metabolic conditioning
Q&A: 3×3 High Intensity Training Routines
After reading your article on 3×3 routines I have been doing a 3×3 (squats, chins, dips) and am liking it very much. How long would you do a 3×3 specific routine and then how long would you do 3×3 before going back to a traditional HIT routine?
Do you see 3×3 as a good type of routine to perform occasionally or more long term?
If you are performing 3×3 routines exclusively or frequently I recommend rotating exercises every workout or at least every other week, so that you can incorporate more variety of movement and more direct work for different muscle groups. You should alternate between upper body pushing and pulling movements in different planes and between pushing and pulling lower body movements. › Continue reading
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. › Continue reading
Physique Versus Function - A False Dichotomy
Bodybuilding and training for performance need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, a training program and diet geared towards performance - specifically building as much strength as possible throughout the entire body while maintaining a low body fat percentage - will result in a physique that is both highly capable and impressive.
A major reason for belief in the physique versus function dichotomy is probably the greater use of isolation exercises in bodybuilding, which are often erroneously considered “non-functional” by many in the functional training crowd. They believe that an exercise must be performed in a manner that mimics how the body moves during activities of daily living, work, or sport for the strength or other aspects of fitness gained in that movement to effectively transfer to those activities. However, it is not necessary to work the muscles involved in a particular movement using a similar movement for the strength gained to transfer. Regardless of how a muscle becomes stronger, the greater strength can be applied to any movement involving those muscles, and any program that effectively addresses all of the major muscle groups will improve function, even if it includes isolation exercises. › Continue reading
Q&A: What is Metabolic Conditioning?
What does metabolic conditioning mean? Is it necessary? Does high intensity training provide it?
When most people think of training to improve endurance, they think of conditioning the cardiovascular system to improve transport of blood to the working muscles. Metabolic conditioning is the other side of the coin - conditioning the muscles to better use what’s being delivered to them by improving the efficiency of the different metabolic pathways. › Continue reading
More Modified CrossFit Routines
Since the CrossFit post I’ve received several requests for more “CrossHIT” routines - CrossFit routines modified to be more consistent with high intensity training principles. The difference between these and more bodybuilding-oriented HIT routines is a greater emphasis on metabolic conditioning and incorporation of more bodyweight and gymnastic exercises, which I believe are of considerable value. While there may be no positive transfer of skill from bodyweight or gymnastic movements to different movements, regular performance may improve general kinesthetic sense and proprioception as well as awareness of and confidence in one’s physical abilities.
CrossFit’s Greg Glassman has described the method as “constantly varied functional movement executed at high intensity” . Although an exercise is commonly considered to be “functional” if it mimics a movement of daily living, work or sport, since only the strength gained from an exercise will transfer to other movements and not any specific skill, any exercise that effectively strengthens the body and contributes to improvements in other general aspects of fitness could be considered functional. By replacing the Olympic lifts and certain other movements with exercises involving the same muscle groups you do not sacrifice any functional benefit. It is unnecessary to move fast during exercise to develop speed and power in other activities and there is no transfer of skill from an exercise to a different movement. For example, the skill of performing power cleans will not positively transfer to the different although superficially similar movement of a football lineman exploding off the line any more than the skill acquired performing football blocking drills will positively transfer to swimming. › Continue reading
3×3 High Intensity Training Routines
3×3 is a high intensity strength training routine consisting of three circuits or rounds of three compound (multi-joint) exercises performed non-stop to emphasize cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning. Each of the three exercises targets different muscle groups, usually starting with the hips and thighs, followed by upper body pushing and pulling movements, to work all of the major muscle groups and allow for little or no rest between exercises.
A higher number of repetitions is usually performed for the first circuit, with the repetitions dropping for the second and third circuits. A typical repetition scheme for a 3×3 routine is 20, 15 and 10 for the hip and thigh exercise, and 12, 10, and 8 for the upper body pushing and pulling exercises. For example: › Continue reading