Cutting advice

[DK0313]

I'm 4 weeks into my cut and doing a lot of cardio and still keeping my calories low where they should be. However I'm not shedding fat as fast as I'd like to be, I also am slightly worried about losing muscle mass but not really I think that's highly exaggerated. I wanted to know what the best supplements and/or Sarm/s that would be the best to help me finish this cut successfully? Thanks in advance!

 

[john.patterson]

What are your current stats (height, weight, age, estimated bf, etc.)

What are your macros? There are some supplements and products that can help, but supplementation will only be beneficial if you're adding to a solid nutrition and training routine. Let us know and we can suggest some ideas for you

 

[DK0313]

5'9, 160 lbs.21 years old, 19% bf. I'm eating 2,000 calories a day 175-200 grams of protein 250- 300 grams of carbs, 40 grams of fat.

 

[LeanEngineer]

you could add in ECA or pick up some shift and reduce xt. I really like running shift and reduce xt together when I do a cut. It helps me lean out and dry out.

 

[CJuggernaut]

SARMs

//bengreenfieldfitness.com/2016/12/how-to-gain-muscle-and-lose-fat-with-sarms/

 

[Awd7]

I personally like the ECA stack.

 

[DK0313]

Really? I don't see how the, ECA stack would be much more, beneficial than caffeine and, a thermogenic

 

[IronWoman]

ECA doesn't work for me because I drink too much caffeine to have any effect.

The thing on a cut is that cardio can burn up muscle and make you wind up looking soft.
If the diet is really tight, cardio can be reduced to 3 times a week for about 15-20 minutes.
A cut and not loosing muscle is nearly impossible.

My best prep ever for competing was dieting for 10 weeks for a show, then 2 more weeks for another show.
I went from 19% bodyfat to about 8% in that time, and did cardio only twice. And it was lame cardio too, just walking with my friend.

So my point is, if you keep your lifting volume based and your diet super tight, you can focus on those things to make you cut.
Volume lifting will get your heart up and burn more calories. Also, you won't be mentally freaked out by not getting big heavy lifts...which, face it, is hard to do on a calorie deficit anyway.

 

[IronWoman]

to further answer your question, ostarine helped me re-comp wonderfully, and is supposed to be an anti-wasting compound. As a woman, I found it made my weight stable, but I definitely recomped on it, and despite the calorie drop, could still get some impressive lifts.

 

[john.patterson]

Really? I don't see how the, ECA stack would be much more, beneficial than caffeine and, a thermogenic

Ephedrine is a very effective thermogenic, and there are a lot of great studies and research that show how it works. EC would be one route, but there are a few other great options for thermogenic products as well.

It really depends on what you're looking to get out of a thermogenic product (appetite suppression, energy, mood, etc.) My first recommendation would be to check out Oxymax XT - it's a very complete thermogenic product that contains forskolin which is an ingredient that can help improve body composition. Oxymax XT also contains Eria Jarensis, which is a stimulant that delivers a boost in energy and mood without giving you an over-stimmed jittery feeling like some products do.

I would also recommend yohimbine HCL or alpha-yohimbine in combination with fasted cardio in the morning. Yohimbine can be very beneficial for stubborn body fat when combined with fasted cardio.

Keep in mind that if your currently 19% BF at 160 pounds, you are about 130 pounds of lean mass. Depending on your goal, even if you were to cut to 10-12% body fat, you will end with a body weight of 145 if you can manage to keep all of your muscle. How long have you been training for? You may want to consider a lean bulk or adding a bit more size before cutting

 

[DK0313]

I just did a short 3 months bulk for that exact reason I cut down to 141 on my last cut. I HATE how I gain all my weight around my stomach so I want to stay around 8-10 at all times from now on. I went from 141 to 171 from Jan 1st to March 31st. Two months with just clear muscle as my supplement of choice then a month on M1T as well. I've been cutting for three weeks and I'm back down to 158, a lot of that weight I gained must have been water retention. And yes I hate being that might it sounds bad but I'm only 5'9 and 20 years old. Ive been lifting for 2.5 years. Seriously for 1.5 and really learned proper dieting about a year ago.

 

[Georgiepecker]

Always stand by Hdroxy Elite by Hitech ever since I've been using it! Incredible, gets the job done, And is not too expensive in my opinion for what you're getting (caffeine AND DMAA)

 

[Georgiepecker]

I just did a short 3 months bulk for that exact reason I cut down to 141 on my last cut. I HATE how I gain all my weight around my stomach so I want to stay around 8-10 at all times from now on. I went from 141 to 171 from Jan 1st to March 31st. Two months with just clear muscle as my supplement of choice then a month on M1T as well. I've been cutting for three weeks and I'm back down to 158, a lot of that weight I gained must have been water retention. And yes I hate being that might it sounds bad but I'm only 5'9 and 20 years old. Ive been lifting for 2.5 years. Seriously for 1.5 and really learned proper dieting about a year ago.

so you're losing around 3.3 lbs per week or so right? That's very quick and with hydroxy elite ive dropped around 10 lbs in 16 days without adding any exercise/ cardio(I'm injured) and just by altering diet

 

[DK0313]

Ephedrine is a very effective thermogenic, and there are a lot of great studies and research that show how it works. EC would be one route, but there are a few other great options for thermogenic products as well.

It really depends on what you're looking to get out of a thermogenic product (appetite suppression, energy, mood, etc.) My first recommendation would be to check out Oxymax XT - it's a very complete thermogenic product that contains forskolin which is an ingredient that can help improve body composition. Oxymax XT also contains Eria Jarensis, which is a stimulant that delivers a boost in energy and mood without giving you an over-stimmed jittery feeling like some products do.

I would also recommend yohimbine HCL or alpha-yohimbine in combination with fasted cardio in the morning. Yohimbine can be very beneficial for stubborn body fat when combined with fasted cardio.

Keep in mind that if your currently 19% BF at 160 pounds, you are about 130 pounds of lean mass. Depending on your goal, even if you were to cut to 10-12% body fat, you will end with a body weight of 145 if you can manage to keep all of your muscle. How long have you been training for? You may want to consider a lean bulk or adding a bit more size before cutting

I just did a short 3 months bulk for that exact reason I cut down to 141 on my last cut. I HATE how I gain all my weight around my stomach so I want to stay around 8-10 at all times from now on. I went from 141 to 171 from Jan 1st to March 31st. Two months with just clear muscle as my supplement of choice then a month on M1T as well. I've been cutting for three weeks and I'm back down to 158, a lot of that weight I gained must have been water retention. And yes I hate being that might it sounds bad but I'm only 5'9 and 20 years old. Ive been lifting for 2.5 years. Seriously for 1.5 and really learned proper dieting about a year ago.

 

[DK0313]

so you're losing around 3.3 lbs per week or so right? That's very quick and with hydroxy elite ive dropped around 10 lbs in 16 days without adding any exercise/ cardio(I'm injured) and just by altering diet

Yeah thats about right I've been doing 1k call or fasted cardio everyday but I just started my new job and I am just picking up boxes and carrying them and sitting them down all day. I burn about 1,500 a, day there so I'm cutting out my cardio since that's a better replacement anyway, and going to continue eating, 2,000 calories

 

[Georgiepecker]

Yeah thats about right I've been doing 1k call or fasted cardio everyday but I just started my new job and I am just picking up boxes and carrying them and sitting them down all day. I burn about 1,500 a, day there so I'm cutting out my cardio since that's a better replacement anyway, and going to continue eating, 2,000 calories

You're doing great in my opinion! And good idea with the diet/cardio

 

[DK0313]

ECA doesn't work for me because I drink too much caffeine to have any effect.

The thing on a cut is that cardio can burn up muscle and make you wind up looking soft.
If the diet is really tight, cardio can be reduced to 3 times a week for about 15-20 minutes.
A cut and not loosing muscle is nearly impossible.

My best prep ever for competing was dieting for 10 weeks for a show, then 2 more weeks for another show.
I went from 19% bodyfat to about 8% in that time, and did cardio only twice. And it was lame cardio too, just walking with my friend.

So my point is, if you keep your lifting volume based and your diet super tight, you can focus on those things to make you cut.
Volume lifting will get your heart up and burn more calories. Also, you won't be mentally freaked out by not getting big heavy lifts...which, face it, is hard to do on a calorie deficit anyway.

Hmm that's pretty helpful, I feel like I've lost all the gains I made on my last bulk already since I've been doing an hour and a half of cardio everyday for the past 3 weeks. 0 days off. I've just been, trying to burn calories because I keep thinking if I consume a ton of protein the idea of losing muscle is just not clicking with me but maybe that's, what, I should be watching out for. Becuade according to my bf% after I cut again I'll be at the same by% with a slightly lower weight then I was 4 months ago.. Which would mean I lost muscle lifting and, focusing on my diet everyday which is just extremely upsetting.

 

[Georgiepecker]

Hmm that's pretty helpful, I feel like I've lost all the gains I made on my last bulk already since I've been doing an hour and a half of cardio everyday for the past 3 weeks. 0 days off. I've just been, trying to burn calories because I keep thinking if I consume a ton of protein the idea of losing muscle is just not clicking with me but maybe that's, what, I should be watching out for. Becuade according to my bf% after I cut again I'll be at the same by% with a slightly lower weight then I was 4 months ago.. Which would mean I lost muscle lifting and, focusing on my diet everyday which is just extremely upsetting.

90 mins of cardio a day???! At least your endurance better be off the charts haha

 

[DK0313]

90 mins of cardio a day???! At least your endurance better be off the charts haha

It is hahaha for sure. But either 8 miles on a treadmill which is 70 minutes or 90 minutes on an arc trainer or elliptical, i was ust trying to cut as fast as possible.

 

[Georgiepecker]

It is hahaha for sure. But either 8 miles on a treadmill which is 70 minutes or 90 minutes on an arc trainer or elliptical, i was ust trying to cut as fast as possible.

luckily at my job I burn about 1000 calories extra over the 8 hours and I don't see an increase in appetite...So it's like a win win and I get to skip cardio too haha

 

[Wimsicle]

I'm one of those people that does not do cardio and simply lifts weights and diets lol. RARELY will I add like 15 minutes on the treadmill just walking at an incline. If you work out hard enough, and have consistent energy and throughput in the workout, it does enough for me with the diet in check to seriously cut.

I do track everything that goes into my body when I cut though, as calories add up quick (looking at you cheese.... grr lol). I do tend to go pretty aggressive on the calorie deficit though, probably more than the average folk. With Keto it's super easy for me though.. hard to even get enough calories (especially paired with EC that I am doing right now lol).

 

[john.patterson]

It is hahaha for sure. But either 8 miles on a treadmill which is 70 minutes or 90 minutes on an arc trainer or elliptical, i was ust trying to cut as fast as possible.

Just remember that faster weight/fat loss isn't ideal - your goal should be to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Dropping weight faster than that can result in a greater risk of muscle loss, and it can have an impact on your metabolism. Cardio is a great tool to add in, but 90 minutes a day seems excessive IMO. I would recommend a more moderate approach - set some short term and long term goals and focus on consistency more than quick returns

 

[DK0313]

Just remember that faster weight/fat loss isn't ideal - your goal should be to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Dropping weight faster than that can result in a greater risk of muscle loss, and it can have an impact on your metabolism. Cardio is a great tool to add in, but 90 minutes a day seems excessive IMO. I would recommend a more moderate approach - set some short term and long term goals and focus on consistency more than quick returns

Thanks I'll just eat a little more around (2500) then since I'm walking all day now and cut out the cardio and see how it goes for a few weeks