A Match Made in Hourglass Heaven: Compound Lifts + Metcons
Written and modeled by Sara Frenza, Women’s Nutrition and Body Transformation Coach (@sara_frenza & www.sarafrenzafitness.com )
Photo's taken by James Patrick (@jpatrickphoto )
Hair and makeup: Denise Black @_beautybydenise__
We all want strong capable shoulders, a tightly toned waist, and curvaceous powerful legs to envy—aka, the hourglass physique. Did you know you can achieve the hourglass, minus the hours? Here’s how.
There are differing ideologies on the most efficient workout strategy, where you get the best of both muscle-building and fat-burning worlds. And, in my opinion, this indisputably must include a combination of compound lifting plus metabolic conditioning.
Made for Each Other
Combining compound lifting and metabolic conditioning (also coined “metcon” by the CrossFit community) is a no brainer. This combo is so efficient because it allows you to not only add lean muscle so you can perform your best and achieve a tight, firm look, but also to burn fat for hours after training. Let’s break it down.
Compound lifts are any lifts that demand you use multiple joints to work multiple muscle groups versus just one at once (an isolation movement uses only one joint at a time). Examples of compound movements I’ve included in this workout are the chest press and rows.
Compound exercises are really great when you’re in a time crunch because they work several muscles at once vs. each individually, making using compound exercises an extremely efficient way to train. Compound lifts also activate growth hormone production, which allows us to build more lean muscle (which also burns fat at rest).
And, of course, adding a metcon on at the end of your workout will just rev up your metabolism, and activate EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) which, as per NASM, is “… the result of an elevation in oxygen consumption and metabolism (Resting Energy Expenditure), which occurs after exercise as the body recovers, repairs, and returns to its pre-exercise state. This can happen for up to 24 hours.” Scientific evidence shows workouts like high intensity interval training (HIIT) activate the afterburn effect significantly more than steady state cardio. Plus, why spend hours on the spin bike or treadmill when a 15-minute HIIT/metcon session will be significantly more efficient—and more fun?
This chest and back workout will focus on building a V taper (which makes your waist appear tighter, helping you achieve that coveted hourglass look), as well as working the chest muscles to help with proper posture. Head over to Fitclub to dive in! Not a fitclub member? Don’t miss out on quality content. Sign up today!