Hey ,

Last weekend, I wanted a no-brainer workout to get in a little cardio but also to focus on the upper body, since I had just done legs the day before. So I pulled out some of my favorite Metabolic Chains. 

Metabolic Chains are a system of training devised by Metabolic Effect, to offer a full-body workout while also singling out specific muscle groups to overload. "Chains" are complexes where multiple movements are strung together to create a great cardio effect (more muscles involved = more metabolic effect), but then one or two of the individual exercises WITHIN the chain are repeated each round of the movement to OVERLOAD that specific muscle. Read the full article here.

For example:

CHAIN: Burpee w/ a pushup at the bottom and then a biceps curl & shoulder press at the top (see attached workout)

MUSCLE FOCUS: Shoulders and chest, so I will "chain up" on the pushup and shoulder press, adding one additional rep each time through. First time through, I do one rep of everything. Next time through, I do 2 pushups and 2 shoulder presses. Everything else in the movement still gets a rep count of one. Third time through, I do 3 reps of both the pushup and the shoulder press, and on and on.

REPS & WEIGHT: You can do a "5 up chain" which goes until 5 reps, or a "10 up chain" which means you go until you get 10 reps. It's your choice, but in general, if you are going heavier on weight, you will do a 5-chain and if you are going lighter, do a 10-chain. Once you reach 5 reps (or 10), you begin again at 1 rep of each. 

TIME: And you continue this pattern until 10 minutes is up. Record how many rounds you completed and try to beat that next time.

I have attached a workout that contains two 10-min chains to this email for you, so you can print it out and head to the gym to try. If you want to work out at home, all you need is a single set of dumbbells. 

I did this workout last week, and MAN was a sore! Lots of awesome upper body work, while also getting a great cardio workout. I tend to like heavier lifts so I used 20 lb dumbbells, but you can use whatever works for you. If this is your first time, grab something in the 8-12 lb range. 

Here are the short video tutorials for both chains:

Chest/Shoulder Chain: