The main argument on the cold side seems to be "you burn more calories trying to keep warm" while the argument on the hot side is "you sweat and burn off the pounds". While both of these arguments have their merits, which is best?Let's start with training in the cold. First of all, a heavy warmup is required before you even feel like really moving. Once you power through this, you're body's metabolic rate will be well above normal. The problem is that this isn't sustainable. If you continue to do intense exercise in the cold for extended periods, you will start to feel dizzy and weak. Eventually, your body will no longer be able to adequately fight the cold and you will get the chills and feel stiff.While this could be fine if you know when to stop, there is another problem. Your joints are very sensitive to temperature changes. Training in the cold means having under-lubricated joints which can lead to many painful disorders like arthritis and joint inflammation. Furthermore, you won't have access to your full strength as your body's instinct is to route blood to your vital organs in order to protect them from the cold.Now heat I find to be very beneficial. It promotes good blood flow from the get go making it very easy to get warmed up. Losing weight through sweat is just losing water weight BUT more importantly, sweat carries with it a lot of toxins that build up in your body over the years. Having a good sweat now and then make's you feel energetic and full of life!Having good blood flow means being able to push your cardiovascular system to it's limits. Hot air is thicker as well meaning that your lungs can take in more oxygen with every breath leading to increased endurance. The muscles enjoy the increased blood flow too. Your strength is increases as your muscles get pumped full of oxygen and nutrients and your recovery time between muscle building workouts is shortened for the same reason.Fat is designed to protect you in times of famine. This can be simulated by bad blood flow not supplying the extremities with enough nutrients. With better blood flow, the body can relax just a bit as it feels that there is no scarcity of food. This leads to not holding on to fat stores so tightly.
