Cutting up for naturals? / Comments on routine?

[jonnylocks]

I'm looking to lower my BF. I'm starting late in the summer.. but I don't really care about aesthetics, I just want to clean myself up well before I bulk in winter so as to add quality fat. I also would rather not lose alot of weight.

What are the main differences to the cutting approach for natural as opposed to juicers? I don't trust the stuff I read from their posts.

Should I change my lifting routine or just change my diet? Should I do cardio? How much?

Any other comments on the following routine?

I weigh 200 pounds. Right now I am eating about 70g carbs 200 pro and about 2500 calories.. quality foods every 3 hours.

My routine is 3 times a week. I just started 15 minute interval cardio 2 times a week after workout. I do 3 sets with 4 exercises each major bodypart in the 12-8 range. I workout very intensely and with only about 1-1.5 minutes rest in between so I only do 1 exercise for minor bodypart supersetted into my last major set (my arms also tend to outgrow my major parts.. so i'm not worried here).

Chest/Tri - Inc BP, Flat BP, Decline BP, Cables/Tricep 
Back/Bi - Pulldowns, Wide Rows, Close Rows, Lowerback extension/Curls
Shoulders/Legs - Presses, Upright Row, Lateral raises, Squats/Traps, Leg presses/calves

Thanks.

[strength]

70 grams of carbs is very very low.  you may want to bump that up to atleats 150-200

[BIG ACH]

There's nothing wrong with going low carb, 70 g fat like you are doing BUT not in the start of a diet, in my opinion you should be higher up, because if you start your diet at 70 g carbs where are you gonna go from there when you start cutting calories?

Start with something like this, get your calories at maintenance or below a little, multiply your bodyweight by 15, if thats too high play around with the numbers between 12 and 15.  The result of that will be your calories for the day.  Your macros breakdown can be 50% protein, 30% carbs, and 20% fat.  Each week weigh yourself at the same time and if you are losing keep the diet as is, if your weight loss stalls either add another cardio session or decrease your calories (From carb sources) by 200 calories.  Continue again and adjust the calories or number of cardio sessions according to how you are losing.  Once your carbs are pretty low 30-70 g a day I would suggest adding in a refeed meal once a week, maybe like 2-3 cups of oats and a banana, something like that to be taken at the end of the day.

There are a million ways to do this and a million ways to get ripped, this is similar to the protocol I use to get contest ready, I know many people that will tell you they get ripped by eating high carbs and lower protein, but this is just what I like to do.

Find what works for you and run with it.  Good luck!

And as for weight training, I personally don't change a thing whether I am bulking or cutting, its heavy heavy heavy all the way baby!!!

[jonnylocks]

Thanks for the great reply BIG ACH.

And as for weight training, I personally don't change a thing whether I am bulking or cutting, its heavy heavy heavy all the way baby!!!

This is a relief to hear.. I hate doing anything other than 4-12 rep range. I just hate stagnating or getting weaker, so it seems volume training/hi reps would give the illusion I am not losing any muscle mass.. making me lose less motivation.

[rockyfortune]

you will get weaker as you diet down---i can't see how you workout with 70 grams of carbs a day--shit, i'd be on the floor--when you want to shed bodyfat--most people are of the opinion that you gradually cut calories---stick with heavy compound movements--and lots of cardio---you won't gain muscle but what muscle you will have will be more noticeable with reduced bodyfat--ron harris had a cutting up program a while back--it was a 29 day program for shedding bodyfat---it was 7 days a week of cardio--with very short resistance training sessions...