cutting?!

Jessicaruby

i just finished my bulk cycle and will be starting my first cut on monday. Just wondering what all i should be doing? i know i need to keep protein up and lose slowly to retain as much muscle as possible while losing. should i still be lifting heavy and as often or should i just focus more on cardio? any other thoughts, ideas, or suggestions would be great!!!

Jessicaruby

any help? any one else cutting?

UponThisRock

The focus during cutting should be to maintain strength. Lifting heavy along with the high protein is the key to retaining as much muscle as possible. The general rule is that you can cut your volume of lifting by 2/3, but you must keep your intensity (the amount of weight you're lifting) the same.

Lyle McDonald did a fantastic 2-part series on how to structure your training during a cut:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-2.html

midnightsurfer

people consider this slightly extreme, although its considered one of the most effective ways of cutting, and "real" toning.

What you do is go to the pharmacy, and buy ketone stix, or Ketone sticks, this is a strip that tests your urine for ketone bodies.

Ketone bodies are created by the body when you go into a state of ketosis (VERY DANGEROUS for muscle), it's also what diets such as the akins diet relies on. anyway i digress. Ketosis is the state when your body has a deficient of carbohydrates, Unfortuantly, this is the key factor to cutting. more so than Kcal restriction.

over the period of several weeks (it can be done quicker, although this is generally the safest way to do this) you decrease the amount of carbohydrates that you take in, whilst every couple of days test for ketosis. what you're looking for is the point in which you're just above ketosis. this forces your body to start using the fat cells stored in the body, whilst keeping you out of ketosis. (Which would otherwise Destroy the muscle you've worked hard for)

whilst doing this. make sure you keep up the protein intake, and the key to this type of cutting is HEAVY resistance work outs. you need to force the body to continue to adapt to ever increasing weight, this stops the body from using your muscle as a fuel source for the body, (Muscle is generally one of the first things your body will metabolize for excess energy in a state of starvation)

So as a list

> Buy ketone Sticks
> Decrease Carbohydrate+fats Intake untill just above ketosis, so that your not in ketosis but your burning the most amount of fat cells possible (some people like to go into a state of ketosis buy cutting out carbs wholely for a few days then increasing their Carbs until they come out of it...do at your own risk)
> Take vitamins etc (ovbiously)
>no more than 1 hour of CV per session,
>Heavy Resistance to stop the muscle groups from deterioration
>i suggest a 3 week on 1 week off program, (3 weeks cutting. 1 week for the body to rest)
>NOTE* CARBS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY - although decreasing them, make sure you take in at least the minimum of what you require. remember your body will store and still require some glycogen,
>what you eat is generally determined by what you done, Protein after resistance, Carbs after CV.
> Kcal intake is still important, if your taking in more than what your burning you will still put on weight. so watch it carefully, Normally a Kcal Deficient of 100kcal is sufficient.
> Make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep.
> good ole water is your friend as well. stay well hydrated

but as always, do your own research too this particular suggestion comes from Arnie's book.