by Aaron Friday
“Metcon” is an abbreviation of “metabolic conditioning.” It is a pop-culture fitness term that refers to brief, high-intensity periods of exercise that target the glycolytic (glucose) energy system.
Since most exercise targets one or more metabolic systems, the term “metabolic conditioning” is basically meaningless, and the term “metcon” makes no sense as it is commonly used: “Hey gang, who’s up for another met(abolic) con(ditioning) today?”
It’s not a good term, but the concept it refers to — training the glycolytic (glucose) energy system — is important to understand.