The Metal Workout is based on the principles of HIIT (High Intensity
Interval Training) which is when you perform the cardio portion of your
workout at such an intense level that your body will spend the rest of
the day recovering and burning fat from that workout.(Little JP, 2010)
This is the result of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC,
which happens when oxygen is consumed in great quantities during your
workout, which can not be achieved if you just run at 6 to 7 mph, or any
other steady-state workout.(Jones R, 2008) In this way, according to JP
Little et al, low-volume high-intensity interval training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle.
Since the mitochondrion is a key regulator of the metabolic activity of
the cell, you can expect HIIT to improve muscle mass while stimulating
fat loss. (Balakrishnan VS, 2010)
To achieve low-volume high intensity, you start running at a normal speed (6-7mph) for 3 minutes and then at high speeds of (8-10mph) for 1
minute, then slow back down to normal speed, and repeat for a total of 15 minutes. By
doing this, you will be burning up to nine times more fat after
your workout than you would have if you'd spent 30 minutes on the treadmill
at a moderate pace.
The speeds of 8-10 mph are highly demanding, and
you need both mental and physical toughness to complete the high intensity minute, so
make sure you are METAL enough for this workout, because you will
definitely be out of your comfort zone. Athletes at a high level of
conditioning, or people of heights above 6 feet, may be able to perform
well while running at 9mph and hitting 1 minute spikes at 12-13 mph; while beginners will do well running at 5 mph and hitting 1 minute spikes at 6-7 mph.
HIIT training works well with running at a maximum of 10 or 15
minutes. Running any longer, and at a steady-state, can put you in a
catabolic state where muscle loss may take effect. Keep in mind that
slow twitch fibers are more compatible with endurance training, which is
when you run at a steady-state for 30 minutes or one hour, whereas fast
twitch fibers are more compatible with short, intense bouts of
exercise, like weightlifting or sprinting. By implementing the
principles of HIIT you can surely amplify your means of gaining muscle,
while losing fat and avoiding muscle breakdown.
Why listen to Metal during my workout?
Why not? Metal is simply the best music to workout to. In ancient
times, Warriors in the Gladiators Arena used to listen to the Drums of
War right before their battles. Similarly, U.S. Military forces, would listen to Rock and Heavy Metal right before plunging into the
treacherous campaigns of Vietnam, Somalia, Kuwait and Iraq. (Colins L,
2004) Finally, UFC fighters more often than not, chose their walk out songs to be
Metal based – and actually win those fights! (Duck A, 2010).
Overall,
heavy metal music has the ability to trigger hyper-arousal, which is a key
survival response. During hyper-arousal, otherwise known as fight-or-flight response, the brain releases cortisol, epinephrine and
norepinephrine, which quickly boost the metabolism to increase energy
supplies throughout the body.(University of Utah, 2011) However, since
the stimulus is aggressive music, and not a physical threat, the effects
of these hormones remain at safe levels, and result in delivering just
the right amount of energy, without creating any stress burnouts on your
body.
Nevertheless, for Metal music to prove effective in your workout, you must
ensure a clear and steady beat is carried throughout most of each song.
According to Dr. C. Karageorghis, synchronous music, music that has a
clear and steady beat, has been proven to elevate a person’s performance
by 20%, whereas asynchronous, off-beat music, was shown to calm
the nerves of athletes by as much as 10%. Hence, generally, music by Hammerfall,
which has a clear and steady beat, should be part of your workout, while
music from Dream Theater should not be. Similarly, music from Arch
Enemy, will improve your exercise performance by 20%, whereas, music by
Carcass may decrease it by 10% (obviously depending on which Carcass song you listen to).
Just give it a shot and you will see how Metal make a huge difference in your workout effectiveness!
Fortunately, we have taken time to ensure the Metal Song lists
presented on this site all contain steady beats. Please
note that, you may have to use iTunes to cut out the “slow or asynchronous intros” in some of these songs. For example, when listening to Trivium’s “Down from the
Sky” you will notice a slow intro being part of the 40 seconds of the
song. To edit this part of the song you will have to go into Itunes,
right-click on the song, select “Get info”, select the “Options” tab,
and then set the start time to 0:40.
Any questions? Please contact us in Twitter @TheMetalWorkout and follow us, it’s free & easy, and we will get back to you with a good answer within 24-hours!!
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