1. PROTEIN INTAKE - Ensure sufficient amounts of protein in your diet (30-40% of your calories from protein).
When doing high intensity cardio, we want to burn calories from our fat stores and not our muscle, eating enough protein is paramount to ensuring we replace lost stores.
2. TIME UNDER TENSION - By slowing our reps down, adding holds and pauses we ensure the intensity remains high (yes you will feel as much if not more of a burn by doing this).
E.g. 45 second interval on a piece of cardio kit - if you normally would do on resistance level 12 and go hell for leather try level 18 and push just as hard, the extra resistance will make your muscles do the work rather than your cardiovascular system.
3. VOLUME - With adding TUT (above) also try reducing number of reps over a certain period of time.
E.g. Body weight squats for 1 min - try doing as few reps as you can rather than as many as you can, again the burn will be awesome, your muscles will scream.
Give these a try and see how you go, muscle is hard to gain but very easy to lose, we must hold onto it as best we can.
These are 3 simple techniques anyone can implement in particular when doing Group Training Sessions or their own cardio.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
