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| The Force be With You
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Complex training, a blend of plyometrics and resistance work is essential for athletes looking to improve their competitive edge—and non-athletes can benefit from the change of pace while developing speed strength.
Variety is the spice of life, a maxim that applies equally to exercise—muscles crave the stimulus provided by diverse forms of exercise, which often result in adaptations that improve strength and enhance performance.
Nerves and fibers respond to the components of force and velocity, which are the hallmarks of complex training. This dynamic form of exercise comprises two bio-mechanically similar movements, one slow with high resistance, and the other quick with little or no resistance.
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A squat followed by a vertical jump, for example, is a classic, complex-training combination. Another example is a bench press followed by a medicine-ball throw.
“The combination of plyometrics and resistance training is critical for everyone,” comments Dr. William Ebben, a researcher in exercise science at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, “but particularly for those interested in developing strength for recreational or competitive sports. Even for the non-athlete the ability to develop what we understand as speed strength is important. If you compare a complex training program with a resistance- training-only program, you’d find the complex-training program superior because you involve different forms of exercise. If you only do resistance training you’ll be very slow.”
It’s the speed element of complex training that makes it so alluring.
Many fitness enthusiasts are accustomed to training with high loads but are less familiar with high-velocity forms of exercise. Complex training blends both modes of training into a single, convenient session.
It sounds simple enough, but there are intricate facets to complex training to which you must adhere:
- Perform the slow, heavy load movement first.
- Do it to fatigue.
- Wait three to five minutes before doing the high-velocity movement. The rest interval is crucial otherwise little benefit is derived.
“If you’re not careful with the rest interval then you’re probably not going to see any gains from complex training,” says Dr. Randall Jensen, a professor of sports science at Northern Michigan University. “Four minutes seems to work best for most people. Studies indicate that a six-minute rest interval is too long. Women appear to do well with three minutes, but men should rest at least four.”
Those who derive the most benefit from complex training are highly conditioned athletes capable of lifting heavy loads. For everyone else, the gains are marginal.
“If you’re looking for a big bump in your training, it’s not going to provide it,” comments Dr. Jensen.
It’s the small, incremental gains that shape most athletes, and complex training is one more indispensable weapon in the fitness arsenal. On a fundamental level it successfully conveys the need for high-load and high-velocity forms of training.
In life as well as in athletics we perform a continuum of movements that involve force and speed. One should not be favored over the other. Complex training places equal emphasis on both.
You can train either of these two components separately, as is commonly done, or simultaneously.
When done together, it’s sure to provide a degree of motor-neuron enhancement, and a welcome surge of adrenaline.
“The psychological aspect of complex training is definitely a factor worth considering,” adds Dr.Jensen. “It makes a workout a little more interesting so maybe people will train a bit more, and a little harder because it’s more fun than doing the same exercises over and over again.”
Three's Company
Make the most of complex training by adding a third element to the mix, namely an Olympic lift. That’s what Dr. Ebben recommends for even better results. Here are three examples of what he refers to as a complex triad:
- 1. Squat at heavy load. 2. Hang clean at moderate low. 3. Plyometric jump squat.
- 1. Overhead press. 2. Push press/split jerk. 3. Two hand jump and reach.
- 1. Bench press. 2. Lighter bench press. 3. Light medicine ball throw.
- To summarize: Do slow, high-load lift, followed by a moderate load high-speed lift (the Olympic lift), and then do a plyometric movement.
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