Metabolic vs. Total Body weight training

[Kellie]

For fat loss AND definnition, which is better? I have toyed with metabolic training but haven't ever attempted a full rotation of it. I have always stuck to total body and split weight training with various cardio elements such as running, biking, kickboxing, etc. Is metabolic conditioning the best of both worlds? I do have about five vanity pounds to lose and am thinking about purchasing TapOut or Jillian's Body Revolution. Do the metabolic workouts give you definition or are they more for overall fat loss? I enjoy Atletica, which to me seems more metabolic than weight training, but I don't know whether to give in and go for the metabolic training in lieu of the other. Any suggesions? What results have been achieved from metabolic training vs weight training?

[muddjeansgal]

Isn't metabolic training just light circuit weight training designed to elevate the heart rate? (also known as aerobic weight training).
If so, I would think they would result in fat loss.

[LindaL]

I agree with muddjeansgal, but sometimes I also think that you could take a full body workout like Muscle Endurance and add a 2 minute high intensity cardio burst between body parts and make it a metabolic-like workout. I think that the original High Step Advanced workout that Cathe made is metabolic, even though she doesn't refer to it as such. I don't know that metabolic always needs to be light weight. Robert Dos Remedios uses heavier weights with his metabolic circuits.

[apricot31]

I've done both - used kettebell workouts like AoS Providence and Newport as metabolic training. I've gotten better results from weight training. My nutrition is what affects my fat loss the most - combined with weight training.

[slysam]

The way I first learned these terms was with programs that contain both like the Cosgrove's workout programs. So I think you can do both, depending what you do for met. con. In Rachel Cosgrove's Female Body Breakthrough it has both, the met con is the cardio day and the strength is full body mostly compound with some isolations. I didn't followed her program exactly but I did incorporate her foam roller, warm up and the metabolic workouts in the rotation I was already doing so mixed full body strength 3 times a day, with metabolic workouts once or twice a week on cardio days. I like my cardio too much to fo to strictly metabolic workouts for cardio.

I find the term and distinction a little confusing though... Sometimes my strength workouts are kind of more like those metabolic workouts i.e. if I am doing body weight circuits, boot camps or kettlebells. I would think aerobic weight training like the Firm would fit in this category as would a lot of Jillian Michaels? So I am a little confused about the distinction between cardio and strength in how these are classed and why they are thought to be okay as a recovery from strength training yet they can be the strength training depending on the program.

ETA: I did seem to have good inch and fat loss when I was doing both full body strength and metabolic workouts on some cardio days, though. So I guess I believe in the fat loss potential. I just like cardio too much to go all metabolic, and I like barre too much to go all heavy strength. Around the holiday season, I did metabolic workouts or the Jari Love's with cardio intervals (Get Ripped 1000, etc) for strength and didn't lose much, but I didn't gain anything even lose a little even though I was going through normal holiday naughtiness and that makes me think they would be good for fat loss if I were actually dieting (though I was intentionally doing them in hopes for "damage control" though I really I don't recommend trying to out train a bad diet. I was trying not to eat to that full feeling so I was eating at maintenance level while doing this but I lost about a pound in a month so the loss was not huge).

[Vee]

There does not seem to be a single, universally accepted definition of metabolic training.

Here is one from the site of the guy who talks about it a lot, Alwyn Cosgrove:

http://alwyncosgrove.com/2011/10/wha...ance-training/

It is resistance training (supersets or circuits) that also elevates Heart rate and has low rest times between sets as per this definition. It could be heavy weight, lighter weights or even body weight.

[princess76]

Originally Posted by Kellie

For fat loss AND definnition, which is better? I have toyed with metabolic training but haven't ever attempted a full rotation of it. I have always stuck to total body and split weight training with various cardio elements such as running, biking, kickboxing, etc. Is metabolic conditioning the best of both worlds? I do have about five vanity pounds to lose and am thinking about purchasing TapOut or Jillian's Body Revolution. Do the metabolic workouts give you definition or are they more for overall fat loss? I enjoy Atletica, which to me seems more metabolic than weight training, but I don't know whether to give in and go for the metabolic training in lieu of the other. Any suggesions? What results have been achieved from metabolic training vs weight training?

I dropped 2 sizes in 60 days doing Body Revolution. I still want to lose more fat, but I definitely got muscle definition and strength gains from her program. She put a lot of study and research into designing her program, and I highly recommend it. I now have over 20 of Jillian's workouts, and will buy whatever she puts out there!

[Kellie]

Thanks everyone, for the replies; they've been very helpful. I have several other Jillian workouts and I've always thought highly of her workout style. I just may give these a try.

[Gardengirl]

Sigh . . . I still find the term "metabolic training" confusing. It sounds like AWT or circuit training. And I find it interesting that the article linked above has the standard "poo-poo" of longer steady state cardio, but now says that the latest "innovative" way of working out, interval training, may get passed over as well for the newest, latest, bestest metabolic training (sarcasm added). Geez, it's exhausting trying to keep up! Lol!

Please don't think I'm trying to bash anyone's way of working out. I think all of these have their place and it's wonderful to change things up with different styles of working out, I guess I'm just tired of constantly throwing the baby out with the bath water, as they say.