Hard to believe that it’s been 8 years since I started this BLOG! I’d like to thank everyone who has followed me, asked questions, and stayed connected over the years.
If you’re surprised by how long ago I started this BLOG, you’ll find it hard to believe I
started my Outdoor Fitness Class waaaaay back in 2003!! I’m pretty sure my class is the longest running outdoor fitness class in Burlington.
Yay Custom Fitness!!!
From the beginning, the class has been focused on the MRT style of exercise. If you’re not familiar with MRT, it stands for Metabolic Resistance Training. Instead of just doing cardio intervals, you work in resistance training.
For example, in the outdoor fitness class, you’ll do battle rope whips, then step-ups to incorporate both resistance and cardio. This gets the whole upper body blasting, just before you hit the legs. While the upper body is “resting”, your legs are getting the workout. Since your body never gets a full rest, you burn a LOT of calories during and after the workout, (EPOC).
Here are a few reasons why Metabolic Resistance Training is better than cardio alone:
- Higher caloric expenditure when compared minute to minute
- Increased stimulation of muscle, helping to hold onto Lean Body Mass
- Increased Excess Post-exercises Oxygen Consumption (EPOC)
The best way to do an MRT workout, is to use non-competing circuits by setting up a circuit of exercises during which you alternate opposing muscle groups.
Examples would include; doing a chest (pushing) exercise followed by a back (pulling) exercise, or alternating an upper body exercise with a lower body one.
By setting your workouts up like this, you can move faster, rest less frequently, and get a great end result. The great thing about MRT is that it’s more of a concept than a protocol which makes it adjustable to nearly any type of training. You can get a great MRT workout with so many different pieces of equipment and styles of working out.
Hope you’ve found this blog post helpful. Any questions? Please don’t hesitate to ask!
If you would like more information regarding our outdoor fitness classes, please visit us at www.CustomFitness.ca.