question for the knowledgeable cutters out there

[BrickTop1012]

I like lifting heavy, but I want to cut.

Does a 5x5 heavy lifting program 3 days a week + cardio 3 days a week on off days + abs 6 days a week + a calorie restricted diet sound like a good plan or a waste of time?

Thanks guys.

[Rs4race]

Really for cutting, you need to eat less calories than you use. If you cut out too many calories then you might start to loose muscle and strength. Just remember that you wont get cut overnight.

Check out this article for a good explination

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drwilley3.htm

[olibol]

first of all i think 6 times a week is just too much. the basic way to cut is to increase your metabolism, which decreases if you train too much.

I think you should cut your workout time to 45 mins and do it INTENSELY, concentrating on big full body exercises like deadlift, bench, squat, shoulder press, and bent over rows. if you ask me i think you should be doing 2 full body exercises a week with those exercises. youll be sweating like crazy which will burn fat as you maintain your muscle mass and basic strength. try more reps..10-12. 1 min rests between sets.

on top of that you can do 2 cardio workouts. use sprints with short recovery periods to get the best fat burn. i suggest swimming as the best full body sport but mountain biking is awesome fun.

thats 4 times a week, only 45 minutes each time. make it intense tho...then do abs everyday you work out. lower back and obliques every other day.

for food, eat plenty of protein to prevent catabolism. you can eat calories just try to eat whole wheat bread and dark macaroni which have longterm carbs and FORGET the starchy "normal" carbs.

hopew this helps

[BrickTop1012]

Good ideas, I like the idea of keeping the power lifts just increasing the rep range to get a full body workout done.

Any links on articles about basic cutting strategy, I dont know too much about cutting workouts and diet.

Thanks.

[gixxer2184]

Originally Posted by BrickTop1012

I like lifting heavy, but I want to cut.

Does a 5x5 heavy lifting program 3 days a week + cardio 3 days a week on off days + abs 6 days a week + a calorie restricted diet sound like a good plan or a waste of time?

Thanks guys.

How many pounds do u have to lose? What exactly is your "5x5 heavy lifting program?" What cardio are you doing? What duration? What's your "calorie restricted diet?" It's too vague to say good or bad.

Depending on how much body fat you have to lose, I think 3 days of cardio is too weak. You should be doing at least 5 days of cardio, 30 minutes a day, cardio is not like weightlifting, it can be done almost everyday, and it should be for not only fat loss but for cardiovascular benefits. Good luck.