FITNESS ADVICE AND TIPS FROM
MADE Fitness and Training Center
Complexes for the Tactical Athlete
What is a tactical athlete? Well surprisingly enough, that is you! A tactical
athlete is described as an individual who works in the field of a first responder or a
military setting. Soldiers, police officers, firefighters, etc., are all considered tactical
athletes. With that being said, we all can look around the roll call table and see that for
some of us, classifying us as any sort of athlete would be a stretch. But in truth, you
are. As an officer you may be called upon to restrain, run, fight, shoot, administer aid,
as well as other high physically demanding activities at various times throughout your
career. And, on rare occasions, may even have to do all of these on a single incident!
However, as all have experienced, the majority of your time is spent either in a seated
or non-conflict position, waiting for the next run or case. Being in a reasonably fit
condition will enable you to handle the stressful and physical part of your job, but just as
important, the sedentary part as well. In a perfect world, a tactical athlete would have
the time AND motivation to train 4-5 days a week, for an hour at a time, utilizing an
extensive program design that incorporates strength, power, cardiovascular and
muscular endurance, along with flexibility. However, for most of us that may not be a
realistic option due to time constraints of the job and family. Complexes are a good tool
to help address some of the issue of time management as it relates to being able to
work out. Complexes work all of the above listed areas in a relatively short period of
time, increasing your heart rate while burning fat and developing lean muscle.
What is a complex? Simply put, complexes are a routine that consist of several
exercises strung together that form either segments of a bigger lift or completely
autonomous exercises to get the entire body worked in a single period. In either case,
you set one weight—either on the barbell or with dumbbells or kettlebells—and then set
your rep scheme. You never allow the weight to hit the ground until your rep scheme is
completed. Barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells, can be used for complexes. Dumbbells
are the safer option, can be purchased rather inexpensively, and require very little area
to perform the exercises. However, any of these training tools will allow you to perform
the complexes with positive results. Dr. Istvan "Steve" Javorek is considered the father
of the complex. You see complexes in many forms of training. Complexes can be done
as a stand-alone workout routine or added to your current workout program. If your
current program is based on strength and power alone, complexes are a great way to
supplement getting your muscular endurance at a higher level. If your current program
is based more on aerobic fitness, complexes can increase your power and strength.
Complexes are also great for weight loss.
It should be noted that you need to be free of any serious physical health issues
before starting any type of exercise program. Also, you need to have a very basic
understanding of any exercise before you perform it. The goal of any good exercise
program is to get you better, not to injure you (discomfort and injury are not always the
same, however!). Also, if utilizing complexes as your sole workout, you should not do
them more than 3 days a week with rest days between workouts due to the potential for
high-use injuries or fatigue. Listed below is a very basic complex to get you started. It
is called the Javorek’s Dumbbell Complex #1 and can be found on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olhu0n01Oio.
Javorek’s Dumbbell Complex #1
6 Upright Rows
6 High Pull Snatch
6 Squat with a Push Press
6 Bent Over Rows
6 High Pull Snatch
This workout can be done with a barbell or kettlebell, as well. As described in the
video, you should only use weight that will enable you to complete the set without
putting the weight down. The best way to find this out is to find out what is a hard
weight for you to do 6 reps in for the weakest link in the complex, which for most people
is the upright row, and use about 60% of that. For example, if I can do 6 reps of the
upright row utilizing 50 pound dumbbells but it is rather difficult, I would take 60% or so
of that, which would be 30 pound dumbbells to perform the workout. If I’m utilizing
complexes as a warm up before I do a traditional strength or power workout, I would
utilize about 40% of that weight instead of the 60%. Going through all the exercises
WITHOUT putting the weight down is a set. Rest 45-90 seconds then start your next
set. If utilizing it as a sole workout you would want to try and perform 4-6 sets, if
utilizing as a warm-up 2-3 sets is plenty. Years ago, I added complexes to my routine
and they helped me lose about 30 pounds of weight while increasing my muscular
endurance significantly. If you have any questions regarding this workout or any others,
please contact us!
Joe Manning, CSCS, TSAC-F
MADE Fitness and Training Center can be contacted by any LMPD
member for fitness assessments, advice, and programs free of charge.
You can contact MADE by sending an email to LMPD Fitness in the Global
Address Book.