CT,
I recently read the 5/2 Diet for Lifters as well as the Athlete Lean, Athlete Strong article. I haven’t tried this style of dieting so I worked out my numbers for a 20% calorie reduction from my current intake – it would allow me to eat way above maintenance calories (500-600 cals) on my training days.
With so much fuel in training days, is there any need to modify my training (reduced volume, no pump work, etc) during the 6-8 week diet? More specifically, is it alright to use lighter pump/failure work while still focusing on heavier lifting for my core lifts?
Last time I went on a cut, it was every day caloric restriction and my workouts began to drag. I was doing almost all 4-6 rep ranges to try and maintain or build strength, which I don’t want to do as much this time to avoid burnout from heavy lifting every single session. I also worked up to using 2-3 HIIT bike sessions a week by the end. I’ve read your info on using loaded carries, so I will implement that guidance this time and avoid HIIT until fat loss stalls.
Thank you for any guidance or help provided.