Cutting
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cbarn025
Posts: 939 Member
When you are cutting weight or dieting do you change your weight or reps in the gym? I've always been told that when cutting decrease weight increase reps but the new science I'm hearing seems to differ. I'm the type of guy who likes seeing what happens in application not theory thus I'm asking you all for your experience.
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From my experience and research, I believe that its important to keep lifting the same weight. You can decrease frequency but lift the same. Your muscles need to keep their strength in order to keep their size.0
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I have been lifting fairly heavy. All while cutting 4% of BF ... And it always worked for me in the past .....I just kept lifting the same, and changed my diet ....0
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Continue attempting to lift as heavy as possible within given rep ranges. I will reduce volume as I get leaner.0
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I focus more on keeping my heart rate elevated - less of a break between sets or more of a circuit training style, pushups in between sets, that sort of thing.0
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I focus more on keeping my heart rate elevated - less of a break between sets or more of a circuit training style, pushups in between sets, that sort of thing.
That's cardio. Good for burning calories, not so much for retention of LBM.0 -
I would like advice on how to really kick it in to high gear for the next 30 pounds and 13% body fat reduction. I think a lot of people term it cutting/shreading. I don't want to loose any muscle mass... actually want to continue to build muscle.0
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Agreed. It's going to be hard keeping strength levels during a cut. Of course I assuming you're a natural lifter.Continue attempting to lift as heavy as possible within given rep ranges. I will reduce volume as I get leaner.0 -
Impossible. If you want to drop weight, focusing on keep you're muscle. You do that by lifting weights.I would like advice on how to really kick it in to high gear for the next 30 pounds and 13% body fat reduction. I think a lot of people term it cutting/shreading. I don't want to loose any muscle mass... actually want to continue to build muscle.
Caloric reduction + weight lifting = muscle retention
Caloric surplus + weight lifting = muscle addition0 -
Impossible. If you want to drop weight, focusing on keep you're muscle. You do that by lifting weights.I would like advice on how to really kick it in to high gear for the next 30 pounds and 13% body fat reduction. I think a lot of people term it cutting/shreading. I don't want to loose any muscle mass... actually want to continue to build muscle.
Caloric reduction + weight lifting = muscle retention
Caloric surplus + weight lifting = muscle addition
seconded0 -
I love attempting the "imposable"! I believe I can do this by balancing the equation with fat that is lost being converted to muscle mass. I should be able to do both. HOWEVER, I don't have unreal expectation on muscle gain since muscle mass is heavier than fat. Therefore I believe it to be technically possible but it won't be easy. I’m mainly focusing on retention with slight build. My current routine: I’m doing about eight hours of lifting per week (progressively adding weight) and close to two hours of cardio (treadmill). Caloric intake varies but is nominally 1,400-1,500 net calories. Protein varies but is 122 to 230 grams (coordinated with lifting). Carbs are being kept to being around 80-110 grams. Fats are nominally 30-50 grams.0
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Additionally, I am not looking for huge gains in muscle. Optimistically I'm looking to lose 5 inches in the Abdominal/waist area lose 0.5" in neck, gain 0.5-1" in Biceps/Triceps, gain 0.5" in forearm, gain 0.5" in thigh, gain 0.5" in calf, and gain 1" in chest. Worst case, keep everything where it’s at muscle wise.0
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fat tissue is fat tissue
muscle tissue is muscle tissue
They don't convert into one another.
When you cut calories below maintenance and you are losing weight this will be made up of fat mass and fat free mass (muscle and connective tissue). If your deficit isn't too large, you are getting adequate protein and completing progressive tension overload resistance training then the majority of weight lost should be fat mass. It's never 100% though.
You can't make one tissue smaller and the other one larger at the same time. You are either in an anabolic state or catabolic.
The exceptions are:
Noob to training
muscle memory
steroids
carb backloading diet j/k That's what Keifer reckons :laugh:0 -
You hit on several things that I didn't mention: 1) I'm not a Noob to training, 2) I am relying on some muscle memory since I use to be above the target muscle sizes, 3) while not doing steroids directly I am supplementing with DHEA, 4) I realize it isn't a "conversion" but a loss/gain.0
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^^^good luck bro! i see u have already lost 30lbs. u r doin something right! keep up the good work! keep us posted on ur results.0
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Thanks baptiste565. Actually I've lost 43 pounds to date and have 30 to go. I didn't get an accurate starting % body fat but I estimate it was around 35% and right now I'm nearing 27% and have a goal of 15%. My muscle size initially increased great but now they are maintaining to slowly increasing. I'm continuing to push this older body in the gym and so far I'm doing the most weight that I have ever done in my life. I'm looking forward to seeing if this old dog can get some decent abs and get rid of the flab. I may actually change my target weight depending on how the rest of my body does with muscle and % body fat.0
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I have now cut from 250lbs @ 26.4% BF to 224lbs @ 16.9% BF. So, if you do the math, cutting slow and steady I have lost almost all my weight from fat loss.This is what I hope to keep up until I get down to 12%BF. Then I will do a bulk cycle, then cut down to 8%BF. Hopefully by next spring I will be there ....
Mr Spivey, good luck to you also. This is much harder now than it was 20 yrs ago ...LOL.....
Heck, your right up in Knoxville. I'm just 45 min down the road in Athens .....0 -
I so know what you mean drefaw. OK... So I've redone my math and reset my goals. Target weight is now 197 at 12% bf by the end of January 2014. Hopefully I will be able to get close to my target measurements/proportions along with that! If not, then I may be doing another cycle myself but I really don't want to go lower than 10% bf or have a stabile weight greater than 205.0
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You hit on several things that I didn't mention: 1) I'm not a Noob to training, 2) I am relying on some muscle memory since I use to be above the target muscle sizes, 3) while not doing steroids directly I am supplementing with DHEA, 4) I realize it isn't a "conversion" but a loss/gain.
Good stuff mate. Sounds like you have a good plan
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fat tissue is fat tissue
muscle tissue is muscle tissue
They don't convert into one another.
This x2, completely agree
This is such a misconception that I hear all the time, normally from people at work who know next to nothing about training and look like *kitten* themselves.
One guy was speaking to me some time ago and said to me, when I was explaining how I was adding LBM "oh but you need to get fat so eat loads of McDonalds, then once you're fat you can more easily 'turn' the fat into muscle":laugh:0 -
When cutting I do not change my workout/lifting routine at all.
It's my diet that changes.0
