The Incredible Efficiency Of Metabolic Resistance Training

If you’re like many and searching for that ultra effective workout through various sources, you may end up on the wrong side of confusion. Perhaps you read a book which states the best way to work out. Maybe a recent magazine article told you something else, or what about the trainer at the gym down the road, didn’t he recommend a completely different approach?

There’s a glut of “fitness” information available today, but even when listening to industry experts, you end up more confused than ever. How come they’re not agreeing with each other? And why does everyone seem to have their own particular spin on the exercise flavour of the month?

Make exercise efficient, not time wasting

One of the best ways I find new training methods is to listen to industry experts with a proven track record. I get many e-mails, webinars, articles and so on from sources I consider the upper echelon of training. Perhaps 90 percent of what these guys and gals say is in agreement. Now that itself doesn’t necessarily mean the information is right, but continually trying out new training methods and discarding what is useless will lead you to the path of success.

Nearly any type of sensible training and nutrition plan will help you shed unwanted pounds, if you have the dedication to stick to it. However, if you’re in a hurry and need to shed those pounds fast, then a different game plan using scientifically proven fat-loss training method is needed. And it’s a fact that some exercises methods simply are better than others; so much so, that it comes down to an exact science.

Metabolic Resistance Training

The truth is, the days of long, boring cardio need to be put to rest. First, people are extremely busy today, with little time to give to exercise. And second, using outdated methods that require a large amount of time is a sure way to kill initiative.

A number of studies have indicated that metabolic resistance training may be one of the most effective training techniques for fat loss. This training style, known as MRT, consists of fast-paced weight-training circuits arranged so that muscles are worked in an alte
ating (non-competing) sequence — an upper-body exercise will be followed by a lower-body exercise. Anytime you use circuits or supersets to train with an elevated heart rate with insufficient recovery, you are doing metabolic resistance training.

The efficiency of MRT training is now adequately researched and documented. Studies prove that combining a sensible eating plan with MRT yields nearly 20 percent more fat loss than diet and aerobic exercise and nearly 30 percent more than those who only diet. That is a pretty amazing difference.

MRT sessions are so efficient because they make you move quickly from exercise to exercise, burning more fat in less time. And a giant upside to it is the “afterbu
effect,” a result of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. MRT keeps the body’s metabolic rate elevated for up an astounding 38 hours, according to a study published in the March 2002 issue of “European journal of Applied Physiology,”

I’ve developed a hybrid of this type of training using heavy metabolic resistance and also metabolic resistance conditioning with lighter resistance, and less rest. This way my clients get the best of both worlds – burn fat and build muscle over the course of their workouts. Both are fast paced, short-burst workouts but one will pack on some muscle while the other will burn fat. It’s all about working your metabolic systems for maximum calorie burning, while only permitting yourself incomplete recovery.

How to perform MRT

Metabolic resistance training workouts should use a high time under tension of 45 seconds to 60 seconds. The actual time you’re exposed to the weight is going to be very important to maximize muscle demand.

On a training program like this you should also be using relatively short rest periods. This is critical to increasing the caloric burn and total work performed. A good strategy to doing this is using super-sets or tri-sets of circuits which will make you work harder and also get better results.

For example, a metabolic workout may be a circuit of 10 exercises, starting out with KB Swings, Superman Push-ups, Lunge Jumps, and Ab Wheel Rollouts. Your body will be in shock as it asks “What’s going on? It doesn’t really know, but the demand placed on it forces it to burn fat. It’s all about obtaining a metabolic response and burning tons of calories in a brief amount of time.

Conclusion

MRT training takes out a lot of the stress off the joints, unlike running or sprinting. For example, by running one mile, you could end up doing around 1,500 steps at 2-4 times your body weight per stride. With a ten mile run, this multiplies to 15,000 reps of knee wrecking force.

As well, there are fundamental differences between long distance running and even sprinting. Sprinters have more highly muscled bodies because they train their anaerobic system through high intensity interval training. Long distance runners, on the other hand, run at a steady aerobic pace for hours at a time.

So, training for fat loss needs to include:

1) An emphasis on building muscle.

2) Making muscle work hard in multiple movements and multiple planes of motion.

3) Make muscles work fast and in a powerful fashion.

4) Make the metabolism work through short rest periods, high work density by ramping up energy expenditure during and post-workout.

5) Add in non traditional interval training of the entire body, working more muscle and more movements than traditional cardio.

So doing less traditional cardio and inserting MRT training into your routine will help you get results fast.