Complex Training Revisited: A Review of its Current Status as a Viable Training Approach

P ower is determined from work per unit of time and considered to be a fundamental aspect of successful athletic performance, especially in sports that require speed, agility, and explosive actions (7, 17, 27, 39). Consequently the optimal training techniques to maximize power and the transfer of power to athletic performance have received considerable attention from researchers and sport conditioning coaches. The three basic training approaches that have been used to develop power include traditional weight training with heavy loads (80–90% of 1 repetition maximum [RM]), plyometric exercises incorporating acceleration and deceleration of body weight, and dynamic weight training in which the athlete moves a load of 30–50% 1RM as fast as possible (40). Combination training has also been used in a number of different ways that involves the use of both heavy and light loads in some form of alternating manner but not within the same training session (13) or as part of a periodized training regimen (19).