I have used finishers with my athletes for the past 16 years, and have had unbelievable results. In preparation for our basketball season under a new head coach this year, he told me he wanted our athletes to be ready to play 90+ possessions every game. I paused and looked at him and said, “That’s a ton of possessions coach; I’m going to have to change up how we work this pre-season.” I changed our pre-season focus to metabolic circuits. As a result, we played more possessions than any other team in the SEC.
I realized the value in metabolic circuits through working with elite athletes. But even if you don’t dedicate hours every day to fine-tuning your body, metabolic finishers can still provide a wealth of benefits for your workout.
Cutting the Cardio
Cardio workouts, which are user-friendly, mindless ways to get a good sweat going, are often the go-to choice for people trying to lose weight. These exercises use equipment that can be found at fitness centers, gyms, and recreation centers around the globe, and they’ve been popular for years.
Unfortunately, if you’re relying on cardio to lose weight, you’re on the wrong track. Your metabolism is the furnace that burns energy for your body to use, and traditional cardio is like burning paper. Once you step off the treadmill or elliptical machine, the flame goes out. But metabolic circuits are like putting logs on the fire.
Metabolic finishers are exercises or circuits of exercises that burn energy at an accelerated rate. These exercises mix intervals with typical strength-building, plyometric, and power movements that stoke the fire long after your workout is over. In all the circuits I put my athletes through, the point is to hit the whole body, so we alternate between upper and lower body, depending on the day’s workout.
Whether your goal is to kick your fat-burning into overdrive, gain lean muscle, take your athleticism to the next level, or simply stay healthy, these workouts can be tailored to your needs. Want to give it a shot? Next time you work out, try one of the circuits we use:
Court Circuit
- Three 5-4-3-2’s for 15 to 17 seconds (3:1 rest; two groups)
- Five medicine ball drop step verticals, 10 pause squat jumps, 15 lateral speed hurdle hops
- Three 5-4-3-2’s for 15 to 17 seconds (3:1 rest; two groups)
- 25 band pulls, 20 band shuffles, 10 split squats, and five split squat jumps
- Rest for two minutes
Repeat this circuit for six to 10 rounds.
Stair Sprint Circuit
- Five stair sprints, skipping a step each sprint
- 20 kettlebell swings, 15 goblet squat presses, and 10 inverted rows
- Five more stair sprints, hitting every step
- 20 American kettlebell swings, 15 push-ups, and 10 chin-ups or pull-downs
Repeat this circuit for three to five rounds.
Prowler Circuit
- Prowler sprint for 20 yards
- Prowler pull for 20 yards
- Alternate 10 dumbbell bench presses, 10 overhead split squats, and 10 dumbbell rows
- Prowler sprint for 20 yards
- Prowler pull for 20 yards
- Alternate 10 dumbbell shoulder presses, 10 back lunges, and 10 face pulls
Repeat this circuit for three to five rounds.
Half Gasser Circuit
- Half gasser
- 10 back lunges, 20 bike crunches, 30 in-and-outs, and 40 jumping jacks
- Half gasser
- Five push-ups, 10 mountain climbers, 15 iron crosses, and 20 squats
- Rest for two minutes
Repeat this circuit for three to five rounds.
Sprint Circuit
- Sprint for 50 yards
- 10 squat jumps, 10 split squat jumps, and 10 burpees
- Sprint for 50 yards
- 10 push-ups, 10 iron crosses, and 10 mountain climbers
Repeat this circuit for three to five rounds.
Heavy Bag Circuit
This is one of my athletes’ favorite finishers. For round one, work the heavy bag eight times for 20 seconds on and 20 seconds off. Once you finish the eighth cycle, start the other three exercises. Finish those, and you’re on to round two, and so on.
- Round 1: 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off (eight times), 20 weighted alternating toe touches, 50 battle rope slams, and 50 alternating foot jump rope jumps
- Round 2: 30 seconds on, 20 seconds off (eight times), 20 weighted alternating toe touches, 50 battle rope slams, and 50 alternating foot jump rope jumps
- Round 3: 20 seconds on, 15 seconds off (eight times), 20 weighted alternating toe touches, 50 battle rope slams, and 50 alternating foot jump rope jumps
- Round 4: 30 seconds on, 20 seconds off (eight times), 20 weighted alternating toe touches, 50 battle rope slams, and 50 alternating foot jump rope jumps
The great thing about metabolic conditioning is that your imagination is the only limit to how much you vary your workouts. For instance, in any of the examples above, you can take out certain exercises and replace them or modify them to accommodate physical limitations. The more you switch it up, the hotter and longer your furnace will burn after you’ve finished your last set.
Todd Barbour is the strength coach at the University of Arkansas. You can reach him at tbarbour@uark.edu.
