MetCons: A Tale of Two Uses
Conditioning for Aesthetics vs. Performance
Overview:
• Conditioning must have purpose within training design
• Control points: why we need repeatability & slower speeds
• Athletic skills for performance are built over time
Notes:
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Outcomes:
• Spot characteristics of aesthetics/health focus vs. conditioning focus within a workout
• Perform your conditioning with more intention - and get better results
• Learn how to develop performance skills through phased conditioning builds
• Coordinate metabolic stress concepts and strict contractions in your conditioning to pack on juicy
meaty muscle!
The Role of Intensity in Conditioning:
What is intensity?
Why can too much of it stall out fat loss AND performance?
Notes:
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Personal Experience:
• Tons of volume at sub-maximal efforts helped prepare for the CrossFit Games
• Coaching other high level athletes, lower intensity conditioning helped ease them back into
training after peaking
• Introduced these concepts to a wider audience through Awaken Training Series
• Used these ideas to target specific muscle groups with the Functional Body Composition
program for aesthetic-focused conditioning
• Exploring new conditioning concepts in Persist
Have you ever committed to a long term conditioning format that delivered a specific outcome?
What was your experience?
What do you appreciate about the constantly varied high intensity model, and what would you miss
if you transitioned to a purpose driven format for conditioning work aimed at a particular result?
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Control Points Are Key!
• Aesthetic improvements require consistency and quality of movement
• We need to develop full musculature through great range of motion and many different planes of
movement
• A culture of going fast means athletes WILL rush
• Control points are the intentional speed bumps to ensure purpose and quality
Specific examples of control points will be covered throughout the
presentation. Note them here afterward to cement your understanding
and have them all in one place.
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Functional Pump Conditioning: Fatigued Abdominals
Why?
• Fatigue + high skill lowers movement quality, safety, & muscular impact
• But fatigue + low skill core = powerful results
• Heavy breathing forces deep contractions
• Flexing, twisting, potent core crushers!!
How To?
• Great on any day of training - not upper/lower specific
• Terrific as finishers
Control Points:
• 10-1 increased transitions
• tempo in core movements
• movements that take more setup (e.g. Barbell Windshield Wipers)
Example 1 Example 2
4 Rounds for Time: For Time:
Ski 250/200m 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
10 Supine Toes to Bar (3sec lowering) Toes to Rings
*100m Row between sets
rest 3mins
rest 3-5mins
4 Rounds for Time:
500/450m Bike For Time:
10 Barbell Windshield Wipers 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Tuck ups
*250m Bike between sets
Notes:
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Functional Pump Conditioning: Couplet of Couplets
Why?
• Blown away by the effectiveness of high volume with specific
movements in this rep scheme for massive pump & hypertrophy
• Lots of transitions keep athletes shy of failure
• Athlete can keep moving with lots of control & keep quality high
How to Use:
• Pair movements with the patterns of the day
• Use strict movements rather than kipping for muscle endurance
focus
Control Points:
• Advanced and strict gymnastics
Example 1 Example 2
For Time: For Time:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 10-8-6-4-2
Handstand Push Ups Barbell Bench Press (115/75lbs starting load -
Dual KB Gorilla Row 53/35lbs add weight every round)
Strict Toes to Ring
rest 3mins
NO REST RIGHT INTO
For Time:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 For Time:
Kettlebell Bench Press 53/35lbs 15-12-9-6-3
*1 Legless Rope Climb between each set KB Floor Press 53/35lbs/hand
GHD Sit ups
Notes:
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Functional Pump Conditioning: Back to Back Buy In
Why?
• Avoid the common fault of going out too hot
• Fly and die/just staying alive means poor contractions
• Like Arnold says, “get inside the muscle!”
• Sizable buy in normalizes pace and sets up pre-fatigue
How to?
• Buy in takes up ¼ - ½ of the total time
• Pace accordingly - go right to the first rep
• Don’t be tempted to rush
Control Points:
• Long buy in cardio
• Work/rest ratios that favor more control and less fatigue
Training Example: • Set a 4 minute clock
4min: • Begin with the Buy In
500/450m Row Buy In • Complete as many rounds as
- then in time remaining AMRAP: possible of the remaining
6 Gorilla Rows 70/53lbs movements until the clock runs out
6 GHD Sit Ups
• Rest two minutes, then start the
rest 2mins second piece
• Perform both pieces twice
4min:
1000/900m Bike Buy In
-then in time remaining AMRAP-
8 Goblet Reverse Lunge Alternating Legs 70/53lbs
4 Single Arm DB Deadlift R 70lbs
4 Single Arm DB Deadlift L 70lbs
rest 2mins
Repeat again from the TOP
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Functional Pump Conditioning: Core Carry Shoulders
Why?
• Take the mental pressure off and stop the clock
• Movement selection ensures quality focus
• By nature of cycle time, range of motion, and loading, you won’t go too fast
• Slowly grinding yields quality contractions
How to?
• Perfect after particularly intense lifting or gymnastics
• Gives your body and brain a break
• Great full body core workouts
Control Points:
• For Quality and lack of time pressure
• Strict Movements with and upper body fatigue focus
Example:
For Quality:
12 Strict Toes to Rings
10 Renegade Rows 50/35lbs
8 Wall Walks
10 Strict Toes to Rings
8 Renegade Rows 50/35lbs
6 Wall Walks
8 Strict Toes to Rings
6 Renegade Rows 50/35lbs
4 Wall Walks
6 Strict Toes to Rings
4 Renegade Rows 50/35lbs
2 Wall Walks
Notes:
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Performance in Metcons
• Comes down to learning what your sustainable limits are and then riding the line between
sustainable and unsustainable as closely as you can!
• In progressions in training we must err further to the side of sustainable and build up to
threshold
• THE TRADE OFF - by consistently pushing towards your threshold in every training cycle, we will
move further away from the qualities that make up aesthetics metcons
Performance Control Points:
• Rest between movements
• Increasing effort on every set
• Some lower power isolation movements mixed in with full body compound moves
What has been your personal experience with developing your performance through conditioning?
What have you learned over time?
Phase One Performance Development - Weeks 1-3:
Training Keys:
5 Sets:
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pull
• Always begin with with a format that
provides adequate rest between
rest 15sec movements and sets
20 Russian Twists (20/14lbs) • Total volume starts to build over the first
rest 15sec few weeks but under low fatigue so
5 Box Jump Overs (choose a tough height - touch top of box on quality stays high
the way over) • Increasing effort per set will force you to
learn how to start slow
rest 15sec
Row 18/15 Calories (your pace each set)
rest 90sec
*Increasing pace per set on the rower and the cadence of your box jump overs and SDHP reps
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Metcons for Performance
Phase Two Performance Development: Weeks 4-6: Training Keys:
5 Sets
4 Hang Power Cleans (below knee) • Begin to remove some of the rest
periods in order to mimic the transitions
8 Burpees
of a chipper
12 Kipping Toes to Bar
• Adjust rep counts to keep clients
Assault Bike 18/15 Calories successful and not breaking up their sets.
rest 90sec between sets • Continue to work the increasing pace
method
Phase Three Performance Development: Weeks 7-9: Training Keys:
4 Rounds for Time: • Move away from rest intervals
15 KBS (70/53) completely
10 No Push Up Burpees • Still encourage an increasing effort each
round. This keeps athletes in control.
15 Toes to Rings
• Rep counts of movements start to
Row 20/16 Calories increase
*You must increase your pace on each set of rowing • Continue to work the increasing pace
method
Phase Four Performance Development: Weeks 10-11: Training Keys:
3 Rounds For Time
• Remove the requirement to increase
20 KBS Unbroken 70/53 paces
20 Cal Row
• Add in unbroken sets as a way of getting
20 GHD Sit Ups
athlete to control their pacing and make
20 Cal Assault Bike sure they are doing larger sets and not
just 5 reps with long breaks
Performance Control Points:
• Smaller rep ranges first
• Still increasing pace on mono structural piece
• Unbroken set when you remove the increasing effort control point
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Metcons for Performance
Week 12: Testing!
For Time:
Row 100/80 Cals
100 Wall Balls 20lbs/14lbs to 10/9'
50 GHD Sit Ups
100/80 Cal Assault Bike
Training Keys:
• Put your hard work to the test, mentally
and physically.
• In Individual Design or at times in
Awaken Training Series we test, build a
cycle, then retest to measure
improvement.
• This is where growth happens!
• Continue to work the increasing pace
method
Notes:
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Training Takeaways
• Building muscle is all about quality - prioritize control & contractions over all else
• Developing performance is about pacing, volume, and mental skill - which takes time to learn
• Random, high intensity workouts will yield neither - and have negative impacts
• Consistency is important for both - training designs that avoid injury and promote quality keep
burnout at bay, so you can keep coming back!
• The occasional test or intensity dose can help you grow - use it wisely
How will you use these concepts in your training this week?
Are you currently training more for aesthetics/health or for performance?
If you wanted to bias one more than the other, would you change anything about your current
training?
Notes:
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