Metabolic Conditioning: How To Use Metcon Workouts To Change Your Body Composition
If you’re on a search for the ultimate bang-for-your-buck workout, metabolic conditioning (or metcon) may be the perfect choice for you.
Metcon workouts are a type of interval training that involve cycling through strength exercises and cardio bursts that test endurance and get your heart pumping. “There is benefit to that in terms of helping you to build strength and maintain lean muscle mass that you don’t get with traditional aerobic training,” says Heather Milton, CSCS, a clinical exercise physiologist at the Sports Performance Center at NYU Langone Health.
Metabolic conditioning is an efficient way to fuse your strength and cardio sessions into one dynamic workout to improve your overall fitness. This guide will give you some insight into how metcon works and how to integrate it into your routine. Plus, try out a metcon workout designed by Jenna Matroni, a certified personal trainer who teaches a metcon-style class at Equinox in New York City.
Meet the experts: Heather Milton, CSCS, is a clinical exercise physiologist at the Sports Performance Center at NYU Langone Health. Jenna Matroni, CPT, is a New York City-based personal trainer at Equinox.
What Metabolic Conditioning Means
The general definition of metabolic conditioning is "increasing the rate of your metabolism," says Milton. She explains that most types of exercise do achieve this in some way because whenever you raise your heart rate and contract your muscles, it boosts your metabolism. However, metcon is especially good for achieving this effect, she says. Maintaining a higher heart rate while doing a variety of different exercises maximizes caloric expenditure during, but also following, exercise, she says.
“The most common example of this is [the] CrossFit-style of workout where you’re doing a power or explosive exercise, some type of cardio or running, [and] various lifts in succession without rest breaks in between,” says Milton. However, there is a wide range of styles of metcon workouts, and you don’t necessarily need to go to a CrossFit box to achieve the benefits. Despite what some might think, you also don’t have to be gasping for breath every time you do a metcon session. “It’s a workout that has exercises that vary from high intensity to moderate intensity,” says Matroni.
Why You Should Try Metabolic Conditioning
“One of the benefits is in the name—it does condition your metabolism,” says Milton, who adds that many people find that metcon-style workouts help to improve body composition because of their circuit style and emphasis on both cardio and strength. “That is one of the best ways you can improve your aerobic capacity, your metabolism, as well as build muscular strength and maintain lean mass. So if people are looking to lose weight or look more cut or fit, that’s a good way to do it,” she says.
Metcon workouts can also help you to improve your VO2 max, the amount of oxygen your body uses while exercising, while preserving your muscle. For example, when you are doing steady state cardio, like a long slow run, you're building your aerobic metabolism, which is important when working on improving stamina and endurance. But it causes you to lose both muscle and fat at the same rate. However, “with metcon, you are utilizing the muscles in more of a resistance training fashion, that’s how we can get that marriage of improving VO2, but also improving muscle composition," Milton explains.
How To Integrate Metabolic Conditioning Into Your Workout Regimen
If you are new to working out, Milton recommends doing some type of resistance training and aerobic training on your own for at least four weeks to learn the technique for basic lifts before diving into a metcon workout. That’s because it is difficult to achieve proper technique when you’re fatigued and working at a high intensity.
Once you have the form and technique down, Milton says you can absolutely fit metcon workouts into your routine, but not every day. That's because metcon can often be high intensity, which means that your heart rate is over 80 percent of your predicted max heart rate, according to Milton. “If during a metcon workout you’re noticing your heart rate is at that level, that’s a good indication that you might need up to 72 hours of rest before you do it again,” she says. But that doesn’t mean that you have to rest completely; moderate-intensity cardio or resistance training should be A-okay, per Milton.
Matroni, who also emphasizes the importance of proper recovery between workouts, recommends adding metcon in your routine two to three times a week and up to every other day if you are advanced—and don't have a more specific fitness goal.
“For maximizing hypertrophy, muscle growth, the muscles need more time under tension. i.e. slower lifts with more sets and reps,” says Milton. “And for those looking to focus on improved stamina and endurance, steady state cardio is still recommended.”
That said, a few metcon workouts a week *could* be sufficient: “A good trainer or coach will make sure to program in exercises that hit all muscle groups and all planes of motion,” says Matroni.
Sample Metabolic Conditioning Workout
This workout—designed by Matroni—will work your upper body, lower body, and core. Plus, short bursts of cardio will get your heart rate elevated.
Time: 20 minutes | Equipment: Moderate to heavy dumbbells | Good for: Cardio, total-body
Warm-Up
Instructions: Complete each of the following moves for 30 seconds.
Butt Kicks
Jumping Jacks
Air Squats
Forward Lunges
Circuit
Instructions: Perform all nine exercises consecutively for one minute each for two rounds with a one minute break between rounds. “First round we learn, second round we perfect,” says Matroni. She recommends using moderate to heavy dumbbells for this portion of the workout (you can use heavier weights for the second round if you want an extra challenge).
Alternating Curtsy Lunge
How to:
Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms at sides.
Take a step back with left leg, crossing it behind right. Bend knees and lower hips until right thigh is nearly parallel to the floor.
Return to start.
Take a step back with right leg, crossing it behind left. Bend knees and lower hips until left thigh is nearly parallel to the floor. That’s 1 rep.
Reverse Fly
How to:
Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
Hinge forward at the hips and let your arms hang straight down from your shoulders, palms facing your body.
Raise both arms out to the sides as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Return to start. That's 1 rep.
Speed Skater
How to:
Start standing with feet hip-width part.
Jump to the right and, as you land, cross left leg behind you, landing on your right leg with a bent knee, left toes gently touching ground.
Quickly hop to left and repeat on the other side. That's 1 rep.
Deadlift And Row
How to:
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, a soft bend in knees, holding one dumbbell in each hand with palms facing legs and arms at sides.
Hinge hips as you lower dumbbells, keeping the weights close to thighs and shins.
Pause at the bottom and rotate hands so palms face each other.
Squeeze shoulder blades together and pull dumbbells toward rib cage.
Reverse move by lowering dumbbells to shins, then driving through heels to stand with arms at sides. That’s 1 rep.
Flutter Kick
How to:
Lie on your back with your hands by your side.
Straighten your legs and extend them at 45-degree angle.
In a steady movement, alternate lifting the right and left leg.
Burpee
How to:
Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend down and place both hands on the floor in front of you.
Jump both feet back so you’re in a high plank position.
Immediately, jump your feet back in and jump up into the air, landing softly. That’s 1 rep.
Split Squat
How to:
Start standing with hands at sides and feet staggered (left foot in front of body and right foot behind, right heel high).
Bend knees and lower down until both legs form 90-degree angles and back knee softly taps floor.
Pause and then push through both feet to return to start. That's 1 rep. Do 30 seconds on this side, then switch sides for another 30 seconds.
Narrow-Wide Pushup
How to:
With band around wrists, start in a triceps pushup position (knees or toes) with hands narrow and elbows close to sides. Perform one pushup.
Walk hands out to traditional pushup position (with hands about shoulder-width apart), then perform another pushup. That's 1 rep. Keep alternating pushup positions.
High Knees
How to:
Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart.
Bring one knee up to chest height, then immediately bring the other knee up to chest height.
Continue alternating, taking as few breaks as possible, for 1 minute.
Core Finisher
For the core finisher, Matroni says to use light to moderate dumbbells or bodyweight. Complete as many rounds as possible of each of the three core finishers during a 30 second interval.
Russian Twist
How to:
Start seated with upper body leaned back until abs are engaged, legs lifted and bent at 90-degrees, arms bent, hands clasped, and elbows wide.
Rotate torso to right side so that right elbow is hovering off mat.
Keeping lower body still throughout, rotate the upper body to the left side. That's 1 rep.
Sprinter Sit-Up
How to:
Start lying on your back with hands by sides and legs extended straight on the floor.
Explosively sit up, bringing right knee toward chest, right arm back, and left arm forward at 90-degree angles.
Reverse the motion with control and repeat on the other side. That's 1 rep.
V-Up
How to:
Start lying on back with legs extended and arms by sides, both on mat.
In one movement, lift upper body, arms, and legs, coming to balance on tailbone, forming a "V" shape with body.
Lower back down. That's 1 rep.
Metcon Guidelines To Build Your Own Workout
If you want to DIY your own metcon, follow these tips from Matroni and Milton:
Go by time, not reps: When structuring a metcon workout you will want to have a set work period (e.g., 30 seconds) and a set rest period (e.g., 30 seconds) as opposed to a specific number of reps. This is the best way to improve aerobic capacity and gain muscle at the same time, according to Milton.
Include variety: “You want to always incorporate a lower body exercise, an upper body exercise, a cardio burst, and any type of core exercise,” says Matroni.
Select only moves you’ve mastered: If you are new to metcon or to working out in general, Milton doesn’t recommend starting with an intense powerlift like a clean or a snatch. “If you’re not already well trained in the technique of those lifts, [start with] more basic lifts [think: a goblet squat] prior to trying some of those more intense power lifts,” she says.
FAQ
What’s the difference between HIIT and metcon?
Metcon workouts are a type of interval training, but they typically involve lifting weights and can also include less intense cardio. “[Metcon] can be either HIIT or steady state, depending on how you or your trainer structure your workout that day,” says Matroni.
What are the risks or downsides of metcon?
Because metcon workouts involve the use of weights, but you are also working at a higher intensity than just lifting for a set number of reps, there is a risk of injury, says Milton: “Let’s say you’re doing snatches or cleans, which may be part of one of those circuits, and you are very fatigued, there is a higher risk for injury if you’re doing those with poor technique, and poor technique tends to happen when you are fatigued.”
Is it better to take a metcon class, do it with a trainer, or on your own?
Milton recommends doing metcon with a trainer who will coach you on form, especially if you don’t have any prior experience, as they can help you with technique which will prevent injury. Matroni also suggests tapping a trainer: “I always recommend working with a fitness professional when experimenting with, or introducing new programs or movements into your weekly workouts,” she says.
Is metcon good for weight loss?
“Any type of exercise is going to promote weight loss as long as you are combining exercise with adjusting your nutrition,” says Matroni. But she says metcon is an especially effective type of workout for weight loss. Matroni’s metcon classes are always designed to exercise your cardiovascular system through short bursts of cardio, and also target your upper body, lower body, and core. “So what that does is give you a full, balanced workout,” she says, “It’s gonna hit every body part.”
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