Total Body Metabolic Workout // METCON

Total Body Metabolic Workout // METCON is an intense total body metabolic strength workout from Heather Robertson. I’ve been so focused on Caroline Girvan‘s Iron Series workouts I haven’t done one of Heather’s full length strength workouts in a few weeks and she kicked my butt! As usual, Heather combines compound strength exercises with metabolic and cardio exercises to give you an intense, fat burning total body strength workout. I had to drop to lighter dumbbells a few times. Even Heather was struggling a few times, which is actually pretty rare to see onscreen but she even burned out a few times! Though Heather does manage to hit every muscle group, the triceps and the shoulders get the brunt of the work. I finished this off with a very nice relaxing stretch from Sara Beth.

This workout is made up of 6 supersets. Each superset is done 3 times before moving on to the next circuit. The exercises are all done interval style: 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of recovery. There is a timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Heather previews your next exercise.

Total Body Metabolic Workout // METCON is 44:16 minutes; 40 second intro, 3 minute warm up and 3 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and fitness mat. Heather is using 5, 10 and 15 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

Superset 1:

1. Squat, curl & press (stand w/ one DB in each hand at sides, squat and as you stand do a hammer curl into an overhead press) (16.5# DBs)
2. Pop Squat (squat jack, touching fingertips to ground while in squat)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times

Superset 2:

1. Stand up & press (start in high kneeling on mat holding a DB in each hand behind head, step forward into kneeling lunge with one foot, step the other foot forward, stand and raise DBs overhead, lower DBs back behind head and step one foot back into kneeling lunge then step other foot back so you are back in starting position of high kneeling, alternate lead leg) (one 20# DB)
2. Shadow box (alternating weighted front punches) (5# DBs)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times

30 second rest

Superset 3:

1. Chest press & leg drop (lay on back, bicycle legs while doing chest press) (25# DBs first 2 sets, 20# DBs 3rd set)
2. Crab dance (in crab/reverse tabletop, raise one leg to ceiling while reaching for toe with opposite hand, alternate sides)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times

Superset 4:

1. Deadlift & lunge (alternate one deadlift with one reverse lunge, alternate legs when lunging) (20# DBs)
2. Weighted jacks (jack the legs while doing overhead press with light DBs) (5# DBs)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times

30 second rest

Superset 5:

1. Diamond push up (tricep push ups, hands are together under chest so pointer fingers and thumb form a diamond)
2. Skull crusher bridge (lay on back with knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, raise and lower hips into bridge while doing skull crushers) (12# DBs first 2 sets, 11# DBs 3rd set)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times

Superset 6:

1. Alternating renegade rows (20# DBs)
2. Burpee & press (stand holding a DB in each hand, squat and place DBs on mat, jump feet back to plank, jump feet back to DBs, stand while doing a double arm hammer curl into an overhead press) (16.5# DBs)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times

For more info on Heather Robertson’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.