Metabolic Conditioning: Why Boot Camp Is Better Than Steady State Cardio For Fat Loss

by Detric Smith, CSCS, USAW, ACSM-HFI

If you’re looking to boost your fat loss success and completely transform your body, you need to get a workout in line to help you achieve this effect. One of the biggest mistakes that so many people make as they go about their workout program is over-relying on cardio training to do the job for them. They firmly believe that if they do enough cardio, they will attain that dream body.

Well guess what? Nothing is furthest from the truth. 
Steady state cardio training is not ideal for fat loss and it isn’t even really ideal for health and fitness promotion either. The Boot camp sessions that I run in Williamsburg Va are superior to steady state cardio as far as the benefits they offer, so it’s vital that you consider this form of workout instead. 
Let’s take a closer peak into why boot camp is far better than those stale gym workouts spent on the treadmill.

Boot Camp Boosts Your Calorie Burn

The very first reason why boot camp is superior is because you’ll burn far more calories minute by minute as you complete it. Boot camp sessions are going to have you performing intense strengthening exercises that keep your heart rate elevated at all times. 
This means you’ll be getting both a cardiovascular workout as well as a strength training workout in one. The intense nature of the session increases the overall calorie burn as well, amplifying your results.

Boot Camp Boosts Your Post-Calorie Burn

In addition to helping you burn more calories during the workout session, boot camp workouts will also help you attain a higher post-workout calorie burn as well. This is again due to the intense nature of the session. 
When you force your body to perform a high amount of work over a short period of time, you’re creating what’s referred to as a metabolic disturbance in the body. In order to recover from this disturbance after the session is completed, you’ll have to expend a high amount of energy. 
This added energy expenditure is what will then dramatically assist with the weight loss process.

Boot Camp Boosts Your Lean Muscle Mass

Finally, the last reason boot camps are superior is because they’ll boost your degree of lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle you have on your frame, the faster you’ll burn calories at rest 24/7. 
The more calories you burn each hour of the day, the easier it is to create that calorie deficit that you’re going for and thus see optimal results. 
So as you can see, boot camps are not a workout to miss out on. Start doing these today with a personal trainer and ditching those boring cardio sessions in the gym that you don’t even enjoy anyway.