“What do I do on my off days?”
Members of Beyond Strength asked that question often in the past. They would come in, crush their small group training, and then… that was it.
There was uncertainty around what to do in between sessions.
And while we gave some recommendations (do some mobility work, go for a walk, hike—sometimes even wrote home cardio conditioning programs) we found that most were not getting these things in.
They would come in for their next session and at some point, we would say, “Hey, how did your mobility work and hike go?!”
“Ah… yeah, I didn’t get that in, because… (always a story).”
The fact that the same question kept popping up suggested that folks wanted to do more, but something seemed to be stopping them.
And then it dawned on us: People do best when surrounded by their peers. So, why not create a class our members could enjoy on their “off” days… together? So we did. And that’s our Metabolic Conditioning class.
If you’ve read this blog before, or follow us on social media, then you know we strive to put our members in the best position to be successful. By creating this class as a free add-on to their membership, we were able to do just that.
Our members now had certainty regarding what to do with their off days. They were instantly able to train several more days per week, as well as more likely to do so since they had the opportunity to train with their fellow gym friends. And, because this gave them more training consistency, they saw quicker results by getting more training in.
So, you’re probably wondering, “What the heck is Metabolic Conditioning exactly?”
Well, I’ll let one of our members, Jackie, give her answer here:
“I think Metabolic Conditioning is what you need it to be—it can be a recovery day from small group or you can get really sweat and make it a serious workout.”
She also likes that it’s short, because in her words,
“Hard to say I don’t have time for something that is 30-45 minutes.”
Now, let’s dig into what the structure of the class looks like.
What Is Metabolic Conditioning?
Metabolic Conditioning is a form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT, for short). HIIT workouts involve doing short bursts of work following a certain period of rest.
Before I HIIT you with (see what I did there?) why our classes are different than typical HIIT workouts though, because I’ll discuss that soon, I want to answer this question: how is Metabolic Conditioning different than Small Group Personal Training?
First, Metabolic is a group class. Members show up at the start of the hour, warm-up together—which is led by the coach—and learn the exercises they’ll be doing. Then they get after it. It’s a great time for members to get a workout in with their friends.
Said another way, Natasha, a member of Beyond Strength, said this about Metabolic Conditioning:
“It is a great way to meet other people at the gym. There’s always a hilarious banter going on throughout the whole workout and we end with an ‘awkward breakdown’ that always leaves us laughing.”
And that is exactly how we end our sessions, with an awkward breakdown. We cool down as a group, everyone puts their arms in the middle of the circle, and we yell some phrase out together on the count of three. Sometimes it’s something simple like “taco Tuesday,” or silly like “dentures for crocodiles.”
As Jackie said earlier, Metabolic Conditioning is what our members make of it. It can be used as an easier recovery day, but members can push themselves if they would like to as well.
Let’s discuss why they are different than typical HIIT workouts. Because not all HIIT workouts are created equal.
How Is Metabolic Conditioning Different Than A Typical HIIT Workout?
Some HIIT workouts go too far.
The goal of these workouts is to simply cram as much work as possible into a small amount of time. In part, this is what makes HIIT seem enticing: more work in less time.
While that sounds good on paper, it can be taken too far, and leave people feeling like a pile of doo-doo on the floor. Intensity becomes a problem. More work in less time doesn’t mean to do as much work as humanly possible.
There is a better way.
We can still get the benefits of HIIT training—burning more calories with less time (aka helps fat loss), increased metabolism for hours following exercise—in a safer, more effective way. How? By using intelligent work/rest intervals and exercise variations that meet people where they are at.
That probably felt like reading hieroglyphics in a tomb in Egypt, so let me put it another way:
we create our workouts to make people feel good during and after them, not bad.
And we do this in three ways.
First, we use intelligent work/rest intervals. That’s the amount of time we do an exercise, and the amount of time we rest after doing it. For example, if we did a :20/:40 interval, that’s 20 seconds of work, followed by 40 seconds of rest.
Second, to ensure people find the best position to be successful, we use an up down system for exercises. Most exercises written on the chalk board feature more than one exercise to choose from. There is a starting exercise, then a down arrow, which indicates an easier variation, or an up arrow, which indicates a more challenging variation.
For example, Plank w/ Shoulder Taps might be the starting movement. The down arrow could be a Push-Up Position Plank, and the up arrow could be Mountain Climbers. There is an option for any skill level. Or, you can simply choose easier or harder variations based on how you feel that day.
Here’s what Jackie had to say about it:
“I like that I can take intensity up/down for how I feel that day—a lot like yoga since I get to modify as needed.”
Lastly, there is always a coach leading the class, so the exercises aren’t set in stone. A coach is there to, well, uh, coach, and part of that involves giving exercise modifications as needed. Let’s say someone wasn’t ready for a Push-Up Position Plank—that’s okay. We could suggest they do a Modified Plank instead (which is easier).
Now, at this point I’m going to take a guess: the idea of a workout that helps you reach your goals and leaves you feeling good interests you. Is that fair? If so, then how do you go about experiencing a class?
Experiencing A Metabolic Conditioning Class
Recently, we added more Metabolic Conditioning classes to our schedule (early morning, mid-morning, noon, evening, and weekends), so now is a great time to check out what all the fuss is about. If you’re interested in checking this out for yourself, no strings attached, we offer a free week you can claim on our home page, or at the bottom of this blog.
At this moment though, maybe you’re hoping to do a workout now. You just heard all about the Metabolic Conditioning classes and want to do something…right away. Well, you’re in luck. Because I’m going to end this blog by including a free body weight Metabolic Conditioning workout—complete with videos…
How to read the program:
- The far left column contains the name of the exercise, with a video hyperlink you can click on, as well as easier or more challenging variations for nearly every movement.
- A “↓” indicates an easier variation, while a “↑” indicates a more challenging variation.
- This is a “circuit” style workout, so you will alternate from exercise to exercise each round. For example, you will do “A1” for 20 seconds, then rest for 40 seconds. Next do “A2” for 20 seconds, then rest 40 seconds. Finally, do “A3” for 20 seconds, rest 40 seconds. That is one round.
- The number of rounds is indicated by the number to the left of the work/rest interval. For example, “4 x :20/:40” means 4 rounds of 20 seconds of work, 40 seconds of rest.
Have fun!
| Exercise Name | Sets x :Work/:Rest | |
| A1. | Snapdown | 4 x :20/:40 |
| A2. | Push-Up
↓Modified Push-Up (Use a table, bed, barbell in a rack, etc.) |
4 x :20/:40 |
| A3. | Dead Bugs w/ Pause | 4 x :20/:40 |
| REST 2:00 MINUTES | ||
| B1. | Bodyweight Squat | 3 x :25/:35 |
| B2. | Bent Over T | 3 x :25/:35 |
| B3. | Fake Jump Rope | 3 x :25/:35 |
| B4. | Plank w/ Shoulder Taps | 3 x :25/:35 |