The Hell with Cardio Machines: A new way to burn fat, get shredded, and look like a BOSS on the beach! By Matt Hamilton

I can’t tell you how many times I walk into the gym and see someone on a cardio machine trying to burn fat by going at the same pace for hours! Then they proceed to stretch a little, maybe do a crunch, leave and wonder why they look the same as they did 9 months ago. This really makes me boil inside. Sometimes I get the urge to walk over and help them change their “soft” mind set.

LISTEN FOLKS!!!  If you think spending 40 minutes on an arc trainer or elliptical is going to strip down some serious weight, slim those thighs, and give you abs that could become the hardest metal on the periodic table of elements… well good luck!!

Now… for those who haven’t exited out of the article and said screw this clown yet, I have something earth shattering, groundbreaking, and all-around the best thing you’ve ever heard!!  Okay that may not be so, but I do have something that will work wonders when it comes to shredding fat, building muscle, and increasing your conditioning.

It’s called COMPLEXES!!!

I have to warn you these aren’t for the weak hearted!!  They suck… A LOT!!  They will have you gasping for air, and make you want to crawl back into your momma’s arms.  BUT, if you work hard and stick with them you WILL achieve your goals. 

All right, enough descriptive garbage!  Let’s get into the actual workouts!

What Are Complexes? 

It’s a pretty simple concept really. You are going to “cycle through a series of exercises without putting the bar (dumbbell, or kettle bell) down transitioning smoothly from movement to movement, and performing all the assigned reps on one exercise before moving to the next” (1).  Now that you know what they are, here are a few examples.

Barbell Complex – Alywn Cosgrove’s Evil 8 (2)

Deadlift

Romanian Deadlift

Bentover Row

Power Clean

Front Squat

Push Press

Back Squat

Good Morning

During the first round perform each exercise for 6 reps.  Make sure to complete all 6 reps before moving onto the next exercise.  Rest 90 seconds after you complete the round then do it again only this time perform 5 reps per exercises.  Rest 90 seconds and do it again but only 4 reps per exercise.  Continue this trend until you complete the complex with 1 rep each exercise.  Keep the same weight all 5 rounds.

Dumbbell Complex – Chad Waterbury’s Submission Complex (2)

Reverse Lunges x 6 reps each leg

Romanian Deadlift x 12 reps

Good Morning x 12 reps

Front Squat x 6 reps

Military Press x 6 reps

Bentover Row x 6 reps

Floor Press x 12 reps

Rest 60 seconds and try to complete this complex 2-4 times.

Barbell Complex – HamDog’s Oly Hell

Snatch Grip Deadlift x 5

Hang Snatch x 5

Over-Head Squat x 5

Back Squat x 5

Push Press x 5

Hang Clean x 5

Conventional Deadlift x 5

Take 90 seconds to rest and perform 3-5 rounds.

So some of you may not know how to perform Olympic lifts like the snatch or clean but that doesn’t mean you can’t perform some of these complexes.  Here is another complex that you only use a plate for.  You don’t need to know how to Olympic lift for this one, but it’ll still kick your ass if you give it your all!

Plate Complex – Nick Tumminello’s Plate Metabolic Circuit (2)

Overhead Squat x 6-8

Swings (Like kettle bell swings) x 6-8

Bent Over Row x 6-8

Reverse Lunge with Twist x 6-8

Diagonal Chops x 6-8

Perform the complex 5 times and rest 90 seconds between rounds.  What’s great about this complex is that you can simply buy a plate from a yard sale, and can have a great workout anywhere you go!

So there you have it folks! A sure way to burn fat, get shredded, and look like a BOSS on the beach!  One of the best things about complexes is that they only take 12-20 minutes to complete. Everyone complains that they don’t have time to go to the gym, well now you only need 20 minutes max in the gym. STOP wasting hours on the cardio machine and start killing it on the Olympic platforms as you bust out a bad ass complex.

Stay fit my friends!

-HamDog

(1) Romaniello, John. "Complexes 2.0 — Optimize Your Fat-Loss Workouts." Testosterone Muscle Articles. N.p., 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 19 July 2013.

(2) Shugart, Chris. "Screw Cardio! Four Complexes for a Shredded Physique." Testosterone Muscle Articles. N.p., 26 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 July 2013.