What’s all the fuss around cutting? Why do people always start looking for cutting routines and principles right before summertime? The answer is relatively easy – warm seasons make us look critically at our complexion, revealing all the sore fatty points to be tweaked. Unlike regular workouts, a cutting workout plan aims to reduce the fat percentage and preserve muscle mass (yes, it is possible) in a relatively short time. Cutting helps show off all the hard work behind your muscular physique and make an impressive public outing in light clothes or at the beach.
We will look into the basics of the best cutting workout plan regarding the workouts, and of course, nutrition, as they both are used hand in hand.
It is also worth mentioning that the following article will only fit those who are in need of cutting for summer or eventful time, not the guidance for peak week.
Cutting is a relatively short routine directed toward lowering the amount of fat and preserving muscle mass at the same time. There is even a chance of gaining some muscle mass, yet it’s not the primary concern. Cutting workout plan requires calorie deficit for losing weight and weight training for maintaining the proper muscle form.
Cutting and bulking are both stages of muscle mass formation. Bulking allows a higher caloric load aiming to gain weight, which soon will be transformed into muscle mass with the help of training. Cutting, however, is about calories reduction, in order to lose fat and make the muscle mass more visible.
The cutting phase workout plan can be more challenging as it requires more self-control regarding food portions, which is particularly difficult after the bulking food freedom (relatively).
While performing the cut, the workout routine may not be changed a lot, yet the purpose will be on losing fat, not on gaining muscle mass. The whole period will take approximately 2-3 months, depending on the initial characteristics.
Strength training is essential for maintaining the muscle mass and boosting the metabolic rate.
It is important to understand that cutting is a regular weight loss routine, it’s about shedding a few extra pounds that prevent your hard-gained muscle from being seen.
When embarking on a low-calorie diet, it is considered that the energy expenditure should be lowered dramatically as well, yet it doesn’t function like that. Researches suggest that optimal training volumes are only 6-10 sets per muscle group per week, however, according to our experience, the cutting stage needs some correlation within a 20-33% decrease. Such an approach helps to maintain muscle mass and reduce the fat layers.
While the drop in volume is a reasonable step, the intensity is better to be kept at a high level – on the scale of difficulty – 7 out of 10. Lowering weight while increasing the intensity will be sufficient to make every muscle work while keeping the low-calorie diet. According to the studies, a drop in training volume and the increase of intensity of the reps, work well toward preserving the muscle mass.
The majority of lifters follow a 4-5 day split for cutting following (upper, lower, upper, lower workouts). However, it will also be wise to include one or two days of cardio workout, as it has proven its best in terms of burning fat.
The workout plan for cutting should take at least 30 minutes and not exceed 60 minutes, however, it also depends on your fitness level and the amount of fat to lose. If you feel full of energy and have too much fat to lose, you can keep training longer than 60 minutes, however, if you are dying there after 40 minutes, just stop.
When planning the cutting phase, the smartest approach is to keep the balance – not to drop the intensity, as it will deteriorate your muscle mass, yet, not to go to the extreme, aiming to lose as much fat as possible. Overtraining will lead to just the opposite result – an increased catabolic process, and a decrease in anabolic hormone levels.
When aiming to lose fat, don’t just hit the gym cutting routine, but add some cardio high-intensity cutting workouts, as they work best regarding fat loss.
The cutting phase is about balancing your muscle protein synthesis rates and the breakdown of muscle tissue. The right balance comes down to proper training and nutritional load, in equal measure.
The right amount of calories is strictly individual and depends on physical characteristics, level of physical performance, and amount of fat to burn.
It is important to understand that the cut phase isn’t about a quick fat loss, it’s a consistent approach. According to medical recommendations, a healthy and sustainable weight loss is about 1-2 pounds a week. Everything that exceeds the limits is likely to return back quite soon.
One pound makes up 3500 calories, thus, you need to lose approximately 500 calories a day, for a sustainable result. Provided that your maintenance calorie load is 3000, the following macros breakdown will match your fat loss expectation.
| Calories | 2550 |
| Protein (30-35% of calories) | ≈191-223 grams |
| Fats (15-20% of calories) | ≈351-383 grams |
| Carbs (55-60% of calories) | ≈43-57 grams |
Cutting diet isn’t something too specific. If you are into the gym, the chances are you are well aware of all the types of foods worth consuming. The cutting phase isn’t about changing the ration, but the amount of food you eat. When properly balanced, it will provide your body with strength and will help to recover after the training.
Foods to choose from:
Foods to avoid:
It is also worth remembering that eating fat-loaded or high in fiber foods can cause stomach discomfort, so just avoid them before visiting the gym.
Fat cutting workouts are quite a usual part of muscle gain. If you are not a professional bodybuilder it helps to tweak your shape and make the body leaner right before a special event or before the warm seasons. The main goal to pursue is to lose fat and save muscle mass as much as possible. It can be reached by following two main concepts – proper training and balanced nutrition with a reduced number of calories. Strength training for cutting will preserve the leanness, cardio will propel the fat loss.
Anyway, when embarking on any new type of weight loss routine, it’s worth consulting a specialist.
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