think i should keep reps between 8-10 on a cut?
are there any benifits to doing lower than 6 reps during a cut?
i dont plan on getting much stronger on a cut, but do you think it will help me maintain strength and size to go lower?
Lots of coaches seem to think so.
Why not do a Thib style ramp?
For example Front squat:
Ramp 3-5 reps x6-8 sets or until your performance gets shitty. Remove 20% of the weight from your last set and rep it out!
Every week try to add 2.5lbs to the bar, or one more rep on the last max set.
With back work, use higher reps.
This has been discussed plenty - keep lifting heavy. It is the best way to keep muscle. You’ll probably get a little weaker during your cut so you’ll have to come down in poundage, but keep the intensity at max.
1-Rep-wise, what built the muscle will keep the muscle (as much as possible of course).
2-If done correctly, even though you may feel tired, your strength shouldn’t drop just because you’re cutting.
S
I would recommend the 3-12 rep range for cutting, just like bulking and maintaining.
[quote]talldude wrote:
You’ll probably get a little weaker during your cut so you’ll have to come down in poundage, but keep the intensity at max.[/quote]
Just to clarify this;
Strength loss shouldn’t really be an issue if you are close to 25% fat…only really when much leaner and calories are very low and cardio high. Pounds of fat should come off relatively easily without extreme measure.
If you lose much strength at a higher level of bodyfat (other than the odd dip), you probably lowered calories too much or did crazy amounts of volume.
I believe that there are benefits to working at all rep ranges, whether you are cutting or not. It’s not the rep range itself, but rather how you are using it within the context of your training sessions. I think a mix of the two works the best, as you it will hopefully allow you to maintain/even build strength while also focusing on hypertrophy.
The mix is really dependent on the trainee and their own body, there is no prescribed amount of one or thee other. Figure out what works for you and go for it, but I would not discount lower reps while on a cut.
5x5 works like a charm, and keep your sessions SHORT&HEAVY. Good Luck
[quote]talldude wrote:
This has been discussed plenty - keep lifting heavy. It is the best way to keep muscle. You’ll probably get a little weaker during your cut so you’ll have to come down in poundage, but keep the intensity at max.[/quote]
this makes no sense “keep lifting heavy but if you get a bit weaker lower the poundage” .
keep your reps n weight on the bar the same if your diets right (small deficit slow fat/weight loss) you shouldnt really lose strength but if you do and you cant get the reps in still dont lower the weight . when dieting i keep all aspects of training the same .
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
, even though you may feel tired, your strength shouldn’t drop just because you’re cutting.
S[/quote]
this is especially true try no to confuse tiredness/drop in energy due to lowered cals/carbs with drop in strength
[quote]lia67 wrote:
[quote]talldude wrote:
This has been discussed plenty - keep lifting heavy. It is the best way to keep muscle. You’ll probably get a little weaker during your cut so you’ll have to come down in poundage, but keep the intensity at max.[/quote]
this makes no sense “keep lifting heavy but if you get a bit weaker lower the poundage” .
keep your reps n weight on the bar the same if your diets right (small deficit slow fat/weight loss) you shouldnt really lose strength but if you do and you cant get the reps in still dont lower the weight . when dieting i keep all aspects of training the same .[/quote]
If he’s lifting heavy, and gets lean enough, he’ll lose some strength. Saying he should do for example 3 sets of 3 for 275 and not change this if HE PHYSICALLY CANNOT do it anymore is moronic. How are you going to keep the training the exact same if you physically can’t move the weight. If you get weaker, and still want to hit the reps, the weight is going to come down slightly. If you want to keep the weight, you’ll have to lower the reps. This is of course assuming the OP is going under 10% bodyfat or so. It’s easy enough to maintain strength when you’re in higher body fat percentages but eventually as you get lean enough you’re going to lose some strength.
[quote]LiquidMercury wrote:
[quote]lia67 wrote:
[quote]talldude wrote:
This has been discussed plenty - keep lifting heavy. It is the best way to keep muscle. You’ll probably get a little weaker during your cut so you’ll have to come down in poundage, but keep the intensity at max.[/quote]
this makes no sense “keep lifting heavy but if you get a bit weaker lower the poundage” .
keep your reps n weight on the bar the same if your diets right (small deficit slow fat/weight loss) you shouldnt really lose strength but if you do and you cant get the reps in still dont lower the weight . when dieting i keep all aspects of training the same .[/quote]
If he’s lifting heavy, and gets lean enough, he’ll lose some strength. Saying he should do for example 3 sets of 3 for 275 and not change this if HE PHYSICALLY CANNOT do it anymore is moronic. How are you going to keep the training the exact same if you physically can’t move the weight. If you get weaker, and still want to hit the reps, the weight is going to come down slightly. If you want to keep the weight, you’ll have to lower the reps. This is of course assuming the OP is going under 10% bodyfat or so. It’s easy enough to maintain strength when you’re in higher body fat percentages but eventually as you get lean enough you’re going to lose some strength.[/quote]
for sure if you cant move a weight you have no choice i was refering to a drop in reps for example 220 for 8 and ending up at 220 for 3 or 4 and maybe add an extra set if you want
You need to be more specific.
How much fat are you dropping? How long have you got?
For example going from 20 to single digits is huge, however if you’ve got 6 to 18 months I’d hope you should gain strength as this would be a very moderate approach. However if your time frame is less then strength may suffer.
On another note I’d agree try keep your weight training the same. If your progressing why change?
I would keep the same rep range you use in order to bulk. The only reason I see to raise your number of reps is if your joints and tendons start hurting.
For me, success during a cut was not determined so much by how many reps per set, but rather density of my training session, as in how much total volume in a given period of time. Progressively decreasing rest time between sets (and increasing training density) had the most positive effect for me.