Drew Baye’s High Intensity Training

More Metabolic Conditioning Workouts

Those interested in workouts geared towards metabolic conditioning may like to give the workout I did earlier tonight a try. It is a modified version of the CrossFit workout called “Cindy”. The CrossFit version of Cindy consists of as many rounds as possible of the following exercises in 20 minutes:

•  5 pull ups (usually performed with a kipping motion)
• 10 push ups
• 15 bodyweight squats

The modified version I did tonight used variations of the same exercises, with added weight and shorter time (15 minutes):

• 5 strict weighted chin ups (190 pounds bodyweight plus a 25 pound dumbbell held between the ankles)
• 10 push ups with narrow hand spacing (inside shoulder width)
• 15 squats with 25 pound dumbbells

All reps were performed in slow, controlled manner, with a brief pause at the top of the chin ups. During the fifth and sixth rounds I had to rest a few seconds after the third and fourth reps on the chin ups to complete five. I was able to complete six rounds in 14:34, after which I started feeling a little nauseous and could have sworn the temperature in the house went up 20 to 30 degrees, so I crawled into the bath tub and filled it with cold water. It seemed to do the trick, because I felt completely recovered within a few minutes.

Normally, I would not hold a dumbbell between my ankles to add weight to chin ups. A chinning and dipping belt is a much better option. I decided to hold a dumbbell between my ankles in this workout only because it is faster than getting into and out of the belt and I wanted to move quickly between exercises.

When planning a routine geared more towards metabolic conditioning, the emphasis needs to be on involving as much muscle as possible at a high level of effort while minimizing rest between exercises. While multiple sets of an exercise may not be necessary for stimulating muscular strength and size increases, when trying to maintain a high level of effort for some period of time it is more efficient and often more practical to repeat a circuit of a few exercises than to try moving quickly between a larger number of exercises. Very few gyms are set up like the old Nautilus centers with lines of equipment meant to be used one after the other in single set fashion. The circuits in most big gyms are poorly organized and often bogged down with people performing a needlessly high amount of reps or sets making it impossible to train in a near continuous fashion. This can even be difficult at times in private one-on-one personal training centers set up specifically for high intensity training if there are too many instructors working with clients at once.

By choosing a few exercises that can be performed with little or no equipment or with a barbell or dummbells it is possible to move very quickly between them, maintaining a high level of effort for the duration of the workout. The workout I performed tonight required only a chin up bar and a set of dumbbells. With the dumbbells positioned right below the chin up bar I was able to move between the chin ups, push ups and squats with no rest at all.

The exercise sequence should rotate between different muscle groups to allow one muscle group to recover while others are working so that local muscle fatigue is not as much of a limiting factor. I prefer the sequence typically used in 3×3 high intensity training  routines:

• Hips and thighs
• Upper body pushing
• Upper body pulling

For the upper body pushing and pulling exercises I prefer to pair opposing movements in the same plane. For example, presses and chin ups, barbell rows and dips, handstand push ups and pull ups, push ups and bodyweight rows, etc.

My co-worker Michael Lauro often adds abdominal work to this sequence, although depending on the exercises the abs may already be getting plenty of work. Squats, deadlifts, chin ups, presses, push ups, and many other exercises all involve the abs to varying degrees. If you want to include direct abdominal work I recommend doing it at the end of the routine unless the other exercises do not place a significant demand on the abs.

Some exercises, like squat presses - AKA “thrusters” - combine two of the above, resulting in an exercise with an even greater metabolic demand. One of the most dreaded CrossFit workouts, “Fran”, alternates between thrusters and pull ups. If such an exercise is performed, try to select other exercises that don’t overlap too much, unless you are specifically trying to work one area very hard. This can often be done with legs, but if too much is done for the upper body then local fatigue tends to become a limiting factor.

If doing bodyweight exercises, repetition count should be based on the difficulty of the exercise; the higher the difficulty the lower the reps, and vice versa. I would not go lower than 5 or higher than 20. If 20 is not challenging enough you should select a more difficult exercise or add weight. You’ll get a greater metabolic effect from several higher intensity sets than fewer longer sets of lower intensity. If you can’t do at least 5 then the exercise is challenging your strength more than your conditioning and you need to select an exercise you can perform 5 or more reps of for multiple sets.

If doing free weight or machine exercises, I recommend a moderate rep range for the upper body and a slightly higher range for the lower body - 10 to 15 and 10 to 20. These are high enough to produce a significant cardiovascular and metabolic demand while still being in a range that is effective for strength and size (assuming a moderate rep speed - the slower the rep speed, the lower the repetition range should be to keep the weight heavy enough and the set duration low enough).

I recommend keeping the overall time frame between 10 and 20 minutes. If the level of effort is high enough, this is more than enough to do the job. The Tabata protocol, a method of high intensity interval training shown to be highly effective, requires only four minutes to perform: eight rounds of 20 seconds at maximum effort divided by 10 second rest periods. With a high enough intensity of effort, you don’t require much exercise to stimulate an adaptive response. If bodyweight exercises are used and you are highly conditioned you may want to go for higher times. If you are using additional weight or not well conditioned use a lower time.

If using weights or performing more challenging bodyweight exercises, you may want to perform a specific number of rounds for time, rather than performing as many rounds as possible over a fixed time. How many depends on your level of conditioning. I recommend starting with three, and increasing it if you are not completely wiped out by the end of the last round. If doing fixed rounds you may also want to start with a higher rep count for the first round, decreasing each round, similar to the 3×3 high intensity training  routines.

If you have a favorite metabolic conditioning routine, or have tried one on this site and have questions or feedback on it, please post it in the comments.

Tags: 3x3, circuit training, crossfit, high intensity training, metabolic conditioning, metcon, routines, workouts

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