Anabolic Cutting Program - 0% LBM Loss
I've spent the past seven years researching and working on various new theories and programmes relating to body recomposition and getting shredded.
I have now finally come up with something which I believe will be of great interest to the community and I am excited to share it with you guys.
I had DEXA body scans and tested my hormone and blood lipid profile which I've included in the article (and will include in the upcoming YouTube video I'm creating)
Before I go on, I will share the key findings after experimenting with this totally new training program, and if that piques your interest, read on to find out more!
- Testosterone levels 2 – 3 times higher at the end of the cut than the current case studies (even though I am 10 – 17 years older than the males in these studies - I am 37 years old).
- Almost zero lean mass lost (only 50 grams in total).
- During the first 8 weeks, I actually added nearly 2 lbs of lean mass (not new to training, already lean, so this level of recomp is rare).
- During the final 8 weeks I lost an incredible 4.2% body fat.
- No metabolic adaptation – in fact, it appears my maintenance calories increased. This means I did not need to cut calories further or add any additional cardio as I progressed which I believe helped preserve more lean mass.
- No mood or sleep disturbances. In fact, I stopped taking anti-depressants (which I had been on for 4 years) due to how good I felt.
- This method adopted 24-hour fasting periods, providing key data as to how much better fasting is for lean mass preservation than standard calorie-restricted diets.
The biggest issue I had when working out was that I went around in circles - bulking and adding some fat, then cutting down the fat and losing my gains.
I think we've all been there at some point.
After developing a successful body recomposition program (you can check out my YouTube series on that subject here - [url]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-AOg1J3DijQZVqxGchqn4sYMVbHQJLiE[/url]) I wanted to get seriously lean - like, stage-ready lean.
The Anabolic Cutting method is a way of getting lean without losing any muscle mass.
I discovered four case studies which looked at males prepping for a bodybuilding competition. I used these as the cornerstone of my research and also as benchmarks as to whether the Anabolic Cutting method was a success.
Here are direct links to those studies:
[url]https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7eb2/f2177a56705379065088b3480ce75329fd8e.pdf[/url]
[url]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28770669/[/url]
[url]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275970337_A_nutrition_and_conditioning_intervention_for_natural_bodybuilding_contest_preparation_Case_study[/url]
[url]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260748868_Case_Study_Natural_Bodybuilding_Contest_Preparation[/url]
The following article I have written looks at all the data from these case studies. I also share my DEXA results, progress pics, my diet, macros, training fundamentals and every other bit of relevant information I could think of.
[url]https://www.fitness-savvy.co.uk/anabolic-cutting-best-way-get-shredded/[/url]
The main thing to notice in all of the case studies (where it is reported) is the substantial loss in testosterone.
I am 37 years old, and my testosterone levels were 2 - 3 times higher than in the case studies - when you consider that I am 10 - 17 years older than the participants in these studies, and that testosterone levels decrease by about 0.4 - 2% per year after the age of 30, you can begin to realise how significant this result is.
This reduction in testosterone is likely the most significant factor in the amount of lean body mass (LBM) they lost - which ranged from 13% to 55% of total weight loss.
Using the method I have designed, my lean mass loss was almost zero.
In fact, for the first eight weeks, I actually GAINED muscle mass - nearly 2 lbs to be exact!
In addition, I suffered no mood or sleep disturbance (as is commonly reported when following such strict programs).
Contrary to popular belief, there was no need to lift "heavy" to "preserve" muscle mass, and also no need to eat regular meals to prevent muscle breakdown.
I thought I'd drop this article here and start the discussion and get some feedback. The article is about 6,000 words, but I am working on a video which I will drop on my channel on Thursday for those who are interested.
All feedback and questions welcome!
Thanks! Robin