"Cutting" Specific Training

[superclock]

Thinking towards the future... After my next two HST cycles I am planning a cutting cycle. Do you guys have any suggestions on something that would be Cutting Specific Training? I have heard that you lose a fair amount of muscle mass during cutting and just wondered if there are any tips from members of this forum with regards to that.

 

[Lol]

There are lots of ways to cut fat whilst attempting to retain as much lean mass as possible. How successful each one is for you will depend on your individual genetic makeup (think natural testosterone levels, muscle insulin sensitivity, thyroid level, in fact your overall hormonal profile) and your ability to stick to a plan.

The basic idea is to cut calories below maintenance and lift heavy (5RM or higher) at least once a week. However there are a ton of variables to play with. I'd suggest checking out Lyle McDonald's bodyrecomposition.com site. There's a great deal of good info to be had there backed by some sound research.

In my training log over in the log section of this site I've been keeping a record of my attempt to stick to Lyle's UD2.0 over the last three months or so. I've made some good progress and learnt quite a lot along the way.

 

[trump]

My tips would be:
- Do not start eating a caloric deficit while on SD. No liftiing plus a caloric deficit aint good for holding onto your muscle.
- From things I've read over on Lyle's board, I think the key when cutting is to reduce Volume (sets) but keep the same Intensity (weight on the bar). For this reason I dont think HST is ideal for cutting.

For instance, I was recently doing a fairly harsh 1000 calorie deficit PSMF diet, and I reduced my Bench Press volume from 3 sets to 1 set of 8. But kept the same weight. I was able to keep hitting those 8 reps every workout (twice a week). And after I came out the other side of the diet, and started to eat normal again I was able add back in the extra sets with no issues at all. So in my humble opinion, I'm not sure a typical HST program is best for cutting, too much time with submaximal weights (yes I know SD is designed to offset this). I'd rather just keep hitting say your 5RM two/maybe three times a week, erring cautiously on less frequent the greater your daily caloric deficit (ie greater deficit = less recovery = less frequency).

Edit - I should add, the greater the deficit, the greater the chance for muscle loss. So given that, and the body's diminished recovery on a larger deficit, trying to run too big a deficit for too long will either see injury (trying to train too often) or too much muscle loss creep in.....

Oh, and one more tip....
- increase protein intake/keep it high

 

[Keystone]

I would try to be at maintenance for the SD period and also the 15's. Want to try to only go into a deficit when you are lifting heavier weights to prevent muscle loss. You could also save the deficit until you got into the 5's and extend those as long as possible. Might need to cut your frequency back a bit as it will take longer to recover.

Keystone