Seven Metabolic Finishers to Burn Fat

A metabolic finisher is an intense exercise or series of exercises

performed at the end of the workout that's designed to ensure
that you've burnt every last drop of gas from the tank.
Except for the occasional exercise masochist you might
encounter, few lifters find finishers "fun," at least while they're
performing them. But if you value things like mental toughness
and the satisfaction that comes with pushing yourself to the "I
think I'm seeing stars?" realm, metabolic finishers are tough to
beat.
Below is a list of seven of the most popular metabolic finishers
that I use with my athletes here at Performance U in Baltimore,
MD. I use these finishers for a variety of applications, whether it's
to accelerate fat loss, enhance work capacity, or give them the
conditioning needed to outlast the competition in any sporting
event.
Let's get to it!

1 – 300 Yard Shuttle Sprints

This is one of my longtime favorites because it's simple, super
intense, and just plain tough!
Purpose: Improve leg muscle power endurance, accelerate
metabolism, and improve cardio/conditioning; great for athletes in
field and/or court sports!
How to do it:
 Place two cones or water bottles roughly 25 yards apart.
 Sprint as fast as possible back and forth between the cones
for 12 times, completing 6 round trips.
 Touch the cones each time.
 Try to finish all 6 laps in as close to 1 minute as possible.
 Perform 1-3 sets (300 yards = 1 set) resting 3-5 minutes
between sets.

Coaching Tips:
 Touch cones each time you change direction.
 Be sure to drive with your arms while sprinting.
 When changing direction at each cone, be aware of your
lower-body alignment and control.

2 – Medicine Throw Ball Complex

If you've got a rubber medicine ball (3-5kg) and a wall to hurl it
at, give this one a shot!
Purpose: Improve upper body and torso power endurance. This
one is great for upper-body conditioning, especially since so much
of conditioning is lower body dominant. Great for boxers, kick-
boxers, and MMA fighters.
How to do it:
 Standing at a short distance from a solid wall, perform the
following exercises, back-to-back, explosively:
 8x Squat Push Throws
 16x Overhead Throws w/step (alternate legs)
 16x Rotary throws (alternate sides)
 8x Overhead Floor Slams/span>
 Perform 4-5 sets. Rest 90 seconds – 2 minutes between sets

Coaching Tips:
 Be explosive on each throw.
 When throwing, use your legs to help drive the medicine
ball.
 Stay tall (long spine) on the rotary throws.

3 Prowler or Tire Pushes

Purpose: Improve total body conditioning, improve leg strength
endurance, improve shoulder, chest, and arm strength
endurance, and improve core strength endurance. Improve
mental toughness. Great for football, rugby, grappling, and MMA
athletes.
How to do it (with a Prowler):
 Keep a straight spine and straight arms while driving the
Prowler forward using big strides.
 Driving the sled with a good body forward lean angle, push
the Prowler for 25-40 yards as fast as you can.
 Perform 3-6 sets with 30 seconds – 3 minutes rest
(depending on the intensity) between sets.

How to do it (with a tire):

Note: I prefer using the tire over the Prowler as I feel it's more
demanding on the arms, shoulders, and torso. Plus, you can save
some serious cash and space in your gym by simply using an old
tire.
Coaching Tips:
 Keep your back straight and don't allow your low back to
hunch (round).
 Keep arms/elbows straight throughout the exercise.
 Take long strides, pushing your legs hard into the ground
with each step.
 The weight you put on the Prowler will change depending on
the surface you're pushing it on.
 Mix up weight and length ranges. Some days use lighter
loads for 40+yd pushes. On other days, go with heavier loads
for 25+ yards.

4 – Plate/Sled Pushes
This one is great if you don't have a sled, Prowler, or tire! Even it
you do have those pieces of equipment, it's still an awesome
option to sprinkle into your training program.
Here's a video of two of my "master class" figure competitors
getting after it with sled pushes:
Purpose: Improve total body conditioning, improve leg strength
endurance, and improve mental toughness.
How to do it:
 A basketball court or track surface is ideal for this exercise.
 Place a 45 lbs. Olympic plate on top of a towel to create a
slippery surface.
 Place your hands inside the plate and assume a push-up
position.
 Driving with your legs, push the plate across the floor 25-40
yards as fast as you can. Perform 3-6 sets with 30-90 seconds
rest between sets.

Coaching Tips:

 Keep your back straight and avoid lifting your hips higher
than your shoulders.
 Keep arms/elbows straight throughout the exercise.
 Take long strides, pushing your legs hard into the ground
with each step.
 Place dumbbells inside the weight plate to add additional
load.

5 – Four-Minute Bodyweight Tabata Complex

Efficiency zealots love Tabatas. How else can you absolutely
destroy yourself in just four fast minutes?
I love Tabatas because they allow for so much programming
variety. With a little imagination, it's possible to never repeat the
same workout twice!
Purpose: Improved overall conditioning, boost metabolism,
increase functional ability, and build body awareness. This one is
great for guys who want to workout at home or travel frequently
and are stuck in a hotel room. It's also great to unload the body
from heavy lifting while still pushing your conditioning!
How to do it:
 Perform 2 cycles of each of the following exercises back to
back for 20 seconds of activity and 10 seconds rest:
 Speed Squats
 Burpees
 Mountain Climbers
 Speed Skips (in place)
 This will total four minutes.
 Perform 1-3 sets. Rest 2-4 minutes betweens sets.

Coaching Tips:
 Perform each exercise as fast as possible without sacrificing
form.
 On the speed skips, lift knee above hip.
 On the burpees, don't slam your feet into the ground.
Control your fall on each rep!

If you like what you see here, you can find more Performance U
Tabata complexes in this article.

6 – Four Corners Farmer Walks

Here at Performance U, we've combined farmer's walks with
strength complexes to make each protocol an even more
effective metabolic finisher.
Purpose: Build upper body strength/endurance, improve grip
strength, accelerate metabolism, and pump up the shoulders like
never before! Great for the guy who loves to lift weights but hates
to do "cardio."
How to do it:
 Place two cones or water bottles roughly ten yards apart.
Stand at one end holding a pair of heavy dumbbells. Get
comfortable; you won't put these dumbbells down until you've
completed all of the following exercises:
 Perform 8-10 reps of bent over rows.
 Without ever placing the dumbbells down, walk to the other
end and perform 8-10 biceps curls.
 Still holding the dumbbells, walk back to the other end and
perform a set of dumbbell front squats.
 Walk back to the other end and perform 8-10 dumbbell over
head presses.
 Don't put the dumbbells down yet! Walk back to the starting
cone to complete 1 full set.
 Perform 1-3 sets with 2-4 minutes rest between sets.

Coaching Tips:
 Walk as fast as possible between the cones.
 On all strength exercises, be sure to use optimal form and
control.
 Choose the heaviest set of dumbbells that allow you to
successfully complete the entire workout without ever putting it
down on the floor.

7 – 100 Rep Kettlebell Complex

The more I use kettlebells, the more I like them! They're a very
versatile tool that incorporates momentum and full body motions
along with rhythmic motions, which require good focus and timing
– all great things to help improve fitness and athleticism.
Below is a great KB finisher I learned from fitness model Alli
McKee.
Purpose: Improve total body conditioning and upper-body
strength/power endurance.
How to do it:
 Each movement is performed with one arm at a time.
Perform each exercise with power and deliberate control. Bang
out each exercise back-to-back, without rest until finished:
 Right side KB swing x 10 reps
 Left side KB swing x 10 reps
 Right side KB clean x 10 reps
 Left side KB clean x 10 reps
 Right side KB snatch x 10 reps
 Left side KB snatch x 10 reps
 Right side KB racked squat x 10 reps
 Left side KB racked squat x 10 reps
 Right side KB push press x 10 reps
 Left side KB push press x 10 reps
 Rest 2–3 minutes between rounds. Perform 1-3 rounds.

Coaching Tips:
 If your form breaks down – either stop or reduce the reps!
 Use your entire body on each exercise, never "arm up" the
kettlebell.

Bonus: Do it Backwards!
Once you've mastered the above 100 rep KB challenge, try it in
the reverse order beginning with the push presses. It's a whole
new animal when you switch the order up.

Conclusion
Although I've provided you with 7 nasty "puke in your shoes"
finishers, this is by no means an exhaustive list of all the
metabolic finishers I use in my business at Performance U.
With all the great conditioning tools available from battling ropes
to hammer training to Airdyne Bike intervals to barbell complexes
and circuits, it's literally endless what you can do with some
purposeful creativity. Use this article as inspiration to think out of
the box and develop your own metabolic finishers.
Aside from the amazing fitness and physique benefits, these
finishers will test your grit and help build the intestinal fortitude
you need to take on any challenge that life throws at you.
Look better, move better, feel better, and BE better. It all starts
with how you finish!