How long will it take me to cut?

[SledgeBoy]

I'm at an modest badyfat percentage right, somewhere like 11-13 percent...

I'm not really ripped at all, I only have abs when I flex.

How long will it take me to cut down to be really ripped, say like 7 percent bodyfat...

Could I do this in 4 weeks?


pic for reference

[Kendzlic]

Looking good man, I wouldn't cut if I were you. You seem to be fairly ripped as it is. You look pretty good, need to work on your trap height though imo, that or you just have very broad shoulders.

[SledgeBoy]

Looking good man, I wouldn't cut if I were you. You seem to be fairly ripped as it is. You look pretty good, need to work on the traps though imo.

So everyone keeps telling me...

its weird how in real life I get complemented on having great traps (especially my most muscular) but then in pictures they never turn out that well...

I have very wide shoulders so there's a lot of space to fill up there.

No I do need to cut, I'll post a relaxed picture to give people a better idea. I have a very expandable body, I can be pretty small when I'm relaxed but then just sort of pull everything out.

relaxed

[smallguyjoe]

Have you gotten your bf%b tested or are you estimating off of what people on this site have told you?

You look anywhere from 9-11% bf... not 11-13% bf.

regardless of the #'s if you want more definiton then cut, buddy. Nothin wrong with cutting to get leaner.

In 4 weeks you should be able to lose 4 lbs of fat - cut slow to retain muscle. If you lose 4 lbs of fat that will put you about 2-2.5% bf lower than ya are now, so 7-9% bf I would guess.

Go for it A 4 week cut is nothin! hahaha I just started a 20 week cut

EDIT: Hey, by the way, last June I was 12% bf and it took me 8-9 weeks to cut down to around 8% bf, but I lost no muscle - I actually gained strength throughout my cut. So, if you are 11-13% bf then it will most likely take you longer than 4 weeks to get to 7% bf.

[JerG]

OP: I think you are right about your bf percentage. However, I think it will take longer to get to 7% than just 4 weeks.

[SledgeBoy]

Have you gotten your bf%b tested or are you estimating off of what people on this site have told you?

You look anywhere from 9-11% bf... not 11-13% bf.

regardless of the #'s if you want more definiton then cut, buddy. Nothin wrong with cutting to get leaner.

In 4 weeks you should be able to lose 4 lbs of fat - cut slow to retain muscle. If you lose 4 lbs of fat that will put you about 2-2.5% bf lower than ya are now, so 7-9% bf I would guess.

Go for it A 4 week cut is nothin! hahaha I just started a 20 week cut

EDIT: Hey, by the way, last June I was 12% bf and it took me 8-9 weeks to cut down to around 8% bf, but I lost no muscle - I actually gained strength throughout my cut. So, if you are 11-13% bf then it will most likely take you longer than 4 weeks to get to 7% bf.

thanks for the advice

I'm going to start cutting on Feb 4 and cut until March 4 then reavaluate where I am.

I'll take arm and waist measurements to make sure I'm losing fat and not muscle.

Also, I swim a quarter mile everyday... how is this going to change my cutting?

I don't believe it when people say not to do cardio, I don't care if it isn't good for saving the muscle. I do cardio because its healthy and good for my cardiovascular health.

[SledgeBoy]

OP: I think you are right about your bf percentage. However, I think it will take longer to get to 7% than just 4 weeks.

Thanks for the input, I might change it to a six week cut depending on what other people say.

[smallguyjoe]

thanks for the advice

I'm going to start cutting on Feb 4 and cut until March 4 then reavaluate where I am.

I'll take arm and waist measurements to make sure I'm losing fat and not muscle.

Also, I swim a quarter mile everyday... how is this going to change my cutting?

I don't believe it when people say not to do cardio, I don't care if it isn't good for saving the muscle. I do cardio because its healthy and good for my cardiovascular health.

You're welcome

Nothin wrong with cardio, mate! Cardio is great to do when bulking and it's good to do for cutting. Diet is key when cutting. Keep lifting heavy, and design a diet that is high in protein and you should hold on to your muscle. As long as ya don't cut your Calories too low you should be cool. Just drop your Calories 500 below maintenance. Also, I like carb cycling; I've had great results with it. Eat 3 low carb days then every 4th do a high carb day.

If your arm size goes down it's not necessarily muscle loss, b/c you very well may lose fat on your arms. But, yeah measuring your waist is good.

Just watch your strength. If it goes way down than you're likely not eating enough. It may eventually go down, but it shouldn't go down too much if at all. It's more likely that your energy levels may suffer, but it's not too bad.

[SledgeBoy]

You're welcome

Nothin wrong with cardio, mate! Cardio is great to do when bulking and it's good to do for cutting. Diet is key when cutting. Keep lifting heavy, and design a diet that is high in protein and you should hold on to your muscle. As long as ya don't cut your Calories too low you should be cool. Just drop your Calories 500 below maintenance. Also, I like carb cycling; I've had great results with it. Eat 3 low carb days then every 4th do a high carb day.

If your arm size goes down it's not necessarily muscle loss, b/c you very well may lose fat on your arms. But, yeah measuring your waist is good.

Just watch your strength. If it goes way down than you're likely not eating enough. It may eventually go down, but it shouldn't go down too much if at all. It's more likely that your energy levels may suffer, but it's not too bad.

Thanks, so if what I'm eating right now is keeping my waist at about the same constant size... if I drop that amount of calories by 500 daily I should start losing the fat?

I haven't really calculated how many calories I eat in a day.

and when you say three low carb days, you mean eat 500 less calories on those day then on the fourth day eat more then maintenance?

[smallguyjoe]

Thanks, so if what I'm eating right now is keeping my waist at about the same constant size... if I drop that amount of calories by 500 daily I should start losing the fat?

I haven't really calculated how many calories I eat in a day.

and when you say three low carb days, you mean eat 500 less calories on those day then on the fourth day eat more then maintenance?

Yes, try eating 500 Calories less than what you've been eating for 3 days in a row (the 500 Calorie decrease will be from Carbs (mostly)). Then on the 4th day add the carbs back in... not over your maintenance level... well, ya could add a little bit over maintenance if ya want - but not too much.

You should lose 1-2 lbs per week. I would think more like 1 lb.

[skoalbandit]

love that v shape. im not gay........................unless you are wink wink. lmao. looking good brother. on the abs can say cause i dont have

[SledgeBoy]

Yes, try eating 500 Calories less than what you've been eating for 3 days in a row (the 500 Calorie decrease will be from Carbs (mostly)). Then on the 4th day add the carbs back in... not over your maintenance level... well, ya could add a little bit over maintenance if ya want - but not too much.

You should lose 1-2 lbs per week. I would think more like 1 lb.

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I'm starting to get an idea of what I need to do to get the results that I want.

I'll be using fitday.com to track my calories...

this is my first time really going on a diet and monitoring my calories, I hope everything works out well!

thanks again

[smallguyjoe]

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I'm starting to get an idea of what I need to do to get the results that I want.

I'll be using fitday.com to track my calories...

this is my first time really going on a diet and monitoring my calories, I hope everything works out well!

thanks again

You're welcome, man Fitday should help ya too.

I pretty much just figure out a diet that works and then stick with it... I don't mind eatin the same stuff all the time. That way ya don't need to constantly be counting Calories.