Building muscle while cutting

[Zach2567]

I have a Tae kwon do tournament coming up and am going to cut my body fat percentage from around 12% to 5-6%. Is it still possible to build more muscle while cut?

Edit: why does it say im 53 as well

[fitnessgiraffe]

Yes, it is possible to build muscle while cutting body fat percentage. The key is to focus on a balanced diet and exercise program that allows you to maintain a caloric deficit while still providing enough fuel for muscle growth. This means eating a nutrient-dense diet that includes lean proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. You should also focus on strength training to help continue building muscle while cutting. Cardiovascular exercise is also important for helping to burn additional calories and increase fat loss.

[CarterJ2007]

Unless you're a beginner, have a particularly high body fat %, or have 1 in a million genetics (which likely isn't anyone on this forum)... building muscle while on a cut is typically mutually exclusive (can't do them at the same time).

The best shot you have at even approaching that is an EXTREMELY small caloric deficit and making absolutely certain you're eating AT LEAST 1g per lb of body weight in protein. Granted, I don't know if you have enough time up until your tournament to take it as slowly as I suggested. But even then, I have my doubts as to whether or not that would work anyways. To get big, you gotta eat bigger (generally speaking). That's why it's standard and generally accepted that you should bulk first (caloric surplus) and cut next (calorific deficit).

Even more relevant is the degree to which you're trying to cut. Forget about EVERYTHING else I said, getting to sub-10% body fat (you wanna get to 5 or 6%????) is going to cause you to LOSE muscle without a doubt. There is absolutely no way you'd be able to gain muscle on a cut that extreme. It's just unrealistic.

[NaturalNobhead]

Mate I was a boxer at national level for years and I am telling you, you do not want to fight at 5 percent body fat, if you did that, the muscle weakness and joint pain you would get would make you so physically weak that you would not do well at all, not to mention the brain fog you will get and lack of energy. If you are already in at 10 percent and need to get down to make weight, do not dehydrate as you will have no energy and can't rehydrate quick enough, assuming it is a same day weigh in that is. If it is a weight calss thing then just re enter at a higher weight or at a last resort don't eat all day, drink some water with half a teaspoon of epsom salts in to make you **** everything out in the morning, weigh in your underwear and take a huge deep breath when you get on the scales which will put you in half a pound lighter than your real weight. Sorry I probably ranted there mate good luck.