Read this DKD you might find this enlightening
I use a trap bar instead of the leg press, but a leg press is just as good if not better.
A pulldown machine is also a good alternative to the chin-up.
The key to a brief circuit is intensity, that if one takes each exercise to utter fatigue then the metabolic results will be there, of course each rep must be in good form and consistent cadence.
The thing I have noticed is that after a protracted time your recovery becomes very quick, when you feel you can do this again after one hour you are doing it correctly.
This type of intensity requires a strong mind, if you do this program twice a week you are not doing it correctly, I strongly suggest one does this once a week, if one is also doing two full body workouts on top of this.
My template is;
Tb x 30
Dip x 12
Pulldown x 12
Tb x 20
Press x 10
Machine pullover x 10
Tb x 20
Dip x 8
Pulldown x 8
Farmers walks
This takes my roughly 13-15 minutes to perform
METABOLIC CONDITIONING: THE 3×3 WORKOUT
Matt Brzycki
Coordinator of Health Fitness, Strength and Conditioning
Princeton University
Typically, coaches have athletes perform their strength training separate from their conditioning activities. Yet, during the course of their competition, many athletes are required to integrate their muscular strength with their cardiovascular or aerobic conditioning.
Metabolic conditioning is essentially a combination of strength training and aerobic conditioning. Unfortunately, conditioning an athlete’s metabolic system is rarely addressed. Metabolic conditioning may be improved by simply doing strength training with very little rest between exercises. Performed in this fashion, the shared demands on an athlete’s muscular and cardiovascular systems will create a metabolic conditioning effect that cannot be approached by traditional methods of training.
The 3×3 Workout
On June 1, 1996, I had brunch with John “JT” Thomas, the Penn State Strength Coach. Our conversation drifted to opinions as to what exercises each of us thought were the absolute toughest to do. Along those lines, JT told me about the toughest workout he’d ever been through. The workout occurred several years ago when he was an Assistant Strength Coach at the U. S. Military Academy. At the time, the Strength Coach at the Academy was Bob Rogucki. (Bob has been the Strength Coach of the Arizona Cardinals for the past 5 or 6 years.) JT told me that Bob once put him through a workout that required an amazing amount of metabolic conditioning. The workout is sometimes referred to as a “3×3″ (i.e., three by three) and has become one of JT’s favorites.
Strangely enough, at roughly the same time JT was describing his 3×3 Workout, Tony Alexander (my training partner) was going through a version of it. Figure 1 details the workout Tony did on June 1, 1996.
When he was done with the workout, Tony said he collapsed into a chair and was numb from his neck to his calves. One hour later, he said his heart rate was still 100 beats per minute (bpm). (His normal resting heart rate is about 60 bpm). In Figure 1, notice that Tony was also using exceptionally heavy weights during this workout. For example, at a bodyweight of about 230 pounds he performed his first set of dips and chins with an extra 25 pounds of resistance. The herculean workload placed upon both his muscular and aerobic systems simultaneously translates into a tremendous metabolic conditioning effect.
3×3 Design
The sample routine shown in Figure 1 is just one of many possible versions of a 3×3 Workout. A 3×3 Workout can actually be modified in a countless number of ways. However, it’s critical that the athlete performs every set to muscle failure. It’s also important that the athlete moves quickly between exercises with as little rest as possible. The length of the recovery between exercises will depend upon the athlete’s present level of metabolic conditioning.
A 3×3 Workout is basically a multiple-joint hip movement followed by a multiple-joint chest movement followed by a multiple-joint upper back movement and repeated two more times with as little rest between exercises as possible. Using these three types of movements will address every major muscle in the body including the hips, quadriceps, hamstrings, chest, upper back, shoulders, biceps, triceps and forearms.
The most demanding exercises for the hips would be some type of squat, deadlift (with an Olympic bar or a trap bar) or leg press. Certainly, dips and chins would represent the most challenging selections for the chest and upper back. Those who cannot perform dips and/or chins with their bodyweight can perform the movements in a negative-only fashion. Three other exercise options for the chest are the bench press, incline press and pushups. Any type of pulling movement — such as lat pulldowns or rows — are suitable for the upper back.
The first time through the movements, an athlete should reach muscle failure at about 20 reps for the hip exercise, 12 for the chest exercise and 12 for the upper back exercise. When the sequence is repeated the second time, the repetition goals would be 15 for the hip exercise, 10 for the chest exercise and 10 for the upper back exercise. The third time through the movements should have goals of 12 for the hip exercise, 8 for the chest exercise and 8 for the upper back exercise. In summary, the repetition goals for these movements should be 20, 15 and 12 for the hip exercise and 12, 10 and 8 for the chest and upper back exercises.
Another Application
I tried a 3×3 Workout similar to that shown in Figure 1 on June 7, 1996. Overall, I may have done more demanding workouts but this one ranked right up there with the most challenging. From a muscle fatigue standpoint, the 3×3 Workout was brutally effective. I’ve experienced far greater muscular soreness from numerous workouts. However, no other workout I’ve ever done compares to this one as far as the high level of metabolic stress.
First, let me say this about the muscle fatigue from this workout: I didn’t use wrist straps for chins (in order to save time). For more than 5 minutes following the workout, my forearms were engorged with so much blood that it felt like they would explode. I couldn’t even close my hand to make a fist. I can’t ever recall feeling that much muscle fatigue throughout the entire length of my forearms for that amount of a time. The fatigue in my biceps and triceps was also very evident almost immediately after the workout. The next area I noticed was my hips and legs. After about 3 hours, my upper back started to tighten up. About 4 hours later, I could feel my abs start to stiffen. And my upper back was getting more numb by the hour. Oddly enough, I had very little muscle soreness the next day.
Getting back to the metabolic stress: From a standpoint of total systemic fatigue — that is, my muscles, heart, lungs and so on — a 3×3 Workout was incredibly demanding. After the first set of leg presses, I was already inhaling and exhaling like I had just sprinted a quarter-mile. At this point, my lungs were on fire and I was gasping for air. After performing my dips, I went right into chins — only pausing long enough to change the weight I used that was around my waist. Needless to say, the second and third times around were progressively more difficult.
It only took me 20 minutes to perform this particular 3×3 Workout . . . and I was panting the entire time. When I finished my last exercise (the third set of chins), my heart was pounding like crazy and my pulse was 150 bpm. As I was taking my pulse, my hand and fingers started to cramp from simply pressing on my carotid artery.
In short, a 3×3 Workout places an incredible demand upon every major muscle in the body and, at the same time, stresses the cardiovascular pathways. Furthermore, this type of workout can be used to improve an athlete’s metabolic conditioning in a time-efficient manner.
EXERCISE WEIGHT REPS
Leg Press 450 16-17
Dip BW+25 10-11
Chin BW+25 8-9
Leg Press 450 8-9
Dip BW+10 8-10
Chin BW+10 5
Leg Press 225 8-9
Dip BW 4-5
Chin BW 4-5
