Written by Funk Roberts
Last week we brought you an introduction to Metabolic Training, and showed you the benefits of using dumbbells in our article Are You Missing Out on the Dumbbell. Now we have a follow up feature on just why metabolic training works.
Why DOES Metabolic Training Work?
You may think that MRT is no different than doing an intense circuit round or increasing the intensity of your lifts to get your heart rate going a bit—but it is. MRT blends strength training and interval training; high-intensity interval training elevates heart rate, calorie burn, and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), while strength training increases muscle growth and strength. When you combine the two, your body burns calories long after you’ve stopped working out. Essentially, metabolic resistance training increases exercise's metabolic “cost” by maximizing your body’s ability to adapt to change.
Let me explain how EPOC works. Think of it this way—your body is a car. When you take your car out for a drive, the engine heats up while it’s working, but the engine remains hot for a little while after you’ve parked. Your body works much the same. When you’re doing an intense training session, you’ll feel your body temperature rise, but when you stop working out, it doesn’t immediately fall back to its pre-workout temperature—it takes some time. Yet during this “cool off” period, your body still burns calories while it returns to homeostasis (balance). That’s the beauty of MRT—it ignites your body’s metabolism after training to continue working even when you’re not. So how does MRT support fat burning and muscle gain?
1. High-Intensity Workouts
HIIT is hard—if you’ve ever tried it, you can attest to the lung and muscle burn that happens when you’re going hard with minimal rest, but try adding a pair of dumbbells and see how hard it is then. MRT is by no means easy, but you get results. These workouts push your body to its limits and challenge you in ways you’ve never been challenged, using heavy loads or removing the load and increasing the speed to force your body to adapt. Higher intensity workouts require greater metabolic demand, which translates directly into better results. With MRT, you don’t need conventional cardio—it’s exhausting and ineffective. Scrap spending hours on the treadmill for a quick and dirty high-intensity workout that will get you results.
2. Compound Full-Body Movements
Isolation exercises are effective if you’re looking to build muscle, but they’re not great if you want to burn fat—nothing compares to compound exercises to do both. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, and an exercise's metabolic cost (calorie burn) is directly related to the number of muscles working; more muscles working means more energy is required to fuel them, and more calories are burned.
So, how can you shed fat and get shredded without spending hours in the gym? For Fitclub members, here’s your 30-minute dumbbell shred metabolic workout that’ll light your entire body on fire and give you results you never thought possible. Aren't a fitclub member? Join now.