From time to time I like to search the web and see what my competition is up to. I like to be aware of there training styles and philosophies so I can better identify the advantages of choosing us over anyone else. And I strive to keep my prices competitive so I also search for session rates and special offers.

Lately I haven’t been doing this as much, mostly because anytime I look someone up it seems like they’re of business. I have been fortunate to remain a strong and viable business during these tough economic times. And while technically my competition shutting their doors is a positive for my business I find no pleasure in others misfortune.

But recently a new client came to the studio to try out some of the strongman workouts we have been specializing in lately. We took him through a workout consisting of five sets of backwards sled drag alternate with one minute Atlas stone holds. The second circuit alternated the keg load with farmer’s walk. Kettlebell man makers were the finisher.

This is a brutally hard workout that improves nearly every aspect of fitness. It burns fat, builds muscle, increases strength, and improves both anaerobic and aerobic endurance. By any definition you want to use, it is a “functional workout.”

I bring this up because this gentleman has worked with one of my competitors in Raleigh who professes to specialize in “function fitness.” It sparked my interest, and I decided to do some research.

The primary claim on this website was that “functional” training builds a lean, flexible body that is resilient to injury while traditional weight training creates a muscle bound physique that is inflexible, unfunctional, and injury prone. In addition, this website claims that functional training workouts are shorter and less monotonous than traditional workouts.

I have many issues with this claim, including the use of the term “unfunctional.” Although I wasn’t an English major in college, I’m pretty sure this isn’t a word. But let’s just assume it was a typo and this person meant nonfunctional…

No one would describe Adrian Peterson, running back for the Minnesota Vikings as nonfunctional. He led the NFL in rushing last season and is following that up with another all-pro year.

Yet in an interview with Men’s Fitness magazine he speaks about how he built his incredible lower body power with barbell squats and lunges, very traditional strength training movements. And while he trains to be a better football player, a side effect of his workout is a very impressive, lean physique.

Adrian Peterson, All Pro NFL Running Back

And did his “unfunctional” barbell training make Adrian more injury prone? I doubt it. He is routinely tackled by men that outweigh him by over 100 pounds, yet he was able to play in all 16 games last year.

While I have never tested Adrian Peterson’s flexibility, this claim is just as ridicules as the others. One of my former clients is a scholarship football player at Penn State. He is 6’2”, 300 pounds and can bench press a Kia. Yet while I was training him he was also able to do a full split!

Jillian Michaels

Don’t think traditional weight training exercises are just for men. Jillian Michaels, celebrity trainer from “The Biggest Loser” also focuses her workouts on basic moves such as lunges and bench presses. Would you describe her as bulky?

Are traditional workouts monotonous? I think that depends more on the abilities of the trainer than anything else.

The bench press is one of the exercises that almost every functional training guru despises. But nothing adds muscle and strength to the chest, shoulders, and triceps as fast as this basic movement. And like it or not many men are looking to build their upper bodies. With many of them we may bench press twice a week. Yet almost every client raves about the variety. How do we do this?

Take a look at the following two workouts.

Workout one – Vince Gironda Volume Training

A)  Bench Press – 10 sets of 10 reps

Load a barbell with 50-60% of your one rep max. Set your Gym boss timer to beep every minute for ten minutes. Every time it beeps do a set of ten bench presses. If you don’t have a Gym boss timer go get one. They are an amazing help when performing any type of timed or interval workout.

Workout two – The Chain Drop Set

A1)  Bench Press with Three Chains – 5 reps

A2)  Bench Press with Two Chains – 5 reps

A3)  Bench Press with One Chain – 5 reps

A4)  Bench Press – 5 reps

Load a barbell with a combination of plates and three chains. Make sure that you can perform 6-8 reps with the total load. Perform 5 reps and take a chain off each side. Immediately get back down and do 5 more reps. Continue until all the chains are off the bar and perform a final set. Rest three minutes and repeat two more times.

Both workouts include only bench press. Yet both are completely different. No one would feel like they did the same workout two sessions in a row if they were alternated.

Most of our female clients do some type of lunge or split squat every single workout. Most will also tell you that the thing they love most about training with us is that the workouts are always different. Why is that? Because we do over fifty different lunge variations!

One thing I’m not really sure about is why the functional training workouts this trainer puts clients thru are shorter than traditional training. My best guess is that shorter workouts allow him to see more clients in the same amount of time, creating more revenue for his business.

I have received such a high number of inquiries since my first blog on complexes I have decided to post some of the most popular complexes we use here at Kuzora Personal Training in Raleigh , NC :

The Beach Barbell Complex (named for the everlasting pump you get in your arms and shoulders)

Wide Grip Barbell Upright Rows – 12

Medium Grip Barbell Curls – 12

Medium Grip Upright Rows – 12

Close Grip Barbell Curls – 12

Close Grip Barbell Upright Rows – 12

Barbell French Press – 12

Choose a light weight for this one, usually a weight you could curl for at least twenty repetitions. Forty-five to sixty-five pounds works well for most men and an eighteen to twenty-four pound body bar will work for most women.

The Bodybuilders DB Complex (preformed on a flat bench)

Nose-breakers – 15

Semi-supinated Bench Press – 30

Flyes – 15

DB Bench Press – 30

This is great for hyperplasmic hypertrophy in all your upper body pushing muscles or the day after a heavy bench workout as “active recovery.” If you can do two rounds of this complex with thirty pound dumbbells you have an exceptionally high pain tolerance.

The Javorek Inspired Kettlebell Complex

Single Arm Swing – 6

Snatch – 6

Squat with Shoulder Press – 6

Bent Over Row – 6

Snatch – 6

I like to use this complex to perfect kettlebell snatch technique. By the time you get to the second set of snatches your shoulders and upper back are significantly fatigued and you are forced to generate most of the power with your glutes and hamstrings.

The DB Shoulder Tri-set

One & a Quarter DB Military Press – 8

Arnold Press – 6

DB Military Press – 6

Technically more of a mechanical advantage drop set, this complex takes advantage of increasingly easier movements to allow you to keep pressing the weight once you have already reached muscular fatigue. You can perform it seated or standing.

Hopefully these should keep you busy for awhile…

One way we accomplish this is thru our “Fitness Boot Camp.” In these classes we use various exercise modalities and equipment to create a constantly changing and appropriately challenging workout in a supportive, fun environment.

One of our favorite Boot Camp workouts here at Kuzora Personal Training, in Raleigh NC  is the “Blackjack.” Ask any of the people who participate in our boot camp and they will be sure to tell you just how “fun” this workout is!

The basic layout for the workout is as follows:

Perform One Jump Squat (regular squats are fine too!)

Jog 40 yards

Perform Twenty Push-ups (on your toes or your knees)

Jog Back

Repeat nineteen more times increasing the number of jump squats by one and decreasing the number of push-ups by one each time. Try to rest as little as possible.

Pretty simple, right? So let’s turn off the computer and start moving!

Oh, yeah, by the way email me if you can figure out why we call this one the “Blackjack.”

John Kuzora – Kuzora Personal Training Raleigh

Complexes are a series of exercises performed without putting your barbell, kettlebell, or dumbbells down. The many benefits of complexes include:

1) They are very time efficient

2) They require very little equipment

3) They burn a lot of calories

4) They build muscle and improve cardiovascular conditioning at the same time

Istvan Javorek, a professor of fitness and strength and conditioning coach in Kansas who is thought of as the creator or complex training, has this to say about complexes:

“My original goal with the Complex exercises was to find an efficient and aggressive method of performance enhancement that saves time and makes the program more enjoyable.”

So they next time you are pressed for time and need to squeeze in a workout try this complex I adapted from Mixed Martial Arts legend Randy Couture. He is quite possibly the best conditioned 45 year old alive, often out lasting men half his age so when he talks strength and conditioning take notice.

Perform the following series of exercises without putting the barbell down. Half of your Standing Military Press one rep max is a good weight to start with.

Bent Over Row x 8

Upright Row x 8

Military Press x 8

Good Morning x 8

Split Squat Right Leg Forward x 8

Split Squat Left Leg Forward x 8

Front Squat w/ Push Press x 8

Romanian Deadlift x 8

Perform three to five complexes resting one minute between each. If you do not know how to perform any of the exercises please find an NSCA certified trainer or Strength and conditioning coach to teach you proper exercise technique.

Kettlebells can also be an excellent tool for complexes. Here’s an example:

Single Arm Swing x 6

Snatch x 6

Front Squat + Push Press x 6

Bent Over Row x 6

Snatch x 6

If you would like more information on complexes please consult www.istvanjavorek.com