Òó7 Barbell Complex

148 / Australian Iron Man www.ironmanmag.com.au

http://www.ironmanmag.com.au

If you’re a hardcore bodybuilder and live and die by the barbell, I’m sure you believe that the

wave of CrossFit (and other forms of high-intensity exercise) sweeping the nation is just another fad and will soon fade away. To be honest, I’m just like the rest of you lifters who are sick of seeing fitness fads come and go that make hard-to-keep promises. Nowadays, people shy away from hard work and dedication to hitting their goals. It pisses me off, and I’m sick of it.

Want results? Eat food from the earth, take the necessary supplements, and work your ass off in the gym. It’s quite simple, except too many people are looking for the next quick fix. With all the scientific and practical research out there, we

have by now figured out what works and what doesn’t. We know how to get strong and how to gain muscle mass, but with so many experts saying their way works, confusion arises — and rightfully so.

I tend to flip the page every time I read about some new fitness gimmick

promising extraordinary results, but I tend to stay on the page when I read about high-intensity exercising and CrossFit. Why? Well, as luck would

have it, that type of training produces results and produces them fast.

Here are some of the researchers’ comments regarding body composition improvements in a 10-week study of men and women who participated in CrossFit workouts coupled with a strict diet:

“Researchers reported that there were significant decreases in body fat percentage for both males and females.” The researchers noted that

Want results? eat food from the earth, take the necessary supplements, and Work

your ass off in the gym. it’s quite simple.

the BarBell

complexSpike your muscle size and short-circuit a body fat riseBy Cornell Hunt • Photography courtesy of MHP

www.ironmanmag.com.au Australian Iron Man \ 149


The BarBell Complex

body fat across the board dropped around 3.7 per cent over the 10-week period. The men lost 3.46 kg of body weight, dropping from 90.71 to 87.25 kg, which corresponded to 4.2 per cent body fat (from 22.2 to 18.0 kg). The men also gained 0.98 kg of muscle (from 70.25 to 71.23 kg).

“Females lost 1.79 kg of body weight (from 68.02 to 66.23 kg),

dropped 3.4 per cent body fat (from 26.6 to 23.2 kg) and gained 1.06 kg of muscle (from 49.0 to 50.06 kg). Also, when broken down into five quintiles [ranging from well below average to well above average], it was shown that every single group reduced their body fat percentage.”

So, basically, the research shows that high-intensity training works

especially well for people who want to improve the way they look in a bathing suit. There are limitations to every study and everything must be read carefully to discern results, but it’s safe to say that when you’re looking to drop body fat, high-intensity training makes a great case.

Typical hardcore lifters usually spend the majority of their training sessions lifting, with some treadmill cardio thrown in at the end. Now, I’m sure that works because so many people have been doing it for so long and getting results. For me, though, and maybe for you, my ADD keeps me away from the treadmill, so I look for more exciting ways to get my ‘cardio’ in.

the research shoWs that high-intensity training Works especially

Well for people looking to improve the Way they look in a Bathing suit.



The BarBell Complex

One of the most exciting and time-efficient workouts that you can do is ‘barbell complexes’. A barbell complex allows you to perform different exercises with just the barbell, transitioning from one exercise to the next with minimal rest. It’s a great way to spike your heart rate and burn through your fat stores, especially when you’re done with your heavy-lifting session and glycogen storage is scarce. The beauty of the barbell

complex is that you can control how difficult you want it to be just by varying the reps or the time that you want to perform each exercise.

Here’s one of my favourite complexes, which uses five common barbell exercises. Respect it, because it has earned that right!

Perform a ‘ladder’, doing every exercise for 10 reps, then nine reps and so on, working your way down to one repetition for each exercise. Be sure to pick a weight you can use for all five exercises, and try not to put the barbell down in the middle of the complex.

Cornell’S barbell

Complex

Hang cleans. Grab the barbell and hold it about a thumb width away from your thighs. Moving your hips

a BarBell complex alloWs you to

perform different exercises With

just the BarBell, transitioning

from one exercise to the next With

minimal rest. it’s a great Way to spike

your heart rate and Burn through your fat stores.



The BarBell Complex

back, lower the bar to your knees. Immediately explode upward and extend your hips forward, letting the bar travel upward by bending your arms at the same time. ‘Catch’ the bar on your shoulders with your elbows up, and then lower and repeat.

Shoulder presses. Stand erect and hold the bar on your shoulders with a moderately wide grip. Press the bar up over your head, making sure to keep it directly overhead. Lower under control, and repeat. Don’t cheat — avoid any jerking as you press.

Squat jumps. Put the bar across the top of your deltoids and below your traps, holding it in place with a wide grip. Squeeze your shoulder blades back to create the shelf so the

bar can sit comfortably on your upper back. Drop into a deep squat, and then explode back upward, letting your feet leave the ground as you fully extend your knees and hips. Once you land back on the floor, immediately drop back into your squat and jump again, repeating for the required reps.

Bent-over rows. Keeping your knees slightly bent and your back arched, push your hips backward

until your torso is close to parallel to the ground. Hold a barbell below your chest with a moderately wide, overhand grip. Without jerking your torso to assist, pull the barbell up to your sternum, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top. Lower under control and repeat.

Cheat curls. You can perform these strictly, but as they are the last exercise and biceps are a smaller

perform a “ladder,” doing every exercise for 10 reps, then nine reps and so on, Working your

Way doWn to one repetition for each exercise.



The BarBell Complex

muscle group, you may not be able to handle the same amount of weight as you did on the other exercises. Hence, the call for ‘cheat curls’. When doing a cheat curl, bring the bar down to the middle of your thighs, and then use your legs to help assist you in

performing the curl. Squeeze your arms briefly at the top, and then lower the weight quickly but under control. Repeat for the desired reps.

Note: You can make this workout harder by adding a little twist — employ a five-burpee ‘penalty’ for

every time you have to put the bar down. That will work mental strength and grip strength as well!

This conditioning workout is great for burning fat, increasing your metabolism and torching calories in a short amount of time. The research is out there and supports high-intensity training as a great means of improving your body composition. I’m not here to say that the old way of training doesn’t work, but show a little respect to the new methods of training, as they can help you get to your goals and get there a little faster.

Be sure to pick a Weight you can use for all five exercises, and try not to put the BarBell

doWn in the middle of the complex.



Òó7 Barbell Complex

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