Any intermediate lifters setting lifting PR's - while on a cut?

billkansas

I'm four weeks into my first cut and have set some squat, bench press, and overhead press PR's. I've lost maybe 1 lb in 4 weeks but planned on losing 2 lbs.

Just a fluke? Perhaps I'm still realizing gains from my bulk? Perhaps my cut isn't really a cut and my 1 lb is just scale inaccuracy or water issue? Perhaps recent programming changes were just right on the money? I think my bench and press PRs may be the result of my ongoing shoulder injury recovery... I'm probably just a "beginner" on these lifts.

What would you do? Lower calories further.. if so, by how much. My goal is 2900 calories per day (lose 1/2 lb per week). Clearly, my programming must be good enough for now. Maybe just stay the course for now at 2900.

In general, do you expect NOT to PR when in a cut?

jseams1234

I made some new PR's during the first few weeks of my cut and I was losing significantly faster - but that all stopped soon enough. Now the battle is just to retain my numbers where they are and that gets harder each week.

How much are you trying to cut? 1 pound a month is a bit slow, imo, ... unless you are already quite lean or small and are just trying to cut some single digit vanity weight. If you have double digit numbers to lose why would you want to prolong a cut for so long?

Chieflrg

As a post novice it is always possible to hit PRs on a cut with proper programming. There are many factors that go into sucessful strength gains on a cut, but managed correctly it can be done

One way people mistakenly think they gained strength is by dissipating fatigue and lower volume. This can hit PRs numbers almost always. This doesn't equate to strength gains neccessarily. Same goes for form improvement. Though both usually factor into strength gains in the long run.

Personally I find no need to attempt PRs unless I'm on a platform competing. My training utilzes submaximal weight but generally speaking I will always gain strength in one way or another during a cut.

billkansas

I thought a slow cut was the best way to hang on to the (little) muscle I gained. But I see your point that if I'm actually trying to lose 20 lbs that's 40 weeks of cutting. I think I'm concluding that I need to drop calories more because my cut is more around maintenance anyway and I keep hitting PRs and rewarding myself with more calories (aka cheating).

My PRs are actually 3 set of 5 rep PRs so not 1RMs, if that helps. PRs are almost my entire motivation for going to the gym so glad to hear that I shouldn't give up on them when I'm cutting.

andyroo512

If you weigh about 210 lbs, then 2900 cals would be around your maintenance weight depending on movement/activity per day. I'm not an expert but I've lost 20 lbs (195 to 175) on a cut and slightly increased my lifts during that time. I eat around 2000 cals a day with a 50C/25F/25P split.

billkansas

By the way Chieflrg.... I'm slowly upping my volume at squat per some earlier posts you (and others) made and it is reaping dividends. My squat 3x5 PR went up finally, after a year. So, thanks for your posts!

Chieflrg

billkansas wrote: »

By the way Chieflrg.... I'm slowly upping my volume at squat per some earlier posts you (and others) made and it is reaping dividends. My squat 3x5 PR went up finally, after a year. So, thanks for your posts!

Good to hear.

SonyaCele

i lose strength whenever i go into a deficit. BUT. the idea is to set new prs at a lower weight. So for each of my different body weights i have a different set of PRs, obviously when i'm my heaviest the # i lift is the highest, but i still consider a lower body weight PR a PR even if its not as much as my heavier weight class total lifts.

colors_fade

billkansas wrote: »

I think I'm concluding that I need to drop calories more.

Probably, yes.

It's impossible to determine from this thread though. The only information you've given out is daily calorie intake, which you said was 2900 calories. And dude, that's a lot of calories. TDEE for that is a 6'5" 25-year-old male that weighs about 280 lbs...

You should calculate your sedentary TDEE here: https://tdeecalculator.net/

Then take that number, whatever it is, and chop 200-500 calories off it per day. That will give you a proper caloric cut.

Your diet and calorie restriction will be the most important part of your cut; not the lifting. Diet is everything when cutting.

PR's are fun; I get it. I love getting them too. It is definitely what motivated me when I first started lifting. But when you're cutting, your goal isn't a PR - it's fat loss. And that's a different animal. It can be really hard to shift your thinking toward cutting and not PR's, but if you are serious about fat loss then that's what you have to do.

You can still PR, and should if your programming and nutrition are on point. Your programming should be keeping your MPS levels elevated all week; loads of programs work.

But you have to get food and nutrition down first. That's where it all starts.

I spent my first five years lifting chasing PR's and not working on my food and nutrition. It wasn't until this last year that I got serious about the diet part of it and cutting properly with a program that worked in tandem with my diet that everything started to happen correctly. I'm down 22 lbs. I can safely say, it's been mostly diet that's done that.

billkansas

I think my 2900 is actually close (6'2", 49, 213 lbs, moderate), but think you're right I need to drop 200 to 500 more to get a real cut going.