Need advice on cutting naturally. Pls!:)

[D-bol]

This year's workouts are over and im gonna be back in the gym from first week Jan.
I want to slash some bf but not sure what route to take as i hear contradictory arguments from different people.

Funny enough after 10 years of training I still haven't figured what cutting strategy works for me. Its prolly cuz I never actually cut, always trained for gains. So, here are the options i kinda figured:

1. Strict dieting and cardio every day - light weight workouts
2. Moderate dieting and 3 times/week cardio - normal weight workouts (usual loads, etc)
3. Strict dieting and weights only - no cardio
4. Max cardio only for 1 month, then mix with normal weight training as in 2.

Honestly, I don't know what works for me. My stats is: 200 pounds, 10% bf. I am looking to cut to about 5-6% in 3-4 months time. I don't wanna use ECA and want to do purely natural.

Please advice if you have extensive cutting experience.

Thx

[Zeus72]

For a good cut I'd recommend:
1. Strict dieting but make sure to get enough calories - appx your bodyweight X 11-14 (depending on your activity/metabolism level)
2. 40% calories from protein, 30% calories from fat (polyunsaturated fats are good but focus on monounsaturated fats, no saturated fats) and 30% calories from 'good' carbs (including your postworkout quick digesting carb meal)
3. Keep lifting intense & heavy (working up to 5-8 reps per set) to support your lean muscle mass, incorporate compound lifts where u can (deadlifts are great, even if done light)
4. 15-25 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) - sprinting, swimming at intervals, boxing intervals, etc., follow a 2-1 rest to work ratio
5. Drink PLENTY of water

Theres the BARE BASICS of cutting, hope it helps

[DK II]

This year's workouts are over and im gonna be back in the gym from first week Jan.
I want to slash some bf but not sure what route to take as i hear contradictory arguments from different people.

Funny enough after 10 years of training I still haven't figured what cutting strategy works for me. Its prolly cuz I never actually cut, always trained for gains. So, here are the options i kinda figured:

1. Strict dieting and cardio every day - light weight workouts
2. Moderate dieting and 3 times/week cardio - normal weight workouts (usual loads, etc)
3. Strict dieting and weights only - no cardio
4. Max cardio only for 1 month, then mix with normal weight training as in 2.

Honestly, I don't know what works for me. My stats is: 200 pounds, 10% bf. I am looking to cut to about 5-6% in 3-4 months time. I don't wanna use ECA and want to do purely natural.

Please advice if you have extensive cutting experience.

Thx

2 & 3 will work.

1 will work, but why lose the heavy weight training?? That's a key to a high metabolism. For this reason 4 is total BS. You will burn off your muscles.

try carb cycling, heavy weight training and HIIT cardio.

[jon cole]

1-choose your kind of diet, start cut when you are ready, when you can be 100 per cent on dieting, when your timetable is not busy or full of stress.
   keto diet work well for me, 5 days at less than 50 gr carbs/300prot/few fat and one day high carbs.

2-also taking lot of sup :
 a good multivitamin is crucial during diet.
 a good whey, bcaa, glutamine as anticatabolic.
 yohimbine and a good eca stack.

3-stay strong, if you keep your strenght you keep your muscle.
  practise heavy basic, dead squat bench, good for keepin mass and increase your metabolism.

4-have a break after several week, when motivation is low, cos your test is low with dieting.give you a normal week and then re-start your diet.take tour time.

5-don't diet too much, we are doing this sport to have muscle, not to look like a fucking squeleton, it's horrible when people ask you if you stop training, you 're il or stupid question like that. .

6-don't cheat, i say "one cheat is one week more of hell dieting" 

7-no cardio. i'm natural, dieting is so boring and tiring.with 100 mg of tren each day no doubt i will do cardio. but i don't take tren.

i'm natural since the beginning, so 10 years, and every time i cut i succeed.

[jon cole]

For a good cut I'd recommend:
1. Strict dieting but make sure to get enough calories - appx your bodyweight X 11-14 (depending on your activity/metabolism level)
2. 40% calories from protein, 30% calories from fat (polyunsaturated fats are good but focus on monounsaturated fats, no saturated fats) and 30% calories from 'good' carbs (including your postworkout quick digesting carb meal)
3. Keep lifting intense & heavy (working up to 5-8 reps per set) to support your lean muscle mass, incorporate compound lifts where u can (deadlifts are great, even if done light)
4. 15-25 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) - sprinting, swimming at intervals, boxing intervals, etc., follow a 2-1 rest to work ratio
5. Drink PLENTY of water

Theres the BARE BASICS of cutting, hope it helps

YES AGREE WITH YOU.

[jon cole]

hit running is good for metabolism, it increase it more than regular cardio.

1minutes/1minutes is hell.

[wes]

For a good cut I'd recommend:
1. Strict dieting but make sure to get enough calories - appx your bodyweight X 11-14 (depending on your activity/metabolism level)
2. 40% calories from protein, 30% calories from fat (polyunsaturated fats are good but focus on monounsaturated fats, no saturated fats) and 30% calories from 'good' carbs (including your postworkout quick digesting carb meal)
3. Keep lifting intense & heavy (working up to 5-8 reps per set) to support your lean muscle mass, incorporate compound lifts where u can (deadlifts are great, even if done light)
4. 15-25 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) - sprinting, swimming at intervals, boxing intervals, etc., follow a 2-1 rest to work ratio
5. Drink PLENTY of water

Theres the BARE BASICS of cutting, hope it helps

Good post!!!!!

[D-bol]

thanks all for the replies, i was away overseas so didn't answer sooner

i shall start Jan off with the points presented by you in mind

thanx again

[boonstack]

At least you are already at 10%. I doubt it will take more than 8 weeks and u will be at your goal.

I would definitely usa the ec stack. I used to cut without it, and then I tried it for one season of dieting and it benefited me 100x over.

-kills appetite. Saying you are going to stay strict and no cheating for 8 weeks is one thing - actually doing it is another. Many nights i was able to bypass those late night cravings for junk.

-it allowed me to train with much more energy especially while in such a caloric deficit. Low carb - low cal = low energy. Supplementing with ec gave me energy, seriously....


its more mental than anything else... once you get past 2 week mark - you will have seen significant improvement in weight loss (hopefully just fat ,) and actually seeing the results will reconfirm you are doing it for a reason. wait til u get to week 4. then fun begins

[D-bol]

thanks boon

Is it not true though that loosing fat when you are already relatively slim is actually harder than when you are quite chubby? It seems logical as when you are already below your average human fat levels the body would cling on to remaining fat.

I would go w/ EC or ECA, but I honestly dunno where to get the E. Its no longer available over the counter in pure form. What derivatives of it would you recommend that are relatively safe? I know there are asthmatic drugs, which contain it, but I am weary of possible sides.

 

[jorgen]

The danger when cutting as a natural is becoming ripped at the expense of way too much muscle loss (obviously).  I think probably most of us learned this the hard way during one of our first diet phases.

What has helped me is:

1. Ignoring the diet advice of any IFBB pros..In fact, ignore all advice from all pros if you want my honest opinion.  For example, I just heard Lee Preist say that he has lost 10kg in the last 3 weeks on a diet phase.  Can you imagine what would happen to a natural doing that?

2. Give yourself a very long time to cut so you do not shock your body into a starvation mode where it will become extremely catabolic.
    This can be discouraging because you may feel that you are not losing fat (you are, just at a slower rate)

3. Keep your protein intake high.  If you don't already know this than god help you.

4. Cutting may be as simple as adding a bit of cardio and getting rid of some carbs.  But again, do not overdo it or you will lose at too rapid of a pace.

5. Try to keep your weights heavy in the gym as best you can.

[The ChemistV2]

The danger when cutting as a natural is becoming ripped at the expense of way too much muscle loss (obviously).  I think probably most of us learned this the hard way during one of our first diet phases.

What has helped me is:

1. Ignoring the diet advice of any IFBB pros..In fact, ignore all advice from all pros if you want my honest opinion.  For example, I just heard Lee Preist say that he has lost 10kg in the last 3 weeks on a diet phase.  Can you imagine what would happen to a natural doing that?

2. Give yourself a very long time to cut so you do not shock your body into a starvation mode where it will become extremely catabolic.
    This can be discouraging because you may feel that you are not losing fat (you are, just at a slower rate)

3. Keep your protein intake high.  If you don't already know this than god help you.

4. Cutting may be as simple as adding a bit of cardio and getting rid of some carbs.  But again, do not overdo it or you will lose at too rapid of a pace.

5. Try to keep your weights heavy in the gym as best you can.

Very good advice.The only way a natural can get cut and maintain fullness to the muscle is through doing it slowly. Drastic carb or caloric decreases cause that overly flat look you see on most guys in natural shows.

[Fatpanda]

i agree with most of the posters above.

dieting can be the hardest thing in the world or the easiest.

the most important part of dieting IMO is picking foods you like to eat. Eating bland foods is ok for a few weeks near the end to get ready for a show etc but sooner or later the cravings will get to you if you try to do it for the whole diet.

what i do is start with the fatter/higher calorie foods i like then slowly replace them with healthier/lower calorie options.

i.e. i use normal spagetti pasta and higher fat/calorie sauces at the start of a diet. then replace the spagetti with wholewheat spagetti ( 20 carbs less per serving) thats a few hundered ess calories a week straight away. the sauces get replaced for different flavours - less fat content, more fibre etc - this saves a few calories too. leaner cuts of steak etc

2 pack of oats per meal become 1 pack, flavoured become plain - and i add my own cinnemon powder etc for flavour.

eventually you will end up with a base of the foods you like, but are the lowest calorie options available. then when the fat loss stops add more cardio to shift the fat.

keep your protein at the same level as off season bulking phase, and for HIIT cardio i prefer 10 sec-20 sec rest to work ratio ( as that was the tabata protocol that produced the amazing results)

good luck.

[jon cole]

so the most important thing for a natural is to keep realistic goal.
i lost 12 kg in one month on my first diet. what a stupidity !