Cutting while retaining muscle mass

Hey guys I've been bulking up for a few months now, Ive gained about 25 pounds with protein and mass gainer and I want to cut all my fat and be shredded again... I assume I'll stop taking my mass gainer, but whats the best way to lose the fat while retaining as much muscle as possible? I already eat 5-6 times a day with a high metabolism, but should I continue taking whey protein? Do I cut out as much carbs as I can or try to keep them? Also, when should I do cardio, before or after my workouts, or at different times of the day? Thanks for the help.

What's your current body weight and your body fat % ?

[QUOTE=ironwill2008;747657063]What's your current body weight and your body fat % ?[/QUOTE]

180 pounds, and im not sure about body fat but I think below 20% at least... Still have some ab definition and veins in the arms and stuff.

[QUOTE=jimmymsu;747798233]180 pounds, and im not sure about body fat but I think below 20% at least... Still have some ab definition and veins in the arms and stuff.[/QUOTE]

Good deal. Many of the posters asking about cuts in this forum haven't yet built enough muscle to have much to cut down to. If you have any ab definition at all, you're probably somewhere around 14-16%. That would have you needing to shed 10-12 pounds of fat, putting you at about 170 lean pounds at about 10%. And someone who's 170 @10% will look [i]much[/i] bigger than 170.



This is a repost that I've run in this forum a few times before:










Basic Cut Plan


Eat far enough below your [i]maintainance[/i] calorie level as to see about a pound a week drop in your bodyweight. This will be roughly 500 cals below maint.

Do only enough cardio to maintain your CV health; don't depend on it at this point to drop bodyfat; use calorie deficit to do that. Two, 20 minute sessions of LISS per week should be enough to keep things in good shape on the inside.

Cut your daily cals by cutting some carbs out of your meals. Keep your protein and fat intake intact. If you get excessively hungry during the day, snack on raw veggies; filling, with minimal calories.

By all means, continue to lift as heavy as you have been. To start lifting "light weigh for high reps" (or some other such broscience way to cut) will signal your body to burn unneeded muscle tissue, and this is [i]especially[/i] true when on a calorie deficit. Same deal with excessive cardio; save adding-in cardio for the last few weeks of your cut, when fat loss from calorie reduction alone begins to stall out. [i]Then[/i] would be the time to add in one or two more sessions of the cardio of your choice.


Above all, [i]be patient, and take it slow;[/i] give things time to start working before you go overboard with calorie restriction, cardio, or anything else you think might "speed up" the process. Anything that [i]does[/i] speed this up will very likely cost you some hard-earned muscle, and that's exactly what you [i]don't[/i] want. In actuality, dropping [i]fat[/i] isn't all that difficult; doing it while at the same time retaining as much muscle mass as possible is the kicker.

[QUOTE=jimmymsu;747624093]Hey guys I've been bulking up for a few months now, Ive gained about 25 pounds with protein and mass gainer and I want to cut all my fat and be shredded again... I assume I'll stop taking my mass gainer, but whats the best way to lose the fat while retaining as much muscle as possible? I already eat 5-6 times a day with a high metabolism, but should I continue taking whey protein? Do I cut out as much carbs as I can or try to keep them? Also, when should I do cardio, before or after my workouts, or at different times of the day? Thanks for the help.[/QUOTE]

Eat -500 below maintenance per day
Keep the protein intake up though
Cardio in mornings/ Weights at night

That way you would of had 3-4 meals prior to the weight workout and more strength.

Eat at a 500-calorie deficit, and if you aren't losing 1 pound per week, adjust calories accordingly. Keep protein intake high. Continue lifting heavy-ass weights.

Thanks a lot guys, I'm really happy I finally decided to do this.

Oh, btw should I cut out the weight gainer?

[QUOTE=jimmymsu;747951183]Oh, btw should I cut out the weight gainer?[/QUOTE]Really?

ha, sorry youre right