Home Exercise: Metabolic Conditioning Series

It seems like we all could use a fun, effective workout these days with everything going on. Working out with a good home exercise routine needs to be creative as well as effective. The Metabolic Conditioning four-exercise series takes care of that and more. The goals of these demanding, intermediate programs are to improve general fitness, strength and aerobic capacity.

Bill Bryson, author of The Body, offers some amazing research from his latest book on the powerful benefits of what regular exercise can do for us. “Going for regular walks reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke by 31%. Those benefits probably also improve when the intensity is increased a bit and strength training is added to the mix?

Research conducted in 2012, looked at the value of being active and showed an increase in life expectancy. Mr. Bryson reported that just 11 minutes of activity a day, for those 40 and older, “yielded 1.8 years of added life expectancy.” When that number increased to 60 minutes of activity a day, the yield improved to 4.2 years. The analysis included 655,000 test subjects who participated in the study.

Home Exercise Program Design

Taking a look inside the design of this program series shows eight individual exercises sessions. Exercise sessions are performed twice weekly. The deeper someone goes into the series, the more challenging the workout experience becomes. The final exercise session features the highest volume of exercise compared to any previous session. There are four bodyweight exercises that start off each session. Subsequent to this, the individual will complete six primary exercises. All bodyweight and exercises using resistance, are performed as compound sets.

Example of a Training Session

The following exercise session is included in the first week of the Metabolic Conditioning series. There are seven more exercise sessions in addition to this one. There are ten total exercises, between warm-up and primary exercises, in the eight sessions. Each one of the workouts is slightly more challenging than the previous session.

Bodyweight Warm-Up

Primary Exercises

The Jefit Elite series first two sessions can be found here and here. The following two sessions can be found here & here and that wraps up the full 8-weeks. Stay Strong!

Best Home Workout Program – No Gym Required

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One of the better home workout programs now featured on the award-winning Jefit Elite app is their new Total Body Circuit program. The one-day, intermediate-level session for Elite members, was developed by the Jefit team. What makes this workout so good is the efficiency of the routine and program design for this individual session. The program design includes 8 exercises performed for three set each using a circuit-training format. Once the first segment of the workout is complete, the Jefit app continues to progress the user through a third and fourth circuit. This is the point in the workout where the exercise intensity really starts to pick up.

During phase two, a user follows the same 8 exercise sequence but now moves through 4 challenging supersets. For example, the first superset of this part of the workout begins with a Kettlebell Goblet Squat immediately followed by an Inverted Row. The user is asked to move through this twice before advancing to the next superset. When all is said and done, the 8 exercises are performed 3x each for a total of 24 sets. Depending on the fitness level of the individual, the session could take on average, 30 to 50-minutes to complete. The goal of the program is to burn maximal calories, improve overall fitness and aerobic capacity.

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Elevated Push-ups (Jefit Bench Push-ups) are the 3rd exercise featured in the Total Body Circuit program

Looking for the Best Home Workout Program? Try Total Body Circuit by Jefit

Total Body Circuit Exercise Program

1A. Kettlebell Goblet Squat 1×10

2A. Inverted Row 1×10

3B. Elevated Push-ups 1×10

4B. Bicycle Abs 1×15

5C. Kettlebell One-Arm Push Press 1×10

6C. Barbell Curl 1×10

7D. Weighted Dips 1×10

8D. Superman – for time

After completing the first circuit of 8 exercises (1×10) you then need to cycle back through for a second & third set but this time they should be performed as supersets. Therefore, the original 8 exercises become 4 paired exercises now done as supersets with no rest between exercises: AA, BB, CC, DD. Perform this program initially twice a week before progressing to three times a week for 4-weeks.

Exercise Equipment Needed

The great thing about this program is that it requires minimal equipment to do it. You will need a kettlebell, dumbbell, Olympic bar, bench or stability ball for the dips (you can even use a chair if need be).

Try downloading this program for your next workout. If you happen to have a heart rate monitor, please wear it and keep track of heart rate. Record what your heart rate is at the end of the first, second and third circuit. Then determine how long it takes for your heart rate to drop below 100 beats per minute post exercise. Record peak heart rate immediately after the workout and then one-minute post workout and record the delta. This is an important number that can tell you a great deal about your cardiovascular health. Stay Strong!

Additional Reading

Heart Rate Recovery 10 Seconds After Cessation of Exercise Predicts Death, Journal of the American Heart Association , 2018.

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The Benefits of Working Out At Home

Different Kinds of Pushups

It seems like the whole world is now moving life indoors due to COVID-19. The new playground for families and individuals has transitioned from outdoors to inside the home. You can take advantage of this opportunity in the coming months by taking back control of your health and fitness. We may not be able to control certain outcomes regarding the coronavirus, but what we can control, is our overall health and wellbeing during this stressful time. One of the first steps down this path is making the commitment to work out regularly at home.

Make Working Out at Home a Priority

Exercise for most people is never a priority. There is now plenty of time to workout even with the kids stuck inside and you working remotely. The average adult still spends too much of their time sedentary, according to research from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Those numbers are going to potentially increase with COVID-19 lingering for the coming months. The goal is to find a time to exercise that works best for you and your schedule; maybe it’s in the morning, after work, or small bouts throughout the day. Check out the following suggestions to make your workout from home a good overall experience:

  • Schedule your workout each day as an appointment and put into into your calendar or smartphone and set a daily reminder.
  • Morning workouts are a great way to start the day off right and it puts you in a great mood once you’re done by releasing endorphins.
  • Turn your workout routine into a habit by staying on track by “just “doing it” for the next 3-weeks. Daily exercise should eventually become part of your lifestyle like eating or brushing your teeth. It needs to become part of your regular day.
  • Make it social (make it a family affair, join your spouse or get the kids involved if need be).
  • Do a periodic self-assessment to track progress and keep you motivated. Keep track of particular strength gains, body composition changes, etc. You can test yourself, for example, every 4, 8, or 12-weeks and document it using the Jefit app.

Home Equipment Options

There are many different roads someone could travel down when looking at options to meet all their exercise needs. There are now a variety of virtual classes on everything from yoga to HIT classes but many include costly monthly subscriptions. We have taken all the guess work out of deciding what you need in terms of getting started. The following article, published on the Jefit blog, offers the best exercise equipment options on a budget.

Your Assistant Coach: the Jefit App

The JeFit app makes thousands of strength training routines accessible. It comes with a customizable workout planner, an extensive exercise library, and a members-only Facebook group page. You can choose new workouts and track your progress with the app so that you can see how close you are to your fitness goals.

Don’t forget to join the Jefit community so that you can be a part of it too!

Different Kinds of Pushups