Full Body Metabolic Surge Workouts

Full-body workouts can cause a metabolic surge because they force your body to elevate the metabolic rate and release stored fatty acids for use as energy. Moreover, your body responds to this form of training by producing more of its potent natural fat-burning hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone. In fact, resistance training exercise can increase metabolic rate for up to 48 hours or more, according to "The Abs Diet" by David Zinczenko. Remember to always consult with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program.

Metabolic Acceleration

Nick Nilsson's book "Muscle Explosion" recommends this form of training, which combines cardiovascular work and resistance training. Each day you do a full-body workout with 40 seconds of cardiovascular activity between each set of resistance training, with little to no rest between them. Do this program in a two-days-on, one-day-off rotation. You may choose any exercises you like, but sticking to free weight compound exercises, rather than machines and isolation movements, will give the best results, according to Nilsson. Start with three sets of a chest exercise, doing 40 seconds of cardio, such as bench jumps, jumping rope or lunges, between each set. Follow this with three sets of back; three sets of thighs; and two sets for shoulders, hamstrings, biceps, triceps and calves. On the next day, increase the number of sets for each muscle group by one, and you only have 20 seconds of cardio between sets.

Timed Training Intervals

Training programs generally focus on the amount of weight you lift and the number of sets and reps, rather than time. Time under tension is an important training variable for building muscle and burning fat, according to "Xtreme Lean" authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman. Make sure to take a stopwatch with you to the gym for these timed intervals. You will workout four days per week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for example. On day 1, do 15 minutes of chin-ups, doing three-rep sets every 10 seconds for the duration. Follow this with 15 minutes of a chest exercise, 10 minutes of calves and abs and then 10 minutes of biceps. On day 2, do 15 minutes of thighs, 10 minutes of hamstrings, 10 minutes of shoulders and 10 minutes of triceps. The workout be brief, challenging and intense. You may reduce the weight and increase rest times between sets slightly as you fatigue. On the third and fourth days, repeat these workouts, increasing the weights when you can do the full duration with a given poundage.

Fat-Burning Circuit Training

"The Fat Burning Bible" author Mackie Shilstone recommends circuit training as one of the most efficient full-body workouts for increasing metabolic rate. The circuit is made up of several exercises, done back to back with very little rest between sets. You may start out resting 45 to 60 seconds between sets and decrease this time progressively as you adapt to the workout week to week. Repetitions for all sets should fall between eight and 15 reps. One example of a circuit is leg presses, shoulder presses, leg curls, chest presses, hip abduction, lat pull-downs or pull-ups, seated rows, abdominal crunches and back extensions. Do one set of each to finish one circuit. You may then repeat this circuit one or two more times or choose different exercises for successive circuits. Feel free to replace any of these exercises with other options that correspond to the same muscle groups. The point is to target the entire body with resistance training and for best results you can add 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise afterward.