As a professional coach, you know how fitness can be the medium to transform your client’s lives. In an industry bombarded with high-intensity training, get-fit-quick challenges, and crazes that change yearly, it is easy to lose sight of workouts that are truly providing long-term health and fitness.

Metabolic conditioning, or a metcon for short, has become a common style of training in the fitness industry. The term has been associated with task or time-dependent work that participants complete as fast as possible or for maximum repetitions. Though there are short-term benefits to high-intensity training, in the long-term this can lead to burnout and injury.

It is possible to design metcons for health, but they must reflect the goal of consistency. A client should be able to complete their workouts with the ability to train at the same output the following days, and for years down the road. Workouts created with the intent of consistency and longevity will lead to a lifetime of sustainable aerobic training and daily movement.

The key factor is making sure your clients don’t go too hard. Sustainability can be monitored with consistency in pacing and power output across an entire workout.

It is also important to ensure the exercise selection is right for your client’s capabilities. Exercises should challenge your client’s postural and muscle endurance and replicate their daily function.

Below you’ll find 21 different metcons for health. Each workout has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced version. There are specific notes in place, to communicate the intention of the session, along with a monitoring system to ensure that your client is training at a sustainable pace.

21 Metcon Workouts For Health

Metcon #1

Beginner

5 Rounds @ sustained pace

1 minute Assault Bike @ 50rpm

30 seconds Elbow Plank

25 Single Unders

30 seconds Plank Shoulder Taps

25 Single Unders

30 seconds Wall Sit

Coaches Notes: Report your Assault Bike calories completed each round

Intermediate

5 Rounds For Time @ sustained pace

1 minute Assault Bike @ 52-54rpm

40 seconds Ring Plank

20 Double Unders

20 step Walking Lunge

Coaches Notes: Report your Assault Bike calories completed each around

Advanced

5 Rounds For Time @ sustained pace

20 calorie Assault Bike

20 step Handstand Walk

40 Double Unders

20 Wall Ball Shots

Coaches Notes: Report time of each round

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Metcon #2

Beginner

20 min Clock

Assault Bike @ 60 Min Pace

Every 3 minutes complete:

50ft Sled Push @75% of Bodyweight

30 second Bent Hollow Hold

Coaches Notes: Report time total time spent on the Sled Push each round

Intermediate

20 min Clock

Assault Bike @ 60 Min Pace

Every 3 minutes complete:

50ft Sled Push @Bodyweight

30-second V-Up Sit up

Coaches Notes: Report time total time spent on the Sled Push each round

Advanced

20 min Clock

Assault Bike @ 60 Min Pace

Every 3 minutes complete:

50ft Sled Push @1.25% of Bodyweight

10 Toes Through Rings

Coaches Notes: Report time total time spent on the Sled Push each round

Metcon #3

Beginner

8 Rounds @ sustained pace

250m Row @ 2:30/500m

8 Sumo Kettlebell Deadlift @ 25% of Bodyweight

50m Single Arm Kettlebell Farmer Carry – 25m per arm

8 Push-Up on Barbell

Coaches Notes: Report times of each round

Intermediate

8 Rounds @ sustained pace

250m Row @ 2:15/500m

8 Dual Kettlebell Deadlift @ 35% of Bodyweight

50m Kettlebell Farmer Carry

8 Push-Up

Coaches Notes: Report times of each round

Advanced

8 Rounds @ sustained pace

250m Row @ 2:00/500m

8 Power Clean @ 50% of 1RM

50m Farmer Handle Carry @ 35% of Bodyweight each hand

8 Ring Push-Up

Coaches Notes: Report times of each round

Metcon #4

Beginner

10 minutes @ sustained pace

500m Bike Erg @ 70% effort

15 Med Ball Squats

10 No Push-Up Burpee

10 Alternating Lunge

Walk 5 minutes

x 2 Sets

Coaches Notes: Report your Bike Erg pace per round

Intermediate

10 minutes @ sustained pace

750m Bike Erg @ 70% effort

15 Goblet Squat @ 53/35 lbs

10 Burpee

10 Alternating Step Up

Walk 5 minutes

x 2 Sets

Coaches Notes: Report your Bike Erg pace per round

Advanced

10 Min @ sustained pace

1000m Bike Erg @ 70% effort

30 Wall Ball Shots 20/14 lbs

10 Kettlebell Push-Up – Full Depth

10 Box Jump Step Down 24/20 inches

Walk 5 minutes

x 2 Sets

Coaches Notes: Report your Bike Erg pace per round

Metcon #5

Beginner

5 Rounds @ sustained pace

2 Minute Assault Bike

30 second Single-Leg Ground Touches L

30 second Single-Leg Ground Touches R

30 second Side Plank L

30 second Side Plank R

60 second Air Squat @ quality focused

Coaches Notes: Keep your Assault Bike RPMs the same per round

Intermediate

5 Rounds @ sustained pace

2 minute Assault Bike

30 second Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift L @35/20 lbs

30 second Single-Leg Kettlebell Deadlift R @35/20 lbs

30 second Side Star Plank L

30 second Side Star Plank R

60 second One and One Quarter Air Squat @ quality focused

Coaches Notes: Keep your Assault Bike RPMs the same per round

Advanced

5 Rounds @ sustained pace

2 minute Assault Bike

30 second Single-Leg Barbell Deadlift L @75/55 lbs

30 second Single-Leg Barbell Deadlift R @75/55 lbs

30 second Weighted Side Plank Arch Ups L

30 second Weighted Side Plank Arch Ups R

60 second Alternating Pistol @ quality focused

Coaches Notes: Keep your Assault Bike RPMs the same per round