So I'm cutting, currently in the last week of 10s, am somewhat successful, but with all this talk about getting stronger I wanna jump on the bandwagon. I'm a pretty big guy, but I wanna be a strong cut guy. So I guess just as the topic says, can you gain a significant amount of strength when cutting. I know that more muscle hypertrophy (significant, not just becoming more toned) that you need excess calories, to build muscle. Muscle hypertrophy CAN be linked, but its not always linked to muscle strength... ie we have all probably seen a "small" guy lifting a lot, and a "big" guy lifting less than you would expect him too, in general yes I would say size roughly corresponds to strength. I'm thinking about after the 5s throwing in a month or so strength program, which then begs the question how long does it take to build a decent amount of strength (besides the obvious answer: everyone is different) Thanks guys, Keith
There seems to be a finite cap on possible neural adaptions in a skinny guy compared to the ever growing fat or heavier lbm man. I guess it is more of a leverage factor. Aside from that, here is a study examining the effects of a shorter term 'hypertrophy program' and its effects on strength gain. I have now used this study 3 times for 3 answers, im filing it
Mr. Haycock addressed this topic somewhere around here- saying essentially that you should try to grow muscle or cut fat, but not both at once. And as far as strength and cutting go, any amount of calorie deprivation will probably make you FEEL weaker just because you don't have the same energy stores and energy level to push the weight. But as suggested by the 1 or 2 set scheme, lower volume is key to not overtaxing the nervous system beyond your ability to recuperate. Which means that generally, if you reduce the total volume (for me that means Bench 1x5x250=1250 vs. Bench 1x10x200=2000, then lifting heavier for fewer reps means lower volume) you tax your nervous system less and use less of whatever energy you do have stored, so you save more fuel for recovery. And since strength has more to do with practice than anything else, and you are adhering more closely to a strength training program by using heavy weight and low reps, you should at least maintain as much strength as possible while cutting, if you don't actually add strength. So, I'd probably eliminate the 15 rep cycle, and add an extra week of the 5 rep cycle for a short period. It worked for me, but be sure not to injure yourself, it's easier to screw up when you feel drained or fatigued in calorie deficit and you are lifting heavy.
Thanks to all... and steel has IMO an important and often overlooked scenario Excellent point, for me at least, because I havent really gone to failure in at least 6 months, and I don't train with a spotter either
A friend once said to me, "You're 'spotphobic'", because I would actually wait for him to come over before I'd do any benching. Then I pointed out that something like 500 people a year DIE doing bench presses without spotters! Not to mention all those who just get hurt. You should have seen his face. And if you've ever been trapped under 240 pounds alone in the house, you don't just feel pretty dumb, you also spend ten minutes trying to wriggle out, and end up twisting your back all out of shape. Then I had the pleasure of laying around for 3 weeks and shrinking away everything I'd just built up over the past few months while I waited for it to heal. Moral of the story- if you get injured, you'd have been better off just being a couch potato to begin with. And I won't even go into what I did to my shoulder while just being a tough guy and working out when I was tired and unfocused. So stay safe!
drivethruguy, I'm planning on doing exactly as you describe -- several weeks of strength training, while cutting, at the end of my current HST cycle (cutting). It will be a 5x5 type approach with very near maintenance calories. Will be curious to hear how this works for you, so post your results. I'm still several weeks away from starting.
