We like abs. The tight toned bellies! If there’s one thing we all could agree on…after world peace of course….it’s flat sexy abs for all!

So cortisol, what’s up with that?

The stress hormone, typically associated with our stubborn stomach. If only there was some solution. It’s hard to stay destressed sometimes with our busy lives, and no, we are not going to take pills to lower those stress levels!

p.s. You can if you want to.

p.p.s. I like lifting weights as my personal destresser.

Anyhow…So the solution to our….Second most wish (after world peace of course) is to lower our cortisol levels, and that in itself can be tough.

But we can fight hormones with hormones.

And I have touched on this in a previous post, “the specific body fat attack.”

So when it comes to cortisol and belly fat you need to look at growth hormone as your number 1 weapon against the negative effects of cortisol.

Also known, as HGH, growth hormone is produced in the pituitary gland in the brain, and if you want to decrease your cortisol levels, just make more growth hormone!

And that’s it. End of article.

Oh wait, it’s not that simple, but certain types of bootcamp exercises are quite effective at producing growth hormone, which is normally produced and released in response to the production of lactic acid.

Lactic acid, think of lactic acid as the burning in your thighs on the spin bike when your butt’s out of that seat for 30 secs on gear 24 at bootcamp. That burn, that’s from lactic acid.

So performing an exercise in a specific way can produce more lactic acid which will amp up the growth hormone and help counteract cortisol.

And the style of exercise that will produce more lactic acid is training that uses slow lifting speeds and fast lowering speeds.

Lactic acid is primarily produced during the lifting or concentric phase of a lift. (The push on a pushup). Not so much on the lowering or eccentric phase…Aka low-slo.

So to increase lactic acid production to the max go 4 secs up, followed by lowering your body as fast and as controlled as possible.

You’ll be introduced to this type of lifting in week 2 on such workouts entitled as a “Low Down Dirty Shame.”  and “Unbreakable.”

And that my friends, is that. I’ll see you at Boot Camp U, home of “Langley’s nice lil’ package of a bootcamp.”

But hey, I’m biased. 😉

Josh Saunders, BSc, CSCS

The Bootcamp Effect