Skinny guys, you probably like doing METCON workouts because you are good at them, especially bodyweight METCONs. METCON fitness improves rapidly. It does not take long to get good at METCONs. They are hard and make you feel like you accomplished something. They develop mental toughness and great cardio capacity. I get all of that. Here is the problem. If you are trying to get big and strong, you are working against yourself. I'll keep it simple:
1. METCON reduces the amount of weight you can lift during a session. Running sprints between sets of squats will keep you from going as heavy as you could.
2. METCON workouts interfere with muscle recovery between heavy workouts.
3. METCON workouts burn lots of calories (great for weight loss) that could be diverted to getting bigger.
4. METCON workouts can produce a catabolic response (through cortisol) that can result in losing muscle.
5. Most METCON workouts are not loaded heavy enough to stimulate muscle growth or strength in all but novice and untrained individuals.
6. Excessive METCON contributes to systemic fatige. Rest and recovery is vital when striving for strength/hypertrophy gains.
Sure, there are plenty of big guys who do METCON frequently. They are either much more physically gifted than you, or they were already big and strong when they started doing METCON. If you are a skinny guy who wants to get big and strong, focus on what has worked for the last 50 years or more. Move progressively heavier weights with good form, consistently, week in and week out, for years. Doing something just because it is hard or because you are good at it does not guarantee that it will produce the results you want. It is easy to be "hard" but it is hard to be "smart."
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