Complex Training
For information purposes only. Exercise at your own
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Weight Training, is now a universal element in virtually every high level athlete's training routine. Progressive overload of muscle groups, causes the muscle fibres to enlarge and the central nervous system to adapt.
In the never ending quest to improve upon conventional bodybuilding as a form of strength and power training, sport scientists have developed Complex Training. A conventional weight lifting exercise is followed by an explosive/plyometric exercise.
An example of complex training would include performing a set of squats followed by a set of jump squats. Anecdotal sources have described the application of complex training
Research conducted examing complex training, includes short term / acute trials and longer term intervention studies, within which the subjects adopt a training regime to examine whether or not complex training increases power output. For example, in an attempt to quantify differences between complex and non-complex plyometric exercises, one acute stud ycompared electromyographic (EMG) and kinetic variables, such as ground reaction forces, associated with the medicine ball power drop performed beforeand following a set of 3-5 RM bench press. More specifically, subjects performed the power drop exercise lying supine on a bench press bench that was mounted to a force platform.
Results from this study revealed no significant difference for mean o rmaximum ground reaction force and integrated EMG for the muscles evaluated in each power drop condition. In other words, the medicine ball powerdrop performed in the complex training condition wasequally effective, but not superior, in eliciting motor unit activation or force output compared to the sam eexercise performed before the 3-5RM bench press setin the non-complex condition (Ebben et al., 2000).
A similar study, using female subjects resulted in the same findings of no significant differences between the complex and non-complex training groups (Jensenet al., 1999).Other research has examined the complextraining effect of combined bench press and medicine ball throws demonstrating improve plyometric performance in the complex condition.
More specifically, one study sought to determine whether or not upper body power could be enhanced by performing a heavy bench press set prior to anexplosive medicine ball put. Results indicate asignificant increase medicine ball put distance of 31.4cm (no standard deviation available) following the 5RM bench press compared to the medicine ball pu tbefore the bench press Researchers also report a strong correlation between improvement in medicine ball put distance and 5RM bench press strength (Evanset al., 2000)
The jump height for the LCMJ afterthe squat was 40.0 cm ±3.5cm compared to a pre-squatjump height of 39.0 ± 3.3 cm, resulting in a 2.8%improvement in jump performance. The authorsindicate that there was a significant correlationbetween the 5 RM load and jump performance Results suggest that for complex training, a high loadweight training exercise performed four minutesbefore a power exercise increased the performance ofthe power exercise, especially for stronger individuals.
Training studies have also been conducted toexamine the effectiveness of complex training. For example, one study compared the effects of strength training and complex training in boys and girls (8.1 ±1.6 years). Results demonstrate that children attain similar gains in upper-body strength and endurance using either strength or complex training programs(Faigenbaum et al., 1999). In addition to studies using children assubjects, other training studies examined the effects ofa three-week complex training program with sevendivision I college female basketball players. Pre andpost test results reveal improvement in the 300 mshuttle, 1 mile run, VO2 max, 20 yd dash, pro agility run and the t-test, reverse leg press and back squat.The data show that the complex training program was effective in eliciting statistically significant improvement in the 300-meter shuttle.
However, the research design does not appear to have evaluated the effectiveness of non-complex training combinations ofplyometrics and weight training or used a controlgroup (Zepeda and Gonzalez, 2000).In another training study evaluating complextraining, Burger et al. (2000) examined the effectiveness of a complex training group compared toa group who performed all of the weight trainingexercises after the plyometric exercises. Each group performed the same 7 week routine except thecomplex training group performed the plyometricexercises in a superset with biomechanically similar resistance training exercises, whereas the other group performed the plyometric exercises separately, following the resistance training exercises. Subjects included seventy-eight division I college football players.
Subjects were pre and post-tested with avariety of tests including percentage of body fat,bench press, squat, power clean, medicine ball throw, broad jump, vertical jump and the I test. Both groups demonstrated improvement in all eight of the tests. However, the complex training group demonstrated significant between group vertical jump improvement (2.8 cm) compared to the non-complex training group(0.1cm).
These recent studies represent the vast majority of research conducted on complex training.Previously, Ebben and Watts (1998) reviewed theresearch on various combinations of weight trainingand plyometric training as well as complex training. At that time, despite numerous brief references tocomplex training in the literature, only one trainingstudy specifically examined complex training. Theresults from that study were difficult to interpret,however, due to the absence of published numericaldata (Verkhoshansky and Tetyan, 1973). Accordingto Ebben and Watts (1998), complex training programdesign must consider important variables such as exercise selection, load, and rest between sets. Recentresearch offers additional guidelines regarding thesevariables and raises the question about age and genderspecific effects as well. Recent acute studies suggest that complex training may be effective for upper (Evans et al.,2000) and lower body training (Radcliffe andRadcliffe, 1999) and may be more effective for males(Radcliffe and Radcliffe, 1999). Additionally, prerequisite strength and the intensity of the load(RM) used in the weight training portion of thecomplex may be important in eliciting a complextraining effect during the plyometric condition (Younget al. 1998).
Recent research also suggests that threeto four minutes of rest between the weight training andplyometric training portions of the complex may beoptimal (Evans et al, 2000; Radcliffe and Radcliffe etal. 1999; Young et al., 1998). Ultimately, even thestudy that demonstrated no advantage associated with performing power drops after the bench press showedthat performing plyometrics in complex training is atleast as effective as performing them in a non-complex fashion (Ebben et al., 2000).Recent complex training studies that examined the effect of complex training for children and femaleathletes suggests that complex training was equally aseffective, but not superior to other strength trainingprograms (Faigenbaum et al., 1999; Zepeda andGonzalez, 2000). This finding may be consistent with the idea that prerequisite strength is necessary forcomplex training to be most effective and that this type of training may be best suited for those who are highly trained (Ebben and Watts, 1998).
In contrast, the effectiveness of complextraining was demonstrated in part, with male division Icollege football players. In this case, researchers foundthat the complex training group demonstrated significant between group vertical jump improvementBurger et al., (2000). The vertical jump performance improvement associated with complex training isconsistent with the purported role of complex trainingas an effective training strategy for improving power(Ebben and Watts, 1998). Evidence suggests thatjumping ability seems to demonstrate an acute improvement in response to complex training stimulus according to the findings of Young et al. (1998) aswell as improving as a result of a chronic complextraining stimulus (Burger et al., 2000).
Anecdotal observations, publications, andconference presentations on the topic suggest complextraining is an area of interest for conditioning professionals. Empirically minded professionals have responded with data to guide the application of complex training. Minimally, complex training can bean efficient way to organize combined weight trainingand plyometric training since both types of trainingcan be performed during the same session in the same facility. Additionally, research suggests that complex training is at least equally effective, and in some casessuperior, when compared to other forms of combined weight and plyometric training as evidenced byincreased medicine ball throwing power, superioracute jump performance, and improved vertical jumpin response to a chronic complex training stimulus.Recent research suggests that it may benecessary to allow three or four minutes rest betweenthe weight training and plyometric conditions .Finally, these data demonstrate a possible relationship between strength and plyometric performance in the complex suggesting that this training strategy maybest be suited for more highly trained individualsusing RM loads in the weight training portion of thecomplex. Future research should examine the effects of the specific type of exercises employed, age, gender, training status and load/intensity on complex training.
