Dr. Mike Young on Metcon Workouts and Free Weights vs. Machines

The Strength Running Podcast

Jason Fitzgerald

Health & Fitness, 10k, Beginnerrunning, Marathontraining, Fitness, Injuryprevention, Marathon, Halfmarathon, Running, Sports

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2019

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Don't be surprised if a Metcon workout includes:

Running
Cycling
Rowing
Gymnastic movements
Strength exercises
Any combination of these forms of exercise

They're put together to condition the metabolism. In other words, to enable you to work at a near maximum intensity for a prolonged period of time.

They sound very much like a running workout - like a challenging hill workout, for example.

But the crucial difference is that they don't have to include any running. And that makes them useful for runners who may not be ready for a hard workout (or who want a different, less-specific workout).

I've brought Dr. Mike Young onto the podcast to discuss metcon workouts for runners (and more topics) in more detail.

You can also sign up here for our free course on runner-specific strength training.

Mike Young, PhD is the Director of Research and Performance at Athletic Lab. A Lead Instructor for both USA Track & Field and USA Weightlifting, he also works with elite athletes and has consulted with the MLS, MLB, NFL, PGA, and NHL.

An internationally recognized researcher, coach, and educator, Mike has the unique distinction of attending all three US Olympic Training Centers as an athlete, sport scientist, and coach.

He has degrees in exercise physiology, coaching science, and biomechanics – not to mention his prowess publishing multiple peer-reviewed journal articles.

This conversation focuses on strength training for runners and how to think more productively about certain types of strength workouts and whether or not machines are appropriate for runners.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready, set, go!
0:04.6	This is episode 88 withald, the head coach of
0:30.0	strength running, and I'm excited to bring you one of the most accomplished and internationally
0:34.8	recognized experts in the field of performance and sports science today,
0:39.8	Dr. Mike Young.
0:41.1	He has degrees in exercise physiology, coaching science, and biomechanics, and has also published
0:46.6	multiple peer-reviewed journal articles, and he's usually flying around the world,
0:50.9	presenting to conferences and consulting with sports teams in the NFL,
0:55.6	PGA, MLB, MLS, and NHL. Those are a lot of acronyms. And today we're discussing two really
1:03.4	fascinating topics for runners, Metcon workouts, and whether or not runners should lift with
1:08.5	machines or free weights. There are quite a few shades of gray here and unique situations to consider when talking
1:15.2	about machines versus free weights.
1:17.2	So I hope this conversation sheds light on this issue and prevents people from just
1:22.6	dogmatically thinking that they can only lift with free weights.
1:26.5	And as for MedCon workouts, these are high
1:28.7	intensity circuits, and they should be used strategically, intelligently, and only when you're ready.
1:35.1	Mike and I are going to discuss how to structure and plan these sessions in more detail, so if you do
1:39.8	want to attempt a Metcon, you know how to get started. I also want to make a quick note that
1:44.7	while we don't have a formal podcast sponsor today, we've released a brand new strength
1:49.0	program designed specifically for runners that I hope you'll check out. You can get started for free
1:54.7	at strengthrunning.com slash strength, and you'll get all the details. I'm really proud of it,
2:00.1	and I'm also excited to hear
	...

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