The Power of Complexes: Metabolic Conditioning for Superior Athleticism and Conditioning

The Power of Complexes: Metabolic Conditioning for Superior Athleticism and Conditioning

Introduction:

So you want to be a man amongst men? You want to take your conditioning, power, and endurance to levels never before thought to be attainable. Well, you've come to the right place. Through the power of complexes and metabolic conditioning, you will be forged into the ultimate warrior. Undoubtedly you will develop an indomitable spirit, the perfectly chiseled physique, and the strength of a Greek god. Watch as your resilience instantly amplifies and your athletic abilities enhance exponentially!

But be warned! Complexes are not for everyone. As a matter of fact, they aren't even for most people. It takes a certain breed of person, and certain degree of mental sickness, for this level of training. A person perhaps bordering on masochistic intent; as pain will be prevalent! The intensity of this training will beat you down, again and again, no matter what your current level of conditioning. Your will power and staying power will be tested through and through, as you endure these grueling workouts calling on every ounce of strength you have. Ambition alone will not get you through this. To become the ultimate warrior, you have to train like one. Many will begin, but as soon as they are tried, they will fail. If you have any doubt as to if you have what it takes or not, then the answer is no, you don't have what it takes. But if you are confident in yourself and are ready to take the next step towards becoming the ultimate performance machine, then read on, and power to you!

What is metabolic conditioning?

To put this as simply as I can, metabolic conditioning occurs when you simultaneously engage both the muscular and the cardiovascular systems.

So the equation looks something like this:

Heavy Strength Efforts + Elevated Cardiovascular Stress = Metabolic Conditioning.

But Wait! There is more to it! The goal of metabolic conditioning is not only to hybridize strength and cardiovascular activity, but also to push the system beyond its normal work capacity. This is accomplished by varying the movements/exercises and performing them back-to-back with little to no rest. This way you keep the system working as a whole, but do not smoke one muscle group too much at one time, which in turn enables you to perform ridiculous amounts of work and create even more ridiculous amounts of stress on your body. Remember, we want to stress our bodies. The more we stress our bodies, the more of a response we will get, and the quicker the results will come!

What are complexes?

Complexes are simply nothing more than a string of exercises, performed back-to-back with little to no rest. Sounds like a great way to train metabolic conditioning doesn't it? Well, it absolutely is, and that is exactly why we will be taking advantage of the great power of complexes.

Complexes can be done with almost anything, including your own bodyweight. Some athletes like to use barbells for complexes, which are great, but for our purposes, we will be primarily focusing on complexes using kettlebells. The kettlebell happens to be the perfect tool to use when training with complexes the ability to flow from exercise to exercise without having to put the bell(s) down.

Single Kettlebell Complexes:

Single kettlebell complexes are great when compared to double kettlebell complexes for a variety of reasons. The first being that the lighter load will allow you to work for longer periods of time, and will have a great effect on improving your overall endurance. The asymmetrical load also requires greater core recruitment and stabilization. For all single kettlebell complexes, you will perform the required exercises and reps on one side, then immediately repeat the sequence on the other side, with no rest in between (unless otherwise specified)!

Let's Begin:

This first complex, which I named " All Jacked Up" is fantastic for not only working on your basic kettlebell techniques, but will also tax and strengthen your grip immensely. The progression is simple; you begin with one arm swings, with each exercise getting progressively more difficult than the one before it. Enjoy the pain! this is a great warm up complex!

1.All Jacked Up

One Arm Swing 5 Reps

High Pull 5 Reps

Snatch 5 Reps

Clean and Press 5 Reps

Racked Squat 5 Reps

Variations:

Substitute reverse lunges for the racked squat

Substitute pistol squats for the racked squat

The next complex has a great balance of pushes and pulls, as well as knee dominant and hip dominant movement. You get the best of all worlds with this complex!

2.It's So Easy

Snatch 10 Reps

One Arm Long Cycle Clean and Jerk 10 Reps

Reverse Lunges 10 Reps

Single Arm Kettlebell Row 10 Reps

3.Sequential Dismay

Next up we have one of my favorite complexes, and it's performed in an interesting sequential manner. The exercises are single arm clean, and front squat with the bell racked on one side of your body. Perform the required amount of cleans on one arm, immediately followed by the required amount of front squats on that same arm. Switch arms and do the exact number of reps of both exercises. Without resting, switch back to your starting arm, and perform the next sequence of reps, etc... The sequence is as follows:

Clean - 8 reps + front squat - 5 reps(L+R)

Clean - 5 reps + front squat - 3 reps(L+R)

Clean - 3 reps + front squat - 2 reps(L+R)

Clean - 2 reps + front squat - 1 rep(L+R)

The entire sequence is to be completed with NO rest!

4.Fitter, Happier, More Productive

I'm going to put this to you as delicately as I can. This. Complex. Sucks. This complex is incredibly high on the misery index, especially in the later reps(yep it is a ladder). So here's how it works. You start with 2 reps of each exercise, then you go through the complex again, except now you perform 4 reps each exercise, after four comes six, then eight, and finally 10. If you make it through the entire ladder without putting the bell down once, and you are using at least a 16kg kettlebell if you are a man and a 12kg if you are a woman, then you are one tough mother. Here are the exercises:

2 Hand Swing 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

One Arm Swing - 2L + 2R, 4L + 4R, 6L + 6R, 8L + 8R, 10L + 10R

Racked Front Squat to Press(thrusters)-2L+2R, 4L+4R, 6L+6R, 8L+8R, 10L+10R

Snatch - 2L + 2R, 4L + 4R, 6L + 6R, 8L + 8R, 10L + 10R

5. Gimme a Bullet To Bite On

This appropriately named complex will have you wishing just that! This is indeed a long, grueling, endurance complex, based on time rather than reps. Your shoulders and grip will surely be set ablaze not long into this circuit, but do your absolute best to get through the entire complex without resting or setting the bell down!

Total time = 20 minutes

Around the Body Pass 1 minute L, 1 Minute R

Halos 1 minute L, 1 minute R

One Arm Swing 1 minute L, 1 minute R

High Pull 1 minute L, 1 minute R

Snatch 1 minute L, 1 minute R

OA Long Cycle 1 minute L, 1 minute R

Windmill 1 minute L, 1 minute R

Reverse Lunge 1 minute L, 1 minute R

Turkish Get Up 1 minute L, 1 minute R

Snatch 1 minute L, 1 minute R

6. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be

If you are an AC/DC I'm sure you see a recurring trend with the names of these circuits! But aren't they all so suiting! This complex will test and improve your mobility and flexibility, as well as your grinding strength. Just three basic exercises, but they are to be performed in a ladder fashion. The difficulty of this complex is the overhead squat to sots press. This is performed by locking the bell out overhead and pulling yourself down into a deep overhead squat. Now, while you are at the bottom position of the squat pull the bell down into the rack and press it back up before you stand back up.

The rep scheme for this complex is a bit different. Pick a side to start on and perform one rep of each exercise, then immediately switch sides and do the same thing. Then once you are back to your starting side, go through the complex twice (still one rep for each exercise, but now you are doing two sets each side), then two sets on the left side. Next, go through the complex three times on each side. Then four and five times each side.

So to further clarify, we are not really laddering the reps, but rather the sets. Complete the allotted sets on one side before you switch and do the other.

One Arm Swing

Snatch

Overhead Squat to Sots Press

7. The Twister

The twister is similar to the previous circuit expect there are two more movements included, one being the windmill to further help develop your mobility and flexibility, and the other difference being the manner in which you perform the exercises.

Perform one rep of each movement, and cycle through the complex five times on one side before switching.

OA Swing

Snatch

Windmill

Overhead Squat

Sots Press (pull the bell down from the overhead squat and press it while still in a deep squat position, and stand back up with the bell locked out overhead)

8. Burn

Burn is all about working your overhead stability and endurance. This is a great complex for improving your snatch and long cycle numbers.

Cadence Snatch (R) 1 snatch every 10 seconds for 1 minute

Cadence Snatch (L) 1 snatch every 10 seconds for 1 minute

One arm long cycle clean and jerk (R) 1 minute

One arm long cycle clean and jerk (L) 1 minute

Speed Snatch (R) perform as many snatches as possible in 30 seconds

Speed Snatch (L) perform as many snatches as possible in 30 seconds

9. Down In It may also be performed with two bells

The beauty of this complex is that you can do it for as long as you want. You have one minute to perform the following:

One Arm Swing

Clean

Press

Squat

Snatch and step take a step forward while the bell is locked out overhead

Snatch and step

Snatch and step

Snatch and step

As soon as you finish that sequence, put the bell down, rest until the minute is up, turn around, switch sides and repeat. Continue for as long as desired, if you go for 30+ minutes straight that's pretty damn good!

Double Kettlebell Complexes:

Disclaimer: If you cannot complete all of the single kettlebell complexes without putting the bell down, then you have no business with double kettlebell complexes! Continue to improve your conditioning to the point where you can confidently complete all single bell complexes before you move onto double bell work.

This is where the men will be separated from the boys. Double kettlebell complexes are a completely different kind of beast than single bell complexes. The additional weight and additional lack of rest (both sides work simultaneously now) leads to an accelerated rate of systemic fatigue. As far as bang for your buck workouts go, you can elicit an incredibly substantial systemic and hormonal response in as little 15 minutes from double kettlebell complexes. Let's start this out with a bang!

1. The Great Destroyer

The Great Destroyer. I gave it this title after I came up with it for my infamous 300 workout, which you can watch here (but don't worry it will be covered again later in this ebook:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ZaXcWbl9c

Enough hype, this complex will quickly speak for itself. Men should opt for at least 2 x 16kg bells, and for the ladies, 2 x 12kg will do nicely

Double Swings 15 reps

Double Snatch 15 reps

Double Front Squat 15 reps

Double Clean and Press 15 reps

Push Ups on Bell Handles 15 reps

2. Got You By The Balls

This complex is similar to "it's so easy", but now includes additional reps, as well as additional exercisesoh yeah, and an additional bell!

Double Clean 10 reps

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk 10 reps

Bent Over Rows 10 Reps

Reverse Lunges 10R + 10 L

3. Ruff Stuff

This double complex is simple, effective, and straight to the point. An upper body push, a lower body knee dominant movement, and then back to an upper body pull.

Long Cycle Clean and Jerk 10 Reps

Front Squats 10 reps

Bent Over Rows Perform five reps super slow, and five reps at an average tempo

4. Nervous Shakedown

Big movements yield big results. This again is riding off the heels of Sequential Dismay, as you want to perform it in a ladder fashion. Enjoy the pain of this one.

Double Snatch to Press 3, 5, 8, 10

Front Squats 2, 3, 5, 8

5. Shake Your Foundations

This complex is done for time, rather than sets of reps. Just do one rep of each exercise flowing from one to another. The goal is to get as many quality cycles of this complex in, in the allotted time. Start with a 30 second set, then a 45 second set, then a minute. Challenge yourself and see how long you can go while maintaining good form.

Double Swing

Double Clean and Press (you may drop the bells from the top of the press or from the rack to lead into the double snatch)

Double Snatch

Double Front Squat

6. The Flynn Man Maker

The original man maker includes a double clean, following with a push up on the bells. I've added some whistles.

The objective of this is to add one new movement each time through. You simply start with one rep of a double clean. After which you repeat the double clean, but then add a push up on the bells. Following those two movements, you then add in a renegade row, and so on and so forth. Eventually, you work your way up to performing a six-movement complex. Once you have gotten all the way through the chain, drop back down to the beginning and repeat it again for as many times as desired!

Double Clean

Double Clean

Push Up on Bells

Double Clean

Push Up on Bells

Renegade Row(L+R)

Double Clean

Front Squat

Push Up on Bells

Renegade Row

Double Clean

Front Squat

Double Press

Push Up on Bells

Renegade Row

Double Clean

Front Squat

Double Press

Push Up on Bells

Renegade Row

Double Snatch

7. Hurt

Hurt features a vertical push (press), a horizontal push (floor press), a horizontal pull, a knee dominant lower body movement (lunges), and a hip dominant lower body movement (double clean). You really can't beat it.

Double Clean and Press 10 reps

Alternating Reverse Lunges 20 reps ( 10 each leg)

Alternating Bent Over Rows 20 reps ( 10 each arm)

Floor Press 10 reps

Example Workouts

Now, it's really about how you put it all together isn't it? Feel free to get creative and combine the complexes however you want! You can also implement them into an existing routine as well, just be sure not to over train. Here are a few of my favorite fat hacking, muscle building workouts.

Note: Sets and cycles are terms I tend to use interchangeable. A cycle simple means to complete a complex in it's entirely.

Single Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 1:

Warm Up: 5 minutes of Turkish Get Ups switch sides every rep

Complex 1 Gimme a Bullet 1 cycle

Complex 2 Fitter Happier More Productive 1 cycle

Complex 3 Down In It 15 minutes

Complex 4(optional) Sequential Dismay 2 cycles

Single Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 2:

Warm Up: 5 minutes of Swings and Planks 30 seconds of each, with no rest

Complex 1 The Twister 3 cycles

Complex 2 Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be 1 cycle

Complex 3 It's So Easy 3 cycles

Complex 4(optional) Sequential Dismay 2 cycles

Single and Double Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 1:

Warm Up: 5 10 minutes of joint mobility

Complex 1 Down In It 20 minutes

Complex 2 The Flynn Man Maker 3 cycles

Complex 3 It's So Easy 3 cycles

Complex 4(optional) Shake Your Foundations 5 sets of 1 minute on, 30 seconds off

Single and Double Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 2:

Warm Up: 5 minutes of Turkish Get Ups switching sides every rep

Complex 1 Nervous Shakedown 2 cycles

Complex 2 Ruff Stuff 2 cycles

Complex 3 Burn 3 cycles

Complex 4(optional) It's So Easy 2 cycles

Double Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 1:

Warm Up: 5 minutes of Turkish Get Ups switch sides every rep

Complex 1 The Great Destroyer 2 cycles

Complex 2 Got You By The Balls 2 cycles

Complex 3 Nervous Shakedown - 2 cycles

Complex 4(optional) Down In It (yes do this with two kettlebells!) - 15 minutes

Double Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 2:

Warm Up: 5 10 minutes of joint mobility

Complex 1 - Got You By The Balls 2 cycles

Complex 2 The Flynn Man Maker 3 cycles

Complex 3 - Shake Your Foundations 30 second set, 45 second set, 60 second set, and 90 second set. Rest < 45 seconds between sets.

Complex 4(optional) Hurt 3 cycles

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