The cutting process is not an easy task and is something that nobody enjoys. However, that’s an important process when it comes to getting ripped and shredded, with that muscle definition everyone is craving.
In case you are still not aware, cutting is the process of eating less food than you previously did to burn excess fat. However, cutting is different from weight loss which also involves eating less than you previously did. That’s because cutting means you try to lose excess fat while also keeping your muscles. Therefore, you try to achieve a lean and muscular physique.
A cutting cycle is usually a real challenge that is not easy. That’s why nobody loves cutting. It is because, during cutting, you need to increase the amount of cardio, reduce the calorie intake (under your maintenance), and be very careful about what you’re eating. Taking this into consideration, it is very easy to see why.
There are a lot of different theories on how to cut. However, as with all things related to fitness, you’ll often find a lot of myths that are just that – myths. There is a lot of great advice too. However, you’ll just need to know where to look. I recommend paying attention to those that are science backed-up.
What does it take to cut?
You may already know that in order to burn fat, you need to increase your activity level. Indeed, being more active will burn more calories, therefore, you’ll lose weight. On the other hand, regardless of how active you are, you will not burn that extra fat if you continue eating in surplus. That’s why your diet is crucial. You need to lower your calorie intake (below maintenance). The boost in activity levels will boost the calorie expenditure. So, you need to eat less, and you need to be more active. However, it still doesn’t stop here, as there are other factors to consider too.
While you may be lowering your calories (eating less), you will still need to ensure that you get enough macronutrients and micronutrients. Macro or micro- nutrients deficiencies will significantly hinder your progress. Micronutrients are minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. You usually get enough of them as long as you eat right, healthy, balanced, and varied with a proper macronutrient balance. Pretty sure you’ve heard about macros before. They include protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
When you plan cutting and keeping muscle, you need to have your macros on point, getting a certain number of calories from fat, carbs, and protein. So, indeed, fat loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn. However, cutting is not only about how many calories you consume, it is the source of those calories that significantly matter too.
In order to build muscle (or at least keep muscle) while you’re cutting fat, you need to aim for a large amount of protein. That’s about 1 gram of protein per day per pound of body weight. You’ll also need to get healthy fats (about 10-20% of your total calories) and the rest are carbs.
Check cutting tips to keep muscles below:
Tips For Cutting and Keeping Muscle
Increase your water intake
Many think that they should decrease their water intake to decrease their water retention. Yet, although it may be counterintuitive, drinking more water will actually help you decrease water retention. Drinking less water won’t only make your body hold onto water, bloating you, but it may lead to various health issues, hindering your cutting progress. We’re mostly made up of water – our organs function properly thanks to water. Not only that, but water will also help prevent hunger pangs. Studies prove that increasing water intake makes people eat less. Drinking water before eating will make you consume fewer calories per meal.
Generally, water contains zero calories and is essential for your organs, such as your heart, liver, lungs, muscles, and so on. Staying hydrated will increase your energy levels, allowing you to increase your activity levels. So, water helps you both boost calorie expenditure and consume fewer calories too.
Prep your own food
Preparing your own food is important because it allows you to have total control over what goes into it. I assume you’ve seen a lot of bodybuilders preparing their own foods, and they rarely eat out. That’s not only because preparing your own food helps you save money, but it is because you know exactly how much you need to eat each food. You do not need to be Gordon Ramsay to prepare your own food. Moreover, you can always develop new culinary skills.
That’s important because you need to be diligent with food when cutting. Ordering takeaways or buying microwave meals will make it incredibly difficult to keep track of what you’re consuming.
Don’t freak out if you cheat
Of course, the less you cheat, the better. Maintaining a caloric deficit is necessary to cut. However, it can be really hard. Moreover, the longer you’re cutting for, the harder it is. This is the reason why a lot of bodybuilders will occasionally have cheat meals or even cheat days when they are cutting. This involves chowing down on an enormous cheat meal. While this will kick up the calories, it will help you emotionally (and even physically, by stopping your body from entering the “survival mode”).
That’s why, if hunger kicks in too hard and you can barely think of anything else instead of a gigantic pizza, then go for it and try not to beat yourself up about it. Stay on track after it. People give up because they lack motivation and usually after a cheat meal. Stay away from negative thinking that makes your diet spiral out of control. You’ve had a cheat meal, but you still need to stay on track – focus on the task.
Use cardio to max your caloric expenditure
You can’t cut without a calorie deficiency and you can burn fat and lose weight efficiently through diet alone by eating less. However, in order to cut effectively and get that awesome shredded appearance, you can (and should) combine your diet with cardiovascular exercises.
Adding cardio to your regimen will maximize your results as it will boost the calorie expenditure, increasing the rate at which you lose fat. This will help you compensate for the days that you are cheating. Moreover, cardio exercises will help you enhance your cardiovascular health too.
Lift heavy
Many people assume that lifting weights is not necessary during cutting and weight loss cycles. That’s a huge mistake. Even if your goal is weight loss, lifting heavy will still help you in numerous ways. Not only will it help you burn more calories, but it will help build and preserve lean muscle tissues. When it comes to cutting and keeping muscle, lifting heavy is actually even more important than cardio! Lifting heavy and building muscle is extremely effective at burning fat. Even though cardio is even more talked about when it comes to cutting.
Heavy weight and low rep range (hypertrophy rep range) exercises will help build lean muscle. This will help boost your metabolism, which will make your body consume more calories on a daily basis when resting. The more your body burns during rest, the faster you’ll burn fat. Moreover, you’re keeping muscle during the cutting cycle which is essential for developing the shredded and ripped physique.
Avoid all sugar at all costs!
Yes, there is sugar that you need, such as that from fruits and vegetables. But that’s the only sugar you need to get. Especially during a cutting cycle. We’re talking about avoiding all sugar when talking about refined processed carbs and fat. Sugar is quick-release energy, and in case we do not burn it immediately (and we rarely do), it is stored soon after as fat. This is something that you are very likely to know even if you’re not into fitness – sugar is bad for you. It is bad both for your health and if you want to improve your body shape. But during a cut, sugar being bad for you is double true.
What you should aim for is to completely exclude it from your diet. Avoid anything sugar – foods or drinks. You get enough sugar (because your body still needs it) from fruits and vegetables. These are also nutrient dense, unlike processed foods. Moreover, if you keep it sugar-free, you’ll also get to eat more as high sugary foods (and drinks) are high in calories. Instead, opt for foods that are full of protein and fiber.
Consume caffeine
You may have noticed that caffeine is in most weight loss diets. That’s because it is actually helpful in burning fat. Caffeine will help lift our moods, increase alertness, and allow us to concentrate longer. Besides, studies prove that coffee also has appetite suppressing qualities. Because of all these factors, caffeine works very nicely alongside any cutting diet plan. You can even try a supplement containing caffeine if you do not love coffee taste. Especially because you need to drink black sugarless coffee.
Drinking coffee with milk will add calories. As in terms of sugar, read the previous point. Since not everyone loves black sugarless coffee, you could opt for supplements with caffeine. In whichever case, make sure you do not overdo it. Anything over 400 mg of caffeine per day in total can be detrimental. Especially if you have some cardiovascular issues. In fact, you may need to reduce (or avoid altogether) caffeine intake if you do have any particular health issues.
Use less cooking oil
Cutting is a highly delicate game and any detail matters. So, while it may seem a minor point, it all adds up. Cooking oil is full of trans fats and calories. Therefore, if you’re pouring oil into your cooking pan, in your salads, or over your meals, you may add a lot of calories without even knowing. While it may not seem much, trust me, it does add up in the long run.
To minimize its impact, be careful not to overdo it. You do need fats (even when cutting) but you need to be careful with their amounts and quality. So, you may opt for sprays that will finely coat the cooking pan, salads, or any other meals in small amounts. Needless to mention, you should avoid high fat foods, especially during cutting.
Eat lots of protein and fiber
A lot of people do not even realize that their protein intake is extremely low. This is one of the main reasons why they feel, look, and perform poorly. When you want to burn fat and keep your muscles, you need to increase your protein. Opt for one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. Protein is the best thing you need when you’re cutting. When cutting, you need to reduce the amount of carbohydrates and add a lot of protein rich foods to your diet. This will help your cutting game and help you keep muscle.
Fiber is another extremely important element that you need in your diet. Vegetables are full of fiber, so you need to make sure that you’ll get enough of them. Especially because they are also full of microelements too. Fiber is important to help you keep full allowing you to eat less, and is important for your digestive system. Increasing the amount of protein and fiber you eat per day will lead to drastic results in your fitness game.
Prepare for hunger
Cutting means that you eat less than you used to. Therefore, feeling hungry is something you should expect. That’s one of the main reasons why the bodybuilder cutting journey is such a difficult one. You need to cut the calories from your diet, that’s why it is called cutting in the first place. So, hunger is normal and expected. You need to face hunger head-on. Especially because there are likely to be times in your cutting when you will likely feel crazy-hungry.
If you really want to be shredded, you need to be strong! This is why there are not too many people who are walking around shredded – not everyone is so strong. Find your motivation, plan, and prepare. Throughout your cutting phase, you should focus on your end goal, working hard to build up your mental fortitude. It is the mental part that you’ve got to overcome to achieve your goals. You may build discipline, similar to how you can build muscle. It takes time and practice. The most important thing is to never give up!
Cutting and Keeping Lean Muscle with Cycle Gear
One of the best, fastest, and by far most effective ways to achieve your goals of cutting and keeping muscle is to use Cycle Gear’s anabolic steroids.
We provide the best quality bodybuilding steroids that are doing wonders when it comes to cutting fat and building lean muscle mass. There are no better compounds than steroids for cutting and keeping muscle. Our cutting steroids are tried and tested and proven to be the best quality on the market. Moreover, we provide the best prices for them, allowing you to save money. This way, Cycle Gear will give you the extra help you need to make your next cut the best of your life.
It is important to understand that learning how to get cut is a long journey. It is not always easy, but it is always worth it. Alongside Cycle-Gear.to, you will get an awesome boost in your goals. We provide numerous cutting steroids and weight loss compounds that boost your energy, keep your appetite in check, keep your muscles, boost fat burning processes, and provide numerous other benefits that you need for your cutting cycles. Follow these tips for cutting, and you’re going to get the best shape of your life in no time!