Why Bar Complex?

Hey everyone 👋🏻 
So those of you who know me know I ❤️ bar complexes – but I also ❤️ burpees – so I might be a bit crazy 😜.. but my love for bar complexes comes from what an amazing effect they have on your performance in general – in workouts and in lifting! 

Sooo – maybe I should start off this post with the definition of a bar complex – a bar complex is a group of interconnected movements (generally weight lifting movements – hence the ‘bar’) which are generally done in close succession with the same weight… A bar complex is very often given with a stipulation of either time or that you cannot let go of the bar during the complex 🏋🏼‍♀️… I tend to find that you either love these complexes or simply hate them – but either way – the important question is why is this useful as part of our training?

Especially in CrossFit WODs where we have to cycle through movements and lifts quickly (think DT – 5 rounds of 12 Deadlifts, 9 Hang power cleans and 6 Jerks) or do multiple reps in succession (think DT or even Grace etc.) these complexes are fantastic for preparing your body and your mind (and your muscles) for these kind of workouts.. Why? -they help to train your grip strength, to learn how to catch short periods of rest with the barbell off of the floor and also train your mental strength to push through those last few reps…. I like to experiment with movements that naturally flow into one another and I generally program them into an EMOM so as to push you to learn how much rest you really require… I also find that these complexes are a great way to practice heavier than usual lifts and a bit more fun than your avearage 5 sets of 5 back squats for example… These are also a fantastic way to track your progress as the more bar complexes you do the stronger you will become and the heavier you can load your bar for the same complexes… So – I think a natural end to this post is to give you three complexes I really love to do and which I think are super for tracking progress:

1 – The Bear 🐻 Complex – this one is a classic that I surely will not take the credit for – this is basically 5 rounds of 7 sets of 1 clean, 1 front squat, 1 push press, 1 back squat, 1 push press – the only rule being that you have to do the 7 sets in succession without releasing the bar (i.e. touch and go) – then you may rest between rounds as required.

2 – EMOM 12′ – 1 Squat Snatch + 2 Hang Snatch + 3 Overhead Squats – I loved doing this one as I really got the chance to practice my snatch (which is very shakey on a good day) but the more I do it the better it gets and this was a really fun way to practice it.

3 – 5 Rounds of 3 sets of 2 Squat Cleans, 2 Front Squats and 2 Push Jerks unbroken – This was another super fun one which is an absolute leg killer.. This is on similar lines to the bear complex in that the three sets must be unbroken but following that you may rest between rounds as needed.

So these are my top three bar complexes at the moment but I try to create a new one every week so I might have more updates at a later date!

Hope you enjoyed this post and found something useful and if you try out any of these complexes and have any comments just drop me a line below!

Amy

✌🏻🏋🏼‍♀️😊