MRT SHOWS ITS A HEAVYWEIGHT VS FAT!!!

Sick and tired of spending ridiculous amounts of time doing cardio with little or no results? Welcome to a way of thinking that will blast that stubborn fat and help you reach your potential quicker – the first step- read this blog!

You ask, what is metabolic resistance training?

Barbell Squats, hard working when burning fat!

Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) isn’t for the faint hearted, it’s an intensive workout that brings a cardiovascular element into resistance training. What’s even better is that this can all be achieved in as little as 45 minutes. MRT workouts encompass the entire body and increase your calorie burn by tenfold, accelerating your metabolism. MRT spreads improvement across multiple desired targets and when properly used in a training programme, MRT can help you build muscle, burn fat and gain strength at the same time.

There are different types of MRT which we will cover later in the blog for now looking at the super set method which you can be very imaginative with and pair two contrasting body parts (agonist/antagonist) or go with two complete separate body parts such as dumbbell chest press followed immediately by barbell squat. Each exercise should be 15 – 20 reps at about 60 – 65% of your single rep max [1RM]; the key to optimising results is to train at maximal or near-maximal levels of effort and the short recovery periods.

The idea is to take most sets to muscular failure or close to it (equating to a Rated Perceived Exertion [RPE] of 9 or 10 on a scale of 1-10). If you aren't sufficiently pushing yourself to complete each set, you will not reach your fat burning potential. In order to ensure the maximum gains Complete the superset, rest for 30 seconds and repeat 3times before finally resting for 1 minute and moving on to a new superset use around 5 – 6 supersets per workout, the fitter and stronger you become the shorter the rest period can become. 

Whichever method you choose will increase your energy expenditure from normal training regimes and can approach as high as 600 – 700 calories in a single 45 minute session whilst building muscle as well. The calorie count will also increase during the “after burn” the period which the body is attempting to return to a normal state and continues to have an elevated metabolic rate which can last depending on the intensity of your work out between 12 – 24 hrs.

Body Weight Exercises are great!

MRT should be a total-body routine that works all the major muscles each session. Since the energy expenditure of an exercise relates directly to the amount of muscle(s) worked, incorporate multi-joint exercises whenever possible. Involve more muscle, and you expend more energy. Use big compound movements such as squats, rows and presses will work the muscles of the torso and thighs.

Repetitions should be performed at a moderately fast tempo, particularly on the concentric portion (the "positive" half) of the movement. Aim to perform concentric lifts as explosively as possible without sacrificing clean technique. The eccentric part of the movement (the “negative” half) should be performed slower 3-4 seconds to make the muscles working resist the gravity pull on the down phase of each rep which will have significant effect on energy expenditure during the workout. 

As previously touched on there are different types of MRT routines 2 of which are explained below.

Supersets

 As previously explained you can pair two contrasting body parts (agonist/antagonist) i.e. chest then back or go with two complete separate body parts. Personally my preference is with pairing two complete different exercises which work separate body parts usually one upper body with one lower body allowing you to be far more imaginative, anything goes! An example of a superset MRT workout is as follows:

1a) Alternate dumbbell bench press (can use gym ball for optimum expenditure)

1b) Barbell squat

2a) Barbell squat thrusters

2b) DB single arm row

3a) Arnold press

3b) DB Alternate forward lunge

4a) Straight arm Lat pull down

4b) Jack knife with push ups

5a) Tricep dips (weighted for extra expenditure)

5b) DB Split squats

Metabolic conditioning training (MCT)

MCT is a method in which you increase the amount of exercise without rest; this can be anything from 4 exercises back to back through to insane workouts of 15 different exercises without rest. The exercises can be performed for desired amounts of reps or time. They can be bodyweight or resistance based or a mixture of both with the added intensity of aerobic exercises. 

The idea is to keep the near maximal effort and the longer periods of fat busting work ads to the intensity and the burn achieved heightening the metabolic rate even further.

This method is recommended for those people who are looking for that extra burn and increased aerobic capacity whilst still recruiting and building muscle (MRT is for greater muscle recruitment). This is probably the most demanding of all the MRT techniques; it's sure to leave you physically beat by the end of your session but with awesome results. I've used this extensively with clients and can guarantee that it takes your fat burning potential to a whole new level.

The exercises can as previously touched on be a mixture of resistance and bodyweight with the added intensity of aerobic exercises in between. As with the previous principles you are looking to perform multi joint large compound movements to create a whole body workout. As your fitness increases you can add to the number of exercises performed each round. To start with I recommend a round of 5 exercises followed by a minutes rest and repeat 3 to 4 times.

Example of MCT as follows:

1) Barbell clean and press

2) Burpees

3) Inverted row

4) Walkouts with mountain climbers and push up

5) Barbell or bodyweight squats (optional jump squat)

Complete circuit for desired reps or time (15 – 20 reps) (45 seconds – 1 min) using 50% - 55% 1RM then repeat 3 or 4 times.

So to unleash your fat burning potential jump on the MRT train today be imaginative and ditch the long boring cardio sessions to reach your goals. Be sure to keep us posted and let us know about your results.