There are three pathways which fuel the body during exercise. These are the immediate, intermediate as well as long-term energy pathways. In the immediate as well as intermediate pathways, creatinine phosphate and carbohydrates are utilised for energy. In the long-term pathway, both carbohydrates as well as fats give your body energy.
Metabolic conditioning, or metcon (which is sometimes also spelled as MetCon), is based on exercise programmes that make use of the immediate, in addition to intermediate, energy pathways. Metabolic conditioning exercises must be performed in a specific time and intensity in order to use these pathways. With metcon, the body can burn fuel more efficiently by using moderate-intensity to high-intensity interval sessions.
A Combination Of Cardio And Strength Workouts
MetCon is a specialised mixture of cardio and strength workouts. It’s not the long, slow cardio that we’ve spent the last two decades doing, nor is it the tedious old straight-set strength training workouts, either. Well-known types of MetCon include P90X, CrossFit, Insanity or – alternatively – high-intensity circuit training,
Metabolic conditioning workouts make use of exercises which burn lots of calories during your workout and make sure that the body keeps burning calories after your workout ends. These workouts usually involve the entire body and short periods of rest. MetCon workouts are designed to push the limits of your body in order to build strength and endurance while becoming toned.
Why A Metabolic Conditioning Workout Works
MetCon, like quite a lot of fitness jargon such as ‘fat-burning zone’ or ‘toning-up’, is a bit of a misnomer. You don’t really have to exercise in order to ‘condition’ your metabolism. Your body is metabolising all the time and, if it ever stops dead in its track, that means you’ve stopped as well.
However, metabolic training is about increasing the storage as well as delivery of energy for any activity. MetCon, as opposed to traditional cardio or strength training, targets each part of the body in a more effective way. What MetCon is really about for the man in the street is one thing: getting results.
If you do metabolic conditioning right, you can:
- Burn more calories for increased weight loss.
- Increase the calories which you burn after your workout. (This is also called the afterburn.)
Teach your body how to make use of different energy systems more efficiently. This includes the following:
- Phosphagen system (immediate energy required),
- Glycolysis (intermediate energy required), and
- The aerobic system (extended energy required).
While this isn’t always a priority for the average exerciser, this can be a tremendous boost for athletes.
Build strength, endurance, and fitness for almost any activity— such as competing in races, going into the military or law enforcement, sports or marathon yard work sessions.
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Putting together workouts for their clients is what a personal trainer does. If this is something that you’d like to do then you should become a personal trainer with our Personal Training Diploma. For more information, please follow this link.
