your manhood.

• The bar must be in your hands for at least 15 seconds to stimulate muscle growth.

• A 300-pound complex, not to mention a 408-pound complex, is jaw dropping (see the videos below).

---

When you hear the word "complex," you immediately think of some gut-busting combination of movements performed for high reps.
I don't blame you for making this association. Certainly doing 10 reps of deadlifts, cleans, Romanian deadlifts, and push-presses in a row can leave a lasting feel-good impression on even the most battle-weathered lifter's psyche.
High-rep complexes have their place, like when you want to test your will or see exactly what your gas tank holds. However, this isn't about any of that.
This is about heavy-ass, 300-pound complexes. Complexes that make you freaking strong.

Max Strength is King

I train a lot of athletes. Conditioning is important, but strength is their highest priority – because max strength makes everything better.
To paraphrase Dan John, your abilities are buckets, but your max-strength bucket makes all the other buckets easier to fill. And strength complexes make your max-strength bucket grow from a watering can to a wheelbarrow!
Get more max strength and everything else becomes easier. When you're stronger you can do more reps at a higher weight, you can condition harder, and you can even get shredded faster because more max strength lets you push yourself harder.
That said, strength complexes aren't the easy alternative to the soul-sucking, endurance-based complexes you're used to. They're tough. They'll challenge your work capacity, and typically there'll be one movement (or more) in the mix that makes you question your abilities and maybe even your manhood.

Strength Complexes for Max Strength

First, some points to remember. Strength complexes are low-rep, high-weight parings of movements performed without letting the bar leave your hand.
When using them with the Olympic lifts, start with one of the main lifts (the snatch or clean) and then add other primary movements to the pot.
It's important to pair movements that increase the time under tension (TUT), a concept generally reserved for hypertrophy. In our case, TUT ostensibly means that once the bar is in your hands it shouldn't hit the ground again until the complex is over or you miss a lift.
So if you were to do multiple deadlifts in a strength complex, you should try to do "touch and go" deadlifts as opposed to completely resetting the bar.
But while TUT is an important concept, it isn't normally applied to Olympic lifts because you're dealing with big complex movements and not simple eccentric and concentric muscular action.
To that end, your aim is to keep the bar in your hands for 15 seconds or more to stimulate strength and muscle growth, a concept I borrowed from the king of American weightlifting, Glenn Pendlay, who inspired these complexes.
Pendlay told me, "With strength complexes, we want to take a movement that normally takes 2 seconds or less (the Olympic lifts) and extend its length to the limits of our abilities, while also challenging our max strength levels."

Rules of a Strength Complex:

• 2-4 movements
• 1-2 repetitions per exercises
• 5-7 reps total in the complex
• 15-20 seconds total time with the bar in hand

Most importantly, don't choose sets and reps or even percentages ahead of time – with strength complexes, choose a starting weight and work up until you find a weight that you can no longer complete.

Heavy Snatch Complex

This complex consists of a deadlift, a snatch from below the knee, two overhead squats, and finally a snatch balance. This complex targets everyone's weakest points in the snatch:

• The move from the floor
• The move around the knee
• Overhead position

Use this complex to attack your weaknesses and build massive strength on top of that goal.
In the video below I'm completing this complex with 220 pounds (about double what I normally use for a typical complex).

300-Pound Clean Complex

I got this complex from Pendlay, who prescribes it early in a training cycle to improve strength and promote hypertrophy.
In the variation in the video below I do:

• 1 Clean Deadlift
• 1 Hang Clean from below the knee
• 2 Front Squats
• 1 Jerk

The concept here is to:

• Make the jerk really hard because your legs are extremely fatigued.
• Keep the bar in your hands a long time.

My 300-pound complex was my limit – exactly where you should aim to put your strength complexes. If you're a strong-ass mofo, this is the time to really get after it!

Even-Heavier Clean Complex

A favorite lifter of Coach Pendlay's, Donny Shankle, does a "Shankle" complex of:

• 1 Deadlift
• 3 Hang pulls from hip
• 1 Hang Clean
• 2 Jerks (he misses one in the video but makes it in others)

The following video is one of the more impressive things I've ever seen in American weightlifting. Get ready for it – Shankle does this complex with 408 pounds!

How to Use Strength Complexes

So why the different movements for Donny Shankle and me?
It comes down to specific needs. My front squat sucks so I choose exercises to help address it.
You should do the same. If you have trouble pulling the bar, then add more pulls; if you have trouble getting in the right position overhead, then use a snatch balance or an extra jerk.
This way you attack your weak points while maintaining your strengths, which is the hallmark of sound strength programming.

Slap on Some Plates

There's something to be said for high-rep, puke-in-your-shoes type of complexes – there aren't many things you can do in the gym that test your testicular fortitude more.
But don't be scared to slap on some plates and start throwing around some real weight. Your efforts will be rewarded with radical gains in size and strength!

Complexes: Different, Harder, and Better

by Wil Fleming – 11/01/2012

I know what you're all thinking: another article about complexes that I'll never use cause I want to be big and strong, not just smash myself.
I feel your pain. Complexes have been covered extensively in the fitness and bodybuilding media, including T Nation. That said, this ain't your momma's complex training article – what you're about to read may be the Greatest Complex Article of All Time (yeah, I said that).

So How's This different?

The complexes in this article will help you burn fat, get strong as an ox, and put your will to the test. Granted, there are many complexes already published that can accomplish this, but these are different.
They use different rules, different implements, and way different rep schemes than what you're used to. And the results they deliver give new meaning to the expression "change is good."

New Rules for the Complex

1. Pick an implement.

Barbell complexes are the most popular and are what I choose to do most of my complexes with (Im an Olympic lifter, so it makes sense).
However, any implement will do. Kettlebells, sandbags, dumbbells, or a TRX can all be the tools of your destruction. Each implement has its advantages and disadvantages, so use them accordingly.
For instance, barbells suck when it comes to upper body pulling exercises, and the TRX sucks for vertical pressing exercises. Pick something and rock it out the best you can.

2. Choose from several categories (or just a couple).

With barbells I like to choose from tons of categories. Pretty much every complex has an explosive movement, some sort of hinging and squatting pattern, and likely some pressing or pulling.
When it comes to the other tools, you can still do the same thing and stay balanced, but an alternative is to smoke a particular movement pattern or a body part.

• Use the kettlebell to just work on your conditioning by doing a ton of swings, snatches, and carries.
• Using the TRX or suspension trainer, pick multiple movements that require a ton of stability, and targeted ab exercises to hammer your core.

If you choose from multiple categories you can get an awesome finisher; if you choose from just a couple you can dominate some body part training.
The list below offers some ideas for movements from each category.

Categories	Sandbag	Kettlebell	Dumbbell	TRX
Explosive	Rotational Snatch, Split Clean, Shouldering	Swing, Snatch, Clean, Deadlift Jumps	Split Jumps, Snatches, Cleans, Squat Jumps, Split Jerk	Jump Squats, Sprinter Starts, Pistol Jumps
Lower Body Push	Bear Hug Squat, Shouldered Squat, Overhead Squat, Rotational Lunge	Goblet Squat, Threaded Lunge, Reverse Lunge w/ Rotation, Dbl Front Squat	Goblet Squat, Lunge, Reverse Lunge	RFE Split Squat, Assisted Pistols
Lower Body Pull	Zercher Good Morning, Single-Leg RDL	RDL, Single-Leg RDL, Deadlift	Single-Leg RDL, RDL, Stiff-Leg King Deadlift	SHELC (Supine Hip Extension to Leg Curl) Supine Sprinters
Upper Body Push	Shoulder to Shoulder Press, Push Press	Racked Press, Push Press, Floor Press	Press, Push Press	Push-Up Variations (Hands In or Out), Triceps Extensions, Handstand Push-Ups
Upper Body Pull	Bent Over Row (Again)	Bent Over Row, Double Sumo DL High Pull, Renegade Row	Renegade Row, Bent-Over Row	Muscle-Up, Inverted Row, Facepull, YTI Rows, Curls
Miscellaneous	Crawl and Drags, Shouldered Get-Ups, Cyclones	Turkish Get-Up, Chops and Lifts, Carries		Sawing, Pikes, Knee Tucks, Core Worm

3. Use rep schemes that make it interesting.

We always see the same thing, "Do x reps for x sets." It's time to ditch that line of thinking!
Try some innovative ways to use complexes in terms of sets and reps. Here are some that I use:

Ascending/Descending Pyramids (1,2,3,...3,2,1)

Start with 1 rep of each exercise and move through. Each set add a rep until you can add no more. Then, descend the pyramid back until you finish with 1 rep again. When it gets hard, tell yourself that after you finish the hardest set (the top of the pyramid), it'll only get easier.

Accommodating Complexes (AC)

You know yourself better than any coach, so why not figure out yourself how many reps you can do on each exercise?
For instance, say you can do 10 kettlebell swings, but only 3 snatches per arm, 8 goblet squats, and 15 Romanian deadlifts? Voila! You now have the perfect rep scheme for your kick-ass kettlebell complex.

Complex Drop Sets (DS)

Pick your exercises, sets, and reps; say 3 sets of 6 reps on every exercise.Now choose a challenging weight and get to work on your 3 sets.
At the end of 3 sets drop the movement that's most challenging, or the one where you were closest to technical failure. For each set after that, move up in weight to challenge yourself and approximate the volume from the first 3 sets.

The Sandbag Complex

I'm a big fan of the sandbag. Adding in a rotational component to exercises makes it an awesome tool for athletes needing greater stability in all planes of motion.
The cool thing about the sandbag is that it offers so many different options for holding it. While the barbell offers very little in the way of changing grips, with the sandbag we can shoulder it, hug it, crossbody hug it, and Zercher hold it. The possibilities are many, and each different grip or hold offers a different set of challenges.
Here's an example:

Order	Exercise	Reps
A	Split Clean	5*
B	Rotational Lunge	4*
C	Push Press	8
D	Zercher Good Morning	8
E	Shouldered Get-Up	2*

* per side

In the video below my athlete is using an 80-pound bag and he's getting crushed by the end.

The KB Complex

Everything is rosy when you have 2 hands firmly on a barbell, but it can be a different story when you're forced to move unilaterally. The beautiful thing about many kettlebell movements is that they're designed to be completed one hand at a time.
This complex forces you to brace for rotation, and can absolutely smoke your core. I use this with drop sets by working up to 3 sets of 5 reps and then dropping the hardest exercise, in this case, the Single Leg Romanian Deadlift Plus Row.
Once that beast is out, I move up in weight with my 'bells while thanking the Almighty for taking mercy on me, and move on.

Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps
A	One-Arm Swing	3	5 each*
B	Threaded Lunge	3	5 each*
C	SLRDL + Row	3	5 each*
D	Strict Press	3	5 each*

* drop sets

The 2 KB Complex

This is one of my favorite complexes for developing strength. There aren't many things harder than working with two heavy-ass kettlebells.
In no scientific way whatsoever, I've determined that a double-kettlebell front squat is just as difficult as a barbell front squat with twice the weight. Seriously though, even the strongest athletes wilt under two racked kettlebells.
In this video my athlete is on his 3-rep set as he descends the backside of the 1-5 pyramid illustrated below. Needless to say, he's smoked.

Order	Exercise	Reps
A	Double Clean	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
B	Front Squat	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
C	Push Press	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
D	Sumo Deadlift High Pull	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

And Now, Introducing Monkey Jumps

This complex features a move that I named monkey jumps a long time ago, before I had ever seen a real monkey in nature or a zoo, and it turns out monkeys don't actually do this.
The name stays, though.
Monkey jumps are just the C exercises of this complex, and combine an alternating split jump with a high pull on each jump. They may look funny, but the truth is they actually have some carryover to the Olympic lifts as it mimics the timing of pulling yourself down to the bar.

Order	Exercise	Reps
A	Snatch	5
B	Split Jerk	5
C	Monkey Jumps	5
D	Renegade Rows	5

TRX Complex

If you ever get the urge to do a complex on a beach or in a forest (which I'm embarrassed to say has happened to me on more than one occasion), and don't have access to your kettlebells and dumbbells, you're basically out of luck. However, if you happened to have a suspension trainer with you, you're ready to rock it out no matter where you find yourself.
This is a killer complex if you use it in an ascending fashion. In the video below I filmed my set of 5 reps as I worked up to 8 reps of each exercise.

Order	Exercise	Reps
A	SHELC	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
B	Push-Ups	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
C	Core Worm	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
D	Handstand Push-Ups	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

The Obligatory Barbell Complex

You didn't think that I'd leave this one out did you? Like Vin Diesel in The Fast and Furious series, you knew the barbell had to make an appearance, even if only for a moment at the end.
For this cameo I'm going way back in the archives to bring out the Javorek complex, appropriately named after its creator, Istvan (Steve) Javorek.
So how is the oldest complex in the book any different from the hundreds of complexes you have seen before?
Big ass weights.
Javorek writes of the need to do this complex at extremely high weights as a predictor of future performance. He tells tales of this complex being completed with 240 pounds by Romanian weightlifters, and 220-pound exploits by American record holders.
I personally witnessed my former Olympian coach complete this complex with over 200 pounds. After picking my jaw up from the floor and searching for my manhood, I completed this complex with 165 pounds. I went on to clean 330 pounds later that training cycle.
But in case you're not going to the Olympics, there's a very simple rule to follow to make sure this complex will challenge your strength and will: use 50% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
The 50% rule is what the best athletes are able to do with this 30-rep complex and it provides an indicator of what you're capable of (with good technique) on the platform.
In the video below of the Javorek complex, I'm using 143 pounds (which is about 50% of my current 300-pound clean and jerk 1RM).

Order	Exercise	Reps
A	Barbell Upright Row	6
B	Barbell Muscle Snatch	6
C	Back Squat to Push Press	6
D	Good Morning	6
E	Bent Over Row	6

Conclusion

Complexes are a fantastic, multifaceted tool, and using a variety of tools and many different rep schemes makes them even better.
When you're stumped for a training session, crave some variety, or just want to punish yourself, there's likely a complex for you. If you manage to get through all of these complexes, I'm certain that your next challenge will be how to design a complex of sleeping, eating, and napping.

Brutal Complexes

by Wil Fleming – 9/05/2012
Much has been written about an old but brutal friend of mine. A friend to whom I was first introduced the day I walked into my first real weight room – a dark and dusty pit stacked with chalk-dusted bumper plates and Eleiko bars; a sanctuary for incredibly strong people to clean, snatch, squat, and otherwise dominate massive weights.
This old friend has a name: the complex.
A complex is a series of exercises done in succession, wherein all reps of a prescribed exercise are completed before moving onto the next without ever putting the implement down, which in most cases is a barbell.
This isn't to be confused with the complex superset, where a strength lift is followed by an explosive lift for the same pattern, such as a front squat and a jump squat.
Recently, complexes have been gaining mainstream popularity due to their efficiency. They're being touted as the quickest, most effective way to get a workout. Heck, you don't even have to have much weight on hand to do them!
And all of the above are true. You can get a complete workout in 15 minutes just by doing 3 sets of a given complex. Get in and get out, leaving plenty of time for Home Depot and maybe even Bed Bath and Beyond. No wonder complexes are so popular!
However, that kind of complex isn't the one I remember. No, the complexes that haunt my memories were formidable beasts that we had to endure every training session. Our complexes were designed to finish us off and send us stumbling out the door, lungs still burning long after the training session was finished.
The complexes in this article are like the ones I recall. They'll challenge you. They may even leave you lying on the ground in a sweaty heap and looking forward to rolling out of the weight room, if only so you can get back up on your feet.

• Each of the complexes outlined below are to be done with a barbell, and are designed to improve your Olympic lifting skill, strength, and power.
• I suggest completing 5-8 reps per movement, and doing 3-4 sets of each complex. If your form turns to crap, then reduce the weight or the number of reps that you're doing each set.
• As a metabolic conditioning tool, complexes can also be used to finish off a training session. Each of these complexes is perfect for the athlete seeking strength, but needs a little more conditioning to lean up or improve endurance. Just up the reps and reduce the rest, and do 2-3 rounds of a given complex at the end of a workout.
• If you're focusing on technique as part of your complex, use a work to rest ratio of 1:1 or greater. You want these to 'suck' because they're difficult and metabolically challenging, not because you get injured doing them.

The Rules of Complexes

I designed the three complexes below. You can design your own, but you need to follow the rules of the game:

1. Start with the hardest stuff.

Start with the most technical movement first. Typically, this means an Olympic lift. If you don't include an O lift, then pick something else that's taxing to the entire body.

2. Make it flow.

This isn't a hard and fast rule, but work your way up and down the chain, and don't make any wasted movements. For instance, if you started with a push press, don't do a deadlift next and then go back to a front squat – your hands will hate you and you'll waste considerable energy moving the bar up and down.

3. Choose from several categories.

There aren't many things that you can't put in a complex, but you have to love your 'pullers' as much as your precious 'pushers.' So don't design a complex that consists of push presses, lunges, behind the neck presses, and squats. The backside of the body needs attention too.
Try selecting from different categories of movements based on what you're doing in training to make the best total body complex you can.

Categories	Barbell Moves
Explosive/Olympic lifting	Snatch, power clean, hang snatch, power snatch, clean pull, squat clean, squat snatch, split jerks, squat jumps, split clean, split snatch
Lower Body Push	Back squat, front squat, forward lunge, reverse lunge
Lower Body Pull	Deadlift, sumo deadlift, Romanian deadlift, single-leg Romanian deadlift, good morning
Upper Body Push	Press, push press, behind the neck press, split stance press
Upper Body Pull	Bent over row (sorry, not a lot of options while you're on your feet)
Miscellaneous	Bar rollouts, push ups, Turkish get-ups

4. Make it mean something.

Training should always have a goal. Although the following complexes are brutal, each has a specific goal – some are for technical improvement in the Olympic lifts while others are for conditioning at the end of a training session. So pick a goal and get after it.
If you're training for strength, complexes should have several strength-based moves for low reps – 3-5 sets of 3-6 reps per movement. Rest times between sets of complexes should be large (twice the time it took to finish the complex).
If you're training to get leaner and need to address your anaerobic metabolism, simply use more reps. The rest to work ratio on these should be close to 1:1 or even less.
If you're trying to improve your Olympic lifts, then use a specific complex each day to target your weak points. Do 2 sets of no more than 5 reps for your O-lift, and 5-8 reps for everything else.

The Clean Complex V 2.0

Movements: Power clean, split jerk (each leg), front squat, reverse lunge.

This complex is extremely technical in the early portion and a good opportunity to focus on a portion of your clean technique.

• If you suck pulling from the floor, concentrate on keeping the bar tight as you move to your knees.
• If you're shaky in the jerk, focus on sticking each jerk in great position.

The idea is to focus on the technical aspects early in the complex before your legs get fried. It's hard to improve a skill when you're doubled over in pain or puking in your sneakers.
Here's the complex in action:

The Snatch Complex V 2.0

Movements: Snatch pull from below knee, power snatch from above knee, overhead squats, good morning, bent over row.

I avoid making most people I coach pull from the floor in the snatch. It's a position that requires a ton of mobility, and if you happen to be tall, forget about it.
This complex is no different – rather than pulling from the floor, you should pull from the hang, and work on developing your transitions around the knee and at the top of the second pull.
Transitions in Olympic lifting are areas in which the movement seriously changes.
There are three distinct transitions in the lifts:

1. From the floor.
2. Around the knee and into the second pull.
3. At the top of the second pull.

This complex addresses the second and third transition of the lifts. To work on the first transition, all you'd need to do is take the bar to the floor for some snatches at the beginning of the complex. See the video below.

The Beast Complex

Movements: Clean grip muscle snatch, push press, back squats, step-up, Romanian deadlift, barbell rollouts.

Remember how I called the end of the clean complex a grind? Consider this a diamond tipped, industrial strength, super grinder. Your goal for this complex is to simply get through it.
This complex is perfectly suited for athletes that are seeking strength above all else, as there are no technique-heavy Olympic lifts, unlike the previous two complexes.

As a special challenge, I like to do this complex in an ascending/descending ladder format: do 1 rep of each on the first set, 2 reps of each on the second, and so on until you reach 5 reps. Then start again at 5 reps and work your way down to 1.
You'll hit 30 total reps of each movement and finish your workout soaked in sweat and awesomeness.

Wrapping it Up

Fair warning, if you're of the "Get in shape in 15 minutes or less!" ilk, these complexes are not for you. Then again, you probably wouldn't be reading T Nation if you did hail from that shallow end of the gene pool.
But if you're a hard-working SOB and your aim is to challenge your body and mind to become a better athlete, a better lifter, and a stronger person, then start here. Attack these complexes, get your ass handed to you, and then get back up and attack again.
Suffer, persevere, and conquer – and once you've mastered these, use the framework to create your own complex that will precisely target the areas that you need to improve.
Good luck!