Metabolic conditioning, or MetCon for short, refers to exercises that increase the amount of energy stored and released by the body. While all forms of training require energy, MetCon differs in the way the energy is created in the body and how it is used up by the body for activity.
Metabolic training uses compound exercises with resistance at high intensity. This recruits and exhausts more muscle and naturally triggers the release of growth hormone which is key in increasing muscle mass. During pretty much every metabolic training session you’ll feel your muscles burning.
Is metabolic training the same as HIIT?
Metabolic Resistance Training: Maximize Strength Gains, Burn Fat
Metabolic Resistance Training vs.
But “while HIIT is all about those truly high-intensity efforts you can sustain for a maximum of 20 seconds before requiring rest, metabolic resistance training is about slightly longer efforts with a little less rest,”
During a metcon workout, you moderately to intensely exert yourself for a prolonged amount of time. Basically, these types of workouts help increase and optimize your body’s energy output.
How, you might ask? These workouts recruit all three of your body’s energy pathways — phosphagen, glycolytic, and oxidative — which all take turns generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to fuel your muscles (2).
You’ll use each system at different points of the workout based on its length and intensity.
First, the phosphagen pathway provides energy immediately during the first few reps or seconds of a workout or for short bouts of work — think sprints or 3 heavy squat reps.
After about 30 seconds, the glycolytic system kicks in and produces ATP for activities that require a lot of energy for up to 3 minutes, such as a high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout.
Last, the oxidative pathway is used for longer endurance activities like a 3-mile run or a 20-minute cycle ride.
It’s important to train all three of these systems so that your body becomes efficient at using energy during a variety of activities. Varying your training, such as by incorporating metcon workouts, can help with this by improving your overall fitness level.