Loss of Strength and muscle during cutting

SeaHawk22

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I was wondering if your diet is perfect do you still lose strength and some muscle during cutting. I am just wondering if lets say Bobo loses any strength when he cuts? My question is for people who are cutting without chemical assistance.

I lose strength but my diet is not perfect.
Thanks SeaHawk22
 
hypo

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It is in fact possible to lose fat while gaining strength- many on bobo's cutting program report these results, actually. However, overall progress is slow so most people tend to do bulking and cutting phases, which are faster for gaining muscle/losing fat respectively, but you tend to gain a little fat while bulking and lose a little muscle while cutting. Of course chemical assistance makes it easier to reach your objectives, but the diet is the cornerstone.
 

Lean One

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It is in fact possible to lose fat while gaining strength- many on bobo's cutting program report these results, actually. However, overall progress is slow so most people tend to do bulking and cutting phases, which are faster for gaining muscle/losing fat respectively, but you tend to gain a little fat while bulking and lose a little muscle while cutting. Of course chemical assistance makes it easier to reach your objectives, but the diet is the cornerstone.
I agree here. But to answer your question directly, (from someone who is currently cutting without assistance) it depends on your aproach. i am cutting right now and my method is kcal reduction mainly in the form af carbs. so yes i am losing strength, but i don't care. It comes with the territory. Basicly my glycogen is depleted and i'm spending a lot of time in ketosis. So, my muscles take on a flatter look. a lot of people mistake this for muscle loss. Less glycogen in the muscle means less strength. It comes back quick though. Especially with asistance.
 
EEmain

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I agree here. But to answer your question directly, (from someone who is currently cutting without assistance) it depends on your aproach. i am cutting right now and my method is kcal reduction mainly in the form af carbs. so yes i am losing strength, but i don't care. It comes with the territory. Basicly my glycogen is depleted and i'm spending a lot of time in ketosis. So, my muscles take on a flatter look. a lot of people mistake this for muscle loss. Less glycogen in the muscle means less strength. It comes back quick though. Especially with asistance.
:goodpost:
 
ryansm

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I agree here. But to answer your question directly, (from someone who is currently cutting without assistance) it depends on your aproach. i am cutting right now and my method is kcal reduction mainly in the form af carbs. so yes i am losing strength, but i don't care. It comes with the territory. Basicly my glycogen is depleted and i'm spending a lot of time in ketosis. So, my muscles take on a flatter look. a lot of people mistake this for muscle loss. Less glycogen in the muscle means less strength. It comes back quick though. Especially with asistance.
Yes, I agree I am in the same boat, and strength comes back very quickly.

I would add that to get to certain BF levels you will lose muscle, depending on the person though will indicate how much one loses, imo.

I have recently stepped into this territory, and have lost some muscle, but like LO said, it will come back quickly. It's just part of the process.
 
exnihilo

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If strength is important to you I wouldn't bother with single digit bodyfat unless you're on a nice cocktail of drugs. If you don't care about being strong at all and are just into lifting weights because you think you need big pecs and abs to do well with the ladies then you can go single digit bodyfat, you'll lose some strength, but you don't care right? Anyone should be able to get to the low teens without much in the way of strength loss just by eating right and lifting weights (and staying active in general).
 

TheTom

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The only time I ever increased strength on all lifts while on a cut, was when I did a Very High Protein, Mid-High Carb, Low Fat diet. All my lifts went up and I went from about 15% to 9% bodyfat. The problem was, the cut was more of a body recomp, in the way that it took a very long time, around 20 weeks.

I could of probably went from 15% to 5%-6% in that same amount of time with low carbs and medium fat, but I would of probably lost a lot more muscle and lost strength, instead of gained it.

This was androgen free too.
 
exnihilo

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That tells you something about the right way to cut then huh? :D
 
Dwight Schrute

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I was wondering if your diet is perfect do you still lose strength and some muscle during cutting. I am just wondering if lets say Bobo loses any strength when he cuts? My question is for people who are cutting without chemical assistance.

I lose strength but my diet is not perfect.
Thanks SeaHawk22
From 15 to 10% not at all. From 10-8 % a little bit. From 8-6% definetly.

Its all about gradually tapering everything in proportion and keeping carb intake constant (to a point). Once you get to single digits its very tough to manipulate your diet in which you retain anything (strenght wise)
 
Dwight Schrute

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a lot of people mistake this for muscle loss. Less glycogen in the muscle means less strength. It comes back quick though. Especially with asistance.
Less glycogen equals increased gluconeogenesis which equates to increased muscle loss. If you are losing strenght even in a depleted state then you are more than likely losing muscle.
 
Dwight Schrute

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T
I could of probably went from 15% to 5%-6% in that same amount of time with low carbs and medium fat, but I would of probably lost a lot more muscle and lost strength, instead of gained it.
Probably not. Lowering carbs does not increase fat loss, it increases weight loss. Fat loss in terms of breaking down triglycerides into FFA's and oxidation of those FFA's is a farily constant thing.
 

200wannabe

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Probably not. Lowering carbs does not increase fat loss, it increases weight loss. Fat loss in terms of breaking down triglycerides into FFA's and oxidation of those FFA's is a farily constant thing.
Bobo, thats the second time i think that i have heard you say that fat loss is a fairly constant thing. Could you elaborate on this please.

Assuming your in a calorific deficiet will changing the levels of macronutrients have no significant change on the rate of fat loss?

And how do thermogenic and the like fit into this?

Thanks,
 
Dwight Schrute

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Elaborate on what? The body controls itself failry easily. It has a remarkable ability at maintaining homeostasis. Removing carbs will change certain things (increase gluconeogenesis, lower leptin, lower glycogen, lower weight, etc...) but the rate of actual fat loss won't change. If that were the case pre contest diets would last 10-12 weeks instead of 16-20.


Thermogenics (ECA) work better in a low fat environment, not a low carb environment.
 

TheTom

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I'll post an example of the diet I used to get from 15%-9% in 20 weeks, while gaining strength.

Breakfast: 1 cup Skim Milk+20g whey protein/egg protein blend and some oatmeal eaten straight out of the carton
Meal 2: 2 slices of wheat bread with a ton of sandwhich ham
Meal 3: Oatmeal out of the carton, Beef or Chicken
Meal 4: 3 cups of Skim Milk
Meal 5: Same as either meal 1, 3 or 4
Meal 6: Same as meal 3 but maybe with Fish, for some healthy fats

Pretty simple really. Keep carbs high, thus keeping ATP/Glygocen high, keep calories low by reducing fat intake, keep protein around 25g-35g a meal.

Throw in 3-4 30-40 minutes low intensity cardio sessions a week and your golden.

Oh, & A strength training program Focusing around the Big 3.
 
Dwight Schrute

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Pretty simple really. Keep carbs high, thus keeping ATP/Glygocen high, keep calories low by reducing fat intake, keep protein around 25g-35g a meal.
Look like someone has it down.


It is really remarkable how the KISS rule applies to many things.
 

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