gained weight, cut cycle?!

C

cnegotiator

New Member
so im at the end of week 4 of my cut cycle, and it looks like i have gained a few pounds.... my chest looks more defined though, but i dont really see a difference in my stomach fat. My goal of the cut cycle is to cut down body fat.

Im eating slightly below maintence, working out 6 days a week (hst 3, isos 3) with cardio twice a week. Im doing week 1 and 2, 15 reps 2 sets, week 3 and 4, 10 reps 1 set, then i drop the weight in half and do another set, week 5, 5 reps, 3 sets, then half the weight and do another, and week 6, 2 reps, 3 sets, and then 2 set of dropping the weight in half.


Any explaination why i have been doing more exercising, eating slightly less, but still gained weight?!
 
Couple ideas...
You've calculated maintenance incorrectly
You're retaining water for some reason
Your body has mysteriously started producing crazy hormones (and you are becoming a super hero!!)
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well my eating habits i have correct, i have increased water intake though. First because its been so hot out, second because its been so hot out
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Overall chest looks leaner, and maybe even bigger, but my stomach doesnt and my legs are the same (actually normally lean) and my arms, well i dont see a change really, maybe bigger but not leaner.

I am taking creatine as well, but i didnt just start taking creatine, i have been on it for awhile.
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So... it must be the super hero thing. I figured. Get my autograph now so you can sell it on ebay.
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Believe it or not you could be doing too much.

Why not hit the weights just 2 maybe 3 times at most and ramp up the cardio.

If you lift heavy just 2 days that will be enough to keep your muscle mass then do some cardio..to burn calories.

Just a thought...but my first look at your routine is that you are close to overtraining...especially with calorie deficit.
 
Have you actually measured yourself? (tape + scales)

Its totally possible that you've lost weight but because its been fat, the leaness is making you "look" bigger.
 
I agree with Joe- check your cals again and increase the cardio. Also, at 6x/week, I'd consider dropping the isos and focusing on just 3 or 4 compounds- you could be overtraining. I know the current wisdom is that 6x/week is optimal for cutting, but I haven't seen much difference personally, especially if I up the cardio on my off days. For me at least, 2-3x/week plus cardio 3-4x/week (30-45 mins each) works better than 6x/week.
 
I agree with Jake - 2 to 3 times a week with cardio on offdays seems to work great without draining you of all your energy. I don't really see higher frequency as optimal for anything. It wastes too much energy in my experience.
 
Following up on the other comments, I prefer to do a 5X5 routine when cutting (which I rarely do ) hitting each bodypart twice per week.
 
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(Totentanz @ Aug. 04 2006,19:48)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I agree with Jake - 2 to 3 times a week with cardio on offdays seems to work great without draining you of all your energy.  I don't really see higher frequency as optimal for anything.  It wastes too much energy in my experience.</div>
Isn't using up a lot of energy (calories) a large part of the point of cutting? I thought I'd read somewhere that weight lifting was more efficient at burning calories than cardio, because of the calories spent by your muscles post-workout. (But I'm a newbie to cutting so I could be way off.)

If you tried 6x per week, how many sets did you do per workout?

And why do a 5x5 routine (as Old and Grey suggests) instead of typical HST? (And do you have a link to a good basic 5x5 primer?)

Thanks!
 
Doing a 5x5 helps maintain muscle better because of the higher loads. O&amp;G is right about using it for a cut. He also didn't imply you couldn't do an HST routine though. Most who do an HST routine to cut skip at least the 15's.

I also agree that your getting too many calories, I did the same thing when I thought I was cutting. Keep a daily journal of calories, this way it's not a crap-shoot. If you gain a pound in a week, then you know you need to cut back on calories. My cut was a disaster until I started keeping a daily journal.
 
i actually think i was eating so picky and less (more chicken and tuna), and working out more sets and reps, that i gained muscle weight but, however, didnt lose any body fat or very little. my chest and arms look a little leaner, and my legs have no fat on them usually, just my gut haha

i did a slight calorie def, but did more workout (cardio + lifting sets) to make an excerise def
 
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