Women's Physique

Q. When working with competitors, have you found that the human body is adaptable? That is to say, when you keep increasing cardio and decreasing calories, have you found that competitors’ bodies still respond positively for the most part, or is there a point of diminishing returns?

A. The body is adaptable, but it will adapt for its own optimal function in the long term, which will lead to diminished returns. The body is an excellent adapter. Lower calories too long, and the body will reduce its energy demands. If you continuously increase cardio, the body will just become more efficient at that cardio and again diminished returns will occur. I see far too many people doing ridiculous amounts of cardio because they’ve made their bodies require it. It’s crazy. The body absolutely adapts to this amount, and you will have to do more and more to get the same or better result.

A clean diet and intense resistance training should be core to prepping the body for the stage. Calories being reduced too low will shut down the fat-burning process altogether and cause a loss of muscle tissue. It will also lower immune function and increase the risk of overtraining. Cardio should be balanced out around resistance training and nutrition. I’m also very fond of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for bringing bodies into stage-ready condition. It works and saves time. It also has to be used at the right points. You need cardio for cardiovascular benefits and overall metabolic health and conditioning, but more isn’t always better.

For more on Tammy Strome visit her website at www.tammystrome.com