I am a powerlifter trying to compete after a break of 5 years.
My body fat is about 25% and I am not able to get it below 20 percent.
I have a good chance if I compete in a lower weight class.
How do you guys cut bodyfat?
Gee, I wonder if there are any articles on this website about fat loss.
Basic principles:
- reduce calories to slightly below maintenance
- keep protein intake high enough to preserve muscle
- keep training max and near-max weights
- if you can handle it, add either LISS cardio a few mornings a week OR 1-2 HIIT sessions per week
Are you really sure you want to go down a class? 25 percent body fat is certainly higher than ideal, but be aware that your lifts may decrease. What’s your current height and weight? And how serious are you about competing? You mention having a “good chance” - at what? Winning the local meet? A world record? Basically, is it more important to you to win the meet or lose fat for health/vanity?
If you are at 25% bodyfat, you should easily be able to reduce that slowly without getting weaker, and quite possibly even getting stronger in the process.
- Eat clean. Eat real foods, and avoid boxed or packaged stuff as much as possible. Get plenty of protein. Avoid breads and pasta.
- Focus on pre-, peri-, and post-workout nutrition. Also eat the majority of your carbs around your workout. On non-lifting days, keep carbs lower, like around 150 grams.
- Add one or two HIIT sessions per week, but keep the duration to under 10 minutes.