Athena Vale
Cutting is a fat-loss phase that bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts use to get as lean as possible while retaining muscle mass. It involves a weight loss diet and is usually done before a major athletic competition. A cutting diet involves calculating your calorie, protein, fat, and carb needs to reduce body fat and maintain muscle mass. Paired with weightlifting, it is usually followed for 2-4 months before a competition, event, or occasion. The diet is catered to each individual, tends to be higher in protein and carbs, and should be accompanied by weightlifting.
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What You'll Learn
Cutting diet
A cutting diet is a popular diet among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts who want to lose body fat and increase muscle mass. It involves calculating your daily calorie, protein, fat, and carbohydrate needs based on weight and activity level.
To start a cutting diet, first calculate how many calories you need to consume to maintain your weight, and then subtract 500 to 1,000 calories from that number. This number is the starting point for your cutting diet. It is important to ensure that you are still consuming adequate calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates to support your health and fitness goals. This can be done by including more nutrient-dense, whole foods and balancing your macros.
Protein is the most important macronutrient to focus on during a cutting diet. Your body uses protein to build and repair muscle tissue, and it also provides you with energy. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, chicken, chickpeas, edamame, kidney beans, and chia seeds. In addition to protein, it is important to consume complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice, and dietary fiber, such as quinoa.
In addition to diet, it is important to incorporate resistance training and weightlifting into your regimen to minimize muscle loss during the cutting phase.
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Weightlifting
When incorporating weightlifting into your cutting program, it is important to focus on compound lifts such as squats and bench presses, and add in assistance exercises to target specific muscle groups. Heavy compound lifting is particularly effective for creating mechanical tension, testing joint and postural stability, and improving overall strength. It is also important to strive for steady progress in your lifting and to increase the intensity of your workouts when possible. Research suggests that heavy training is more effective at preserving muscle mass than less intense work.
In addition to weightlifting, cardio exercise can also be beneficial during a cut. Cardio exercises, such as HIIT workouts, can help to burn more calories and increase your metabolic rate. However, it is important to note that cardio is not necessary for a successful cut, and the inclusion of cardio should depend on your specific goals and preferences.
To support your weightlifting and cutting program, it is important to consume a sufficient amount of protein. Protein helps to spare muscle during tissue wasting and can be obtained through whole-food sources or supplements. Essential amino acids (EAAs) are another supplement that can help slow muscle protein breakdown during periods of caloric restriction. Finally, it is recommended to increase your non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which refers to the calories burned through activities other than sleeping, eating, or exercise, such as walking or housework.
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Resistance training
A good workout routine for cutting includes both compound lifts and isolation exercises. Compound exercises are time-efficient and great for keeping your strength up, and isolation movements allow you to target specific muscle groups. For example, you can do lower reps on bigger lifts and higher reps on smaller lifts. It's also important to keep your training volume on the low end and your training intensity on the high end to allow for recovery.
You can also try a hypertrophy-oriented program or a strength-oriented program. Hypertrophy training is good for metabolic increase, while strength training helps with maintaining muscle. You can also try a strategic mix of both.
It's important to note that you might lose some muscle size when cutting. However, by doing resistance training, you can preserve your muscle mass. Intense training signals to your body to hold on to your muscle mass.
Additionally, ingesting dietary protein directly after a workout can help with muscle sparing. While carbs are not essential for resistance training, they can help provide energy. Adequate dietary fat is also critical for maintaining satiety, hormone balance, and immune function.
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Cardio
Firstly, the type of cardio and the duration matter. As a rule of thumb, the total amount of cardio you do in a week should not exceed half the time you spend lifting weights. For example, if you add four 30-minute sessions of moderate-intensity cardio to your weekly routine, you can burn around 888 calories, which equates to a quarter-pound of fat. While this may not be the most efficient way to cut fat, it can be a helpful addition to dietary changes.
Secondly, it is important to note that excessive cardio can interfere with muscle growth. Doing cardiovascular exercise at moderate intensities is a form of endurance training, and the adaptations required for this can slow down the process of building muscle and strength. Therefore, if you are looking to build muscle, it is recommended to keep cardio sessions to a moderate duration and intensity.
Thirdly, you can alternate between different types of cardio. For example, you could do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on some days, followed by low-intensity cardio on other days. It is important to listen to your body and adjust your routine as needed. If you feel your recovery is suffering, you may need to scale back the intensity or duration of your cardio workouts.
Finally, if you are doing endurance-based cardio or high-rep training, consider taking an intra-workout carb source during your workout. Additionally, if you are incorporating cardio into your cutting routine, it is crucial to ensure you are consuming enough calories and nutrients to support your body.
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Timing
For those with a good deal of training experience, it is difficult to efficiently build muscle and lose fat simultaneously. As a result, alternating bulking and cutting in cycles is often recommended. Bulking involves consuming a caloric surplus to gain muscle mass, while cutting involves a caloric deficit to lose fat. The cutting phase usually follows the bulking phase to eliminate the fat gained while retaining muscle mass.
When entering the cutting phase, it is important to avoid transitioning too quickly from bulking. Maintaining and training at the body weight achieved during the bulking phase for a period of time before cutting can help prevent loss of strength and size. This allows for further muscle growth and provides a stronger foundation for the cutting phase.
During the cutting phase, the timing of meals and macronutrient intake can be strategically planned to support muscle growth, fat loss, and performance. However, this level of detail may be more relevant for competitive athletes. For most people, the focus should be on consuming a balanced and varied diet with adequate calories, protein, carbs, and fat throughout the day.
Additionally, the timing of workouts and cardio exercises can be coordinated with the cutting diet. Cardio can be performed either fasted in the morning or after weight training sessions to maximise fat loss while preserving muscle.
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Frequently asked questions
A cutting diet is a popular diet among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts who want to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass. It involves calculating your calorie, protein, fat, and carb needs to reduce body fat.
First, calculate how many calories you need to consume to maintain your weight, then subtract 500-1000 calories from that number. This is the number of calories you should consume daily. You can use an online calculator or consult a dietitian to help determine this.
Resistance training is one of the most important factors in maintaining muscle mass when losing weight. Weightlifting and hypertrophy training programs are recommended. Cardio exercises, such as HIIT workouts, are also beneficial for burning more calories in a shorter amount of time.
