Cutting cycle

T

Techo

New Member
Hey all, I’m planning on starting a cutting cycle soon but want to double check a few points first.

1) Is SD really needed prior to a cutting cycle? I realize that will decondition the muscle and thus help *maintain* the gains, but I’d be really interested to hear from those of you that have skipped or reduced the pre-cut SD without affecting results...

2) Outside of maintaining a hyper-caloric state, is there anyway to reduce the weight loss during SD?  I usually keep my bulking diet about 2 days into my SD then slowly come down to maintenance.  I suppose it’s not that big of a deal if it’s just water, but sure hate to drop ~5 lbs so quick…

3) I’ve heard it said that it is generally inevitable that some muscle will be lost during cutting.  My question is whether or not I should expect a noticeable loss of strength.  Or is it just size that goes down?  My last cutting cycle I sacrificed all so it was expected to lose some gains.  But now that I actually have gotten somewhere, I’m kinda paranoid to lose what I have.

I'm hoping to make the calorie deficit come more from cardio than diet - at least as much as possible.  I hear that its most recommended.  Any other cutting tips outside of a keto diet would be greatly apprciated. Thanks in advance…
 
I wouldn't bother doing an SD before starting a cutting cycle. It's not like you're going to grow while cutting anyway.

You will lose significant strength if you are cutting your calories severely. If you're eating just a little under maintenance, I wouldn't expect that much of a strength loss. I guess it also depends on where you are getting your calories from. Cutting your carbs a lot would probably hurt.
 
Thanks for the reply, Totentanz. Anyone else...? And the other questions?

So it looks like I was on the right track by making most of my deficit come from cardio. Still concerned about the strength loss too, but maybe I'll be alright...

Totentanz, have u tried a cutting cycle w/out an SD beforehand? If so, how were the results? Any loss of strength?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Techo @ June 11 2005,10:36)]So it looks like I was  on the right track by making most of my deficit come from cardio.  
Click to expand...
Yes, there is a better chance of retaining LBM by creating a deficit from exercise versus diet.
 
I actually haven't cut yet. I've been bulking for almost six months now. I'll start cutting once I get big enough probably. I plan to just eat at maintenance during a cutting cycle - no SD beforehand, maybe high frequency depending on how much energy I have.

I'd be interested to see how it goes for you, concerning strength loss, etc.
 
Well I decided to go with a 1 week SD... we'll see how it goes.

One last question: cardio.

I'm trying to figure out how to work the schedule and what type I should be using. Last time it was 3x a week (off days) and like 45 minute runs @ 8+ MPH... Had to work up to it, but again, I lost lots of strength/muscle. I don't know if the cardio type/schedule contributed so I'd like some feedback.

My ideal situation would be cardio 6x a week and HST 3x a week. That way I could maximize the calorie deficit via cardio. I don't know if the HIIT vs longer and steady cardio debate was ever finalized so I'd like to hear something on that too... Also, is pre-breakfast cardio still recommended?

So in sum: What should I use for cardio type - are long/steady runs okay? Would it be ideal if I did it before breakfast? How should I handle it on my workout days - before or after lifting?

Thanks again guys!
 
if time is an issue, you could do HIIT. if you opt for regular cardio, do it at a comfortable steady pace.

another option would be to do a 6x a week routine, splitting your volume over more workouts. bryan suggested that in the faq, as a means to drop body fat fast. you just have to keep monitoring your CNS because of the lowered calories and carbs. you could still do cardio after each session, to help nutrient partioning.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (addy @ June 20 2005,1:03)]you just have to keep monitoring your CNS because of the lowered calories and carbs. you could still do cardio after each session, to help nutrient partioning.
Click to expand...
how do you monitor your CNS ?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Techo @ June 19 2005,8:14)]Well I decided to go with a 1 week SD... we'll see how it goes.
One last question: cardio.
I'm trying to figure out how to work the schedule and what type I should be using.  Last time it was 3x a week (off days) and like 45 minute runs @ 8+ MPH... Had to work up to it, but again, I lost lots of strength/muscle.  I don't know if the cardio type/schedule contributed so I'd like some feedback.
My ideal situation would be cardio 6x a week and HST 3x a week.  That way I could maximize the calorie deficit via cardio.  I don't know if the HIIT vs longer and steady cardio debate was ever finalized so I'd like to hear something on that too...  Also, is pre-breakfast cardio still recommended?
So in sum: What should I use for cardio type - are long/steady runs okay? Would it be ideal if I did it before breakfast? How should I handle it on my workout days - before or after lifting?
Thanks again guys!
Click to expand...
I've got these same questions. I'm about to start cutting and I was thinking I would do something like a few hundred calorie deficit along with HIIT 3 times a week for 15-20 minutes, and then steady state cardio for one day. I was thinking I would do one HIIT session after one of my workouts, and then the rest of my cardio about mid day on off days.

Also, do you think the treadmill or the stationary bike is better for cutting? That is pretty much all my gym has besides a stair stepper and some elipticals (which I have a very hard time using for some reason). Last cutting cycle I used the bike and got pretty good results, because I have bad knees and legs which usually don't fair well with running.
 
Well I'll tell you what I'm doing. My joints are starting to hurt on my current cycle. I was going to keep going with my post-5s for another few weeks, but I don't want to mess my joints up. I was planning to go on a cutter in a month or so... but I've decided to just start it now instead.

Anyway... I'm going to experiment with starting out in a higher rep range. I'm going to do 20s, 15s, 10s and 5s, each for two weeks. I won't be doing any post-5s. I also plan to do this six times a week, unless I start to become too fatigued.
Since I'll be working out so frequently, I will keep calories at maintenance (2500) or possibly even 250 or so over maintenance. Plenty of those calories will be from protein. The rest will be mostly carbs, and the remainder will be from as many good fats as possible. I'll probably do a carb load on my offday each week.

I'm not doing any cardio, but I think that the high rep exercises will be more than enough. This should hopefully heal up my joints plenty well too.

So I'll post my results for you guys to check out. Personally, I find cardio to be extremely boring and I disagree with people who think that the only way to get below 10% bodyfat is through cardio. If it works well for me, maybe it will work for you guys.
 
I get pain in my knees, or at least when running outside. Personally, the treadmill seems to provide enough cusion for a comfortable run. If the bike worked for you last time, then by all means keep up with it! You may, however, want to find one of those bikes that has a reclined seat...

Well, I'm almost 3 weeks into this cutting cycle and am pretty much going crazy. Last two times I cut, it was at such a fast rate I was always seeing results. Since I'm trying to spare more muscle this time, I'm going quite a bit easier. So far, it's taken me two weeks to get my cardio system back up to speed (i.e. 7 MPH runs for 20+ minutes). I'm not doing nearly as much as I had hoped, but we'll see how it goes.

One fitness debate (of many others) that I have w/my wife is the required intensity for optimal fat burning. It seems she was taught that you need to maintain raised heartbeat for at least 20 minutes before fat burning starts. Is this true, and do we have any studies on the topic? I was under the impression that even low intesity cardio ,like walking, could burn fat as long as you had a calorie deficit...

I won't even get started on the protein debate...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top