All You Should Know About MetCon, Check It Now!

What Is MetCon?

Metabolic conditioning (also known as MetCon) has been known as a reliable method of workout in the fitness world for past several years. Many people are unable to clearly understand the operations and mechanics of this program, as it does not only comprise of specialized exercises, but also demands scheduled and well-structured reps, sets and period of rest. A MetCon workout, if done properly, can result in dissolving the extra pads of fat from your body in order to improve the overall performance.

MetCon includes some conditioning exercises in order to increase the storage capacity of muscles for energy generation and availability. Most people consider aerobics as a main catalyst when improving the endurance, in order to condition the cardiovascular system or to improve the supply of blood to the muscles. But MetCon workouts are actually a step ahead, as it also helps in conditioning the muscles to improve the use of fuel energy, which is obtained by efficient utilization of various metabolic pathways.

Benefits of MetCon

The main purpose of MetCon is to improve your performance, enlarge/expand your existing muscle mass and reduce your risk of developing heart diseases. The primary purpose of MetCon workouts is to burn the excessive calories in your body, create the metabolic effect to burn fats (that lasts long after the completion of exercise). This seems like a marketing strategy but no! This is what the latest medical research has proved. The burning of fat and calories can be continued for several days if the workout is followed with absolute concentration.

According to the results of a new research reported in the peer reviewed journal Strength and Conditioning Research in September, 2008 investigators studied the impact of this approach and compared it against the traditional workout approaches. The results suggested that the workout with intermixed techniques were associated with high quality results (such as loss of 10 times more fat than individual workout). MetCon not only burns more fats but also results in gaining muscle mass along with better strength and endurance in the lower body.

Basic Rules

In order to get desirable results, you must follow these instructions:

• You have to perform every exercise for 30 seconds with great concentration.

• Every exercise must be followed by a break of 30 seconds.

• You have to repeat the procedure for 5 times before starting the next exercise with on and off periods of 30 seconds.

• Keep the pace bearable so that you don’t stress out while working hard.

Some of the best MetCon workouts are listed as follows.

1. Bodyweight Squats

How to do:

• Open your feet a bit wider than hip-width apart and start lowering your body down. Keep yourself on your heels with gesture like sitting on a chair.

• Your upper body should be tall and do not let your knees pass the toes. When you get lower down, your upper thigh should come below parallel with floor right before pushing the heels on floor to get back up.

Modifications:

You can take a chair that can be used as a comparer or a target when you are sitting on your heels. Or else, you can also wit on a box and stand back up by your heels with good squat form.

2. Box Push-Ups

How to do:

• This is not a typical push-up. In box push-ups you have to place your hands on each side of a box instead of placing them on floor.

• Throughout the exercise the box must be squeezed because you will lower your chest on the box.

• You must keep your body straight like a straight line when pushing back up.

Modifications:

This exercise can be modified in two ways:

• Instead of continuing with your toes, you can use your knees to drop down, this will not affect the results much and you’ll be able to keep the body straight as well.

• You may not lower your body completely on box and shorten the motion range.

3. Frog Jumps

How to do:

• Ideally you should get a box for this exercise but in urgency you can use floor as well. To start, place your hands on box with a push-up position.

• In each movement, hop forward with your feet around the box to get your hands and feet in line.

• Roll back to the starting position.

Modifications:

The modification can be done in terms of jumping. Instead of jumping front and back, take a step forward only and then take a step back to reach from where you started. Do not change the position and stay in a specific area.

4. Burpee Box Jumps

How to do:

• It is just like a typical box jump. To start, bend on your knees a bit and jump onto a box.

• Jump back off, with the hands on box, hop back from feet to come in a push-up situation.

• Start doing push-ups such that your chest touches the box.

• Now again, hob back from feet just below you and repeat the box jump procedure again.

Modifications:

There are several ways to modify this exercise, you can choose any of them considering you have to do exercise with high intensity for 30 seconds.

• Rather than jumping on the box, you can just step on it.

• Push-up part can be detached.

• Rather than hopping back into a position of push-up, you can simply step back.