By Aaron Boike, B.S. Kinesiology, A.C.E. Certified Trainer

In recent years, most of the fitness industry has moved away from a clear division between weight training and cardio, instead opting for a training style known as Metabolic Training (MT). MT uses various techniques to raise the intensity of the workouts and keep the participants heart rate higher through the duration of the workout. This leads to more calories burned, a faster and more efficient workout, improvement in cardiovascular fitness, and …In our humble opinion, a whole lot more fun! Let’s explore three ways to tap into MT style training with your next workout.

Supersets and Circuits

Supersets and circuits are perhaps the most well known way to improve the efficiency of your workout and get more done in less time. Supersets are simply exercises that are done in sequence within the same set with little to no rest in between. Supersets of two exercises back to back are the most common. Typically the participant selects exercises that work antagonist muscle groups, meaning muscles that oppose each other and do the opposite movement. An example would be a biceps curl performed back to back with a triceps extension. The second common method is upper and lower body exercises done back to back. Both of these styles of supersets are very effective, as one muscle group gets to rest while the other is working. Because of this, supersets can be performed in succession with little to no rest in between. Circuits are larger groupings of exercises done back to back in succession with little to no rest in between. Most often, the goal of a circuit is to hit a wide variety of muscle groups within each set, and each set may be a full body workout in and of itself. Circuits are currently a popular trend in many boutique and specialty fitness studios, because they are easy to do in groups while monitoring a larger number of participants.

Try This: Next time you’re doing a full body workout, do all of your lower body exercises paired up with an upper body exercise. Perform them in succession with no rest until both are completed. This will save you time, and stimulate your metabolism more than resting in between your upper and lower body exercises.

Cardio Intervals 

By now, we’ve all heard of “High Intensity Interval Training” or HIIT, but not everyone understands the concept behind all the hype. HIIT training is a pretty general term for going between periods of low intensity and very high intensity. These workouts have been shown to boost the metabolism higher than traditional steady state aerobic workouts (i.e. setting a moderate pace/intensity and holding it), and they are far more efficient, often done for as little as 10-20 minutes. While HIIT training is MT in and of itself, you can also incorporate cardio intervals into your resistance training workouts. A couple of common methods for this would be to do sprints, elliptical intervals, or cycling intervals in between a circuit of weight training exercises. This dramatically elevates the heart rate average during the workout and leads to a higher metabolic stimulation and calorie burn than simply doing a seated or standing rest break in between your weight training exercises.

Try This: Next time you’re doing a weight training workout, mix in one minute of max effort work on an elliptical machine in between each set of a given weight training exercise (ex. bench press, deadlift, squat etc.)

Full Body Exercises

The rule of thumb when it comes to resistance training exercises is that the more muscle groups you have working at one time, the higher your heart rate will climb. For this reason, full body exercises have skyrocketed in popularity in the past few years, partially due to the rise of CrossFit (which incorporates many olympic and powerlifts that are full body in nature). Exercises like deadlifts, squats, cleans, snatches, burpees, medicine ball throws, and battling ropes all engage a large number of muscle groups at one time. This leads to a high heart rate, a greater metabolic boost, and more calories burned during your workout.

Try This: Next time you’re at the gym for a weight workout, pick three full-body exercises to incorporate into your routine instead of doing a machine or standard freeweight exercises. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions of each. (ex. – doing deadlifts, squats, and burpees on your leg day).