Hi folks,
I’m 3kg away from the lower weightclass and 2 weeks ago I decided to cut. The last training sessions were all horrible! I’m really pushing myself. I try to at least maintain my lifts, due to 3 kg isn’t that much of a loss, strength lvl. shouldn’t drop, I think.
I aim for -3500 kcal/week and while I’m cutting I do a low volume/high intensity routine.
Do you have any advice, how my upcoming sessions won’t be that depressing?! and what I can adjust to help my training?
Google water loading for making weight. Do you have a 2 hr weigh in window, or 24 hr, or night before?
The thing is, the meet is first in september, so no hurry at all. That’s why I was thinking to ease back a bit and take it super slow. Or should I suck it up, cut and then refocus as soon as I’m finished?
[quote]Pericu wrote:
The thing is, the meet is first in september, so no hurry at all. That’s why I was thinking to ease back a bit and take it super slow. Or should I suck it up, cut and then refocus as soon as I’m finished?[/quote]
I’m by no means an expert on this, BUT…
I weighed 190 fall of last year, and decided that I was carrying enough bodyfat that it would be reasonable for me to cut down/maintain about a 175-180 bodyweight. I ended up cutting all the way down to 170. My lifts suffered across the board for a few months. However, I’m back up to 175-180, which was my initial goal, and I’m at least as strong as I was before I started my cut. My squat and deadlift are equal to what they were before the cut, and my bench press is stronger.
The takeaway, for me, would be that the process of cutting diminishes strength, but once you make your goal weight, it may not be difficult to regain that lost strength, but without putting weight back on.
[quote]Pericu wrote:
The thing is, the meet is first in september, so no hurry at all. That’s why I was thinking to ease back a bit and take it super slow. Or should I suck it up, cut and then refocus as soon as I’m finished?[/quote]
The questions I ask matter in giving you the right answer. If you have a 24 hr weigh in, don’t cut at all before then, focus on getting stronger.
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
[quote]Pericu wrote:
The thing is, the meet is first in september, so no hurry at all. That’s why I was thinking to ease back a bit and take it super slow. Or should I suck it up, cut and then refocus as soon as I’m finished?[/quote]
I’m by no means an expert on this, BUT…
I weighed 190 fall of last year, and decided that I was carrying enough bodyfat that it would be reasonable for me to cut down/maintain about a 175-180 bodyweight. I ended up cutting all the way down to 170. My lifts suffered across the board for a few months. However, I’m back up to 175-180, which was my initial goal, and I’m at least as strong as I was before I started my cut. My squat and deadlift are equal to what they were before the cut, and my bench press is stronger.
The takeaway, for me, would be that the process of cutting diminishes strength, but once you make your goal weight, it may not be difficult to regain that lost strength, but without putting weight back on.
[/quote]
This is something I was thinking about as well. That’s why I thought about “suck it up and push trough”…just hard to do it :-/
I want to add on to what I said earlier, because I read through a bunch of your older posts.
My OPINION is that you shouldn’t be cutting to make a weight class unless you’re going to be VERY competitive in that weight class. Your stats indicate to me that you would not be. You would be better served by spending the next 5 months gaining as much strength as possible, and worrying about weight class later on. Cutting weight is done by advanced lifters who are trying to win competitions. Even a water cut before the meet wouldn’t make sense for you.
I would suggest working on strength until this meet, putting up the best numbers you possibly can in whatever weight class you fall into, and wait until a later competition to cut to a lower weight class. In the long run, I believe this will ultimately serve you best.
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
I want to add on to what I said earlier, because I read through a bunch of your older posts.
My OPINION is that you shouldn’t be cutting to make a weight class unless you’re going to be VERY competitive in that weight class. Your stats indicate to me that you would not be. You would be better served by spending the next 5 months gaining as much strength as possible, and worrying about weight class later on. Cutting weight is done by advanced lifters who are trying to win competitions. Even a water cut before the meet wouldn’t make sense for you.
I would suggest working on strength until this meet, putting up the best numbers you possibly can in whatever weight class you fall into, and wait until a later competition to cut to a lower weight class. In the long run, I believe this will ultimately serve you best.[/quote]
I second this. I know that we all lift/compete for different reasons and with different goals, but if you’re just doing a meet to do it, I don’t see the point in cutting. Just compete at your walking-around weight. If you’re not trying to win or hit a total, does it really matter if you’re a naturally 187-pound guy lifting at 198 or 181?
If you’re trying to do something specific (win/place in the meet or hit a qualifying total of some type) then of course there’s value in it. But if you’re just “a guy doing a powerlifting meet” I don’t see any point.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t 3kg, 7 or 8 lbs?? That’s a simple water cut. Maybe I misread something, but if your competition is in September just get you’re nutrition on track, a month out stop eating junk food. I’m no rocket scientist but you you could probably lean up and get stronger over these next few months, I am reading correctly that you’d like to lose 3kg in 4 months correct? Also, 24hr or day of or 2hr weigh-ins is also important to know.
[quote]arc23p wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t 3kg, 7 or 8 lbs?? That’s a simple water cut. Maybe I misread something, but if your competition is in September just get you’re nutrition on track, a month out stop eating junk food. I’m no rocket scientist but you you could probably lean up and get stronger over these next few months, I am reading correctly that you’d like to lose 3kg in 4 months correct? Also, 24hr or day of or 2hr weigh-ins is also important to know.[/quote]
Yeah, that’s about it!
It’ll be a 2hr weigh in!
Thanks for the responses by the way!
I eat no fat other than what’s in lean meat. No sugar. 500-800 cals less per day than maintenance.
Rice, black beans, lean meat, bread (non-enriched flour), fruit, oats, veggies. Drink flavored water and coffee.
I eat 5x / day including Clif Bars between meals. Breakfast/ClifBar/Lunch/ClifBar/Supper
Train heavy singles for speed (80%+). Walk 3mph for 30-45 min after waking or directly after a workout. 3 days/week.
So far I’ve dropped from 254 to 225 (115kg to 102kg) in 7 weeks. 38 years old.
Don’t over think it. Just eat normal but less calories.
[quote]osu122975 wrote:
I eat no fat other than what’s in lean meat. No sugar. 500-800 cals less per day than maintenance.
Rice, black beans, lean meat, bread (non-enriched flour), fruit, oats, veggies. Drink flavored water and coffee.
I eat 5x / day including Clif Bars between meals. Breakfast/ClifBar/Lunch/ClifBar/Supper
Train heavy singles for speed (80%+). Walk 3mph for 30-45 min after waking or directly after a workout. 3 days/week.
So far I’ve dropped from 254 to 225 (115kg to 102kg) in 7 weeks. 38 years old.
Don’t over think it. Just eat normal but less calories. [/quote]
Mostly decent points, but maintenance numbers vary greatly by person and if someone has several months to lose 6 lbs, then don’t cut that much. Also, Clif bars are junk, full of soy protein, and I would never recommend anyone eating bread of any kind, especially if they are trying to lose weight.
[quote]osu122975 wrote:
I eat no fat other than what’s in lean meat. No sugar. 500-800 cals less per day than maintenance.
Rice, black beans, lean meat, bread (non-enriched flour), fruit, oats, veggies. Drink flavored water and coffee.
I eat 5x / day including Clif Bars between meals. Breakfast/ClifBar/Lunch/ClifBar/Supper
Train heavy singles for speed (80%+). Walk 3mph for 30-45 min after waking or directly after a workout. 3 days/week.
So far I’ve dropped from 254 to 225 (115kg to 102kg) in 7 weeks. 38 years old.
Don’t over think it. Just eat normal but less calories. [/quote]
I’m not overthinking it, but I want to be in full control of what I’m doing. For me, everything has to be in check. I’m simply that type of guy…
Hey Pericu, just wondering – what’s the next competition that you’re shooting for? Maybe we’ll cross paths.