How to Do Metabolic Training at Home

Make metabolic training part of your routine with the following guidelines. Don't give up working out during the quarantine!
How to Do Metabolic Training at Home

Last update: 27 May, 2020

There are lots of routines to keep your body in good shape. No matter what you choose, it needs to be personalized to your needs. One of these is metabolic training. Have you heard anything about it? To learn more, keep reading!

Metabolic training is based on the body’s caloric intake during and after exercise. This is done through high-intensity activities, which helps boost your metabolic rate.

To raise your basal metabolic rate or BMR, it’s important to do high-intensity exercises. In addition, these exercises must involve most of the body’s muscle groups.

One of the fundamental pillars of metabolic training is the post-exercise effect, known as EPOC, (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption).

This effect occurs thanks to the increase in body temperature from intense exercises. Therefore, you burn calories after you exercise too, not just during.

Metabolic training at home

Since metabolic training sounds complex, you might think you can only do it in gyms. However, you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

Doing a metabolic workout at home requires attention, discipline, and motivation. In addition, you need to follow some important recommendations to avoid injuries or problems.

Professional support

It’s very important to consult with a professional before creating an exercise routine. This, in addition to experience from a gym, will give you better results. Also, it’s essential to prevent injuries.

Man doing metabolic training at home.

Furthermore, everyone has different physical and psychological capacities, which is why you shouldn’t only follow general metabolic training advice.

Proper execution

Metabolic training stands out for its high intensity. Therefore, it helps you burn calories, stimulating the EPOC effect.

The best way to get results is to do it properly. For this, it’s important to take into account the cardiovascular intensity, the number of repetitions, and the rest interval between sets and sessions.

First, taking into account how exhausting it is, you should only do it (maximum) four times a week. The most important thing is to leave at least 48 hours between sessions. That way, EPOC has time to work.

Also, you should do the exercises at a high intensity, meaning minimum rest time between sets. At most, there should be one minute and 45 seconds before starting the next exercise.

Suggested exercises for metabolic training

Most exercises can make up a metabolic training routine. However, there are some useful ways to boost your metabolism and burn calories.

Jump squats

Jump squats strengthen your lower extremities. In addition, they stimulate physical abilities such as strength, endurance, and speed.

Woman doing jump squats outside.

However, jumping during this exercise not only adds difficulty but also boosts cardiovascular intensity. We recommend doing five repetitions before moving on to the next exercise.

Push-ups

Push-ups are important for making good metabolic training sessions at home.

Woman doing push-ups at home.

To stimulate each muscle group, make sure you do the repetitions quickly to raise your heart rate. Between seven or eight repetitions are best for your routine.

Burpees

This is probably the most intense exercise. Therefore, burpees must be a part of your metabolic training routine.

Girl doing burpees in her metabolic training routine.

This exercise mainly increases your strength and endurance. In fact, it’s because it works almost every muscle group in your body. Due to the intensity they demand, we recommend doing five reps.

Considerations

You can do these exercises in a row without resting. However, it’s best to do a maximum of three sets for each exercise. Then, rest for up to one minute 45 seconds and do another three sets.

In addition, make sure you’re breathing properly. Lots of people often make the mistake of holding their breath. However, this can have negative consequences for your body in general. In metabolic training, they have even worse effects since you’re doing high-intensity exercises.

Do metabolic training at home!

You can do metabolic training from the comfort of your home. However, make sure you take your own physical ability into account. In addition, try to talk to a personal trainer to plan a routine according to your needs!


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Rodas, G., Ventura, J. L., Cadefau, J. A., Cusso, R., & Parra, J. (2002). Un programa de entrenamiento intenso para un rápido mejoramiento tanto del metabolismo aeróbico como del anaeróbico. Apunts. Medicina de l’Esport. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1886-6581(02)76031-3
  • Laforgia, J., Withers, R. T., & Gore, C. J. (2006). Effects of exercise intensity and duration on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. Journal of Sports Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410600552064
  • Matsuo, T., Ohkawara, K., Seino, S., Shimojo, N., Yamada, S., Ohshima, H., Tanaka, K., & Mukai, C. (2012). Cardiorespiratory fitness level correlates inversely with excess post-exercise oxygen consumption after aerobic-type interval training. BMC Research Notes. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-0500-5-646

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.