Your guide to metabolic resistance training

Published: May 10, 2020

What are your primary goals of working out? The answer to this question differs a lot amongst people. Some do it in order to get in better shape. Others want to get strong, improve their durability through a cardio workout, or to get their body to look a certain way. And there is a huge number of those who are trying to lose weight, too. And this is where metabolic resistance training comes into play. It is one of the toughest, most difficult forms of training. However, the results are great too. It will spike up your metabolism and crush calories like they are nothing. Then, it will lift the lactate threshold which helps you build muscle. Finally, it helps the body change into the shape you want. And you can find more about it in this article!

What is a metabolic resistance training

If this sounds like some magic – it’s time to correct your opinion! MRT (as it is often called), is far from magical! It’s just a combination of a lot of intense yet effective cardiovascular and muscle training exercises. There is much that the best personal trainers in Dubai will get you doing during MRT. This can include supersets, circuits, speed, low rest as well as compound movements. Some also like to think of it as a mix of aerobic and anaerobic work, where you do both weights and cardio! Because of this, metabolic resistance training is perfect for those who hate treadmills or rest periods that take forever.

How does this work? Well, MRT will boost up the metabolic “cost” of exercise. What this means is that is will make your body unleash the metabolic forces which will, in turn, increase the capacity of your body to change. For comparison, the regular exercises will tap into up to 30% of the body’s “change capacity”, while this type of training cranks this number to 50%. What’s more, it does so in a short period of time – only six weeks!

Finally, the perks you will reap from this type of training are threefold. It will both burn your fat, help you build muscle, and improve your strength – and all at the same time. All you need to do is reach out to one of the DubaiPT trainers. They will help you properly integrate it into a periodized-training scheme, and you will be ready to go!

Looking at the biology of the MRT

We already mentioned that MRT works miracles to your body, and it does so in three ways. If you are a fan of biology and physiology, you might ask how it manages to do this. We are here to answer this! First, when doing a single MRT workout, you can expend over 600 calories, depending on what exercises you are doing. Furthermore, your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC – or afterburn, what people call it) will increase significantly. Sometimes, your EPOC can be elevated for 38 or more hours, and thus burn your calories for a prolonged time.

But we also mentioned that MRT builds up your muscle. This is done through the lactate threshold, which this exercise will increase. For those who don’t know, this threshold is the point at which a compound called lactic acid accumulated in your muscles. If this happens, then your muscles cannot contract – thus your reps will reduce. Metabolic resistance training counteracts this effect because it helps your muscle buffer the acid and push it out of the tissue. This way, your muscles can work more – and grow more in turn.

What exercise you can do for metabolic resistance training

Now that you know the effects of the MTR on your organism, you might have a wish to try it for yourself. However, it is extremely important to note that this is an exhausting exercise. It is really important not to overextend yourself, and work with professionals. Make sure you contact personal trainers Dubai to plan an exercise routine in order to get the best results. Otherwise, you are exposing yourself to the danger of injury or straining your muscle. With that in mind, these are some of the exercises you can do:

Crunches

One of the main points of metabolic resistance training is to do more in a smaller amount of time. The easiest exercises for this are those you can do many of – for example, 15-20 reps per set – with resting as little as possible between. What you need to try to do is give it your best effort. Push yourself to the limit in order to get the best metabolic effect. But of course, make sure you are avoiding injuries – and this is why you need professionals with you!

Multi-joint exercises

Things like squats, rows, and presses are the perfect exercises for an MRT session! This routine needs to include all your major muscles in each session. The reason for this is that the more you work your muscles, the more energy you will expend. Torse and thighs have the biggest muscles, so work on that area the most. Meanwhile, arms and calves will be best during single-joint movements. To recuperate, train only three days each week.

Lifting weights

When lifting weights, you need to worry about your tempo. Since you will be repeating exercises, you should be doing it moderately fast – especially on the concentric portion. Try to do them as explosively as possible – but make sure your technique still remains correct. On the other hand, eccentric reps – when you lower down your weight – needs to be a bit slow. Muscles will be fighting the gravitational pull on each rep. This way, you will achieve the best that metabolic resistance training has to offer.