The Power of Complexes eBook (1)

The Dragon Gym and Chronicles Of Strength Presents

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

© 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

physique to withstand all odds and be free from ailments as far as practicable” “Build a

DRAGON GYM MARTIAL ARTS AND FITNESS www.dragongym.com www.chroniclesofstrength.com The Power of Complexes: Metabolic Conditioning for Superior Athleticism and Conditioning © 2011 by Dragon Gym Legacy Inc, All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

This publication is for personal use only and may not be copied or distributed without prior written permission. Limits of Liability and Disclaimer: The authors and publishers of this book have made their best efforts to ensure that the information provided in this publication is accurate and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Additionally, you should use this information as you see fit and entirely at your own risk. Lastly, use common sense and good judgment. Nothing in this publication is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical or other professional advice and is meant only to inform and entertain the reader. © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

Dragon Gym Martial Arts & Fitness and the Authors recommend the following resources: Find a Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified Instructor “Choosing a Dragon Door -Certified Kettlebell Instructor Can Save You Frustration, Money and Time —W hile Ensuring You Achieve Your Precious Goals for Weight Loss, Strength, Conditioning and Athletic Performance”

Enter The Kettlebell! Strength Secrets of the Soviet Supermen By Pavel Tsatsouline 200 pages.

Super Joints Russian Longevity Secrets for Pain-Free Movement, Maximum Mobility & Flexible Strength By Pavel Tsatsouline 130 pages.

Relax into Stretch Instant Flexibility Through Mastering Muscle Tension With Pavel Tsatsouline 150 pages.

Dragon Door Kettlebells Without your body, you are nothing – invest wisely when it comes to your most precious asset!


The Power of Complexes: Metabolic Conditioning for Superior Athleticism and Conditioning By Pat Flynn - RKC

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 a certain degree of mental sickness, for this level of training. Perhaps it takes a person 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 cardiovascul ar systems. © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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 often requires greater core recruitment and stabilization. For all s ingle 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)! © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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 © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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 © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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! 10. The 12-Minute Kettlebell Complex From Hell This one doesn’t need much in terms of elaboration. Similar to :Give Me a Bullet to Bite On”, except for some slightly different sequencing and the fact that I recommend that you perform this one with a bell one size up from the one you have used for “Gimme a Bullet to Bite On”. Perform 30 seconds of each exercise (L+R) with no rest until the entire 12 minutes are up. You can easily make an entire workout out of this complex just by running through it 2-3 times! One Arm Swing Clean High Pull Snatch Jerk Single Leg Deadlift Reverse Lunge Military Press Overhead or Racked Squat Two Hand Swing Swing Burpees (Add a push up in between each swing rep) Plank – hold this for 1 minute total Check out the 12-minute Kettlebell Complex from Hell! 11. Low, Down, and Really, Really Dirty This one has a fun flow to it, that is until you’ve gone through it five or six times and you’re about ready to vomit (just be sure to maintain good form as you hinge over a proper receptacle)! Start by cleaning the bell into the rack, immediately from there step back into a reverse lunge. Hold the kneeling lunge position as you re-clean the bell yet again from there (be sure that your stance is wide enough so that you don’t hit your knees). Then continue to press the bell up to a full lockout still from the kneeling position, then stand up with the bell locked out over head. Finally, drop the bell back down and perform one snatch, but keep it locked out yet again and finish by performing one windmill. You may wish to cycle through this multiple times on one side before switching, or you may perform it in a “2 to 10” fashion. The “2 to 10” fashion means that you start © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

by performing two reps of each exercise, then the next time through you perform three reps, working your way up to 10 reps of each movement! Clean Reverse Lunge Kneeling Clean Press From Kneel Overhead Lunge Windmill 12. High Voltage Very similar to “All Jacked Up” in terms of exercise selection (except the reverse lunge is out and the jerk is now in), but now I’m going to offer some special variety in regards to how you can perform this complex. Option 1: 5 reps each movement, and switch sides once you have completed each exercise. Repeat as many times as desired One Arm Swing – 5 reps Clean – 5 reps High Pull – 5 reps Snatch – 5 reps Jerk – 5 reps Option 2: Remember the “2 to 10” fashion in the last complex? Well now we are going to do the “10 to 2” with a ten rep finisher! I first saw this rep scheme used a while back when reading an article about how the actors trained for the TV show Spartacus. So I applied this rep scheme to a few kettlebell complexes, analyzed the misery index, and quickly concluded that this is simply what an eternity In hell would feel like physically manifested into the form of a workout. I think you are going to love/hate this one. Here’s how it works; start by performing ten reps of each exercise. Once you get through the chain of exercises on your right, switch sides and go through immediately on your left. Rests for as little as possible then begin again on your right, this time performing 9 reps of each exercise. Work your way all the way down to two reps. But wait! It’s not done yet. For the last set, you bump all the way back up to ten reps of each movement! May god have mercy. Here is a video of me performing option 1: © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

High Voltage Kettlebell Complex 13. Piggy Piggy is very simple. It’s just three exercises that flow together incredibly well. One clean, right into one squat, and finishing with one over-head press. The beauty of piggy is that this complex is best done for time rather than reps or sets. The design allows you to use a slight bit of momentum to complete your press as the fatigue catches up to you. Perhaps start by performing Piggy for five minutes (2.5 minutes right and 2.5 minutes left). And as you become more and more conditioned, either up the weight or increase the amount of time. Clean to Squat to Press Here’s Piggy

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 © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

be covered again later in this ebook:) Watch me perform this complex! 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 exercises…oh 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 © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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 © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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 8. Flynn Man-Maker 2.0 Presenting the Hardstyle Flynn Man-Maker Version 2.0! This time around the man maker offers layers and for some more creative options for working your way through this complex. One set is equal to running through each layer 5 times (or 5 cycles). You may wish to perform one set at each layer before progression got the next, or extend this complex into an entire workout by itself and perform 3-5 sets at each layer (I swear I heard god calling down from heaven the first time I did that!) Layer 1: Front Squat, See-Saw Press x 5 cycles Layer 2: Double Clean, Front Squat, See-Saw Press x 5 cycles Layer 3: Double Swing, Double Clean, Front Squat, See-Saw Press, Push Up on Bells x 5 cycles Layer 4: Double Swing, Double Clean, Front Squat, See-Saw Press, Push Up on Bells, Renegade Row x 5 cycles © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

Here’s a video of me running through this daunting complex: Flynn Man-Maker 2.0 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 © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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 © 2011. Dragon Gym Legacy Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.dragongym.com/ebooks.htm

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

Single and Double Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 3: Piggy – 5 minutes (2.5 R + 2.5 L) High Voltage – Option 2: 10 to 2 with a 10 rep finisher Flynn Man-Maker 2.0 – 2 - 3 sets of each layer Single and Double Kettlebell Complex Sample Workout 4: 12 Minute Kettlebell Complex From Hell Low, Down, and Really, Really Dirty – 5 Cycles (L+R) – minimize rest between cycles Ruff Stuff – 2 to 3 sets

Want to get even stronger? Visit http://www.chroniclesofstrength.com today to find out how! Bonus Video Content: Comlex Demo 1 Complex Demo 2 Complex Demo 3 Grinder Complex


The Power of Complexes eBook (1)

Recommend Documents