Imagine a knob that allows you to adjust the intensity of two training parameters, modulating the percentage. When the notch is in the middle, you are at 50-50.
Muscle volume and agility, for example.
Endurance and power.
Metcon-style training has these two possibilities: burn fat mass e sweating blood.
But they are both always at 100%.
Index
What is the Metcon training
Metcon is the crasis of words metabolic conditioning. It is a training methodology whose concept has been accepted by CrossFit®.
These are short high intensity training moments, made to increase the body's metabolic demands and, therefore, energy consumption.
The Metcon is ideal for lose weight while preserving muscle mass.
In a workout of this kind there is everything you need: it is the mix of weights, free body exercises and cardio-vascular conditioning to make it possible.
How the workout works
You can design a Metcon training in two ways:
- with the format of HIIT, in which an exercise is performed for a given time at high intensity, while during the "pause" it is performed at a lower intensity
- in the form of the circuit, in which different exercises are performed in sequence.
The key is to push the metabolism for a continuous work taking breaks to a minimum.
Metcon fat burner or Metcon for the muscles?
Several studies have shown how the Metcon - as in general all high-intensity workouts - burn less calories than cardio steady state, but in significantly shorter times.
However, the Metcon promotes it lean mass development, as it often involves weighted exercises. Increasing - or maintaining - muscle mass results in an additional demand for energy from the body.
Let's not get carried away
In recent times the term Metcon is abused or confused rather often.
Its purpose should be to bring you to the limit of the maximum training threshold, improving metabolic processes.
Longer WODs, like the Murph, they are not true Metcons, and tend to be used by athletes whose goal only seems to be "to destroy themselves" with each session.
A workout after training
Metcon workouts are perfect as so-gifted finisher,, ie to close a training session by insisting on metabolism and energy consumption. They give that final blow to your body before the well-deserved reward - shower, food, sleep.
3 sessions per week of Metcon, lasting 5-10 minutes, are enough to reap the benefits.
The selection of exercises
No precise information is required on the choice of exercises for a metabolic conditioning session. You can use your head… or just walk in beast mode!
In the first case, it's about adjusting what you did during the training session.
If the day included deadlifts and rowers, a good Metcon can be composed of kettlebell swing and intervals to the rower, since the muscles involved are the same.
Or you can use exercises that involve i antagonist muscles to those you have already overloaded. Did you mostly do push movements? Do pull.
You can also compose a routine of free body exercises only, but if you feel like it beast mode you can try something like this:
Metcon circuit
From 3 to 5 round of
- Clean and press, 10 rep
- Long walking with load, 10 rep for leg
- Rower, 10 rep
- Goblet squat, 10 rep
- Ab rollout or other abdominal exercise, 10 rep
- Kettlebell swing, 10 rep