How to Use Metabolic Conditioning to Supercharge Your Workouts

Metabolic Training And How It Works

Now a days, the fitness industry is excessively using the words, metabolic I training. Simply put,metabolic training helps raise metabolism which helps bum more calories, tone the physique, improve performance and reduce fat in the body. The biggest benefit of metabolic training is that one burns calories not only during the workout but after the workout as well.

Metabolic training means conditioning exercises structured around different patterns of work and rest ratio that helps improve the utilization of the energy produced and improve the efficiency of different metabolic pathways in the human body. The body has different pathways or methods for getting energy and different pathways call upon different workloads to rest ratio.

This effect of burning calories post exercise is known as EPOC (excessive post exercise oxygen consumption). Some examples of metabolic training are tabata training, interval training (30 secs on and 30 secs oft), circuit training and supersets of exercises. This kind of EPOC lasts from anywhere between few hours to a day or so, depending upon the intensity of the exercise routine.

“The Biggest benefit of metabolic training is that one burns calories not only during the workout but after the workout as well”

Primary Metabolic Pathways

Phosphagen Cycle
This cycle uses creatine phosphate and has a very rapid production of ATP (adenosine tri phosphate). It is the fastest and most powerful method of getting energy and energy from this cycle is utilized in activities that last up to 10 secs. Some examples are sprinting, power lifts, throwing a ball or shot put etc. The recovery time for this cycle is about three-five minutes.

Anaerobic Glycolysis
This is an intermediate pathway between the phosphate and aerobic pathway and without the use of oxygen it can form ATP by using glucose energy. It produces large bursts of energy over a longer period of time, say around 30 secs to three mins, max. Anaerobic Glycolysis is majorly used in activities like middle distance running mostly between 300m-800m and weight training Recovery time is between one – three minutes.

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Aerobic Glycolysis
This pathway takes oxygen as the vital component to bum the fats and carbohydrates that are required to produce ATP. This pathway produces

How It Works
It’s very important to understand that the mentioned three pathways contribute to giving energy required for different activities and they do not function independently but dominate at different parts of the physical activity at different time, depending upon the duration and intensity of the physical activity. Therefore, metabolic training should be planned according to each individual’s specific needs. For example, someone who wants to bulk up will have a different rest and work ratio compared to someone who wants to lose weight and tone up. A sprinters training program will be different from a marathon runners program. Many a times certain set of exercises may be same, but work and rest ratio will be different as per the needs of an individual.

The Work And Rest Ratio

Metabolic training does not mean making a person go through a set of different exercises which are hard and complex to perform, making training hell for him or her. Training programs without proper work and rest ratio are of no use to individual fitness goals and cause more harm than any good. This is one of the main reasons why most people don’t get any result from their exercise routines as they are not structured on the basis of metabolic pathways.

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The Metabolic Training Programs

Metabolic training programs should be structured around fitness levels and specific needs and based on a particular metabolic pathway to enhance a particular component of fitness.

Most Compound Exercises which are multi joint exercises are the best exercises to select while performing a metabolic training program. These exercise recruit major muscle groups and causes major metabolic response which in turn leads to burning more calories and raising the metabolic rate.

Once you have shortlisted the compound exercises (multi jointed exercises) you should plan the work and ratio according to the above mentioned pathways for maximum benefit. Without following the correct metabolic pathways it will very difficult to achieve a desired result.

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