The MET - Maximum Efficiency Training System

Lesson 11
How to completely transform your body and your life

Welcome to lesson 11. Well, by now you're quite familiar with the key components of the MET System, and you have the tools necessary to develop your own MET starting program, one that's right for your current fitness level.

We've covered a lot of ground since lesson one, and with the letters I received between last month and this month, I can see that a whole lot of you have now taken the MET challenge and are adopting this powerful training system as your own.

I must say, I would have killed for this course when I started out. There is absolutely no sane reason why anyone should have to waste years of their own life attempting to cover the same ground in figuring out what the fastest way is to get to where they want to go. This information was shared with me and it made a big difference. I have researched every aspect of it. The truth is, years ago I used to spend way too much time in the gym and I feel fortunate, because if I continued down that path, I know that with my hectic travel schedule, my clients, my fulltime job, family and all the rest, I think I may have had to hang it up by now. This 30 minute Maximum Efficiency Training System has been a real blessing. The fact is, that by knowing exactly what to focus on and implementing the MET training system exactly as I've been describing, I am now in even better shape then I was years ago! It's made a real difference for me, and it has put many novice lifters I've worked with on the fast track for body building success. I know it can provide the same rewards for you.

There are folks who say, "Yeah right, lift only three days a week and not six? That's too easy," or "I am used to six days a week of weights with a minimum of an hour and a half each session." Well, to those folks I say, please think again. With a 6 day on/1 day off 90minute-plus training rotation, the likeliness of over-taxing your recuperative abilities and cutting yourself off from greater potential gains is high.

As we talked about last month, the key to building a great physique starts with properly stimulating all muscle groups - not annihilating them. Remember, muscles grow during your rest time, when you are out of the gym and not while training. There is more to building muscles then just the weightlifting component. Rebuilding broken-down muscle tissue takes time. If you circumvent the process by training the muscles again before they have recovered completely you'll slow your gain or possibly, over time, stop muscle growth all together.

Training with weights six days a week, whether each body part is being hit once or twice a week is just too much (when training with the MET Intensity I've described) on both your muscles and your nervous system. You are asking your body to go into overdrive as well as heal and repair muscle damage daily.

Now if you've been hitting the weights six days a week for years and not seeing the gains that you think you should be making, then this might be the best time to jump ship on the old program and try a better approach - the MET approach! You owe it to yourself to take a more scientific direction and stop wasting valuable time. So, if you've been experiencing slow growth, or have had some of the over-training indicators start to surface, then my advice is that you first take a full week off from training. Enjoy the time off and rest up as much as possible. Over the week print out the MET System and your MET Tracker Sheets (free to all BodyFitness readers at this time) at www.bodyfitness-uk.com (under the Mike Lackner icon) and prepare your new MET Training Journal. Familiarize yourself with the complete system and don't panic over the idea of taking the week off. Use the time to fully recharge your body and to set your new goals. I promise you that after the one-week break you will come back refreshed and energized mentally and physically, because you dedicated the time needed to allow the body to fully catch up and recuperate.

During the week off, before you start the MET program, I would also suggest you start to build your body up by taking an ADL3 supplement daily. Taking ADL3 will quickly bring up your immune system and hormone levels through out the week and balance out your cortisol levels. Remember, when the metabolic reserves are low, the regulatory system must work harder to adapt to physical stress. ADL3 enhances performance by decreasing the level of exertion of the regulatory system from physical stress, which if left unchecked could reduce the "price of adaptation".

Enough said about ADL3 - now back to training!

A better way

When I describe these brief but intense MET Training Sessions, and how much better they are than old school training, I am speaking from firsthand experience. I've spent years on the old "more is better" pathway. That's why I'm so motivated to share with others the mechanics of this great system.

Like I said, if I continued down that path I may have had to hang it up by now due to the sheer time commitment of 90+minutes, 6-days a week workouts and with aerobics on top of that.

By reducing the workout time and implementing the maximum efficiency training levels outlined in the program, I was able to really up the voltage of intensity and mentally be at my best in each and every workout.

What are some other questions people have asked me upon first discovering this system? Well, as one person said in a letter I received just this morning:

“I read about this MET Training on the BodyFitness website recently, Mike, and the section on MET Target Aerobics says that at the highest level I only need to do 24-minutes+ warm-up and cool-down three days a week. This is for the advanced level - level 9! Do you really believe that this is enough aerobic time to reduce body fat levels and keep it off?”

To that question, I emphatically say YES - and in some cases even less! You must remember that we have been lead to believe a lot of things on fat loss that are either outdated or just not true. For example, a lot of books and magazines will tell you that for the "best" fat loss results you want to be exercising at low to moderate intensity aerobically for 45-60 minutes at least three days a week. Not true! Sure, spending an hour on the treadmill will allow you to experience some fat loss (along with a lot of boredom), but it's hardly the most efficient way. In the MET Aerobics MAX "Interval" program, you're exercising for 12, 18 or 24 minutes (plus warm-up and cool-down), but you’re doing it intensely (as spelled out in lessons 3 & 4).

There are several unique factors that must be adhered to in MET aerobics MAX, but the real key here is the timed rotations or peak performance intervals within the program.

The research is clear in supporting what the MET program prescribes. Studies presented in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (67 [1993]:420-425) shows us that peak intensity exercise, such as the kind spelled out in MET Aerobics MAX, burns fat more effectively - up to 50% more effective! So the brief high intensity aerobic sessions called for in the MET program will always burn up far more fat than the long, drawn-out low and moderate aerobic programs.

But it doesn’t stop there.

When doing MET Aerobics Max, the best news is that the fat loss doesn't just end when you step off the bike or treadmill. How so? Well, when you follow the MET Aerobic System with HIT intervals, your body benefits from a unique after-burn effect. Specifically, the total number of calories one burns on this system is further elevated by up to 85% compared to the low to moderate intensity aerobics for as much as THREE HOURS after your aerobics exercise. This truth is well-documented in a number of studies including research at the Colorado State University (J. Am. Col. Nutr. 16.2 [1997]: 140-146.

If you're tired of long, drawn-out sessions on the treadmill then give the MET Target Aerobic plan a try. Trust me, the fat-burning that you get on this plan can't be duplicated with mild aerobic sessions. The key here is efficiency, efficiency, efficiency!

Now you know what I mean when I talk about getting better results with less time spent in the gym. It's about training smarter and saving time...and that's what people who follow the MET Program enjoy!

Metabolically active muscle

But remember that when it comes to fat loss, MET Aerobics is only one component. For optimum results, you must combine it with the MET weight training program for an overall system. In fact, when you combine MET weight training and targeted Venice Beach supplements, you'll actually trigger far greater fat loss then the MET aerobics program alone. In brief, the MET Weight Training Program and supplement strategy allows athletes to build muscle faster and muscle is metabolically active. Thus, the more muscle we build the more new living tissue the body must feed. To put it another way, by building more muscle with MET, the body will start burning more calories every hour of every day. That's why when someone starts the program they may burn calories at one rate, but once they build that greater base of muscle the calorie expenditure will go up substantially. People on the MET program for as little as 4 months will typically burn over 15% more calories then someone who doesn't train at all - just because they have more muscle which requires more food to sustain it. So, when you combine the three components - MET Weight Training, Target Aerobics and the right diet and supplement strategy, you'll know you're on the MET fast track for success.

What do the best and most successful people do - including the savvy fitness elite who posses lean, muscular, balanced physiques? They find those few proven secrets that actually work and they implement them daily. That's the secret to this program and to success in life. Hold tight to the things that work and be quick to disregard that which has proven itself ineffective.

Just food for thought! Until next month, enjoy the process and TRAIN WITH PASSION!