Fitness

What is Metcon In Crossfit And What Is Good For?

CrossFit athletes are always looking for any activity that can help them improve performance and get better results.

Metcon exercises rely on exercise programs that take advantage of immediate or intermediate energy pathways, and metabolic conditioning exercise is done according to specific standards.

The strength of Mitcon lies in the fact that it burns calories more efficiently when using sessions with high or moderate intensity.

In this article, I will explain to you what Mitcon is, its benefits and how it can help you if you are a beginner in CrossFit activities.

Let’s find out the answers together.

What is Metcon?

METCON (Metabolic Conditioning), a term used by CrossFit athletes, is an activity of metabolic conditioning exercises that athletes incorporate into their classes in order to obtain the maximum amount of energy.

What is metcon crossfit?

Mitcon exercise often combines strength training and cardio conditioning, doing several repetitions quickly for 12 minutes or more.

The Metcon helps the body get more oxygen, and prepares the muscles to do more repetitions.

When should you do a Metcon and how many times a week?

The ways to perform metcon exercises and the time to do them differ from one athlete to another, but many athletes do some warm-up and then do one set of strength exercises and then the metcon and then start doing some rigorous work.

A Metcon workout often comes in the middle of the class

.

How many times a week?

CrossFit athletes are often fanatics of sports and there are those who train 6 times a week and there are those who train in the morning and evening, and since the metcons pushes the athletes to their limits, that’s why they do a metcon in every session.

How many times a week beginners should do metcons?

3 CrossFit sessions per week as a start, 3 metcons in each session that will be made up with each CrossFit session. This will give the body a boost of energy to do more and the effort will be doubled, which will further improve the results.

Metcons exercises examples

CrossFit athletes are creative in creating their own metcon exercises, so there are many examples, and the most important is the way you should do the metcon.

Metcon exercise may be:

  • squats.
  • deadlifts.
  • lunges.
  • pushups.
  • rows.
  • pullups.
  • burpees.
  • planks.

Commun types of Metcons in CrossFit centers

Examples 

AMRAP : As many reps as possible

Duration 30 min

  • 30 Air squats,
  • 20 Plank hold shoulders taps,
  • 10 Burpees Russian twist,
  • 20 alternating step-ups,
  • 10 push ups

EMOM : Every minute on minute

  • (5 Min EMOM) 25 Kettlebell,
  • (5 Min EMOM) 15 Box jumps,
  • (5 Min EMOM) 15 Deadlifts,
  • (5 Min EMOM) 20 Sit ups,
  • (5 Min EMOM) 12 Burpees,

For time :

  • 125 Kettlebell swings, 32 / 24 kg

Every time you break up the kettlebell swings, 

do a full round of Cindy:

  • 5 Pull Ups
  • 10 Push Ups
  • 15 Air Squats

For Reps:

  • Air Squats : 15 Reps
  • Pull Ups : 5 Reps
  • Push Ups : 10 Reps
  • Crunches : 10 Reps

Metcons exercises for beginners

For beginners, it is better to do mitcon exercises of moderate intensity, and also their metcon activities may not include some exercises such as gymnastics, and they may also do metcon only for a short period (7 to 12 minutes) which will be an ideal duration.

Examples of Metcon workouts for beginners.

AMRAP :

  • 10 Air squats,
  • 8 Plank hold shoulders taps,
  • 5 Burpees Russian twist,
  • 8 alternating step-ups,
  • 8 push ups

EMOM :

  • (2 Min EMOM) 8 Sit ups,
  • (2 Min EMOM) 4 Burpees,
  • (2 Min EMOM) 8 Kettlebell,
  • (2 Min EMOM) 5 Box jumps,

For time :

  • 40 Kettlebell swings, 18 / 12 kg

Every time you break up the kettlebell swings, 

do a full round of Cindy:

  • 5 Box jumps
  • 7 Push Ups
  • 10 Air Squats

For reps :

  • Air Squats : 8 Reps
  • Box jumps : 5 Reps
  • Push Ups : 7 Reps
  • Crunches : 8 Reps

Know more about 25 WOD for beginners

How do CrossFit Athletes progress Metcons and maximize results?

It’s simple when it comes to progression in the Metcon, CrossFit athletes cut back on the duration of their workout and do the same repetitions in less time than they used to.

Energy must be well managed during CrossFit performance, so you shouldn’t use too much power in the Metcon.

For example

Diane workout (Metcon)

  • 15/21/9 (reps): Deadlifts
  • 21 / 9 / 6 (reps): Handstand Push Up.

Most athletes may take 6 or 7 minutes to complete this exercise, and there are those who take 12 minutes and this is a lot of energy consumed for this.

To progress : CrossFit athletes put a challenge to complete this exercise in the least amount of time (2 to 4 minutes) 

I think the idea is somewhat clear.

The higher the level of fitness for CrossFit athletes, the higher the intensity of the exercises, the duration, and everything else, and this means that the Metcon exercises need some development as well.

Metabolic conditioning effects

According to the NCBI website, several studies have been conducted on high-intensity intermittent exercises (METCON) that are performed before the actual activities, and the results were that the energy expenditure was higher after the immediate exercises and continued for up to 20 minutes afterwards.

Studies have concluded that doing high-intensity interval training before circuit weight training leads to a high metabolic disorder, sustained calorie expenditure and metabolic and cardiorespiratory response.

Are metcons helpful for weightloss?

Metcon maintains a high metabolic rate for a long time after exercise, and not only that, but this increases the process of losing fat during exercise, and the body continues to burn fat even after the session ends in a period of up to 3 hours (effect after burn).

So that the hormones break down the fat stores that are supposed to settle in the body, but those fats are used as a source of fuel in order to get more energy.

Learn More about what CrossFit Athletes eat

How many calories are burned during a Metcon?

A high-intensity metabolic workout can burn between 500 and 800 calories, and may increase your metabolic rate for 72 hours after exercise, meaning your body will continue to burn calories even during periods of rest and recovery.

What are the benefits and risks of Metcon?

All physical activities have their pros and cons, so there is a positive and a negative in Metcon.

Metcon Pros:

  • Performance: Mitcon activities improve exercise performance and give the body a boost of energy to do more.
  • Speed: CrossFit activities depend on speed and time, so Metcon activities help to do many repetitions in a short time.
  • Progression: There is no limit with metcon activities, the higher the level of fitness, the greater the intensity and intensity of the metcon exercises in order to push you to the limits.

Metcon Cons:

According to the Healthline.

  • It may be difficult: especially for beginners, you may not be in their class, and perhaps they must first gain some fitness and learn the techniques of the movements first, so that they can keep pace with the rhythm of the metcon.
  • Possible stop in gaining strength: But this does not usually happen with CrossFit athletes, because the goals of this activity are primarily to gain strength, and this may only be negative for people who depend on Metcon only, so if you are of this type you must integrate These exercises are combined with other activities.

Summary

If you think you are on a high level of fitness, try Metcon and you will see how your performance will change.

If you are a beginner, start with something less intense, as already mentioned, Metcons can be difficult for beginners.

Metcon activities are considered safe as long as you do not have health problems, or you have permission from your doctor.

Do not forget to share the article with friends who are interested in this matter, and you may want to join us in the mailing list.

Hamza Bjr

Hamza started his journey with building fitness and strong muscles 4 years ago, he was able to successfully change the shape of his body and he was able to earn a third-class coach certificate from the "SET" Center, after that he decided to use his simple knowledge about exercises and high-intensity training to help many others people achieve their goals.

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