3 Key Benefits of Burst Training

Jan25th 2018

By: Jess Champion

What’s with all this hype around burst training? As with everything these days, there are 10 people ready to give you 20 opinions on the best way to do pretty much anything. Then you involve google and it just gets exponentially worse. Trying to navigate through that sea of confusion and conflicting opinions can be frustrating. So, since we are big fans of burst, we thought we would lay out three facts for you to help you on your way!

  • Boosts your natural HGH and testosterone levels

Traditional cardio for long intervals actually decrease your testosterone levels. Burst training uses 90-100% maximum effort for 30-60 seconds, then low impact for 30-60 seconds. This increases your testosterone and HGH levels. HGH signals for fat burning enzymes and is essential for burning fat off quickly. HGH levels rise the most during sleep and the more intense your burst training work out, the more they rise.

  • Increases metabolism and fat burning

Long term cardio increases cortisol levels, which actually makes you hungry and stores fat! In addition to the increase in testosterone and HGH, which burn fat, burst training depletes your stored glycogen (sugar) for immediate energy during your bursts. In order to replace that storage, your body burns your stored fat in order to extract the sugar for the next 24-48 hours! That’s sound a lot like burning fat without even trying!

  • Takes a fraction of the time for better results

Sometimes more is not better! Burst training should be done in intervals. So if you burst for 60 seconds, do low impact for 30 seconds. Think about how much easier that is on your joints! Sets can be done for a range of time depending on your personal fitness level and your goals, but 4 minutes of interval activity and then two minutes of rest is a good place to start. This allows your cardiovascular system to recovery, just to be revved again. Burst training is recommended to be done three times per week with four sets per session. This can be done easily in your home, in a park, in your office, or in a gym! Some fundamental burst exercises could include: jump rope, run in place, jumping jacks, air squats, biking, high jumps, etc

 

Burst training is easy and efficient, and has multiple studies that show how it increases fat burning above and beyond what traditional cardio can do. If you’re struggling with weight loss, seems like burst training could be a great place to start in regards to exercise! Remember though, that 80% of weight loss happens in the kitchen! If your diet is clean, low carb, and low sugar, and you give burst training a go, you should be seeing some serious gains!