Metabolic Conditioning a Name Coined By Arthur Jones

METABOLIC CONDITIONING

The Pinnacle

By Fitness Scientist

In l975, Arthur Jones, Inventor of Nautilus High-Tech Equipment coined a phrase: "Metabolic Conditioning," and wrote about it in the October, l975 issue of Athletic Journal magazine.

At the time, we had been training people on high-tech equipment for 5 years. Previously, we had 20 years of experience using barbells and dumbbells. We were able to compare the effects produced, not only by various exercise tools, but also compare improvements based on different conceptual approaches to exercise. Most notable the high-intensity concept promoted by Jones.

Metabolic conditioning was produced by selecting a group of exercises that allowed one to exercise the whole body, by following a high-intensity approach of moving from one exercise to the next with very little rest.

The average time for exercise was around 20 minutes but usually less. Each exercise was continued to a point of complete muscular failure, rather than selecting a specific and predetermined number of reps and stopping when the number was reached.

The accepted form of exercise at that time was to perform a set of an exercise and rest for a period of time. Then continue with another set. No specific rest time was touted and the so-called rest time would often deteriorate, into a lengthy discussion about everything from politics to predigested protein.

Even so, the actual exercise time, discounting the elapsed time between sets, was probably 30 minutes to 60 minutes. It was however, a very leisurely workout pace. Obviously not capable of producing much other than strength and muscle gains. Mr. Jones' recommendation was to compress the time frame and actually exercise not socialize. What a concept!

The five years of high-tech training had proven Mr. Jones point. He said:"contrary to widespread opinion, it now appears that there are actually three separate levels of condition: (1) muscular strength (2) cardiovascular ability and (3) a previously unsuspected level of conditioning I have named metabolic condition."

When we read this description in 1975, we knew he was right, having experienced metabolic conditioning in our personal exercise programs and having witnessed it countless times, in the people we were training. We just didn't have a name for it.

Since that time, for those of us involved in high-intensity exercise, it was a sanctioned fact of serious exercise. Yet, since then, we have not seen anything reported in print, about the fabulous results of training for metabolic conditioning.

It's as if it has been taken for granted by those of us who led the high-tech revolution. For those of you who have not heard of it, the outline will be given in this article.

In the previous article on "Pumping Aerobic Iron," we touched on it, without mentioning it. Then, we decided to write a chapter on it, so here goes.

Historically, fitness enthusiasts have worked towards health and fitness by designing fitness programs that targeted each aspect of fitness in individual training regimens. It was thought that strength could only be developed separately from aerobic conditioning and muscular endurance and flexibility was an individual component to be achieved in another way.

It was not commonly accepted that one fitness program could produce maximum improvements in all aspects of fitness, all at the same time. The high-tech revolution proved it could happen.

The high-tech exercise program began as a way to increase the intensity of a fitness program, primarily to increase muscle size. In the beginning, the metabolic pioneers had no sense as to the proper method of metabolic indoctrination.

Those of you reading this who was introduced to high-tech by the Nautilus pioneers understand what we are saying. If one began high-tech high-intensity exercise back in the early l970's, one was introduced to 12 exercises during the first visit using high-tech equipment.

It mattered not what one's fitness level or de-conditioned condition was everyone was driven - without mercy - from the first exercise to the last exercise. Most did not make it through 12 exercises and most became nauseous.

This had the opposite effect on the consumer than the instructor hoped for; it greatly reduced the potential clientèle. Those who believed this punishment was nirvana fathered the fitness revolution. Many others began to dabble around the edge of fitness training at a much lower level.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, we were capable of high-intensity work and began to find a way to adapt the brutal high-intensity concept into a more acceptable marketable concept. Even so, it took several years to develop a method.

After countless one-to-one discussions with potential client's, after signing a fair amount of them to fitness memberships in our first high-tech facility. More importantly, after losing many potential client's, we knew something was wrong with the killer high-intensity approach.

To make a long story short, we settled on a protocol that we introduced in the following manner, in our first Nautilus club in Springfield, Massachusetts in the early l970's.

Anyone who expressed an interest in either a free trial and for those who joined on the spot, we broke them in a very specify and a supervised way:

The first visit consisted of no more than five exercises.

The second visit consisted of no more than eight exercises.

The third visit consisted of no more than 12 total exercises.

Each visit was based on the present fitness level of the member. If one was very de-conditioned, the first visit might involve less than five exercises, but never more.

We did not change this approach for anyone. Athletes and non-athletes alike were restricted to only five exercises during the first visit. The only factor that changed was the intensity of the visits, meaning:if the person was de-conditioned they were monitored and introduced to exercise accordingly but at as high-intensity as we felt they could handle.

If they were already semi-conditioned, such as an athlete, we attempted an intensity level that left them knowing they were not in as good a condition as they thought. Yes, it can be done with only five exercises. Restricting the exercises had several affects among them it left the client wanting more. Inevitably they would join the club.

What we invented is that by breaking in a client in this manner it allowed them to quickly adapt to a high-intensity program. Results were produced beginning with the first visit. No time was wasted playing with resistance that was below the capability of the individual.

We were always right on top of their fitness level and continually prodded them to improve, in a low key way. Breaking the workouts into the five, eight, twelve increments, allowed one to exercise very hard and relatively briefly.

One's body quickly adapted. When we became a staff member of Nautilus Sports Medical Industries in l980, we introduced our indoctrination concept to club owner's, at National Nautilus Seminars and on video programs we conceived and produced.

Prior to introducing this method, there were no specific guidelines established for member indoctrination. We found that metabolic conditioning began immediately. No time was wasted.

Metabolic conditioning happened, because -- after the initial three visits (sometimes more were required, if a person was very de-conditioned), we were going hell-bent-for- leather each and every workout visit. Always within the individual's potential.

Most people finished the total workout within 20 minutes. Stragglers took up to 30 minutes. Keep in mind this was in an era where most people were spending several hours per day three or more days per week striving to become fit.

The thought of devoting only 60 minutes or less per week for exercise was (and still is) foreign to many.

We closely monitored everyone. So-called average people reported being able to work all day without fatigue. Athletes reported being able to play their sport at 100% peak level, FOR THE WHOLE GAME.

Those who were initially de-conditioned came up to speed quickly and became conditioned converts of high-intensity exercise and fitness therapy. All indications of functional ability jumped beyond belief. Strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, Cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle tone and muscle size improved.

Muscle to fat ratio's changed. It was unbelievable what metabolic conditioning could produce, when compared to the existing standards of the day. At yet, because we expected those results, we seldom discussed them in terms of metabolic conditioning. Instead we talked about improving fitness levels.

We should have been touting the benefits of metabolic conditioning. We introduced metabolic conditioning into the physical therapy market, when we pioneered Fitness Therapy. Our Health Back programs were brief -- 16 minute of direct back exercise over 8 weeks.

Using our Fitness Therapy Index as a training absolute, we produced up to 3700% strength improvements, as calculated by computer analysis.

Now, we would like to recommend you read the chapters in this book dealing with the free visit, the first workout, the second workout and the third workout. Follow that with the sequence of exercise concept and the Fitness Therapy concept.

You'll be well on your way to producing metabolic conditioning, in your personal training as well for your client's.



[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]