The M.E.T. - Maximum Efficiency Training System

The MET Target Aerobics System
Lesson 3

Welcome back. This month, Mike explains the levels of the MET Target Aerobics program.
Please note, if you are new to these lessons you can catch up on the previous months at www.bodyfitness-uk.com.

MET Synopsis

Further to what I said last month, in the MET weight training program you work each body part fully once a week. Each workout follows a very specific format utilizing the agonist–antagonist principle, based on the biomechanical relationships between specific muscles.
MET provides athletes with a superior way to train a muscle, producing more strength, growth and joint longevity than the old push/pull method so many people still follow.
Key points to bear in mind about MET weight training are:

1) muscles must be trained on both sides of the joint during a single session
2) major body parts are trained before smaller or minor body parts
3) each body part is worked with absolute intensity and then given optimal time for recuperation and growth

The workouts are typically scheduled as follows:

day 1: back, biceps and triceps
day 3: quads, hamstrings and calves
day 5: chest, shoulders and abs

The weight training sessions can be done on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the MET aerobics sessions on alternate days, i.e. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but I stress that it depends on your goals. Not everyone will need to do aerobics three days a week.
If you want to reduce body fat while improving your overall tone and shape, then sure, do three aerobics sessions a week as outlined below. If your body fat level is okay but you want to maintain or improve your cardiovascular fitness while continuing to transform your physique, two sessions per week are in order.
And if you seem to be able to eat almost anything and stay slim and you want to gain weight and increase overall muscle mass, you should do no more than one aerobics session a week.
Before starting, decide your overall fitness goals and where you fit within these three categories.

The MET Target Aerobics System

This is a 9-level system providing the right starting point for any healthy body.
Using the above information, you can determine how many days of aerobics you should do while on the MET Program, within the range 0-3.
Now, let’s familiarize ourselves with the nine levels. You can then choose your starting aerobic workout level by considering things like your current fitness level and training experience, physical cues (see last lesson), aerobic capacity, muscle recovery capabilities, etc.
Pick a level you think you could comfortably handle and then see how you feel when trying it. If you don’t find it a challenge then make a note of this in your MET training journal and move up a level in your next session.
(If you don’t have the journal you can print out the tracker sheets from www.bodyfitness-uk.com . Click on “m. lackner” then scroll to the bottom and click on “Training Booklet”)
Keep noting how you feel during your sessions and, even more importantly, how well you recuperate before the next one. This helps you know when you need to change your level. And be honest with yourself, being in too high or too low a level will rob you of potential gains.
If you start experiencing some of the physiological and psychological indicators of overtraining (see list in last month’s lesson) note it in your MET tracker sheet and adjust your training accordingly.
If your workouts are a breeze, recognize this early and crank it up a notch or two. Keep fine-tuning until you know you are spot on the right level.

MET aerobic exercise

Choose an exercise that you enjoy, such as jogging, spinning, running on the treadmill, riding the stationary bike, or using the elliptical trainer, stair stepper, etc. Many clients like to run outdoors at the park or on the beach, weather permitting, but primarily rely on the treadmill and adjustable stationary bike so they can adjust the intensity as needed. Getting your training level right is more important than the form you choose.
Three variables are relevant here:

– frequency - how many times you train a week
– intensity - how hard you push yourself
– duration - how long you do a particular exercise

And if you are striving to reduce your level of body fat while improving shape and aerobic condition, you will want to do the complete MET Program, including three aerobics and three weight-training sessions a week.
Having worked out how many MET aerobics sessions to do, it’s time to decide which aerobic workout is best for you.
As I mentioned last month, the MET Program is about continual improvement, ever pushing upward as your body adjusts and the work gets easier.
Remember, the key is to pay attention to your body’s cues and to use the information wisely. It’s okay to feel a little stiff after a workout, it means your body is responding. For example, if your back, biceps and triceps are stiff on Wednesday from Monday’s workout, and you are now set to do quads, hams and calves that day, that’s perfectly okay (as long as the stiffness is not excessive).
However, if you trained back, biceps and triceps on Monday and the following Monday they are still sore, you’ll want to scale back for a while and see how you feel.
Ideally, each body part should fully recuperate before being trained again.

Finding your zone

High intensity is a very individual thing. Some may hit their maximum heart rate (MHR) just walking around the block, others may have to crank up the angle and resistance on the treadmill in order to get a good intense aerobic workout given their already high level of aerobic fitness.
The key at the start is to work out your MHR and then to try to keep your heart rate at a certain level in relation to it while training. From what I see in the gym, some people are under the impression they can simply coast on the life cycle or treadmill at low resistance while chatting and reading the newspaper and never breaking into a sweat.
Getting to the gym and doing something is better then doing nothing, but make no mistake, for superior fat-burning you need a higher level of intensity. Although it’s true that the percentage of fat you are going to burn is a little higher with lower intensity aerobics, the big difference is that the total number of calories burned is always greatest with high intensity aerobics.
Research now tells us that high intensity aerobics is far superior to low intensity aerobics when it comes to burning fat. It actually speeds up the metabolism and keeps it revved up for quite some time after you finish training. So, when doing the MET high-intensity aerobic workouts, you’ll be burning the majority of your calories in the hours after you train – as long as you don’t eat immediately after exercising.
If you are interested in further spiking the fat-burning effectiveness of your aerobics, do it in the morning before breakfast. Research shows that fat is burned much faster (as much as 300%) when we exercise before eating, i.e. after our overnight fast.
To take advantage of this great benefit, simply plan your schedule so that when you wake up on aerobics days you take your VMA with water, do some light stretching and then hit the treadmill or whatever aerobic exercise takes your fancy.

The nine MET levels

MET Target Aerobics has three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
These are then sub-divided into three possible exercise periods – 12, 18 or 24 minutes – each with an additional 3-minute warm-up and cool-down.
The beginner level is for those who haven’t exercised for a long time. First get a medical checkup and then work up from this level. Beginners should aim to keep their heart rate at between 50-65% of their MHR while doing their aerobics.
At the intermediate level, the goal is to stay at 65-75% MHR.
Those at the advanced level (MET AEROBICS MAX) will alternate between jogging and sprinting, or some other form of aerobics.
Studies show that just four minutes of high intensity aerobics incorporating the all-out sprints in MET Aerobics MAX is equal to about 30 minutes of conventional exercise. This works out to an over 300% greater fat loss potential over the same amount of time performing the traditional cardio.
Now let’s take a look at the exact break down of all nine levels. As you read through them, think about which level best suits you. And remember to each day record what you’ve done in your MET training journal.

Beginner: 50-65% MHR
Level 1: 12 min aerobics + 3 min warm-up & 3 min cool-down. Total: 18 min
Level 2: 18 min aerobics + 3 min warm-up & 3 min cool-down. Total: 24 min
Level 3: 24 min aerobics + 3 min warm-up & 3 min cool-down. Total: 30 min
Once you have comfortably passed through all three levels, move up to intermediate.

Intermediate: 65-75% MHR (70% or above is for well-conditioned athletes)
Level 4: 12 min aerobics + 3 min warm-up & 3 min cool-down. Total: 18 min
Level 5: 18 min aerobics + 3 min warm-up & 3 min cool-down. Total: 24 min
Level 6: 24 min aerobics + 3 min warm-up & 3 min cool-down. Total: 30 min

MET Advanced Aerobics

Levels 7–9, also referred to as "MET Aerobics MAX", deliver the best results in terms of fat loss.
Four minutes of MAX is like doing 30 minutes of traditional exercise. Studies show it boosts the metabolism on average by 5.4% and for 24 hours after you finish the session. Traditional cardiovascular exercise boosts metabolism only while you’re performing the exercise.
The residual effect derived from MET Aerobics Max is more calories burned hour by hour, long after you’ve left the gym. These results can be further multiplied if you avoid eating straight after your cardio session.
MAX also triggers your pituitary gland to release higher levels of growth hormone.
As we looked at the last lesson, this strategy, whether performed with weights or cardio, triggers greater lactic acid build-up in the muscles, which leads to a greater release of GH. Why is this good? GH is a powerful muscle building AND fat loss hormone. Anything we can do to naturally manipulate this in our favour will enhance our overall results.
Remember, the more traditional cardio routines, used in the beginning and intermediate levels of the MET Aerobics System, will burn the greatest amount of fat while you are actually doing the exercise.
The routines at the advanced level will provide the highest "total" number of calories burned and the greatest overall fat loss – not just a higher level when in the gym. The total amount of fat burned is what matters the most – both in terms of body composition and what you see in the mirror.
Next month we will discover more about MET Aerobics MAX and how to do it.
Till then, get organised with your MET training journal and tracker sheets and start mastering what you’ve learned so far.
Fine-tune your nutrition so you are on track with a 40/40/20 (protein, carbs and fat) diet, if mass building is your goal, or 48/32/20 if you want to strip away fat.
Also, start taking a good absorption-enhanced multivitamin, mineral antioxidant formula. I recommend something strong, like VMA made by Venice Beach Nutritional & Muscle Research. That way, you can know for sure that what you’re taking covers all the bases at cell level while building your body’s reserves.
Keeping your body topped up with protein and essential nutrients is vital to your growth and recovery. Don’t leave it to chance. Stick with absorption-enhanced products like VMA and UDA+ Protein. They’ve made a real difference for my clients and myself.
Remember, Maximum Efficiency applies both to training and supplementation! You can take a big amount of first generation, conventional supplements and get small results from them. Alternatively, you can take a very small quantity of the new, second generation, absorption-enhanced supplements, like Venice Beach Bio Active Absorption Enhanced UDA+ Protein and VMA (Vitamin, Mineral & Antioxidant formula), and get a whole lot from even half a serving.
When it comes to my body I only put in the best!
Let’s pick it up from here next issue.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!