The Metabolic Chain Workout

Published in Oxygen Mag. August 2011

Jade Teta ND, CSCS
Heres a secret: your body is not a multi-tasker. Meaning its not very good at
simultaneously burning fat while building muscle. This is the metabolic equivalent of
patting your head and rubbing your tummy: its possible, but clumsy.
The formula for dealing with this has always been to separate the efforts. One workout is
done with weights to build, while a separate cardio-only session provides the burn. While
this may get the job done, there is a better way to accomplish both goals at once. Its
called metabolic chains.
What is a metabolic chain?
Metabolic chains are weight-based exercises that fully activate the heart and lungs. They
provide cardio-free fat burning through weight lifting for a metabolic aftershock that
keeps your metabolism smoking long after exercise is over.
The idea behind these moves is to combine the high-octane calorie burn obtained from
cardio intervals with the muscle-defining benefits of superset weight training. The result:
you burn fat and build muscle in a short, results-driven workout. No cardio machines
required.
How do they work
You probably already use supersets in your workouts. Metabolic chains are similar, but
with a twist. Where superset exercises are distinct and separated, metabolic chains link
exercises into one seamless movement. A squat may be followed by a biceps curl, which
is followed by a shoulder press, creating the chain of exercises. All three exercises
together make one repeat of the chain.
As the repetitions continue, a tremendous calorie burn is achieved similar to that of
interval training. This high-intensity, resistance-cardio effort maximizes calories burned
not only during exercise, but after the workout as well.
It was shown over a decade ago, by Osterberg et al. that women engaging in fast paced
superset weigh training can elevate their fat burning metabolism by 60% for 16 hours. A
more recent study from the April 2008 International Journal of Obesity showed 15 weeks
of this type of intense cardio effort burned over 100% more fat compared to traditional
aerobic exercise.
Muscle Shaping
The chain provides the cardio burn, but what about the muscle building? Muscle growth
requires an overload stimulus, so one exercise in the chain is chosen as the focus. With
each successive repeat of the chain, the repetitions of the focus movement are increased
by 1. This addition of reps causes a fat burning and muscle-building synergy the body
cant ignore.
Research supports the dual fat burning and muscle defining capability of this type of
training. In 2008, researchers from the University of California at Santa Cruz found that
in comparison to a traditional weights first, cardio second workout, a combination of
sprints and weight lifting elevated fat burning almost ten times over the more traditional
routine. It also delivered 85% greater muscle development.
The power of this weight-based cardio workout generates a large caloric burn during the
workout and continues to pay fat calorie dividends after. A 130-pound female could
quickly smoke 300 to 350 calories off during a 30-minute metabolic chain workout.
Another 300 to 500 calories could easily be used over the next 24 hours of recovery.
The workout
With a metabolic chain workout, there is no "traditional cardio, no stop-and-go circuits,
and no conventional sets-and-reps format. This is a complete paradigm shift for
developing lean mass while stripping off excess fat. Here is how it works:
Constructing a metabolic chain exercise
Get Metabolic: Choose a base exercise to activate fat burning during and after the
workout. Burpees, plyometrics and exercises that have you moving up and down
are great examples.
Build the chain: From the base exercise, chain together 2 to 4 body part focused
movements. For example, adding a push-up at the bottom of a burpee and a press
at the top creates a challenging chain.
Get Focused: Isolate a body-part by adding reps to one of the exercises in the
chain. Want to isolate chest? Then do 1 pushup on the first repeat of the chain, 2
on the second repeat, 3 on the third and so on. When you reach 10 reps, start over
at 1 and do it again.
Choose your weights: Pick a weight you could do 10 times when fresh on the
weakest link (toughest movement) in the chain.
Time it: Start your watch and go for 10 minutes. Rest whenever you need to, and
begin again right where you left off.
The 30-minute Metabolic Chain Workout:
Try these three metabolic chain exercises. Do each for 10 minutes for a 30-minute
integrated workout that will save you time and deliver results.
The Burpee and Row Chain (10-minutes):
The Base: A burpee (AKA squat thrust) provides a full body metabolic stimulus.
The Chain: A burpee with a bent-over row at the up position is a short and highly
effective chain
The Focus: Isolate the back by adding 1 rep to the row on each repeat of the
chain. Once you get to 10 rows, start over again at 1.
Time it: Go for 10 minutes. Rest whenever you need it, and start up again right
where you left off.
The Incline Curl and Press Chain (10-minutes):
The Base: Going from a seated incline position to a standing position while
carrying weights works the legs and core and will get the lungs going.
The Chain: Do an incline biceps curl while seated, and a shoulder press at the
standing position.
The Focus: Isolate the shoulders by adding 1 rep to the shoulder press each time
you stand up. Once you get to 10, start over at 1.
Time it: 10 minutes and youre done. Push until you cant, then rest until you can
go again. Always resume the workout right where you left of
The Lunge, Squat, Squat Jump Chain (10-minutes)
The Base: A squat jump with weights in your hands is highly metabolic.
The Chain: Add a forward lunge then a squat as a precursor to the explosive jump
for an intense leg chain.
The Focus: In this case, the base exercise is also the focus. On the first repeat do 1
jump, on the second do 2, then three and so on until you get to 10 jumps. Start
over at 1 and do it again.
Time it: 10 minutes. Push hard, but rest whenever you need it. Get back into the
workout when you feel ready starting right where you left off.

Side Bar: Ride the Wave
The latest exercise science reveals it is not just what happens during the workout that
matters, but also what happens after. Standard weight training followed by cardio burns
calories during exercise but when the workout ends, the burn stops. There are four
powerful tools to make the burn last long after the workout ends. The metabolic chain
workout attacks them all. They are called the Bs and Hs: breathless, burning, heavy and
heat:
Breathless- pushing until youre breathless triggers adrenaline, a key factor in igniting the
after-burn. A Norwegian research team led by Dr. Broheim showed blocking adrenaline
release significantly decreases the exercise after-burn.
Burning- Research out of the July 2009 British Journal of Sports Medicine shows lactic
acid is a key adaptation signal for human growth hormone release triggering
simultaneous fat loss and muscle growth.
Heavy- A May 2008 study by Hulmi et al. showed activation of type II muscle fibers
triggers testosterone production, another fat-burning muscle-building hormone.
Heat- Sweating is a good indication of a large calorie burn and because it is generated
from the stimulating side of the nervous system is an indirect measure of adrenaline
release.