Day 58: Total Body MetCon Workout (At Home Metabolic Conditioning) / HR12WEEK 4.0

Total Body MetCon Workout is Day 58  in Heather Robertson‘s 12 Week 4.0 program. This workout is no joke! Heather works your entire body with compound moves and because you are working so many muscle groups with a single exercise, the workout gets very metabolic. According to my Apple watch I burned 366 calories and popped into my peak heart rate zone a total of 3:30 minutes in the course of the workout. Heather also introduced a few new-to-me and unique compound exercises. I was going strong in that first circuit but by the time we got to the second circuit I was definitely fatiguing and had to use lighter weights than I normally would. This workout hits the shoulders hard. Mine are still burning. The stretch at the end was longer than normal and very welcome.

The exercises are done interval style: 40 seconds of work followed by 20 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 the next exercise. At the bottom of the screen during the preview, there is a small graphic with a weight recommendation–light, medium or heavy.

Total Body MetCon Workout is 41:45 minutes; 20 second intro, 3:10 minute warm up and 5:20 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a fitness mat. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1:

1. Squat & pass over (hold one DB bar bar with both hands, hold the DB at one shoulder as you squat, as you raise out of squat, also raise DB up and overhead to other shoulder and squat again, continue passing the DB shoulder to shoulder overhead) (one 25# DB)
2. Deadlift & row (deadrow–hinge forward into a deadlift, hold and do one double arm back row then return to standing upright) (30# DBs)
3. Kneeling squat & press (start in double kneeling on mat with glutes resting on heels and a DB in each hand w/ DBs resting at shoulders, raise into high double kneeling while also doing a double arm overhead shoulder press, lower DBs while also lowering glutes back to heels) (20# DBs)
4. Leg drop chest press (lay on back with a DB in each hand, legs are extended straight to ceiling, arms start extended straight to ceiling, as you lower DBs also lower one leg until it is a few inches off the floor, raise leg as you push DBs back to ceiling, alternate legs) (30# DBs)
5. Around the world crunch (lay on back with legs raised and knees bent at 90 degrees, hold one DB in each hand, extend arms/DBs overhead, as you crunch upper body extend arms out to sides so they meet behind thighs at top of crunch then extend arms back out to sides and overhead as you lower upper body, legs remain stationary the entire interval) (8# DBs)
6. Side lunge & row (stand w/ legs wide holding one DB in one hand, side lunge to one side and hold while doing a single arm back row, as you raise out of lunge pass the DB to other hand and repeat on other side of body) (one 30# DB)
7. Ski squat & press (stand holding one DB in each hand, lower into a squat while swinging DBs in front of you to shoulder level, lower DBs back to sides as you stand and do a bicep curl into an overhead press) (8# DBs)
8. Speed ladder (place 2 DBs on the floor approximately 2 feet apart, start standing beside one DB, do lateral high knee runs stepping over DBs tire run style)
9. Repeat #1-8

30 second rest

Circuit 2:

1. Crab kick (start sitting on mat, one knee is bent w/ foot on mat and the other leg is extended straight, one hand is on mat behind hip (same side hand as leg that is extended straight), other hand is behind head, lift glutes/hips off mat while lifting/kicking straight leg up and tapping toe with hand that was behind head)
2. Repeat #1 on other side of body
3. Squat, press & twist (stand holding a DB in each hand at shoulders, squat and as you stand do one single arm shoulder press, alternate arms each time you do a shoulder press, also each time you push one DB overhead, twist torso to side) (18# DBs)
4. Curl & press (stand holding one DB in each hand in front of thighs w/ palms facing in front of you, do a bicep curl bringing DBs to shoulder level w/ palms now facing shoulders then push DBs overhead into a shoulder press not changing hand/DB position) (16.5# DBs)
5. Skull crush & crunch (start laying on mat w/ knees bent and feet on mat, holding one DB in each hand, elbows are bent and facing ceiling and DBs are beside ears framing your face, from this position crunch lower and upper body bringing elbows to knees, lower back to start and straighten arms, lifting DBs to ceiling (skullcrusher) then lower DBs back to start) (15# DBs)
6. Chest press & march (lay on back w/ knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, hold one DB in each hand, as you push DBs to ceiling also lift hips into bridge while also lifting one bent leg (bridge march), as you lower DBs also lower hips and foot back to mat, alternate legs each time you do a chest press) (25# DBs)
7. Overhead lunge & drive (stand holding one DB in each hand, extend arms/DBs straight overhead, do alternating reverse lunges, as you raise out of lunge, bring back leg forward into a front knee raise, arms/DBs remained raise overhead isometrically throughout interval) (15# DBs)
8. Leap frog (stand with legs wide holding a light DB in each hand, squat and tap ends of DBs to floor, stand and raise DBs overhead while also raising onto toes) (5# DBs)
9. Repeat #1-8

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