Trying to get lean is lifting while cutting worth the time?

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jakx39
jakx39 Posts: 25 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi I am cutting and wondering if I should be lifting while doing so. I would prefer not to be in the gym for 2 hours. So I was just wondering will I lose a lot of muscle if I do not lift while cutting body fat. I also know that some muscle lost is inevitable but will lifting minimize this?

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  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    jakx39 wrote: »
    Hi I am cutting and wondering if I should be lifting while doing so. I would prefer not to be in the gym for 2 hours. So I was just wondering will I lose a lot of muscle if I do not lift while cutting body fat. I also know that some muscle lost is inevitable but will lifting minimize this?

    If you lose weight without resistance training then your odds of losing muscle will increase.
    Muscle loss is not inevitable while dieting. You shouldn't EXPECT to lose muscle while dieting --- this expectation really only applies to people who aren't lifting at all or people who are lifting but dieting down to extreme levels of leanness where muscle loss becomes much harder to avoid.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    You should absolutely lift while you're cutting. You'll regret it if you don't. All that muscle lost would be a shame.
  • AsISmile
    AsISmile Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I agree on the lifting. It however doesn't need to take two hours in the gym.
    Why not do a program like stronglifts which is about 3 days a week 45 minutes?

    People can correct me if I'm wrong, but a cut is keeping those muscles activated and trained. You however don't need a ton of isolation exercises and stuff to do so.
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
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    I agree on two points. Lifting assists with holding onto the muscle you have when in a calorie deficit. And, a solid gym session doesn't need to be 2 hours. SL5x5 is 3 days a week. When I ran it, even getting into heavier weights I was done in an hour. Now running Wendler's 531 which is 4 days a week I'm still done in under an hour.
    Certainly has helped me hold onto muscle and I'm in my 3rd month of being in a calorie deficit.
  • ultrahoon
    ultrahoon Posts: 467 Member
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    AsISmile wrote: »
    I agree on the lifting. It however doesn't need to take two hours in the gym.
    Why not do a program like stronglifts which is about 3 days a week 45 minutes?

    People can correct me if I'm wrong, but a cut is keeping those muscles activated and trained. You however don't need a ton of isolation exercises and stuff to do so.

    I'll second this. I only just started Stronglifts, and I can get into the gym, do the workout, do 15 mins of cardio, shower, and then leave in around an hour.

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Lifting while cutting worked for me
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    YES. You'll be really disappointed if you don't when you get to goal weight.

    Secondly- if you already lift- or have any sort of lifting under your belt- you can probably get away with 2x a week (I'm doing that supplemented with physical therapy sessions 2x a week) I'm losing a little strength- but it's easily rectifiable when I go back to maintenance or bulking.
  • stephxo1
    stephxo1 Posts: 191 Member
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    I've kept lifting while cutting for the past few months and it's paying off for me. The thoughts of not lifting and risking losing muscle mass in the process scares the life out of me lol Keep lifting, your gains will thank you ;)
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    There are other ways to get strong/retain muscle: TRX, resistance bands, bodyweight training, etc. As others have said, 30-60 min a few times per week is good. Don't need hours at a time.

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