mini cut

[wrkoutfrq]

hey everyone, question:

for those of you who do it, how do you structure a mini cut? it would seem counterintuitive to just drop cal's down to below maintenance, since that would prolly screw over hormone levels and metabolism.

i don't need to cut long, just long enough to keep myself within decent sight of contest shape... any suggestions?

[Agostage]

You're either cutting or you're not IMO, 'mini' shouldn't really change how you do it. I use the same macros and foods during any cut.

[Zarazen]

here's two questions for you.

a) how long have you been bulking
b) how much have you gained

[wrkoutfrq]

I've been bulking for about 15 weeks now, and my weight when I started was about 148 morning, weight now was 158.2 this morning. I've almost lost sight of my lower abs

[bwelch1985]

imo mini cuts should be hard and fast...you've got plenty of bodyfat (i assume) so the risk of muscle loss over a few weeks of dieting is pretty damn low.

get in a fairly steep deficit, drop what you want to drop, then get back on the gain train.

[Zarazen]

I've been bulking for about 15 weeks now, and my weight when I started was about 148 morning, weight now was 158.2 this morning. I've almost lost sight of my lower abs

Losing sight of your abs doesn't mean much. I had lost most of my abs about 2 weeks post contest and I was reverse dieting slowly. Thing is, my quads, hams and glutes still showed separation 1.5 months after my contest. Everyone's body is different.

[Agostage]

imo mini cuts should be hard and fast...you've got plenty of bodyfat (i assume) so the risk of muscle loss over a few weeks of dieting is pretty damn low.

get in a fairly steep deficit, drop what you want to drop, then get back on the gain train.

This is true if by mini you mean 2-3 weeks or so. I guess it's not clear how mini the OP intends.

[wrkoutfrq]

This is true if by mini you mean 2-3 weeks or so. I guess it's not clear how mini the OP intends.

i'm not entirely sure how long it'll take me... i think 4 weeks would be enough to get me where i wanna be at before i start back bulking...

zarazen, if i had to guess i went from about 9%bf to now being about 13%bf if that gives you an idea

in retrospect, i may have hypothyroidism, because i was only eating 2600 kcals... it runs in my family, and causes a metabolic slowdown

[IrishPilot]

hey everyone, question:

for those of you who do it, how do you structure a mini cut? it would seem counterintuitive to just drop cal's down to below maintenance, since that would prolly screw over hormone levels and metabolism.

i don't need to cut long, just long enough to keep myself within decent sight of contest shape... any suggestions?

I can appreciate your desire to stay lean, and when you peruse the prep section often, 13% or losing sight of abs can seem like a "oh crap Im fat again" scenario. How far out is your contest? (or do you simply desire to maintain a prep like figure?) How are your lifts going? Are you sure a decent percentage of your current additional weight isnt simply water weight, and thus a mini-cut may not be necessary?

Not so much a suggestion I realize, just food for thought.

[wrkoutfrq]

I can appreciate your desire to stay lean, and when you peruse the prep section often, 13% or losing sight of abs can seem like a "oh crap Im fat again" scenario. How far out is your contest? (or do you simply desire to maintain a prep like figure?) How are your lifts going? Are you sure a decent percentage of your current additional weight isnt simply water weight, and thus a mini-cut may not be necessary?

Not so much a suggestion I realize, just food for thought.

lol my contest is a couple years away... i dont feel i have enough mass to be competetive (hence the bulk), but i don't wanna lose sight of contest shape, because i hold fat like a crack addict holds his pipe. my lifts are going great, rarely does a week go by without some PR's. i know that some of it is water weight, because i don't handle carbs very well, but there is still some fat depostion going on. I was planning on doing a mock prep this spring to learn a little more about what kind of dieting strategy works best for me, but i don't wanna sacrifice any gains i've made

thanks for all the feedback so far everyone

[AustrianOakJr]

imo mini cuts should be hard and fast...you've got plenty of bodyfat (i assume) so the risk of muscle loss over a few weeks of dieting is pretty damn low.

get in a fairly steep deficit, drop what you want to drop, then get back on the gain train.

^ YES.

This is true if by mini you mean 2-3 weeks or so. I guess it's not clear how mini the OP intends.

The amount of bodyfat you carry is really the biggest determining factor of how steep a deficit you can maintain. Im fat right now.....30 lbs over contest weight. For the 1st 8 weeks of my prep, I will be moving 2 lbs a week and it will be relatively easy. And I wont worry about muscle loss. I know ill hit my set point in the high 170 lb range and from there the deficit will need to be decreased.

When youre fat the body will give it up pretty easily. Once the bells and whistles start going off that you are low on fat reserves, muscle loss is more of an issue.

[Agostage]

The amount of bodyfat you carry is really the biggest determining factor of how steep a deficit you can maintain. Im fat right now.....30 lbs over contest weight. For the 1st 8 weeks of my prep, I will be moving 2 lbs a week and it will be relatively easy. And I wont worry about muscle loss. I know ill hit my set point in the high 170 lb range and from there the deficit will need to be decreased.

When youre fat the body will give it up pretty easily. Once the bells and whistles start going off that you are low on fat reserves, muscle loss is more of an issue.

Agreed.

[wrkoutfrq]

^ YES.




The amount of bodyfat you carry is really the biggest determining factor of how steep a deficit you can maintain. Im fat right now.....30 lbs over contest weight. For the 1st 8 weeks of my prep, I will be moving 2 lbs a week and it will be relatively easy. And I wont worry about muscle loss. I know ill hit my set point in the high 170 lb range and from there the deficit will need to be decreased.

When youre fat the body will give it up pretty easily. Once the bells and whistles start going off that you are low on fat reserves, muscle loss is more of an issue.

awesome, that actually makes a lot of sense...

[ScottishMark]

Losing sight of your abs doesn't mean much. I had lost most of my abs about 2 weeks post contest and I was reverse dieting slowly. Thing is, my quads, hams and glutes still showed separation 1.5 months after my contest. Everyone's body is different.

I feel your pain haha.

[wrkoutfrq]

so when would you suggest incorporating a refeed? i usually just wait til weight loss stalls (at least after i'm below maintenance)... but suppose i don't drop below maintenance, would one still be beneficial?

[AustrianOakJr]

so when would you suggest incorporating a refeed? i usually just wait til weight loss stalls (at least after i'm below maintenance)... but suppose i don't drop below maintenance, would one still be beneficial?

I wouldnt wait until you actually stall. I start refeeding 3 weeks into the diet. I find that I can catch any stall before it happens. Others may be different......some may start right off the bat in week two, others might go a month or so. If your diet is point on, that refeed is only going to help. I know its often difficult to see the weight jump up on the scale, but glycogen is a good thing!

[wrkoutfrq]

I wouldnt wait until you actually stall. I start refeeding 3 weeks into the diet. I find that I can catch any stall before it happens. Others may be different......some may start right off the bat in week two, others might go a month or so. If your diet is point on, that refeed is only going to help. I know its often difficult to see the weight jump up on the scale, but glycogen is a good thing!

ok great, thanks!