I’m coming to the end of a big cut in the next couple weeks (35 lbs).
I have been going at about 2 lbs/week up until now, but I think I am going to ease it to 1 lb/week for the last 5 lbs before recomping for the next year or so (or I might do another cut in 6 months, depending on the recomp… still plenty of fat).
I have been doing a 4 day push/pull program that is more of a BB style. I was wondering if it would be premature to jump into more of a strength based program once I slow down my cut rate and ride it out through the recomp.
Or is my body somehow “primed to grow” from doing BB style on a caloric deficit and once I up the cals, I would gain muscle faster than expected and should stay w/ the BB style.
Or is 1 lb/week still too much of a deficit to make any gains and I should just proceed as is?
cheers
thought this might be a bit too much for beginners. Would one of the mods mind moving it to BSL?
I would say keep your training program while you change your nutrition and see how your body reacts. Its easier to change one variable and react than it is to change two. The worst that can happen is after a couple of weeks your realize you need to change it up. What is a loss of a few weeks to a long term goal? Nothing really.
^Definitely only make one change at a time. Otherwise there’s no way to truly assess if it’s had a positive effect or not. IMO, coming out of a cut, small steps are always the best. Keep in mind though (and I know no actual details of your cut, so I’m just throwing out generalities here) that your body isn’t really “primed to pack on muscle” as much as it’s sensitivity to sugar, sodium, and your former maintenance level calories is potentially very skewed.
I always tell competitors that even when they’ve had a relatively easy prep, they’ve pushed their body to deal with situations that simulate a very panicked environment (constant work while in a caloric and sometimes carb deprived state). If you were beaten down horribly for months, and suddenly someone started giving you adequate (at least) nutrition, you wouldn’t care about muscle, you’d store it all as fat just incase the emergency situation occurred again. Give your body time to re-acclimate.
Small step-ups with your diet. You can probably ride out your current training for a while though if it’s been productive for you so far.
S
Thanks for the advice guys.
That being said, when I do finally decide to switch programs, does it really matter if I go for strength or BBing coming off? Or whatever fits my goals? (strength, rehab, and recomp)
I really hate the program I’m currently doing (zraw’s plan for marzouk)… utterly boring and takes way too long, but it is effective for the cut.
[quote]1 Man Island wrote:
I really hate the program I’m currently doing (zraw’s plan for marzouk)… utterly boring and takes way too long, but it is effective for the cut.[/quote]
Seemed like an unnecessary shot there…if you don’t like a program that’s fine, but no need to insult a plan designed for FREE for someone other than you by one of the site’s most knowledgeable/accomplished posters
I placed a friend on that program (his first balanced one) because I am also working on his diet (dropped down from 310, was at like 500kcal a day - had to convince him to up calories and currently have him around 2,500 - he hasn’t gained any weight and has only improved his body comp). He is seeing great progress - is currently up to 560 for 5x20 on the leg press (never worked legs before - I am currently introducing him to squatting, etc.) and the 95s on the DB bench (4x10, I think?) at a BW of 190.
I myself also ran it for a period, seeing great results. However, I can understand being burnt out - sometimes you just need a change to keep things fresh - though I wouldn’t advise changing one variable (training program) while currently fucking with other important variables (diet)… I would wait until you have successfully reversed off before touching the program, but that’s just me.
[quote]pwolves17 wrote:
[quote]1 Man Island wrote:
I really hate the program I’m currently doing (zraw’s plan for marzouk)… utterly boring and takes way too long, but it is effective for the cut.[/quote]
Seemed like an unnecessary shot there…if you don’t like a program that’s fine, but no need to insult a plan designed for FREE for someone other than you by one of the site’s most knowledgeable/accomplished posters[/quote]
Hey guys, I need some help with goal setting.
My original plan was to transition off the cut in the next week or two, spend the next six months stabilizing and hopefully picking up some strength, and then doing another cut.
However, a few cheats and less time in the gym over the holidays has me re-energized and ready to stick it out for a while.
I don’t really care if I stick with my original plan or if I stay with my current cut. I am just wondering what will be more effective in the long run regarding metabolism, hormonal levels, and strength retention, etc… if an extended cut is going to need 8 months of stabilizing, it might not be the answer.
I’m down to 223 from 255 after about 4 months and you can kind of sort of maybe see a bit of my outer abs under perfect light.
My macros are currently 230p, 75c, 60f on lifting days and 230p, 60c, 77f on off days. I do HIIT twice a week and fast walking once or twice a week as well.
Am I better off riding the carbs down to a keto diet before transitioning back or just work on baselining my weight and strength before another cut?
Cheers