Loose fat without muscle loss

CDCosta1

I entered a bodybuilding comp 6 years ago. I was so focused on losing the fat I didn't realise how much muscle I lost. I want to prepare for another comp but I am a little cardio-scared as I don't want to lose any of the muscle I worked hard to build.
Any suggestions?

psuLemon

Well protein and an adequate lifting program will generally suffice. But how are you assessing you lost tons of muscle? Are you sure it just wasn't the fat gone which makes you look smaller?

CDCosta1

good question, my bench pre-comp was 110kg. In the weeks following the comp I struggled to bench 80kg for reps. This drop was across all my lifts.

This time around, in addition to monitoring calories, I am also counting my protein to make sure to hits my target even if I weren't trying to lose weight. My lifts at my last power lifting comp was 180kg squat, 125kg bench, 205kg dead.
Ideally, I would like the physique of a body builder and the lifts of a power lifter.

jdog022

I’m not sure your expectations are realistic naturally. Cutting to comp leanness will come with strength and even muscle loss. Limiting that loss takes practice and even hiring an experienced prep coach.

Years of bulks and cuts will eventually create progress but we’re talking years

psuLemon

CDCosta1 wrote: »

good question, my bench pre-comp was 110kg. In the weeks following the comp I struggled to bench 80kg for reps. This drop was across all my lifts.

This time around, in addition to monitoring calories, I am also counting my protein to make sure to hits my target even if I weren't trying to lose weight. My lifts at my last power lifting comp was 180kg squat, 125kg bench, 205kg dead.
Ideally, I would like the physique of a body builder and the lifts of a power lifter.

And how much weight did you lose? Its pretty well documented that being in a deficit can hurt strength. And how fast did you lose weight?