What To Expect When You Start Adding High-Intensity Bodyweight Exercises To Your Workout Routine

Posted on: 22 April 2015

If you've been doing steady-state cardio exercise for months or years and have not achieved your desired fitness goals, it's time to switch it up. You need to find a new way to challenge your body, and boot camp-style, high-intensity, body weight exercises are a great choice. These workouts are hard -- that's no secret. If you do them properly, here's a look at what you can expect.

You'll finally make it over that weight loss plateau.

Boot camp exercises will likely be what your body needs to finally kick back into weight loss gear and shed those last few stubborn pounds of fat. That's because high-intensity exercises of this type are actually better at burning calories than steady-state cardio routines like jogging and biking. A study at the University of South Wales found, in fact, that women who participated in interval-style workouts lost at least three times the body fat as those who did continuous, steady-state exercise. Since boot camp workouts tend to use interval training, this is good news.

You're going to be extra hungry.

All of that extra calorie burn is going to boost your appetite. As you hopefully already know, you won't stand a chance of losing weight if you give in and indulge in high-calorie snacks with the mentality that you just worked hard and need to treat yourself. Don't starve yourself, but make sure you fuel your body with healthy, clean foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Choose plenty of protein-rich foods, since these will keep you full for longer. Beans, lean chicken breast, fish, and eggs are all good choices.

You're going to be sore.

Most boot camp workouts aim to work all of your large muscle groups in a single session. If you're not used to this, it will probably leave you pretty sore the first few times you try it. Don't let the soreness deter you. Lower the intensity for a few days, and push through it. In time, your body will adapt and you won't feel as sore after workouts. If a specific area hurts badly and develops swelling, seek medical attention -- this is more than soreness, and you may have injured yourself.

You can ease general soreness with Epsom salt baths, massages, and soaks in the hot tub. If a specific area is sore, you can apply ice to it for 15 minutes at a time to ease your discomfort.

If you've made the decision to take up boot camp style workouts, congratulations. This is a big step in the right direction when it comes to improved fitness and weight loss. Now that you know what to expect, it's time to attend that first workout and make it happen. Contact a local fitness company like Mack's Hybrid Fitness LLC to learn more. 

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