We can't blame you if you hate the cardio part of your workout. Not everyone is a fan of spending half an hour slogging on a treadmill or an empty street until they're out of breath. Apparently, burning fat doesn't necessarily equate to resorting to such traditional weight-loss methods.
Many are quite familiar with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and how alternating 20-second intense workouts and 10-second recovery periods improves athletic capacity and glucose metabolism. MetaCardio is basically an enhanced version of HIIT, only this time you'll be using resistance equipment like small dumbbells and minibands in a structured format.
"Your body is being compelled to work harder by adding a small amount of resistance through the range of its motion," says Charles "Crunch" Vincent M. Aguila, PTRP, REB, Group Fitness Team Leader, and Master Personal Trainer, Fitness First Philippines, Inc.
Each MetaCardio workout consists of four supersets, which is a combination of two variations done alternately and is made up of 20-second work and 10-sec straight sets. Every move - five minutes for beginners and 10 for advanced trainees - will provide metabolic stress or "muscle pumps," with a one-minute rest in between supersets.
"The concentration of the workout will depend on which region or muscle group you apply the small resistance to," Aguila explains. "For example, putting the minibands around the ankles while doing jump jacks will be a great move for lower body workout."
He provided a sample of a resistance-based MetaCardio workout:
Lower Body
Superset 1
Miniband on ankles jumpjacks
Miniband on knees side to side squats
Superset 2
Bulgarian split squat jump (right)
Bulgarian split squat jump (left)
Superset 3
Crossed Theratube one-leg hip extension pulses (right)
Crossed Theratube one-leg hip extension pulses (pulses)
Superset 4
Miniband plank jacks
Alternate dumbbell side lunges
Upper Body
Superset 1
Kneeling Theratube alternate shoulder press
Dumbbell pec flys with leg scissors
Superset 2
Dumbbell squat to shoulder press
Back stepping lunges with dumbbell side shoulder raises
Superset 3
Alternate standing side crunches with overhead theraband
Alternate side lunges with dumbbell bicep curls
Superset 4
Burpee breakdown with dumbbell arm rows on plank
Kettlebell sumo squat to upright row
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph