Strength loss on cut

[CaptChip40]

Doing my first serious cut. I knew I would lose some strength but not this much. As an example bench press workout pre cut was 225 x 12 x 3 now I'm lucky if I get 222 x 6 three times. Other lifts are similar. Weight is down about 10 pounds too 175. Does this sound "normal".

[Brackneyc]

Doing my first serious cut. I knew I would lose some strength but not this much. As an example bench press workout pre cut was 225 x 12 x 3 now I'm lucky if I get 222 x 6 three times. Other lifts are similar. Weight is down about 10 pounds too 175. Does this sound "normal".

To me it does. Sounds like you and I may be the only two guys in the world who do not experience tremendous strength gains while eating in a deficit.

[CaptChip40]

To me it does. Sounds like you and I may be the only two guys in the world who do not experience tremendous strength gains while eating in a deficit.

Glad to know i'm not the only one.

[ljimd]

Happens to me all the time. Usually coincides with the end of my overload cycle when the weights get heavier and cals drop. I marvel at the guys who can push through this. It's usually the signal for me to end the cycle, rest and start a new cycle.

[Tommy W.]

Try eating your carbs pre workout and take your creatine at the same time.

[llahhsoj]

Doing my first serious cut. I knew I would lose some strength but not this much. As an example bench press workout pre cut was 225 x 12 x 3 now I'm lucky if I get 222 x 6 three times. Other lifts are similar. Weight is down about 10 pounds too 175. Does this sound "normal".

I was 170 in March of 2011. I cut down to 151 around June or July. My bench at that time was 335, and now it is around 285. I'm as strong as I was in everything but bench and now I'm all butthurt before I start. Losing strength while cutting is the only drawback of cutting. Some people say that they can gain muscle when cutting, but that is a very small minority of the people. Most people cut muscle also, unless their diet is super dialed in. You got to be really smart as far as nutrition goes to not lose muscle while cutting, which I'm not.

[Brackneyc]

I was 170 in March of 2011. I cut down to 151 around June or July. My bench at that time was 335, and now it is around 285. I'm as strong as I was in everything but bench and now I'm all butthurt before I start. Losing strength while cutting is the only drawback of cutting. Some people say that they can gain muscle when cutting, but that is a very small minority of the people. Most people cut muscle also, unless their diet is super dialed in. You got to be really smart as far as nutrition goes to not lose muscle while cutting, which I'm not.

IMO (only my opinion), if a guy is working in the upper range of his strength/effort, he will lose some of that while on a cut (eventually). If he was at 50% to begin with, then I am sure the losses will be minimal.

[CaptChip40]

Happens to me all the time. Usually coincides with the end of my overload cycle when the weights get heavier and cals drop. I marvel at the guys who can push through this. It's usually the signal for me to end the cycle, rest and start a new cycle.

I'd like to drop another ten pounds, hate to see where my lift are by then.

[CaptChip40]

I was 170 in March of 2011. I cut down to 151 around June or July. My bench at that time was 335, and now it is around 285. I'm as strong as I was in everything but bench and now I'm all butthurt before I start. Losing strength while cutting is the only drawback of cutting. Some people say that they can gain muscle when cutting, but that is a very small minority of the people. Most people cut muscle also, unless their diet is super dialed in. You got to be really smart as far as nutrition goes to not lose muscle while cutting, which I'm not.

Yep same here I can't get the nutrition stuff down. Just eating much less and clean. I can gain back the strength pretty fast so I'm not to concerned right now.

[CaptChip40]

on recharge get ya'll back later.

[llahhsoj]

IMO (only my opinion), if a guy is working in the upper range of his strength/effort, he will lose some of that while on a cut (eventually). If he was at 50% to begin with, then I am sure the losses will be minimal.

I think that if you can do close to the same weight wise, while cutting, as you did before, than you are doing real well. Cutting has a huge mental aspect to it also. My cut that I explained a few posts up was the only one that I have ever attempted. If a person is a big guy, that is over 30% fat, than it is a lot easier to gain muscle while cutting. If your bodyfat is decent anyway before you start, then it is a lot harder. I read somewhere that a normal person only has the ability to put on .25 lbs a muscle a month naturally. Is their any truth to that? It makes sense.

[c0ntender]

I've lost some strength dude as well dude so don't sweat it. Gone down about 3-4 reps from when I was benching 225 for 10. However, I have lost about 25lbs, so that's probably a normal amount of strength to lose. Just something you got to deal with I guess.

[llahhsoj]

I'd like to drop another ten pounds, hate to see where my lift are by then.

You probably will be a little weaker, but if it is a huge dropoff, it probably is mostly mental. Do you use a Preworkout supplement? If you don't, that would make a big difference IMO.

[securekey]

I had this problem when I started my cut... I found taking an extra day off when I needed it helped a lot. I believe the 2nd week my bench went down but now in the 4th week I have it back up to were it use to be. I am still dropping roughly 2-3 pounds a week.

[CaptChip40]

You probably will be a little weaker, but if it is a huge dropoff, it probably is mostly mental. Do you use a Preworkout supplement? If you don't, that would make a big difference IMO.

You know I thought it could be a good part mental. No prework out supplement at all. Also stopped creatine, only thing taking right now are protein shake and Oxy elite.

[themyth2009]

My strength takes a hit so does endurance and gets worse the longer I diet. I think normal.

[cmoore]

You know I thought it could be a good part mental.

^^^ this plays a big part, certainly does for me when I'm under 10.

[drudixon]

A refeed will give u most of your strengrh back.

[ironwill2008]

Just eating much less and clean.

So you're not weighing/measuring portions, counting your calories or macros?

[cmoore]

So you're not weighing/measuring portions, counting your calories or macros?

Oh man I missed that, good catch Will...
OP: you don't have to be completely OCD on diet but for sure you need to count/track/plan your macs.

[themyth2009]

Oh man I missed that, good catch Will...
OP: you don't have to be completely OCD on diet but for sure you need to count/track/plan your macs.

I am too lazy to do that....actually it would take the fun out of it for me.

[cmoore]

I am too lazy to do that....actually it would take the fun out of it for me.

Yeah but this isn't your first rodeo. The OP says it's his first serious cut. First timers need to pay more attention.

[DarrenConroy]

Sounds pretty normal.. My strength goes down some when I'm dieting for a show.. The last time I found myself in a similar situation, someone told me "it's not how much you can lift, it's how much you look like you can lift". Great words.. Keep up the good work!

[Lishnik]

I did my first cut last spring after a year and a half of lifting and lost about 10% of my strength after dropping from 200 to 185. Starting this years cut about mid March and hopefully it goes better the second time around.

[Bigtimemuscles]

Its funny i was just talking to a fellow in my gym about this yesterday and he was saying he is on a cut and he is getting stronger i didn't really believe him so i watched him do his bench press and he was doing 315 pounds for 8 reps. I never saw him do this much before then after talking more i asked him his diet and he was saying he eats 4 cups of oats mixed with 10 tablespoons of peanut butter before working out and eats nothing else for the rest of the day besides a protein shake before bed. All his lifts are going up tremendosly and fat is going away. So it may not work for you though but its something to mull over. OUT

-Bigtimemuscles-

[Meatpants]

Doing my first serious cut. I knew I would lose some strength but not this much. As an example bench press workout pre cut was 225 x 12 x 3 now I'm lucky if I get 222 x 6 three times. Other lifts are similar. Weight is down about 10 pounds too 175. Does this sound "normal".

I started my cut Jan 1st. 225 down to 209 now. I noticed a good bit of strength drop in the beginning, but its seemed to level off a bit. Refeeding the carbs once a week, and cycling the carbs through the week has been very helpful for me. I noticed that after my body adjusted to the diet change, it rebounded my strength a bit.

As mentioned by the others, measuring the macros is important to me. Its easy to eat too little, and loose a good bit of strength from this.

[CaptChip40]

I started my cut Jan 1st. 225 down to 209 now. I noticed a good bit of strength drop in the beginning, but its seemed to level off a bit. Refeeding the carbs once a week, and cycling the carbs through the week has been very helpful for me. I noticed that after my body adjusted to the diet change, it rebounded my strength a bit.

As mentioned by the others, measuring the macros is important to me. Its easy to eat too little, and loose a good bit of strength from this.

I really don't understand the whole macro thing or count calories so I would bet I am not eating enough. I'm looking to lose the some body fat and see how that looks.

[Meatpants]

I really don't understand the whole macron thing or count calories so I would be I am not eating enough. I'm looking to lose the some body fat and see how that looks.

That may be the reason your seeing your strength drop so much. How much weight have you lost in this time period? Also, I try not to get caught up in the weight loss, but rather the fat loss. I use a cheap pair of calipers, and measure in the same areas each time. I don't care about the scale moving, as much as the calipers moving. I also use the mirror more than the scale.

Heres a good read: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981

[Tommy W.]

Its funny i was just talking to a fellow in my gym about this yesterday and he was saying he is on a cut and he is getting stronger i didn't really believe him so i watched him do his bench press and he was doing 315 pounds for 8 reps. I never saw him do this much before then after talking more i asked him his diet and he was saying he eats 4 cups of oats mixed with 10 tablespoons of peanut butter before working out and eats nothing else for the rest of the day besides a protein shake before bed. All his lifts are going up tremendosly and fat is going away. So it may not work for you though but its something to mull over. OUT

-Bigtimemuscles-

This illustrates what I was saying in my previous post.

[Brackneyc]

Its funny i was just talking to a fellow in my gym about this yesterday and he was saying he is on a cut and he is getting stronger i didn't really believe him so i watched him do his bench press and he was doing 315 pounds for 8 reps. I never saw him do this much before then after talking more i asked him his diet and he was saying he eats 4 cups of oats mixed with 10 tablespoons of peanut butter before working out and eats nothing else for the rest of the day besides a protein shake before bed. All his lifts are going up tremendosly and fat is going away. So it may not work for you though but its something to mull over. OUT

-Bigtimemuscles-

But of course.