Just joined powerlifting, and my coach wants me to cut

[Choco92]

I weigh 133lbs on an empty stomach, and he wants me in the 125lb weight class.
Any tips?
Im already pretty lean, im cutting out some carbs from my diet.. mainly eating lean meats with some fat, peanut butter too. and milk.

[ottorotvic]

Your coach is an idiot. At your height and age, you have a great opportunity to put on some size and really build your strength base. New lifters should never worry about "cutting" to get the BW into a lighter weight class. Build your strength, see if you can ain about 10 lbs and get a whole lot stronger, and lift in the 148 lb class.

[j.benjamin]

I don't really see the point unless you're doing it for a meet. Everyone else with 100x as much experience as me should certainly correct me if I'm wrong, but cutting now could be a little premature and could stunt possible gains. You can definitely cut weight and increase strength, but it won't come as easily. So long as you maintain your current weight (so it's not more difficult for you to cut for a meet) and keep getting stronger, I don't see a problem?

That said, he's a powerlifting coach, and there's a VERY GOOD chance that he knows more than I do.

Edit: The above makes a good point -- powerlifting coach does not equal genius, but still. If you INSIST on cutting, I wouldn't go all-out cardio (treadmills and the like) but I would do some GPP -- get ahold of a prowler, or drag a sled, or push cars, or whatever you can to build strength as well as work your cardiovascular system.

But I still maintain that it's kind of a stupid idea.

[sickonstorm]

at 5'6 id say your better in the higher class. which i think is the 132s.

[SFGiantsPBA]

Did he say Powerlifting and cutting becuase I swore them 2 never went together maybe a PowerBuilder but a Powerlifter at anything should be upping carbs not cutting them at lest this is my opinion correct me you elite lifters if I'm wrong.

[Chokenpuke]

Your coach is an idiot. At your height and age, you have a great opportunity to put on some size and really build your strength base. New lifters should never worry about "cutting" to get the BW into a lighter weight class. Build your strength, see if you can ain about 10 lbs and get a whole lot stronger, and lift in the 148 lb class.

Is he just trying to fill out the roster? Go with what ottorotvic said above. Gain weight, strength and experience. Tell your coach your goal is to get BIG and strong, not strong for your size.

[sickonstorm]

Did he say Powerlifting and cutting becuase I swore them 2 never went together maybe a PowerBuilder but a Powerlifter at anything should be upping carbs not cutting them at lest this is my opinion correct me you elite lifters if I'm wrong.

well you need to cut weight to fit into a desired weightclas.

[SFGiantsPBA]

well you need to cut weight to fit into a desired weightclas.

Although I thought of that it still seems it would hurt your lifts but I'm just learning so thanks for the reply I need as much as I can get lol.

[Choco92]

Well I do have some bodyfat on me.. I think around 8-10%.. not really sure.
But my diet is really clean. I workout with football, and we do alot of the fast bursts of energy.. using mainly the Vertimax.
High intensity workouts.


as of now my diet consists of a complex carbohydrate every morning w/ milk and protein before workouts.

I take a serving of Creatine w/ Taurine(40g of sugar for fast absorption), a serving of ON 100% WHEY, and a Met-Rx Vitamin Pack. after my workouts.

I'm thinking of buying some kind of Nitric Oxide to help me get stronger if it does that. and maybe Muscle Milk.

then I eat an apple about an hour and a half after workouts.
then an hour later a pure protein bar.
then 2 hours later i have lunch which consists of a tuna sandwich w/ whole wheat bread, a banana, and peanuts.
then 2 hours later i have another pure protein bar.
(all of this is during school which is 9-4:30)


when i get home i eat a small portion of any kind of lean meat w/milk
then 2 hours later around 8 i have dinner which again is more meat and protein, maybe some carbs.

[j.benjamin]

For starters, that's a lot of protein supplement, rather than whole foods. Whole foods are almost always better -- unless you're someone who is consuming tens of thousands of calories. I find that whole foods (eggs, maybe some whole wheat pancakes, and potentially a few slices of bacon) are AWESOME after a workout, but I can handle food after a workout, and some can't.

Creatine, good. Keep using it. However, the "fast absorption" stuff is debatable AT BEST. I understand the "science" behind it, but that only counts if you buy into the notion of the Glycemic Index, which has been proven off and on again that it's somewhat worthless in the greater scheme of things. I doubt it's hurting you, but all it is is sugar. Period. I would sooner suggest just taking some kind of carbohydrate, even if it was bread. Carbs are good for muscle growth, but fast digesting vs. slow digesting is, again, debatable (I have no pseudo-medical articles to back this up, sorry, no pubmed here).

Multivitamin is also debatable -- some swear by them, but the only thing I swear by them for is making my piss smell funny and also making it darker. If you're eating a balanced diet, which you should be doing anyways, you shouldn't need a multivitamin. Megadosing Vitamin C will not help you get huge.

Nitric Oxide will not make you stronger. The caffeine in most of the Nitric Oxide supplements will give you an energy boost and potentially make you more focused, which can be beneficial (and can also be detrimental if you're very sensitive to caffeine). Nitric Oxide "opens" your blood vessels and gives you a better pump and as a byproduct of being a vasodilator (opening blood vessels), makes you more vascular. None of which are important for actual muscle growth.

As far as Muscle Milk, it tastes great and is a plain ole protein supplement. Not any better or worse, as far as I'm concerned. It tastes better, but that's about it. Depending on when you take it in, you might want to look into Casein, for its "time release" properties -- it's a slower digesting protein so it can benefit you in that it will slowly feed your body when it's not getting food, like during sleep. That said, it's not going to make or break your strength or muscle gains, and again, whole foods are by far more important.

[sickonstorm]

Well I do have some bodyfat on me.. I think around 8-10%.. not really sure.
But my diet is really clean. I workout with football, and we do alot of the fast bursts of energy.. using mainly the Vertimax.
High intensity workouts.


as of now my diet consists of a complex carbohydrate every morning w/ milk and protein before workouts.

I take a serving of Creatine w/ Taurine(40g of sugar for fast absorption), a serving of ON 100% WHEY, and a Met-Rx Vitamin Pack. after my workouts.

I'm thinking of buying some kind of Nitric Oxide to help me get stronger if it does that. and maybe Muscle Milk.

then I eat an apple about an hour and a half after workouts.
then an hour later a pure protein bar.
then 2 hours later i have lunch which consists of a tuna sandwich w/ whole wheat bread, a banana, and peanuts.
then 2 hours later i have another pure protein bar.
(all of this is during school which is 9-4:30)


when i get home i eat a small portion of any kind of lean meat w/milk
then 2 hours later around 8 i have dinner which again is more meat and protein, maybe some carbs.

i think youre at your strongest at like 13 percent bf thats what ive heard. 8 percent is ridiculous for a pl.

[DJSTARER]

i think youre at your strongest at like 13 percent bf thats what ive heard. 8 percent is ridiculous for a pl.

depends on genetics IMO.



OP:

it's your call. You're gonna get weak if you cut down to the 123 class. Sounds like you could be a solid 148 lifter for a year or two. The 123 is a sparse class, so you won't have much competition. Then again, competition is what its all about.

[DJSTARER]

Did he say Powerlifting and cutting becuase I swore them 2 never went together maybe a PowerBuilder but a Powerlifter at anything should be upping carbs not cutting them at lest this is my opinion correct me you elite lifters if I'm wrong.

i'm not gonna neg ya, because it made me laugh. This is a common stereotype BBers have of PLers. "They can't eat whatever they want and get fat because it doesn't matter." It reality, you CANNOT be competitive at a high level in the mid-classes 165-220 unless you are relatively lean.

[PotKettleBlack]

Well I do have some bodyfat on me.. I think around 8-10%.. not really sure.
But my diet is really clean. I workout with football, and we do alot of the fast bursts of energy.. using mainly the Vertimax.
High intensity workouts.


as of now my diet consists of a complex carbohydrate every morning w/ milk and protein before workouts.

I take a serving of Creatine w/ Taurine(40g of sugar for fast absorption), a serving of ON 100% WHEY, and a Met-Rx Vitamin Pack. after my workouts.

I'm thinking of buying some kind of Nitric Oxide to help me get stronger if it does that. and maybe Muscle Milk.

then I eat an apple about an hour and a half after workouts.
then an hour later a pure protein bar.
then 2 hours later i have lunch which consists of a tuna sandwich w/ whole wheat bread, a banana, and peanuts.
then 2 hours later i have another pure protein bar.
(all of this is during school which is 9-4:30)


when i get home i eat a small portion of any kind of lean meat w/milk
then 2 hours later around 8 i have dinner which again is more meat and protein, maybe some carbs.

All I have to say is, don't by NO. It's a waste of your money really.

[sickonstorm]

All I have to say is, don't by NO. It's a waste of your money really.

as well as muscle milk.

[DJSTARER]

as well as muscle milk.

muscle milk isn't a WASTE. it's just overpriced. Saying muscle milk is a waste is like saying chicken breast and MCT oil is a waste. Clearly, not a waste, but chicken and oil might just be about 5X more economical

NO, is, a waste.

[sickonstorm]

well spending more than you have to is wasting your money. mm is a ****ty formula and costs a ****load it doesnt even taste that great. on natural casein is a good formula its 100 percent micellar casein.

[DJSTARER]

well spending more than you have to is wasting your money. mm is a ****ty formula and costs a ****load it doesnt even taste that great. on natural casein is a good formula its 100 percent micellar casein.

touche. lol. good point.


MM isn't THAT bad of a formula (don't worry, i'm not arguing this because I have a stockpile which i cherrish. I believe it is overpriced). Casein, MCTs and fructose. Nothing wrong with that. IMO, dymatize's Mega-Milk or Mega-Shake is a better product and deal for that sort of product.

[corozco]

Guy's don't bash me but Oxide Supplements actually give me great focus and energy. On days I workout after a long ass day in school they really help wake me up and get hyped. I don't use them every workout just on days I'm feeling tired. Probably 2 days a week. So in my OPINION not a waste.

[sickonstorm]

its a good way to get calories and protein without choking a bad tasting shake down, but imo it has nothing over any other products. my product of choice is musclejuice. its cheap, and exactly what i want. the quality of ingridients is meh, but im a dirty eater either ways.


i may have misread your post but were you saying you have mm in your house? and that theirs nothing wrong with it being an overpriced inferior formula compared to other products?

[PotKettleBlack]

Guy's don't bash me but Oxide Supplements actually give me great focus and energy. On days I workout after a long ass day in school they really help wake me up and get hyped. I don't use them every workout just on days I'm feeling tired. Probably 2 days a week. So in my OPINION not a waste.

Coffee and sleep does that for me!

[j.benjamin]

For starters, you're comparing whey protein to casein protein, and they are not the same thing. Muscle Milk is inferior in a few ways, but it's all personal preference. It's got more fat and less protein per scoop, and that's something that the OP should take into consideration, but it's all personal preference. If taste is what you care about, so long as you're getting the macro nutrients that you need, then I'd say Muscle Milk is probably a better option as it tastes way better than any other protein supplement I've tried.

That said, I prefer Dymatize protein products. I prefer them by far over ON products.

And to the above poster on N.O. products -- yea, the caffeine is what is giving you focus and energy, and it's doubtful that the actual Nitric Oxide is doing much of anything except giving you a "grate pump brahz." Caffeine by itself would be much cheaper than buying N.O.

[13WaRRioR13]

I do not know if anyone in here has tried the MonsterMilk, but its what I started taking in Oct. I finally started gaining weight with it. Its 50 gr of protien and I use 18 oz of milk, and 3 huge spoonfulls of peanut butter. It averages out around 65 gr of protien per shake. Considering I am bulking I do not care about the fat or carbs right now. I would rather move towards the 165 lbs and get stronger, instead of drop a class, get leaner, and not be as strong.

[DJSTARER]

its a good way to get calories and protein without choking a bad tasting shake down, but imo it has nothing over any other products. my product of choice is musclejuice. its cheap, and exactly what i want. the quality of ingridients is meh, but im a dirty eater either ways.


i may have misread your post but were you saying you have mm in your house? and that theirs nothing wrong with it being an overpriced inferior formula compared to other products?

misread. I do NOT have MM. But again, dymatize's product equivalent is the bomb. I use their 12 hour product as well.

[sickonstorm]

mm is only 32 grams of protein for two scoops.

[Choco92]

@ j.benjamin

yeah i think im just going to use good old fashioned creatine monohydrate.. no sugar.

and as for whole foods, i eat lots.
i dont have time for eggs in the morning however. my breakfast is usually oatmeal w/ whey and milk and banana. or if i have time eggs. or pancakes.. and blah blah blah you get the idea.
my family eats relatively healthy.. so i usually eat what my dad makes for dinner which is always whole foods.
hah but yea thats about it for the whole foods.

what ive been doing seems to be working so far.


oh and to everyone else. i was in wrestling exactley a year ago, and since then ive gained 21lbs of lean muscle... maybe 2-3 pounds of fat tops.


and something crazy happened yesterday. i benchpressed 215x7... then the next set i did 225x6

crazy huh... i did have a spotter, but he was only guiding it. he got me really pumped up. lol.

i think youre at your strongest at like 13 percent bf thats what ive heard. 8 percent is ridiculous for a pl.

no way im 13. ive got way to many veins. hah.
and im JUST STARTING powerlifting. and ive got a sound diet. so no 13% bf

[sickonstorm]

you mis read what i typed....

[13WaRRioR13]

mm is only 32 grams of protein for two scoops.

My bad, MonsterMilk by Cytosport.

350 cals
17 g - carbs
50 g - protien

Also includes:
11.8 g BCAAs
13 g L-Glutamine
500 mg Aminogen

I made sure to edit my first post.

Sorry for the confusion

[sickonstorm]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/photo/...user=107877643


yu look 11 to me.

[Choco92]

you mis read what i typed....

hahaa OHHH my bad dude.
yeah i agree.
more fat=more testosterone.= more strength
:]