Barbell Complexes - Anyone tried them?

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joshbowman12
joshbowman12 Posts: 10 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been reading a lot about barbell complexes here as of late, and I was wondering if anyone has ever tried them. For those that do not know what they are, you load up a barbell and do the given exercises without putting the barbell down. The weight put on the barbell makes the weakest exercise in the series challenging. An example of this would be:
Deadlifts 8 reps
Hang cleans 6 reps
Push Press 6 reps (the weakest exercise)
Back Squat 8 reps

Once finished with those 4 exercises you are allowed to put the barbell down and rest 2-3 minutes. You would do that complex for three to four sets total before being done.

I had heard that it is a great cardio workout, and it can help build some muscle as well, but I was mostly wondering if anyone here had done anything like them before and what the results were that they got out of them.


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Replies

  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
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    I do them as my warm up most days. My New Year's Resolution was to do less traditional cardio, so I started doing barbell complexes. Plus, it gets my muscles prepped for whatever I'm working on that day. My go-to complex is 8 reps of:
    straight leg dead lift
    overhead squat
    bent over row
    front squat
    overhead press
    lunges (no barbell because I'm weak)

    I might toss in an alternate exercise here and there. I actually bruised my collarbone when I first added hang cleans in there.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    joshbowman12 wrote: »
    I've been reading a lot about barbell complexes here as of late, and I was wondering if anyone has ever tried them. For those that do not know what they are, you load up a barbell and do the given exercises without putting the barbell down. The weight put on the barbell makes the weakest exercise in the series challenging. An example of this would be:
    Deadlifts 8 reps
    Hang cleans 6 reps
    Push Press 6 reps (the weakest exercise)
    Back Squat 8 reps

    Once finished with those 4 exercises you are allowed to put the barbell down and rest 2-3 minutes. You would do that complex for three to four sets total before being done.

    I had heard that it is a great cardio workout, and it can help build some muscle as well, but I was mostly wondering if anyone here had done anything like them before and what the results were that they got out of them.


    Interesting the bar complex I use have no rest in between rounds. I use one called the bear at the end of my workouts for cardio purposes only.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    Crossfit?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Hmmm, push press to back squat, seems dicey to me. I wouldn't do that with a training weight.
  • joshbowman12
    joshbowman12 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thanks for the responses folks! It is similar to crossfit in a sense, but it's a bit different than crossfit. The routine I gave was just a sample of several different routines I had saw upon reading about them.

    Does anyone believe it is possible to use these as a standalone workout several times a week? Could they produce enough resistance for muscularity?
    Everywhere that I've read mentions them only being used for cardio but I personally like the idea of them and would like to workout with a focus on that style of training.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    joshbowman12 wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses folks! It is similar to crossfit in a sense, but it's a bit different than crossfit. The routine I gave was just a sample of several different routines I had saw upon reading about them.

    Does anyone believe it is possible to use these as a standalone workout several times a week? Could they produce enough resistance for muscularity?
    Everywhere that I've read mentions them only being used for cardio but I personally like the idea of them and would like to workout with a focus on that style of training.

    What are your goals? before we can answer your too question. In general though

    1. technically you could right. You can use progressive overload to do circuit training.
    2. Are you going to get very strong doing circuit training. I have no idea but my guess is no. Would you get as strong as following a program with compounds lift? I cannot see that ever happening.
  • Marcillene
    Marcillene Posts: 484 Member
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    joshbowman12 wrote: »
    I've been reading a lot about barbell complexes here as of late, and I was wondering if anyone has ever tried them. For those that do not know what they are, you load up a barbell and do the given exercises without putting the barbell down. The weight put on the barbell makes the weakest exercise in the series challenging. An example of this would be:
    Deadlifts 8 reps
    Hang cleans 6 reps
    Push Press 6 reps (the weakest exercise)
    Back Squat 8 reps

    Once finished with those 4 exercises you are allowed to put the barbell down and rest 2-3 minutes. You would do that complex for three to four sets total before being done.

    I had heard that it is a great cardio workout, and it can help build some muscle as well, but I was mostly wondering if anyone here had done anything like them before and what the results were that they got out of them.


    I actually didn't know there was a name for this? I have just recently begun lifting, and this is how I have been doing it. Bench press set 1, Curls Set 1, Shoulder raises set 1, Shrugs set 1, squats set 1, Deadlifts set 1... Rest for 2-3 minutes and then do two more sets in this same order.. Now I am curious how others lift?


  • WeaponXI
    WeaponXI Posts: 63 Member
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    I've been doing dumbbell complexes as conditioning work to my regular barbell routine for about 6 months now. They give me a cardio workout like nothing else, plus added strength and endurance, but that's me, if you want more info on Complexes (barbell or dumbbell) you can check out the website below.
    http://www.istvanjavorek.com/page2.html
    Javorek's a retired strength and conditioning coach from Romania, and he was one of the first (but according to him, the inventor) to implement complexes into routines for athletes.
    All in all, in does depend on your goals, and whether complexes will help you meet them.
  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
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    Marcillene wrote: »
    joshbowman12 wrote: »
    I've been reading a lot about barbell complexes here as of late, and I was wondering if anyone has ever tried them. For those that do not know what they are, you load up a barbell and do the given exercises without putting the barbell down. The weight put on the barbell makes the weakest exercise in the series challenging. An example of this would be:
    Deadlifts 8 reps
    Hang cleans 6 reps
    Push Press 6 reps (the weakest exercise)
    Back Squat 8 reps

    Once finished with those 4 exercises you are allowed to put the barbell down and rest 2-3 minutes. You would do that complex for three to four sets total before being done.

    I had heard that it is a great cardio workout, and it can help build some muscle as well, but I was mostly wondering if anyone here had done anything like them before and what the results were that they got out of them.


    I actually didn't know there was a name for this? I have just recently begun lifting, and this is how I have been doing it. Bench press set 1, Curls Set 1, Shoulder raises set 1, Shrugs set 1, squats set 1, Deadlifts set 1... Rest for 2-3 minutes and then do two more sets in this same order.. Now I am curious how others lift?


    Barbell complexes are different than a circuit, which is what you seem to be describing. These are done with one barbell at one weight (I use a 35 bb) and they're all done in succession, only resting when you complete all exercises in the complex or resting when you've completed "x" rounds of the complex. It can be done either way.
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    I do complexes on my cardio day...

    http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/5-ways-amp-barbell-complexes
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    dbmata wrote: »
    Hmmm, push press to back squat, seems dicey to me. I wouldn't do that with a training weight.

    It would be hard to do a barbell complex using my squat working weight.
  • joshbowman12
    joshbowman12 Posts: 10 Member
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    For everyone that has asked, my goals are mostly to be in great functional shape. With that being said, I would like to have a good defined physique with some lean mass here and there, but I'm not trying to compete or anything. The muscularity goals are for myself only.

    I'm naturally slim anyway, so losing weight is not an issue, it's just adding a little muscle here and there. As I said above, I just want a little bit of lean muscle mass, nothing to a bodybuilder degree.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    yes, it's a great endurance builder...I'd replace the back squat with a front squat though and probably change the order...

    Dead Lift
    Hang clean
    front squat
    push press

    it's a more natural progression of movement. If you look at it, it's basically a slow motion version of a clean and jerk if they were all done from one to the other.
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
    edited February 2015
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    The whole point of complexes is that it's a good weight for your worst lift. It's CARDIO, people!
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    yes, it's a great endurance builder...I'd replace the back squat with a front squat though and probably change the order...

    Dead Lift
    Hang clean
    front squat
    push press

    it's a more natural progression of movement. If you look at it, it's basically a slow motion version of a clean and jerk if they were all done from one to the other.

    I think this better, too.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
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    PwrLftr82 wrote: »
    The whole point of complexes is that it's a good weight for your worst lift. It's CARDIO, people!

    And I completely agree here.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
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    Interesting. Going with the OHP weight would make the squat and deadlift pretty easy since I can squat over 135, deadlift well over 135 and my last OHP set of fails were at... 70. hmmm
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    PwrLftr82 wrote: »
    The whole point of complexes is that it's a good weight for your worst lift. It's CARDIO, people!

    true...it's fun cardio
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    DawnEmbers wrote: »
    Interesting. Going with the OHP weight would make the squat and deadlift pretty easy since I can squat over 135, deadlift well over 135 and my last OHP set of fails were at... 70. hmmm

    they aren't designed to be strength or mass building exercises...they are endurance exercises and great cardio work. They can also be used to help improve mobility. They aren't going to challenge you in the way doing just a dead lift heavy would...that's not their purpose.
  • WeaponXI
    WeaponXI Posts: 63 Member
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    Well, actually they do build strength, and mass to a degree especially if you are doing more reps for each lift, thus stimulating muscle hypertrophy.

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