Your Favorite Complexes

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking light load with basic movements such as swing, clean, push press. Either done for time or doing somewhere in the 5 to 10 rep range done for rounds. I didn’t attempt it today though got hardly any sleep last night and it really showed today.

[quote]Rush88 wrote:
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking light load with basic movements such as swing, clean, push press. Either done for time or doing somewhere in the 5 to 10 rep range done for rounds. I didn’t attempt it today though got hardly any sleep last night and it really showed today.[/quote]

Rush, if you’re looking for recovery circuits, look into Christian Thibaudeau’s neural charge stuff. If neural recovery is your goal, you have the right idea with the type of movements you’re suggesting, but you probably shouldn’t use a set rep range. Each rep should be performed as explosively as possible, but as soon as you notice that a given rep was not as explosive as the preceding rep of that exercise, you stop that exercise and move on to the next. That’s a very quick and dirty explanation, but it sounds like neural charge circuits are the thing you’re looking for so I recommend that you search those on here.

If you’re interested try and search the internet for iron cardio. Pretty decent ideas in there, might be wrong remembering it but it was something like this.

Powercleans:
2 sets 15 reps
2 sets 14 reps
2 sets 13 reps
2 sets 12 reps
2 sets 11 reps
2 sets 10 reps

The goal is to beat your time and go as fast as possible. Can’t exactly find the forum post where this was anymore but its hard.

Bushido,

Here’s a few tips for the clean. Hope this helps

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:

[quote]Rush88 wrote:
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking light load with basic movements such as swing, clean, push press. Either done for time or doing somewhere in the 5 to 10 rep range done for rounds. I didn’t attempt it today though got hardly any sleep last night and it really showed today.[/quote]

Rush, if you’re looking for recovery circuits, look into Christian Thibaudeau’s neural charge stuff. If neural recovery is your goal, you have the right idea with the type of movements you’re suggesting, but you probably shouldn’t use a set rep range. Each rep should be performed as explosively as possible, but as soon as you notice that a given rep was not as explosive as the preceding rep of that exercise, you stop that exercise and move on to the next. That’s a very quick and dirty explanation, but it sounds like neural charge circuits are the thing you’re looking for so I recommend that you search those on here.[/quote]

Don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I think I gave into a little paranoia had two weeks of leave over the holidays in which I still trained but my waist definitely got softer…

So I was thinking more along the lines of fat burning but CT’s neural charges are more in line with what I was really thinking about. I’m going for more work through more frequent workouts and just trying to avoid burning myself out.

[quote]Rush88 wrote:

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:

[quote]Rush88 wrote:
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking light load with basic movements such as swing, clean, push press. Either done for time or doing somewhere in the 5 to 10 rep range done for rounds. I didn’t attempt it today though got hardly any sleep last night and it really showed today.[/quote]

Rush, if you’re looking for recovery circuits, look into Christian Thibaudeau’s neural charge stuff. If neural recovery is your goal, you have the right idea with the type of movements you’re suggesting, but you probably shouldn’t use a set rep range. Each rep should be performed as explosively as possible, but as soon as you notice that a given rep was not as explosive as the preceding rep of that exercise, you stop that exercise and move on to the next. That’s a very quick and dirty explanation, but it sounds like neural charge circuits are the thing you’re looking for so I recommend that you search those on here.[/quote]

Don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I think I gave into a little paranoia had two weeks of leave over the holidays in which I still trained but my waist definitely got softer…

So I was thinking more along the lines of fat burning but CT’s neural charges are more in line with what I was really thinking about. I’m going for more work through more frequent workouts and just trying to avoid burning myself out.[/quote]

Conditioning circuits are awesome for sure. Those have been a huge part of me not looking like complete shit after the holidays haha. When you’re pushing burnout, throwing in a quick NC circuit can do good things for at least keeping your neural fatigue under control even if your muscular fatigue is out of control from the conditioning/weight work.

[quote]DarkNinjaa wrote:

[quote]Pat Flynn RKC wrote:
Here’s a few more in terms of kettlebell complex training, I’ll dig up some technique videos as well - I know i have a few on the clean but I have to dig through my site to find them.

Single Kettlebell Complex 1 - Kettlebell Complex Training - A Vulgar Display of Metabolic Conditioning - YouTube

The Flynn Man-Maker - The Ultimate Kettlebell Complex for Fat Loss and Conditioning: The Flynn Man Maker - YouTube

Double Bell COmplex (slightly easier than the one posted before) - Kettlebell Training - Destroy Yourself with This Hellish Kettlebell Metcon Complex - YouTube

12 Minute Kettlebell Complex from Hell - Hack off body fat with the 12 minute kettlebell complex from hell - YouTube

High VOltage Kettlebell Complex - High Voltage Kettlebell Complex for Fat Loss and Conditioning - YouTube

Burn Complex - "Burn" Kettlebell Complex: Metabolic Conditioning - YouTube

Just a few of the many I have on my site - let me know which one’s you guys like best.

A few quick tips for the clean -

  1. Loosen your grip as you “uppercut” through the bell - death gripping the kettlebell will only slow and delay the rotation

  2. Think about cleaning to your hip - if you uppercut through too late and/or put too much into your clean then again you will overshoot the bell and end up with some sore forearms

  3. Tame the arc- Keep the trajectory of the bell as vertical as possible. Think hips are the engine, arms are the steering wheel - if you let the bell arc out too much then it eventually must come back - and this is often quite painful - same applies to the kettlebell snatch.

  4. To tame the arc, just think you are “zipping up a big coat” drawing/uppercutting the kettlebell straight up your center line.

  5. Thumb in on the backswing and rotate the thumb out as you uppercut - this will aid in the rotation/swivel around the forearm.

Again, Ill try and find the video soon - hope those tips help![/quote]

[/quote]

Hey, Pat–

Awesome complexes! I’ve been getting into kettlebells recently after years of barbell/dumbbell lifting. This is great! It’s really interesting the way you structure your complexes. Could you explain how you put those complexes together?
Thanks!

Pat, do you put your complexes together along the lines of focus on say a vertical pull or a horizontal press kind of thing, or is it more like you throw things together to get the maximum muscle taxation?

Christine and BigMetal,

Thanks for the ?'s, a lot I answer in my metabolic conditioning eBook but I’ll give you some ideas that may help.

The primary purpose of metabolic conditioning is to switch between muscle groups and energy systems (phosphagenic, glycolitic, and oxidative) and to train the efficiency of each of these metabolic pathways while simultaneously creating a large amount of systemic fatigue (which again is done by switching through muscle groups so you do not smoke one muscle group too much at one time, yet keep the system working as a whole for a prolonged period).

Understanding the premise of metcon can help you to develop complexes (which are just one of many tools that I use for metcon work).

Personally, I love kettlebell complexes because of how easy it is to flow through the movements ( I do utilize barbells and some other modalities as well but not as often for complex work).

So simply put,

metabolic conditioning = moderate to heavy strength efforts + elevated cardiovascular stress

Whatever movements and how you arrange them to achieve that is up to you! Sometimes it just takes some experimentation. See what you come up with and share it on this thread!

Pat, this is what I came up with yesterday. Is this the kind of pathway switches you are looking for?

Hey Pat, thought I would grow a pair and try your “Senator, the Kettlebell is a friend of mine” circuit you posted on here. Tell me what you think…

Metalguy,

Nice attempt! Thanks for giving it a go.

Few Tips

  1. Maintain neutral spine - looks like you may have some slight lumbar flexion going on when swinging/cleaning/snatching. This includes neutral c-spine as well. pack in the neck

  2. Take the time to develop each movement individually before stringing them together.

  3. Windmills - A windmill is really just T-spine rotation and a hip hinge (not a side bend) - be sure to keep the rear leg locked out and the majority of your weight on it.

Overall solid work - that complex is not easy, especially if you’re operating with 20kg bells or higher. Keep it up

[quote]Pat Flynn RKC wrote:
Metalguy,

Nice attempt! Thanks for giving it a go.

Few Tips

  1. Maintain neutral spine - looks like you may have some slight lumbar flexion going on when swinging/cleaning/snatching. This includes neutral c-spine as well. pack in the neck

  2. Take the time to develop each movement individually before stringing them together.

  3. Windmills - A windmill is really just T-spine rotation and a hip hinge (not a side bend) - be sure to keep the rear leg locked out and the majority of your weight on it.

Overall solid work - that complex is not easy, especially if you’re operating with 20kg bells or higher. Keep it up

[/quote]

Pat, thanks for the advice. What are some recommendations on creating this neutral C and T spine?

Metalguy -

For hinging try this drill…

Place a broom stick on your back - make sure it touches the crown of your head, your upper back (t-spine) and sacrum (tailbone). The stick will not touch your natural lordotic curvature (lumbar and cervical) and this is where you will place your hands to hold the stick on your back (lower back and behind your neck).

Now hinge like you would in a deadlift while maintaining all three points of contact with the broomstick. If you lose one point of contact, then you have thrown yourself out of a neutral spine, so reset and try again. Take your time with this and practice the drill often so you know exactly how it feels to be neutral and how it feels when you are thrown out of neutral

[quote]Pat Flynn RKC wrote:
Metalguy -

For hinging try this drill…

Place a broom stick on your back - make sure it touches the crown of your head, your upper back (t-spine) and sacrum (tailbone). The stick will not touch your natural lordotic curvature (lumbar and cervical) and this is where you will place your hands to hold the stick on your back (lower back and behind your neck).

Now hinge like you would in a deadlift while maintaining all three points of contact with the broomstick. If you lose one point of contact, then you have thrown yourself out of a neutral spine, so reset and try again. Take your time with this and practice the drill often so you know exactly how it feels to be neutral and how it feels when you are thrown out of neutral[/quote]

Pat, that sounds like a good drill for me. I will try to post a video also because I sought out help from another RKC on some of the finer points.

Metalguy,

If you get the vid up I’d be happy to take a look. Cheers!

Great work Metalguy, I think you were facing the wrong way doing the windmill. When I do them whatever bell is in my hand the same leg is the lead foot. I don’t know if it matters, but I’ve never seen someone face the other direction.

Dan John had another great kettlebell complex. Double kettlebells

Double Military Press x 8
Double Clean x 8
Double Squat x 8
Deadlift x 8.

I own Pat’s metabollic training book and all the complexes both single and double are horrible in a good way. He has one alternating double sntaches and squats, increasing reps. With a double 35’s I was ready to puke.

Thanks for the awesome testimonial! My new Metabolic Conditioning eBook launches tomorrow. If you liked the first one your going to love(hate) the new one!

Barbell Complex 1:

Power Clean
Overhead Press (or Push Press)
Front Squat
Bent Row (or Pendlay Row)
Romanian Deadlift
Stiff Left Deadlift (or regular DL)

Barbell Complex 2:

Power Snatch
Overhead Squat
Jump Shrug (or High Pull)
Bent Row (or Pendlay Row)
SLDL (or RDL or DL)

Figured this was worth a bump since I just started a phase where I’m alternating “regular” lifting with complexes every other session (so 1-2 complex workouts per week).

Barbell complex

  • Row
  • Romanian deadlift
  • High pull from the hang
    (1 quick snatch to put the bar behind the head)
  • Forward lunge
    (1 quick press and re-grip into position)
  • Power curl a.k.a reverse-grip clean
  • Military press
  • Back squat

Right now, I’m shooting for 3x8 (4 per leg with lunges). Strict 60 seconds rest after the first set, strict 90 seconds rest after the second.

I’ll probably shave down rest on the second set, and once they’re both 60 seconds, I’ll bump up the weight.