How do you guys cut without getting weaker / losing muscle? Seems every time I cut I can’t seem to hold on to my strength no matter what I do. Still eatting 5-7 meals a day, high protien, etc…
Should I just expect it to happen?
Do you change your lifting routine? Do you cut down your carbohydrates too much, causing a lack of energy? Are you getting enough sugar?
[quote]Fulmen wrote:
Do you change your lifting routine? Do you cut down your carbohydrates too much, causing a lack of energy? Are you getting enough sugar?[/quote]
Routine stays exactly the same. Carbs are not that low, 200-300 a day. Any lowwer and I won’t burn much fat at all.
Are you taking BCAAs or L-Carnitine?? Carbolin 19 may help greatly also…but a look at your training routine may help also…and how much cardio are you doing??
[quote]chrisrodx wrote:
Routine stays exactly the same.
[/quote]
OK, here is a problem for a start. A routine that is suitable when you are hypercaloric is not suitable when you are hypocaloric. You should def. change to reduce volume, increase intensity (ie use heavier weight). The increased intensity will help you keep your strength up.
The other thing you can do is use some “assistance”. Anavar is the go.
Personally I find your strength will invariably drop somewhat on a cut. It’s just what happens. Your not eating enough to support muscle growth or even full recovery from workout to workout. That?s why cuts are tough.
When I did the GSD I found my strength was going up from week to week for about the first four weeks. This was because my meal constituents and timing were imacculate, which made up for lost calories and carbs for a while but eventually the workload just caught up with me and my body didn’t have the fuel it needed to stay powering through personnel best generating workouts.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that yes, your strenght will drop off but it should happen either early or easily. If this is the case then something is amiss.
Make sure you are getting enough protein to maintain your current LBM.
Then try heavier weights with less reps while cutting. Focus on the big lifts, and less on the accessory stuff. That way you can get in, work a short intense lift, and get out without running out of fuel.
So far I’ve gone from a 178 to 173lbs (im 5"7). My bench went from 225 x 10 to 225 x 8 after losing just 5 lbs.
Calories are at 2500-3000 a day. Just coming from a clean bulk 3500-4500 a day intake. I did have a few cheat days in there were the calories hit 6000 + a day (bad idea).
My calories arent even that damn low. Honestly I’ll need to hit 2000-2500 a day with cardio if I’m going to totaly lean out 100%.
aggrr…
I’m starting to think its unavodable to lose strength and get cut without the drugs bbers use. Even when you drop some water weight the strength goes down. If I increase the calories any more I doupt I’d even lose any fat at all…
I think it’s because you’re using the word “cut”.
[quote]Roy wrote:
I think it’s because you’re using the word “cut”.
[/quote]
smiles I’ll call you what ever you want.
I’ve lost 15 pounds on the Anabolic Diet and gotten stronger. I’m just saying…
[quote]TheTank123 wrote:
I’ve lost 15 pounds on the Anabolic Diet and gotten stronger. I’m just saying…[/quote]
That’s bad ass. Man, maybe I should give that a shot or something.
If cutting and increasing strength went hand in hand than every powerlifter, bodybuilder, and strongman would look like a holocaust victim.
If you want to be cut, then just cut. If you want to be strong, don’t cut.
[quote]chrisrodx wrote:
So far I’ve gone from a 178 to 173lbs (im 5"7). My bench went from 225 x 10 to 225 x 8 after losing just 5 lbs.
Calories are at 2500-3000 a day. Just coming from a clean bulk 3500-4500 a day intake. I did have a few cheat days in there were the calories hit 6000 + a day (bad idea).
My calories arent even that damn low. Honestly I’ll need to hit 2000-2500 a day with cardio if I’m going to totaly lean out 100%.
aggrr…
I’m starting to think its unavodable to lose strength and get cut without the drugs bbers use. Even when you drop some water weight the strength goes down. If I increase the calories any more I doupt I’d even lose any fat at all…
[/quote]
How long did you stay at maintenance?
If you just bulked for a while then turned around and started cutting you could end up losing more muscle than you want.
Suggest you try the Get Shredded Diet
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1150209
Also worth looking at this thread
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1453115
[quote]ExNole wrote:
chrisrodx wrote:
So far I’ve gone from a 178 to 173lbs (im 5"7). My bench went from 225 x 10 to 225 x 8 after losing just 5 lbs.
Calories are at 2500-3000 a day. Just coming from a clean bulk 3500-4500 a day intake. I did have a few cheat days in there were the calories hit 6000 + a day (bad idea).
My calories arent even that damn low. Honestly I’ll need to hit 2000-2500 a day with cardio if I’m going to totaly lean out 100%.
aggrr…
I’m starting to think its unavodable to lose strength and get cut without the drugs bbers use. Even when you drop some water weight the strength goes down. If I increase the calories any more I doupt I’d even lose any fat at all…
How long did you stay at maintenance?
If you just bulked for a while then turned around and started cutting you could end up losing more muscle than you want.[/quote]
I didn’t do any maintenance, went straight from the bulk to cutting. If I stop cutting right now and just focus on maintaining, I’ll keep more muscle when I diet down later? Or will I still lose strength as I am now?
[quote]caneman wrote:
If cutting and increasing strength went hand in hand than every powerlifter, bodybuilder, and strongman would look like a holocaust victim.
If you want to be cut, then just cut. If you want to be strong, don’t cut.[/quote]
That’s what I’m starting to realize. Can’t really have both of them, at least 100%. Guess one has to pick which goal is more important to you in the end.
[quote]sharetrader wrote:
Suggest you try the Get Shredded Diet
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1150209
Also worth looking at this thread
http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1453115 [/quote]
Thanks, check those out a few times.