Ironically, given the name, complexes are actually fairly simple: pick up a piece of kit and don’t let it go again until you’ve finished every rep of every exercise.They test your grip strength and willpower, and fire up your metabolism to burn fat. And because they combine lower, upper and full-body moves, working all your muscles in each workout, they make your body release anabolic hormones, encouraging it to retain or even build muscle mass at the same time.
COMPLEX 1
1. Deadlift
Hold the bar with a shoulder-width mixed grip, with your arms straight and feet under the bar. Keeping your chest up and back straight, drive through your heels to raise the bar and push your hips forward to stand tall.
Reps 10
2. Bent-over row
Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward from the hips, keeping your back slightly concave and your shoulder blades back throughout. Holding the bar with an overhand grip just outside your legs, pull the weight up to your lower sternum, then lower.
Reps 10
3. Power clean
Raise the weight to chest height by powerfully pushing through your heels and driving your hips forwards, keeping the bar close to your body. Quickly drop into a half squat, bring your arms under the bar to catch it on the top of your chest and stand up. Return to the start under control.
Reps 10
4. Push press
With your feet shoulder-width apart, position the bar on your upper chest, keeping your chest upright and your core braced. Bend at the knees to go into a quarter squat, then stand up and press the bar directly overhead. During the lifting phase, keep your core braced and don’t tilt your hips forward. Lower the bar back to your chest.
Reps 10
5. Back squat
Stand with your feet slightly more than shoulder-width apart, with the bar resting on the back of your shoulders. With your chest up and core braced, squat until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Drive a quarter of the way back up, return to the bottom of the squat, then drive all the way up to stand.
Reps 10
COMPLEX 2
1. Snatch-grip deadlift
Hold the bar with a wide snatch grip, so your hands are double shoulder-width apart. Your feet should be directly under your hips with your toes turned out. Squat to the bar, keeping your back fully extended and your head facing forward. Initiate the move by driving through your heels and raising your hips. The an
