Maintaining muscle while cutting fat?
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Blake3693
Posts: 56 Member
Hello, so I've been on and off again with my diet for the last year, losing around 40 lbs. For the past month or two, I've been getting serious w/ my diet and focusing on cutting the fat which obviously requires me to cut my calories back. Problem is, with the restriction, it's affecting my lifts and I feel like each week, the same weight is getting harder and harder for me to lift/push, to the point where it's getting close to screwing up my form.
So, my question is: should I continue to just push through and try to maintain my numbers, or should I drop the weight to something more comfortable?
I know form is number one, I just hate the idea of me losing all my "noob gains" I've worked so hard for.
Any of your advice is appreciated. Those who have cut before or are cutting now, what did you do to try and maintain as much muscle as possible?
So, my question is: should I continue to just push through and try to maintain my numbers, or should I drop the weight to something more comfortable?
I know form is number one, I just hate the idea of me losing all my "noob gains" I've worked so hard for.
Any of your advice is appreciated. Those who have cut before or are cutting now, what did you do to try and maintain as much muscle as possible?
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Hello, so I've been on and off again with my diet for the last year, losing around 40 lbs. For the past month or two, I've been getting serious w/ my diet and focusing on cutting the fat which obviously requires me to cut my calories back. Problem is, with the restriction, it's affecting my lifts and I feel like each week, the same weight is getting harder and harder for me to lift/push, to the point where it's getting close to screwing up my form.
So, my question is: should I continue to just push through and try to maintain my numbers, or should I drop the weight to something more comfortable?
I know form is number one, I just hate the idea of me losing all my "noob gains" I've worked so hard for.
Any of your advice is appreciated. Those who have cut before or are cutting now, what did you do to try and maintain as much muscle as possible?
A smaller caloric deficit will help, as will cutting down on volume while maintaining intensity. I would rather reduce the number of sets (e.g., 3 working sets instead of 5) than reduce the weight I lift.
A smaller deficit stretches out weight loss , of course. You could also go for a really deep but short cut. I know of a couple of people who do 8 weeks bulking/maintaining and the 2 weeks of hard fast cutting. They are already pretty lean though. I'm not really sure at what point that type of plan starts working well but they do well with it.0 -
What do your macros/calories look like?
What does your programming look like?0 -
I'm doing this now and as long as im getting a gram of protien per lb of lean mass I'm doing ok maintaining strength, I have noticed total energy going down so I only do the needed warmup and don't mess around working the jaw muscle. I've also changed to mainly carbs early in the day to mainly protien at night. It's just my personal situation so don't take it as the only way. Best of luck with those gains!0
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When I'm cutting I expect my lifts and/or recovery to go down or stall. Not a big deal because once I'm back on the maintenance or bulk train they come right back in a few weeks.0
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A smaller caloric deficit will help, as will cutting down on volume while maintaining intensity. I would rather reduce the number of sets (e.g., 3 working sets instead of 5) than reduce the weight I lift.
A smaller deficit stretches out weight loss , of course. You could also go for a really deep but short cut. I know of a couple of people who do 8 weeks bulking/maintaining and the 2 weeks of hard fast cutting. They are already pretty lean though. I'm not really sure at what point that type of plan starts working well but they do well with it.
I like the idea of lowering volume. I still have 40ish lbs to lose though so I'm not ready for bulking of any kind just yet.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »What do your macros/calories look like?
What does your programming look like?
Macros roughly: 150g protein - 220g carbs - 92g fat
I'm 6', 219 lbs to put those more in context.
As far as my program, I workout 5 days a week doing a full body split. Minimal cardio. I'm doing 3x8-12 on everything except compound lifts. Compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench, OHP) I'm doing 5x5 after warmups. Numbers have stayed steady for the last month.0 -
@aspdenbrae Good luck, man! I'm thinking about raising my protein intake as well. And the higher carbs in the morning, higher protein at night is interesting, might have to experiment a little with mine to see what gives me the most energy0
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Have you tried Intermittent fasting? If you haven't heard of it you should do some research. This has transformed my weight loss. Intermittent fasting helps you burn fat without losing muscle. There are different methods of Intermittent fasting, I prefer the 16/8 method also known as "leangains".0
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LolBroScience wrote: »What do your macros/calories look like?
What does your programming look like?
Macros roughly: 150g protein - 220g carbs - 92g fat
I'm 6', 219 lbs to put those more in context.
As far as my program, I workout 5 days a week doing a full body split. Minimal cardio. I'm doing 3x8-12 on everything except compound lifts. Compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench, OHP) I'm doing 5x5 after warmups. Numbers have stayed steady for the last month.
that's a lot of volume while eating at a deficit of energy...0 -
If your deficit is below 20% of your maintenance cals, you are likely going to start dropping muscle, just a warning. So if you are subjecting yourself to an aggressive cut, be prepared for the loss of gainz, and certainly a loss of energy in the gym.
If you are in the clear and in the safe range of the deficit, but still feeling slugish, it is likely you are carb depleted. Proper cut diet dictates you intake just as much protein as you would on a bulk, but now on less calories. This leads to a crowding out of the other calorie sources (carbs/fats).
A good practice to counter this sluggish feeling is to have a "refeed" day where you eat at maintenance cals. I was like clockwork and needed one every 6 days when I was cutting in the winter/spring.
I would also make it a point to have a light snack 30 minutes prior to a workout. Something bland that won't upset your stomach. I usually have a small yogurt or the like.
Decreasing volume is definitely okay, but really push to hold or increase your lifting numbers. You HAVE to give your body a reason to keep the muscle around in a calorie deficit, or it will happily drop it in order to become more calorie efficient. Frequently hitting the weights is key when cutting to preserve muscle mass.
Last bit of info: if you have been cutting for more than 16 weeks, it would benefit you to eat at maintenance for a week or more, possibly even at a surplus for a week, before continuing to cut. Your body will slowly start to adapt your metabolism to less calories, so it is good to keep it guessing and avoid a slowdown.0 -
Have you tried Intermittent fasting? If you haven't heard of it you should do some research. This has transformed my weight loss. Intermittent fasting helps you burn fat without losing muscle. There are different methods of Intermittent fasting, I prefer the 16/8 method also known as "leangains".
Yeah, I've done a little research on it and the feedback seems to be really good as far as the fat burning aspect goes. I'll probably incoprate this a little later into my diet to switch things up.0 -
Fuel your workout, reduce your volume, not your intensity and get adequate protein. That's all there is to it.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »What do your macros/calories look like?
What does your programming look like?
Macros roughly: 150g protein - 220g carbs - 92g fat
I'm 6', 219 lbs to put those more in context.
As far as my program, I workout 5 days a week doing a full body split. Minimal cardio. I'm doing 3x8-12 on everything except compound lifts. Compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench, OHP) I'm doing 5x5 after warmups. Numbers have stayed steady for the last month.
that's a lot of volume while eating at a deficit of energy...
Yep. You're going to have to pick one: maintain/gain strength or quick weight loss.
Alternatively, you could reduce the deficit to, say, 10% of maintenance. It will take much longer to drop the weight, but you won't sacrifice strength. I've lost about 12 pounds since January and haven't lost any strength.0 -
_Bropollo_ wrote: »If your deficit is below 20% of your maintenance cals, you are likely going to start dropping muscle, just a warning. So if you are subjecting yourself to an aggressive cut, be prepared for the loss of gainz, and certainly a loss of energy in the gym.
If you are in the clear and in the safe range of the deficit, but still feeling slugish, it is likely you are carb depleted. Proper cut diet dictates you intake just as much protein as you would on a bulk, but now on less calories. This leads to a crowding out of the other calorie sources (carbs/fats).
A good practice to counter this sluggish feeling is to have a "refeed" day where you eat at maintenance cals. I was like clockwork and needed one every 6 days when I was cutting in the winter/spring.
I would also make it a point to have a light snack 30 minutes prior to a workout. Something bland that won't upset your stomach. I usually have a small yogurt or the like.
Decreasing volume is definitely okay, but really push to hold or increase your lifting numbers. You HAVE to give your body a reason to keep the muscle around in a calorie deficit, or it will happily drop it in order to become more calorie efficient. Frequently hitting the weights is key when cutting to preserve muscle mass.
Last bit of info: if you have been cutting for more than 16 weeks, it would benefit you to eat at maintenance for a week or more, possibly even at a surplus for a week, before continuing to cut. Your body will slowly start to adapt your metabolism to less calories, so it is good to keep it guessing and avoid a slowdown.
Thanks for the info, man! Some good stuff here.
I hate the idea of losing any muscle, but I guess I'll have to accept the fact that some muscle loss is going to occur on a high-deficit cut.
I'll take your advice and add in the refeed day once a week to try and counteract the sluggishness. Right now I feel great, but there are days at the gym where I'm definitely lacking energy so could use a boost. I also heard that caffeine pre-workout can be beneficial might have to give that a shot as well haha.
Anyways, appreciate the advice!0 -
I don't think 150g of protein is nearly enough, even on a cut, at your height and weight. *I* eat just under/around 150g on a cut, and I'm a 5'4" female.
You should expect your lifts to stall. If you're having issues with form, definitely lower the weight a little until correct form can be maintained.0 -
Sarah4fitness wrote: »I don't think 150g of protein is nearly enough, even on a cut, at your height and weight. *I* eat just under/around 150g on a cut, and I'm a 5'4" female.
You should expect your lifts to stall. If you're having issues with form, definitely lower the weight a little until correct form can be maintained.
Yeah, I know it's prob a bit low. I'd like to go for something closer to 1g of protein per pound of body weight but idk, it's just...so..much...chicken lol. I'll probably kick it up to around 185g, something i know I can hit pretty comfortably.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »LolBroScience wrote: »What do your macros/calories look like?
What does your programming look like?
Macros roughly: 150g protein - 220g carbs - 92g fat
I'm 6', 219 lbs to put those more in context.
As far as my program, I workout 5 days a week doing a full body split. Minimal cardio. I'm doing 3x8-12 on everything except compound lifts. Compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench, OHP) I'm doing 5x5 after warmups. Numbers have stayed steady for the last month.
that's a lot of volume while eating at a deficit of energy...
Yep. You're going to have to pick one: maintain/gain strength or quick weight loss.
Alternatively, you could reduce the deficit to, say, 10% of maintenance. It will take much longer to drop the weight, but you won't sacrifice strength. I've lost about 12 pounds since January and haven't lost any strength.
Leaning more towards faster weight loss. My caloric deficit definitely reflects that. I'd like to spend the next 4 ish months cutting body fat as effeciently as possible while doing what I can to retain muscle.
Soaking up this advice from everyone for sure though.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »What do your macros/calories look like?
What does your programming look like?
Macros roughly: 150g protein - 220g carbs - 92g fat
I'm 6', 219 lbs to put those more in context.
As far as my program, I workout 5 days a week doing a full body split. Minimal cardio. I'm doing 3x8-12 on everything except compound lifts. Compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench, OHP) I'm doing 5x5 after warmups. Numbers have stayed steady for the last month.
Way too much volume for a cut.Leaning more towards faster weight loss. My caloric deficit definitely reflects that. I'd like to spend the next 4 ish months cutting body fat as effeciently as possible while doing what I can to retain muscle.
Soaking up this advice from everyone for sure though.
Sounds like a formula for a little crashing, and maybe a little burning, too. I don't think you will be able to maintain that volume with an aggressive caloric deficit. Will probably end up overtraining or injured if you try.0 -
700 plus calories from Protein alone at 180 some grams how many calories a day is your goal??
without adequate carbs you will be weaker. I am sure
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