Complex training is a type of weight lifting that is meant to replace your traditional cardio sessions. Because the body often shows adaptation to repetitive endurance activities, complexes allow you to overcome this barrier so you are consistently getting results from your workout. Additionally, because complexes are done using strength training exercises, there will be a better transfer to your lifting workouts as well.

Due to the manner in which complex training is performed you will be primarily focusing on the cardiovascular side of your conditioning, rather than the pure strength side. This means that while they are definitely a good addition to your lift training, complexes are by no means a replacement.

Complex training involves a number of exercises performed in succession. During this time you will need to keep the weight exactly the same so that you can move fluidly from one exercise to the next. Because of this lack of a break period, you will increase your metabolism sufficiently so that the routine is more comparable with a high intensity interval training cardio session.

After choosing the exercises that you will perform, you will want to complete all of your specified reps for one exercise and then move to the next immediately afterward. It is not an alternating type of protocol where you would perform a squat movement, then an overhead press movement, followed by another squat movement then an overhead press and so on. Rather, you would do all of your squats, then move directly into your overhead press reps.

This type of workout is incredibly demanding on the body in terms of metabolic processes and recovery, so you will definitely need to keep that in mind. The weight you are using will need to be reduced drastically from the amount you would normally lift, particularly as you are reaching the end of the complex series when both your muscular and nervous system are likely to be extremely fatigued. Don’t try and be macho for these exercises — less really is more when it comes to complexes.