WEEK EIGHTY-EIGHT :: How Can You Preserve Muscle While Cutting?

[webmaster]

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TOPIC: How Can You Preserve Muscle While Cutting?

For the week of: August 2nd - August 8th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Summertime is a rough time. Everyone is so focused on shredding the fat and building a six pack that they forget they are LOSING their muscle mass. Losing hard-earned muscle is a bodybuilder’s worst nightmare.

How can you preserve muscle while cutting?

What are some nutrition tips for preserving muscle while cutting?

What supplements would help preserve hard earned muscle? List only three.

How much muscle mass can be preserved, and how much can be lost?

BONUS QUESTION: Have you ever lost any muscle mass while cutting? If so, how much? Have you learned from it? How much do you now lose when cutting?

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[ncworkout]

One of the techniques I use in addition to maintaining my diet (low carbs by the way) and kicking up the cardio a bit is to maintain my heavy weight when lifting. One of the things I have found out is the hard way is that when going lighter in weight and higher in reps, you don't have to drop the weight significantly. My rep range when trying to get cut is 10-15 reps, but I drop my weight no more than 20%. If you keep lifting the same heavy weight for more reps, you can maintain your strength and size that way. I like to keep at least one mass builder in my cutting routine for each body part. If you don't like that, then skip the barbell and work more with dumbbells. Cables also allow you to keep the heavy weight and continue to get defined. I'm no fitness expert and don't proclaim to be one, but I promise these techniques work.

[fixedkneenewaza]

1. When trying to cut for wrestling, a competition or just wanting to look shredded, I found out that the best thing for me was sticking to just the basic core lifts using mid to low reps [bench (8,5,5,3),squat (8,6,6,5),deadlift (6,5,5,3),clean and press (5,3,3,2)] for 3-4 sets with about 2 minutes rest. After that core exercise, I would focus on just one supporting exercise(incline DB,romain deadlift,DB rows, seated DB press) as a straight set for three sets at 8-10 reps with 60 sec rest.. And finally to get the burn going, I would do the next three exercises(a.DB Bench,Smith Decline,PecDeck flyes b.Hack Squat, Leg Ext.,Leg press c.T-bar row, cable row,straight arm pull down d.side raises, uprights, shrugs) as a giant set three times with a rep scheme of 10,15,20 with about 90-120 secs between set. (AEach bodypartis only once a week)
As far as cardio goes, just 20-30min in the morning and sprints at night after you lift every other day. 8 60 yarders with 30 sec rest is good to get your heart rate up.
2. Diet should be low carb throughout the day with the bulk of carbs being before and after. Try to get 30/40 (grams of protein to carbs) before and 40/60 after lifting. No carbs before morning cardio just some whey and glutamine. After cardio would be the same whey and glutamine and normal breakfast of maybe 30/30.
3. Supplements would be a good whey, BCAA and glutamine combo, and some creatine.
4. You should be able to keep your muscle mass and just see your bf drop as you get more ripped.
5. I've been lucky in the past with saving mass and strength while dropping fat. One thing I have learned is that diet, rest and supplementation are important. I can usualy drop 10-15 pounds.

[-Pyro-]

How can you preserve muscle while cutting?

Do light workouts, eat healthy and have a lot of protein!

What are some nutrition tips for preserving muscle while cutting?

• Don't eat junk. Try to either stop or cut back on the creatine if you use it. Keep up the protein because you want to preserve as much muscle as possible!

• Eat lots of eggs! 3-6 a daily because they contain many helpful muscle preserving nutrients like biotine which is found in the egg yolk. Biotine helps metabolize the muscles. Also if you haven't noticed the average egg contains 8 grams of protein so it’s very handy for preserving muscles.

• Water is great for pumping up muscles and quenching the thirst! Drink 2 litres a day because really the muscle is like a plant, the more you water it the healthier it will become and if its healthy it won’t die down.

What supplements would help preserve hard earned muscle? List only three.

Whey (Protein Powder): This is all you need because it’s very effective, fast working and will help aid you against major muscle loss!

How much muscle mass can be preserved, and how much can be lost?

Well of course you’re going to lose some muscle but if you eat right, lay off the carbs and drink plenty of water you will have a pretty successful cut!

[mrhappie45]

First off anything too fast can be bad.

when you are cutting weight you need to remember its the amount of calories Used vs the Calories taken in.

that the simple part.

eating only 1 protein bar a day, and drinking only water during the whole day would cut your calories down, but thats un-healthy, and you would start to wither away into nothing, and your body would use your muscles as energy to Survive.

Think of "Cutting" as a slow and steady goal. anything too fast and i guarentee that you are making the results become too drastic for your body to respond to, and muscle mass, and preformance will go away.

#1- plan out your meals
stick to roughly .75 -1 grams of protein per LB of body weight.
this would results in more than enough protein to keep feeding your muscles as you decided to cut carbs out further and allow to time your nutrients and amount of calories for when your body needs them most.
(mornings, and Post-work out)

#2- eat when your body needs it for fuel, and not for hunger.
like i stated before your body can go "catabolic" in the mornings and post workout. so that is when the most amount of calories and protein and yes, carbs should be taken.about 60% of your calories should be at those two times!!!

#3 -calculate how many calories you need, and slowly delete calories from your diet. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/galanis7.htm
delete roughly 100 calories per day for about 5 days and then stat at that point.

#4-Adding cardio at your target heart rate!!!
if you stay at your target heart rate you will burn more calories(fat) than muscle.
if you go above your target heart rate you will can go into "shock" and pul nutrients and energy form your Nutrient Dense"muscle" which is something you dont want.
"remember slow and steady" will benefit you more than "fast and intense"

#5-additional sets!!
add more burn outs, and hig reps sets at the end of workouts.
by doing this it will bur more calories, as well as assisit with gaining muscle. its a win win combo!!!!


Supplements that can assist with weight loss and muscle retention/gain

-blended proteins
*Syntrax matric 5.0-keeps nutrients flowing with low calories
- carb blockers/fat blockers
* Bsn Cheaters relief
- appetite suppresant
* now Mega Hoodia

[Mowzer]

I always had a problem with this subject personally, because everyone's metabolism is so different. One thing that has worked for me and other guys I know who are into fitness is running right when you wake up(if you have time). Some people don't have that luxury if they work 12 hour shifts at a hospita, for instance. It works really well, because when you do cardio before you eat anything you are burning fat, and nothing else. It would also be wise to drink a protein shake really quick before you do your cardio. I used to think I never had time to do cardio because after my workouts I would be sooo tired, I wouldn't want ot do anything but go home and relax. Honestly, the ideal training routine, would be to split the day up..lift weights in the afternoon, and do bardio in the morning, or something like that, but who has time for that?..I sure as hell don't. Unless you have absolutely no social life at all. Anyway, that is my little bit of advice. No matter what time you sleep..(during the day or night) just do your cardio when you wake up..before you eat your fattening breakfast.

[cdietz1165]

I have recently tried to replace my afternoon and evening carbs with good fats, 1 tbsp peanut butter, or olive oil, or avocado...keeping in mind the portion should be smaller than the carb you're replacing since there are 9 calories per gram in fat vs. 4 per gram in carbs.

Has anyone had much success doing this?

[jozefx1i]

How can you preserve muscle while cutting?
Have you ever heard if you train so hard you will also lose your muscle. yes indeed. In my experience as amateur bodybuilder, you need to focus on the basic foundation. YES, of course the basic comes first and follow with the rest. You need to maintain the pump not the burn that can destroy your muscle mass cos why??? if you trying so hard to pump 20-40 reps for each set and the end of the day you feel sore on your muscle but when contest day comes you end up smaller than you will espect. so try to workout with your limit. every one have they boundaries. you need to go extra heavy but beware your limit. try to do superset or triset if you hate to do your cardio...it will help pump your heart like locomotive same as your done your cardio. Dont workout like a mad man. Be wise and you will succeed.

What are some nutrition tips for preserving muscle while cutting?
This is funn...diet. I'm always find people would do zero carb prior to a contest. This method would not work for muscle. you will end shredded but you lose your fullness. Try not to cut your carb to extreme. Try to lose you carb slowly till prior to a contest. Prior a week before contest, try to eat a small meal of carb but BEFORE TRAINING...!!! When training. muscle need carb to expand the fullness and you will notice the pump would hold till the next day because you in the right track on carb depletion. On protein, you should as go as high as you can...yes, eat a lot white meat protein such as chicken and egg. Avoid drinking so much whey protein cos it will hold extra water underneath your skin. Eat a lot of fiber to avoid hunger....and of course your water. Drink a lot of water at least 2-4liter a day. Prior to a contest try to drop your water intake but not to drastic ok!!!! Do check how to deplete and loading sodioum, it also help your muscle become full for last minute trick.

What supplements would help preserve hard earned muscle? List only three.
Cassein protein- for night feed and extra comfort on your stomach and to feel so hungry at night
Amino acid- for maintain musclemass
glutamine- for muscle recovery.

How much muscle mass can be preserved, and how much can be lost?
let make an example: your contest weight is around 248pound the offseason. If you done correctly you will preserve at least 2-4kg you muscle mass and loss you extra muscle only 1 or 0.5kg at the end of contest you will on stage around 228 pound shredded.

try it and you will see the different!!!!!!!!!!!! 100% guaranteed!!!

[Spaniard00]

You wake up and you step outside and you can just feel the energy in the air. Summer time has finally arrived! You just finished your bulking cycle and you gained a little bit of fat. You want to show off all the hard earned muscle you worked for! While all the other guys are at the beach doing stomach vacuums for 30 minutes until no one is looking, you want to have a shredded six pac without flexing. You decide to go on a calorie restricted diet and you become terrified of the possibility of losing muscle. You sit and ponder on how you can preserve your muscle while cutting.

HOW CAN YOU PRESERVE MUSCLE WHILE CUTTING

Preserving muscle on a cut is something I take very seriously. I take in all possible factors to decrease the chances of muscle loss. The main factors are Nutrition, cardio, and weight training. All three must be regulated in order to preserve as much lean body mass as possible on a cut and I will explain this now.

NUTRITION

Nutrition in terms of fat loss has 3 areas. The three areas are overall calorie intake, Individual nutrients, and timing. All three can be used to prevent catabolism.

1) Over all calorie intake - Nutrition whether you are bulking or cutting is always the most important aspect. While you are cutting it is no different. First off, you must find your maintenance level. This is figured out by taking each pound you have and multiply it by 15. As you lose more fat, your maintenance goes down because you weigh less! So keep remembering your maintenance level changed! If you go 500 or further down in a deficit your chances of fat loss are increased. While over all calorie intake is important it is not the only thing!

2) Individual nutrients - Calories are made up of protein, carbs and fats. Each are needed to prevent muscle loss. Protein is what the muscles are made of. Roughly 40% of over all calorie intake should be of protein. If you have insufficient amounts of protein your body's ability to maintain muscle mass will be compromised. Carbohydrates are crucial to prevent muscle loss on a cutting phase. Carbohydrates not only trigger a host of anti catabolic hormones, it is also needed to prevent ketosis. If insufficient amount of carb's are consumed than your body will eat at your muscles for energy. Roughly 40% of over all calorie intake should be made of carbs. Last but not least Essential fatty acids should make up roughly 20% of your over all calorie intake. Fats keep all your anabolic and anti catabolic hormones at optimal levels. If fats are too low than fat loss is inevitable.

3) Timing - Timing is the third and possibly most important key to maintaining muscle on a cutting phase. It is crucial you eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to keep your body from falling into a catabolic state. Your body is most vulnerable to muscular catabolism at 3 different times of the day. These times are in the morning, post workout and during sleep.

3a) Breakfast -When you wake up it is important you eat breakfast immediately. "Break fast" is named that way because you have been fasting for ad least 8 hours and the food you first consume breaks the fasting state your body is in. Muscle loss will occur if food is not consumed soon.

3b) Post workout - After a workout your body is in a severe catabolic state. What little extra energy your body had for this workout is now gone. Your body even before you ended your workout has entered a catabolic state. A Post workout shake is absolutely crucial to stop catabolism in its tracks.

CARDIO

The word that sends a cold chill down the spine of every bodybuilder, Cardio! Cardio has been hotly debated among scientists and bodybuilding forums for many reasons. Here we will talk about the potential muscle loss from cardio and how you can prevent it! The two aspects that must be talked about are timing, and duration!

1) Timing - When to do cardio to maintain as much mass as possible is a very important factor. Doing cardio in the morning before eating is dangerous due to the fact you haven't eaten in hours. This danger is however, very dependant on your metabolism and late night eating patterns. Eating a few hours before cardio, during any time of the day is the safest way of preserving muscle on a cut.

2) Duration - The amount of time it takes for you to complete the cardio vascular activity is probably the most important when it comes to keeping muscle. Regardless of whether you are doing Low, medium, or high intensity aerobic sessions the longer you are doing cardio the higher your chance of muscle loss. If you wish to preserve as much lean tissue as possible, it is best to keep your sessions not much longer than 30 minutes. This will help keep your cortisol levels from rising.

WEIGHT TRAINING

Weight training in my opinion is the single most crucial factor in maintaining muscle mass on a cutting phase! You must try to build muscle until your diet is complete. The muscles you have are there because you overloaded them. You must continue to overload them to maintain what you have. Your sessions must be intense and every set must be taken to absolute failure. Intense weight training sessions is one of the main keys to muscle preservation.

What are some nutrition tips for preserving muscle while cutting?

Proper nutrition is important when it comes to muscle retention. Below are some solid tips that will lead you to a successful cut with minimal muscle loss.


1) Protein is king - Protein on a cutting diet must be consumed with every meal to maintain muscle mass and prevent catabolism.

2) Increase meal frequency - Instead of eating 3 meals a day, try eating 5-7 smaller meals a day. This will keep your body in a more anabolic state and prevent muscle wasting.

3) Eat your fats - Healthy fats keep Testosterone and Growth Hormone levels elevated. This prevents muscle breakdown from a hormonal standpoint.

4) Balance your nutritional split - Fat, Protein, and carb restricted diets in the long term create muscle loss. Keep your ratio around 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% Healthy fats.

5) Casein Protein - Casein protein is the most anti- catabolic protein their is. It is slowly released into your system to provide your muscles with a constant flow of nutrients.

6) Don’t skip breakfast - Skipping breakfast is possibly the worse thing you can do. Eating in the morning blunts catabolism and stimulates metabolism.

7) Post workout shake - After you workout your body is in a very catabolic state. Consume plenty of proteins and carbs at this time.

8) Pre workout meal - Make sure you are getting enough carbs before you workout. Resistance training consumes a lot of carbohydrates. If carbohydrates are not available you are more susceptible to a catabolic environment.

9) Drink a lot of water - Lack of water creates dehydration. Dehydration has a negative on everything from your nails all the way to muscle maintenance. Water not only sustains life but it sustains your muscles as well.

10) Carbs are not evil - Carbohydrates have recently received a pounding from the media and even some in the bodybuilding community. Carbs should not be feared but embraced during your cutting phase. Carbohydrates spare protein from being used for energy. If protein is used for energy than you are losing mass.

What supplements would help preserve hard earned muscle? List only three.

Supplements are not nearly as important as nutrition and weight lifting for maintaining muscle mass, but it definitely has its place. Certain supplements truly reduce the chance of losing mass. I will list the three supplements I believe help the most in maintaining your hard earned muscle.

1) Hmb – B-Hydroxy-B-Methylbutyrate is a very under rated supplement in my opinion. HMB has been proven in numerous studies to directly prevent muscular protein breakdown during times of physical stress.

2) Glutamine - Glutamine should be a member of everyone’s supplement arsenal in a cutting phase. Glutamine has been established over and over to spare muscle tissue during physical stress. Body responds to stress by releasing the catabolic hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol of course breaks down muscle tissue.

3) Casein protein - I can not iterate enough how anti catabolic casein protein is. Casein protein is slowly released into your system through a spread of around 5 hours. This means your muscles will be given a steady flow of nutrients during a state of limited food consumption.

How much muscle mass can be preserved, and how much can be lost?

The truth is no amount of muscle needs to be lost during a cutting phase. Muscles become part of your system because they are needed, the only way you can lose muscle mass is through poor nutrition or lack of weight training. However, a large amount of muscle mass can be lost on a cutting phase. People who starve themselves or neglect weight training can have disastrous effects on their body's composition. The reality is all your muscle can be technically lost, however this is hard to happen even if someone starves them selves. Usually anywhere from 1 to 5 pounds of muscle is lost depending how long they have been dieting.

Have you ever lost any muscle mass while cutting? If so, how much? Have you learned from it? How much do you now lose when cutting?

I have lost muscle before, but only on my first cut. I lost only about 1 pound of muscle mass. I have learned from it and have rectified my mistakes. I now use weight training and proper nutrition to maintain mass. I also decreased the amount of cardio and increased the length of my cutting phase. My calorie deficit is very slight to maintain maximal amounts of muscle. Now I never lose muscle mass on my summer cutting phases.

Thanks for reading!
Spaniard00

[Theshadow324]

Good luck and have a good summer everyone!

[xAlexander]

I think that a major misconception people are making here is that by cutting the carbs from your diet as soon as you start the cardio your body will automatically start taking energy from your fat.

For starters any high protein foods you've eaten will be used for energy during the exercise anyway so by eating high protein foods before exercise you're only wasting that protein which contains just as much energy as carbs (4 calories). Secondly if you are doing intense cardio like running and any other highly anaerobic exerises your body will start 'breaking down' muscle for energy rather than fat because it can be converted for energy a lot quicker.

Tackling this problem is simple, if we give our bodies more time by lowering the rate of energy consumption then our bodies will quite easily start metabolising the fatty acid stored in the fat cells. My suggestion is plenty of brisk walks breaking into a light jog at intervals making sure not to 'overdo' it. I personally will take at least one 1/2 to 3/4 hour walk/light jog in the morning.

As far as nutrition goes I maintain the carbs at a lower level and keep my intake of protein high. To make sure the protein goes somewhere usefull rather than my ass and maintain muscle if not continue growth fractionally is by keeping up regular workouts with low reps but making sure to keep them short and to a relatively low intensity.

In terms of supplementation I would lay off the shakes a bit but continue to have whey post workout and keep lots of lean fish and chicken on the menu throughout the day. Also I recommend the standard multi-vitamins AT LEAST to keep you healthy and metabolising that fat nicely :)

For a normal person trying to lose weight you could easily do an hour a day cardio and providing you eat a balanced diet you should not lose any muscle but as bodybuilders we a lot more active muscle that need lots of energy to maintain and during cutting periods it's harder to maintain those levels of energy whilst losing fat so it's about finding balance and I'd think it would be best to aim to maintain 75% of gains.

[lc5315]

Here's my say!

[thebarbarianway]

The exact program I use to compete and the same program I am using to get ready for a Cuba trip at the end of the month! Good luck everyone.

I have even attached before and after pics of my results with this program.

[ManInTheBox]

Best of luck everyone! Take care! :)

[Heinlbag]

Fun Fun Fun!!
gluck to all

[buffguy900]

Admin, please email me if you need anything else for this article. Thanks!

[ho_124]

Good luck to all this week. My post.

[BurningHeart]

Here's mine

[reflexions]

Cell tech .. .... ...... ......... :cool:

[landaishan]

The exact program I use to compete and the same program I am using to get ready for a Cuba trip at the end of the month! Good luck everyone.

I have even attached before and after pics of my results with this program.
youre full of **** barbarianway

read my post here http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpost.php?p=11211031&postcount=88916
caught you out lying huh here and on http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/ huh?

and that doesnt even include the time you spent bulking your fat ass up

[thebarbarianway]

The only reason I am replying Landaishan is because I am going to overlook your cheap shots accusations and give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are actually a nice guy and just a little confused about the facts on my site and article.

When I went from 149 to 208 lbs (as my site stats), this occured from May 2002 to Oct 26, 2002.

I than costed in the gym, lost muscle and gained fat...resulting in 210 20% (as you saw the pic in the article). That was a three year period.

Than I went from 210 20% to 175 6% in winter of 2006 to spring of 2006. I trust this clarifies.

Unless you are just a **** disturber and like stirring the pot...I just wasted my time responding to you.

But I trust you simply forgot to inquire first and get your facts straight before making accusations.

Anyways, I have no interest in trying to convince you. Believe what you wish as it makes you feel better.

[landaishan]

The only reason I am replying Landaishan is because I am going to overlook your cheap shots accusations and give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are actually a nice guy and just a little confused about the facts on my site and article.

When I went from 149 to 208 lbs (as my site stats), this occured from May 2002 to Oct 26, 2002.

I than costed in the gym, lost muscle and gained fat...resulting in 210 20% (as you saw the pic in the article). That was a three year period.

Than I went from 210 20% to 175 6% in winter of 2006 to spring of 2006. I trust this clarifies.

Unless you are just a **** disturber and like stirring the pot...I just wasted my time responding to you.

But I trust you simply forgot to inquire first and get your facts straight before making accusations.

Anyways, I have no interest in trying to convince you. Believe what you wish as it makes you feel better.
"I went from a skinny 149 pound runner to a muscular 208 pounds in just six months while using an explosive muscle building formula that you will not find anywhere else but on this webpage..."

thats just bull**** isnt it?

you have a picture of you being skinny then a picture of you being big and ripped, dont you? if you were being truthful and not making sensationalistic claims then you would have a pic of you being skinny, then the pic of you being a fat ass before your cut, wouldnt you? cos thats what happened in 6 months?

your sites just bs. period. you have that statement above then 2 diff pics below. totally falsified. just about as bad as a muscletech advertisment

[landaishan]

you claim to gain 60 pounds of muscle in 6 months???
and you have pictures of a skinny guy, then a ripped guy, dont you?

so even if you claim to gain 60 pounds of WEIGHT in 6 months which is surely possible, you wouldnt have a before and after pic of a skinny guy and a ripped guy would you? youd have a before and after pic of a skinny guy and a fat guy. lamest website

[landaishan]

you have before http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/images/vince-before.jpg

and after http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/images/vince-after.jpg

should be

before http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/images/vince-before.jpg

and after http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/images/2006/topicoftheweek88p.jpg

shouldnt it?

[thebarbarianway]

Is it bull****? Why? Remember, I went from running 120 KM a week, ZERO weights, low calories...to a five day weight training program...4000 + cals a day...and ZERO running....

...to be honest, I was surprised at how much weight I climbed myself in a short period and my body fat barely went up.

But you are right, I understand where you are coming from...most people are skinny...get fat than get ripped. I guess I was an exception, and not the rule.

Anyways, I would like to say thank you to you Landaishan, because I accept your doubt and criticism as a compliment because I know the truth.

But realize...there are probably hundreds (probably more) on Bodybuilding.com who have had similar...if not better results than I in there first exposure to weight training... especially within the first few months.

FYI...slamming my results only makes you appear jealous and immature to other readers. Give it a rest bro.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans16.htm

http://www.maxfitmag.com/main.php?cat=5&id=23

[landaishan]

you have before http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/images/vince-before.jpg

and after http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/images/vince-after.jpg

should be

before http://www.vincedelmontefitness.com/images/vince-before.jpg

and after http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/images/2006/topicoftheweek88p.jpg

shouldnt it?
you didnt go from the before and after on your website in 6 months did you?

nuff said