Maureen's Introduction to Metabolic Conditioning

After four weeks of building strength and improving her exercise technique, we felt Maureen was ready to take her first Achieve Fitness group class: MetCon!

Our MetCon (short for metabolic conditioning) classes are our version of a cardio workout. When you walk into Achieve Fitness, one of the first things you will notice is that we don't have rows of cardio machines like you see in typical gyms. This isn't because we don't think cardio is important, but rather we think there are much more effective (and less boring) methods of burning calories than grinding away on an elliptical for 45 minutes!

In MetCon, you will burn calories, get your metabolism revving, and get the cardiovascular benefits you are looking for. We utilize interval training in our MetCon classes which has been shown in the research to be the most effective for fat loss. We incorporate exercises in multiple planes of motion, using all kinds of equipment such as TRX’s, kettlebells, ropes, medicine balls, and more into a high energy group workout.

We wanted Maureen to build up a base of strength first before jumping into class because it is important to have good form when performing exercises quickly. For instance if you cannot perform a bodyweight squat properly and then you try to do jumping squats, changes are you are going to get injured! Injury prevention is extremely important to us and therefore we always make sure our members are moving optimally before putting them into a group class situation.

Here is Maureen's description of her first class at Achieve:

"After a month of strength training, I was finally ready to take a class.  I was nervous - it might sound silly, but I was worried that I would look foolish, or not be able to keep up, or just fail.  When I showed up for the class, the other folks in the small class were really friendly and supportive - we were all at different fitness levels and that didn't matter at all.  We supported and encouraged each other - as a matter of fact, the whole gym stopped what they were doing to cheer Danielle while she kicked butt at suicides!  During the class, my knees started acting up - Jason noticed right away and adjusted the activity that I was doing so that I could continue the class safely.  

The class was challenging - it kept me working and striving, and I was proud of myself at the end.  There was genuine joy and satisfaction expressed by everyone in the class -  "fun" and "sweaty" are two good words to describe it!"

If you are interested in our group exercise classes, call us at 617-616-5801 to set up a free strategy session so we can determine which classes would be best for your specific goals and needs!