Cutting - Your Tips/Experience

aown61
aown61 Posts: 62 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey guys I am after tips on what to do to have a successful cut, this will be the first time I've ever attempted it, and I don't want to f it all up after a decent bulk up. Thanks! Andy

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    I would suggest going for a small deficit (100 to 200 calories), adequate protein (up to 1gram per pound of body weight) and adequate training stimulus.

    When I cut last year I went for a 1 pound per week loss and I pretty much lost a good chunk of my gains..this time around I am going slow and steady ....
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I would suggest going for a small deficit (100 to 200 calories), adequate protein (up to 1gram per pound of body weight) and adequate training stimulus.

    When I cut last year I went for a 1 pound per week loss and I pretty much lost a good chunk of my gains..this time around I am going slow and steady ....

    For a guy, 1 lb a week is plenty slow. You should not be losing your gains at that rate of weight loss. Something is wrong there...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    AJ_G wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I would suggest going for a small deficit (100 to 200 calories), adequate protein (up to 1gram per pound of body weight) and adequate training stimulus.

    When I cut last year I went for a 1 pound per week loss and I pretty much lost a good chunk of my gains..this time around I am going slow and steady ....

    For a guy, 1 lb a week is plenty slow. You should not be losing your gains at that rate of weight loss. Something is wrong there...

    just my experience the first time around...so going slower this time ...
  • darlenekarst
    darlenekarst Posts: 5 Member
    When I cut before a competition I simply replace my protein shakes with dry protein, cut down on my fats some and make sure I do fasted cardio about three times a week. Now, I am a vegan bodybuilder so I lean down fast - usually a week and a half to two weeks and I'm pretty cut.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    AJ_G wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I would suggest going for a small deficit (100 to 200 calories), adequate protein (up to 1gram per pound of body weight) and adequate training stimulus.

    When I cut last year I went for a 1 pound per week loss and I pretty much lost a good chunk of my gains..this time around I am going slow and steady ....

    For a guy, 1 lb a week is plenty slow. You should not be losing your gains at that rate of weight loss. Something is wrong there...

    just my experience the first time around...so going slower this time ...

    True, nothing wrong with going slower. It's ideal for your body comp and your metabolism anyway.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    darlenekarst wrote: »
    ...and make sure I do fasted cardio about three times a week.

    Why?
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited January 2016
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I would suggest going for a small deficit (100 to 200 calories), adequate protein (up to 1gram per pound of body weight) and adequate training stimulus.

    When I cut last year I went for a 1 pound per week loss and I pretty much lost a good chunk of my gains..this time around I am going slow and steady ....

    Great advice. I once cut at 1lb per month, and I swear I kept every gram of hard earned muscle. Was clocked at 15% body fat in a bodpod.

    I'd add that to keep these calorie numbers really tight, (small deficit) I'd avoid too much cardio, and not too much work above threshold, but if you do, make sure you really know what your burns are by using HRM and tracking and recording EVERYTHING and EAT those exercise cals.(preferably by prefuelling WO really well).

    I never cut below 200 cal deficit it's just too risky. That muscle I built is worth more than gold.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    edited January 2016
    darlenekarst wrote: »
    When I cut before a competition I simply replace my protein shakes with dry protein, cut down on my fats some and make sure I do fasted cardio about three times a week. Now, I am a vegan bodybuilder so I lean down fast - usually a week and a half to two weeks and I'm pretty cut.

    Forgive me but this sounds like a big calorie deficit resulting in a water and glycogen loss. It isn't recommended for people trying to cut pure fat without touching muscle or glycogen. Which is why you only do it for 1 to 2 weeks correct?

    Also, why do vegan body builders lean down faster? That's a new one for me!
  • sjohnson__1
    sjohnson__1 Posts: 405 Member
    edited January 2016
    A slow cut is much more sustainable. However, I wouldn't worry too much about muscle loss if you're cutting up to 1lb/week - as long as your cut isn't too long. I was able to keep that pace and managed to increase non-fat (lean) mass by 2lbs. Cutting took its toll eventually in the weight room, but that was after quite some time.

    My macro approach last time was:
    1. minimal fats (.2-.25% of kcals from fats);
    2. protein increased slightly (1.2-1.4g's/lb of LBM), and;
    3. fill the rest in with carbs (most of which were consumed peri-workout).

    I didn't do much cardio aside from an occasional sled push, or farmers carries/overhead carries. You can if you want, just make sure you're eating back some of those calories so you're not eating into muscle (account for the cardio in your TDEE).

    USE REFEEDS --> Refeeds are vital.. I would use them every 7-10 days at first, until you reach sub 12-13% bf. Then I'd recommend using them more often, maybe every 4-5 days.
  • elite_nal
    elite_nal Posts: 127 Member
    aown61 wrote: »
    Hey guys I am after tips on what to do to have a successful cut, this will be the first time I've ever attempted it, and I don't want to f it all up after a decent bulk up. Thanks! Andy

    Make sure that you only create a slight deficit and focus on burning fat at a gradual pace. This will ensure that you lose fat, not muscle, and maintain as much of your strength as possible. A 15-20% deficit below your maintenance level is a good guideline to follow. This will allow you to lose about 1-2 pounds of fat a week.

    Also, make sure to carry out your weight training plan in the exact same way that you did during your bulking phase. Focus on compound lifts, low to moderate reps and high intensity. This will help you burn fat without losing muscle, since it will provide your body with the necessary stimulus in order to encourage it to hold onto its lean mass. Switching to a "light weight and high reps" plan like so many people do is one of the worst choices you can make.
  • sjohnson__1
    sjohnson__1 Posts: 405 Member
    elite_nal wrote: »
    aown61 wrote: »
    Hey guys I am after tips on what to do to have a successful cut, this will be the first time I've ever attempted it, and I don't want to f it all up after a decent bulk up. Thanks! Andy

    Make sure that you only create a slight deficit and focus on burning fat at a gradual pace. This will ensure that you lose fat, not muscle, and maintain as much of your strength as possible. A 15-20% deficit below your maintenance level is a good guideline to follow. This will allow you to lose about 1-2 pounds of fat a week.

    Also, make sure to carry out your weight training plan in the exact same way that you did during your bulking phase. Focus on compound lifts, low to moderate reps and high intensity. This will help you burn fat without losing muscle, since it will provide your body with the necessary stimulus in order to encourage it to hold onto its lean mass. Switching to a "light weight and high reps" plan like so many people do is one of the worst choices you can make.

    Bingo! Continue to lift heavy. Training should always be about long term goals (strength promotes size, btw), not your short term cutting goal.

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    I would suggest going for a small deficit (100 to 200 calories), adequate protein (up to 1gram per pound of body weight) and adequate training stimulus.

    When I cut last year I went for a 1 pound per week loss and I pretty much lost a good chunk of my gains..this time around I am going slow and steady ....

    This is pretty good advice, especially coming off a bulk so you can adapt to lower food volume. But after that, 10 to 20% below tdee would be my goal.
  • aown61
    aown61 Posts: 62 Member
    elite_nal wrote: »
    aown61 wrote: »
    Hey guys I am after tips on what to do to have a successful cut, this will be the first time I've ever attempted it, and I don't want to f it all up after a decent bulk up. Thanks! Andy

    Make sure that you only create a slight deficit and focus on burning fat at a gradual pace. This will ensure that you lose fat, not muscle, and maintain as much of your strength as possible. A 15-20% deficit below your maintenance level is a good guideline to follow. This will allow you to lose about 1-2 pounds of fat a week.

    Also, make sure to carry out your weight training plan in the exact same way that you did during your bulking phase. Focus on compound lifts, low to moderate reps and high intensity. This will help you burn fat without losing muscle, since it will provide your body with the necessary stimulus in order to encourage it to hold onto its lean mass. Switching to a "light weight and high reps" plan like so many people do is one of the worst choices you can make.

    Thanks everyone for the comments, this is exactly what I was after! I was hoping someone would say keep my workouts at the same pace!
  • sjohnson__1
    sjohnson__1 Posts: 405 Member
    http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html - decent article to reference for cutting. This does include some stuff on meal timing and specific nutrients over others, but for the most part the premise is right on track with a typical flexible dieters.

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