By Jill Coleman

Are you one of millions who are getting on the fitness bandwagon this January?  Or are you a regular exerciser who just can’t seem to get any results?  Time is a luxury that many people cannot afford.  Between jobs, kids, errands and chores, it’s no wonder more and more exercisers are looking for more convenient options to get great results in less time.  The Metabolic Effect workout is a quick and effective way to jump start any fitness routine, whether you are new to exercise or a veteran weight lifter.  The workout contained here is a standard ME Circuit workout, using the ME hybrid movements and the “rest-based” concept.

Perform the movements in back-to-back succession, resting briefly as needed.  Complete one set of each exercise, and then move onto the next.  Once you complete 1 round of each exercise, start over at the beginning.  Continue like this for 20 minutes.  Here’s the key: YOU MUST USE HEAVY WEIGHT.  I am talking 20-50lb dumbbells for a man and 12-25lb dumbbells for a woman.  There is no way around it–you will not see results unless the weight is heavy enough to elicit a metabolically significant response– in other words, you should get breathless, you should get burning and you should reach failure with a heavy weight.  Take small rests throughout each set (3-10 seconds) and force the muscles to respond.  If you want to create that coveted “toned” look for yourself, there are no shortcuts: lift heavy, move quickly, burn fat and consequently reveal a more sculpted overall limb, since muscle takes up considerably less space than fat.

The Exercises (perform them in this order):

1) Squat Press (12 reps):

Squat Press 1Squat Press 2Squat Press 3Squat Press 4

2) Push-up Row (12 reps):

Push-up Row 5Push-up Row 1Push-up Row 3Push-up Row 4

3) Lunge-Curl-Press (alternate legs– 12 reps each side):

Lunge-curl-press 1Lunge-curl-press 2Lunge-curl-press 3Lunge-curl-press 5Lunge-curl-press 4

4) Squat Jump (12 reps):

Squat Jump 1Squat Jump 2

Take brief rests when needed and work to the point of burning in the muscle.  Remember, the goal is to build calorie-torching muscle while burning fat to change the shape of the limbs and create an overall loss in inches.  This goal can only be achieved through working intensely. Good luck!  Please email me!  jill@metaboliceffect.com if you have questions/comments/concerns– I would love to hear from you!  :-)

Find more workouts like this at www.metaboliceffect.com and look in the video section!  Exercise right in your living room with your own ME Personal Trainer!  Happy 2009– Manifestation time!!

<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–> <!–[endif]–>