19 years old. There I was, plastered on the floor with a lowly 65 lbs on the barbell beside me. My lungs ached, forearms screamed, and legs felt like jello.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredpolin/4560294699/

In my post-workout daze I said “Are you shitting me? I can deadlift 3x my bodyweight and 1/3 of my bodyweight just made me it’s little bitch. There is no way this should be difficult. But it was.” 

A new method The BEST way to Burn Body Fat was born.

It’s been 5 years since I first used them, but my first experience with barbell complexes still rings loud and clear. Barbell complexes are arguably the most efficient method to rapidly boost conditioning and strip body fat.

You see, although I base most workouts around multi-joint barbell exercises combining them all into a series was something new. In most cases, the more familiar you are with an exercise the less effective it is for fat loss and body composition changes.

The hard to swallow fact is, traditional cardio is a piss-poor method for fat loss. Most people become very efficient on the treadmill or elliptical quickly, leading the body to adapt and become more efficient. To give it to you straight, the things you suck at are probably the best for losing fat.

I have yet to train anyone who breezes through barbell complexes and hasn’t shed flubber. The best part is, they only take 10 minutes at the end of your workout.

For barbell complexes the only equipment needed is space to move, a barbell, and possibly a few weights. Regardless of strength levels I’d recommend starting with an empty barbell. Speed and full range of motion are more important than weight. In addition, adding too much weight will hinder your recovery and conflict with the remainder of your intelligent programming. Move as fast as possible through each exercise without putting the bar down. Your heart will be pulsating through your t-shirt, your lunges will scream, but damn you will be glad you did these.

Here are three of my favorite barbell complexes

“Rookie”

1. deadlift 4×12 rest 0
2. hang clean 4×12 rest 0
3. Military press 4×12 rest 0
4. front squat 4×12 rest 60-90 sec

“The Olympian” 

Bach Performance Athlete Raven Cepeda performs complexes only 10 minutes per week to stay lean while bulking for a powerlifting meet

1. Hang Snatch 3×10 Rest 0
2. Push Press 3×10 Rest 0
3. Hang Clean 3×10 Rest 0
4. Front Squat 3×10 Rest 0
5. Front Squat Reverse Lunge 3×10 Rest 0
6. High Pull 3×10 rest 60-90 sec

**Note: If you don’t know how to properly perform these exercises avoid this sequence. Never perform exercises without proper training, but even more with overhead lifts such as the Olympic lifts.

“The Widow Maker”

1. Overhead Press 2×10 Rest 0
2. back squat 2×10 Rest 0
3. reverse lunge 2×10 Rest 0
4. hang clean 2×10 Rest 0
5. front squat 2×10 Rest 0
6. bent over row 2×10 Rest 0
7. Romanian deadlift 2×10 Rest 0
8. Front Squat lunge 2×10 Rest 0
9. biceps curl 2×10 Rest 0
10. front squat hold calf raise 2×10 Rest 90-120 sec

Will you step up to the plate and make 10 extra minutes for Complexes?

Complexes are a great method to dramatically improve your body composition and conditioning without stripping your hard-earned muscle. This isn’t for the faint-hearted or de-conditioned. It’s not for novices or those extremely out of shape. Don’t even try these if you aren’t experienced or coming back from an injury, this isn’t for you. It’s brutal.But if you follow this routine twice per week for four weeks you’ll see ridiculous improvements in your conditioning while stripping off layers of body fat.

What are you waiting for, stop wasting time and get Real Results.

Have you ever performed complexes? Share your favorite workout below!

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaredpolin/4560294699/”>jaredpolin</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>cc</a>