When do I begin my "Cut"?

[vmays0318]

Does anyone have any advice for when to being your "cut"? This is my first year to compete in Figure and my first contest is in May. I have heard 12 weeks, 8 weeks, 4 weeks. Right now I'm trying to concentrate on building muscle, but I'd like to have a time frame for starting my cut. Thanks!

[irishfitgirl7]

yes i would love some advie too on this!! :) Vmays' show is the same as mine MAy 5th. I'm at 20%bf right now and 16 wks out starting next week!

Hey Vmays! Hope your training is going well! :)

[Nancypro]

competition dieting is very different for each person. Although you will read on most competitors web sites that they eat basically the same foods, the amount will vary from person to person. The best way to judge this if you are training yourself on your own, is to take pictures of yourself every week. Make sure you know what you are eating, by either putting it on a scale, or some other way of measureing it. Look at the body parts that you need to work on and bulk up. Bulking up, or putting on muscle mass is not something that can be done overnight, it takes time and dedication in the gym to build your muscles, combined with the right amount of nutrients for your body. If you are going in two phases, "bulking" and "cutting" I would recommend 6 weeks for bulking and 6 for cutting. But again, my advice or anyone else's for that matter will be very general. If you are working with a coach they can manipulate your ratios based on how your body is responding. But if you are going to do this on your own, you need to be paying close attention to your ratios and how your body is responding. Mostly you will be manipulating your carbs and fat, keeping your protein intake around the same. Create a program, pay attention to how it is working and change as needed. Hope that helps.

[Shannon Dey]

The length of time you diet for a show really depends on your metabolism. Do you lose weight quickly or does it take time to get it off? For instance, I have a very fast metabolism so I only diet for 6 - 8 weeks before a show, but I know several competitors who have to start 12-16 weeks out. Since it is your first show, I would recommend starting a few weeks earlier than you think that you really need to. It is better to be ready a bit early than too late! Hope this helps!

-Shannon Dey

[JimmySmith]

There are two factors in play when deciding when to begin a diet. First, how close are you to your ideal stage body? If it's far then you need to start as soon as possible. If your there or close then you can hold off. You want to be anabolic going into a show, not catabolic.

You know better than anyone how quickly or slowly you lose fat. Something I always do with my competitors is give them a BCA test. This test allows them to check their adrenal function and how acid they are amongest other things. If these two factors are high you will not lose weight as fast and will not pull the fat you need to pull off of your glutes.
Jimmy
www.jimmysmithtraining.com

[dvsness]

For your first show, I would err on the side of caution and do a longer, slower cut to have a marging for error and hold on to as much muscle as possible. Once you have more experience and know exactly what it takes to be dialed in correctly, you'll be able to cut for less time and still nail it.