Last week we talked about my love of walking and just how underrated it is. Check it out here if you missed it. Today we’re going to the other end of the spectrum, high intensity exercise. More specifically, how you can use this type of exercise to shed fat, build mental toughness, and improve conditioning.
From a fat loss perspective, nutrition will always trump exercise. Hopefully, you all know that by now. But adding in some metabolic finishers on top of a good nutrition strategy will yield incredible fat loss results.
What the heck is a Metabolic Finisher anyway?!
I know, it sounds so technical. It’s really not.
A Metabolic finisher is simply an intense exercise or set of exercises performed at the end of a workout with the intention of using every last bit of energy you have. They will leave you completely gassed, winded, out of breath, and maybe a little light headed.
Scheduled a few times per week after a strength-training workout, the metabolic finisher can be a killer burner of fat. You’re going to create a huge metabolic cost, increasing caloric burning throughout the day. You’ll also release various fat burning hormones when you exercise in this high intensity zone.
Unfortunately, jogging or walking will not trigger the same response in the body.
Ok, so you’re on board with finishers? Great. Now, onto my favorite one, the Sled Push.
Check out Julie here doing work on a sled to finish out her workout.
The most important aspect of finishers is that you pick an exercise that you can self regulate. The last thing you want to do is a high skill exercise when you are in a compromised, fatigued state. That is a recipe for injury.
That’s why I love the sled push so much. When you get fatigued during the sled push, you simply push the sled slower or you take a quick rest. There’s little chance of injury. On the other hand, performing a high skill level exercise like an Olympic lift (deadlift, squat, power clean), could easily get you hurt if done incorrectly.
Most gyms these days have a sled or a prowler, as they are also called. If you don’t have a sled, try placing a large weight plate on a towel and try pushing the weight plate for 25-30 yards.
I like to set a timer for 5 minutes and perform as many 25 yards sled pushes as possible. I rest as needed, but try to complete as many as possible.
Give it shot and let me know how it goes!
Nick
