The Beginners Guide to Cutting
By Patrick D.
Introduction
This is a basic introductory guide on cutting. When I use the term “Cutting” I mean reducing body fat, while maintaining lean body mass. It is divided in to 3 sections: Diet, Training, and Supplementation. This entire guide is written off the top of my head, using my own personal bodybuilding experience as my only reference. It is important to note that individuals have different body types, and different metabolisms. Some people are able to readily lose fat easier than others. Some people have stubborn fat in certain areas that just won’t seem to go away. This doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with that spare tire for the rest of your life; it just means that you’ll need to work a little harder.
If Bodybuilding were easy, then everyone would do it. The two main requirements when cutting are willpower and dedication. If you’re halfway through a cut, and you find yourself reaching for that Beer or Candy Bar, just ask yourself this question: How bad do you want it?” How badly do you want to see that 6-pack? How badly do you want to be in control of your body? How badly do you want to reach your goals? I’ll be the first one to say that cutting is not fun, but unless you just want to become some big muscular fat guy, it’s a necessity.
Cutting is a slow process and requires patience. Don’t expect to be completely ripped in 2 or 3 weeks, because it just won’t happen. You should be aiming to lose one pound per week. If you lose weight too fast, then you run the risk of losing some of that hard-earned muscle.
Diet
Diet is the most important aspect of cutting. You want to eat at least 6 small meals per day within your calorie limit. It will be very beneficial to track your food that you eat every day in terms of both overall caloric intake, and macronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat). First, you must find out how many calories you should be eating. To calculate this, you can use a simple formula. Take your body weight in pounds and multiply it by 12. For example:
200lbs x 12 = 2400 Calories
You would divide 2400 by 6 = @400 calories per meal (you could increase/decrease the calories of each meal as long as you consume the target number of calories, in this case: 2400)
This is a general guideline, and can be increased or decreased depending on the person. If you have a fast metabolism, I suggest starting at a multiplier of 13. If you stop losing weight for 2 or 3 weeks, you may lower your calories, or increase cardio (see training section).
What you eat is almost important as how much you eat. Cutting is the time for you to clean up your diet, and stick to “clean” foods. I’ll briefly touch on the 3 macronutrients:
Protein
Protein is the life-blood of a bodybuilder’s diet. Sufficient protein intake is necessary for maintaining muscle mass. I suggest eating at least a gram of protein per pound of body weight. This can easily be achieved by eating 30-40g protein at every meal. Main sources of protein include: Lean Steak or Ground Beef, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Fish, Turkey, and Supplement Powders (Whey, Casein, Soy, etc.).
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. Your overall Carb intake may vary. Anywhere from 100g-200g Per day would be ideal. I suggest eating 20-40g carbs in the morning with breakfast. Your body has been fasting for a few hours at this point and you need to put some fuel back in the gas tank. It is for that same reason that I suggest another carb meal about 30-60 minutes before a workout.
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a rating system for the length of time it takes for your body to convert carbohydrates to glucose (sugar). If a food is rated high on the Glycemic Index, then it will be quickly metabolized. High GI foods are good for after lifting weights, for muscle recovery. Carbs you could take post-workout include Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Potatoes, and Pasta. Post-workout, however, is the only time I suggest High GI carbs. All other carbs throughout the day should come from lower GI carb sources that include some fiber. Low GI Carb sources include Oats, Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Green Vegetables, Oat Bran Cereal, Whole Wheat Bread (or Tortillas or Pitas).
Fat
Fat intake should comprise 20-30% of your overall calories. Make sure you are getting your fat from healthy fat sources, like Olives or Olive Oil, Natural Peanut Butter, Nuts, Flaxseed Oil, and Fish Oil. Salmon, for example, is a great natural source of Fish Oil, and pretty tasty too. Saturated fat sources, such as cheese and butter should be avoided for the most part. A tablespoon of butter with your dinner won’t kill you, but all good things in moderation.
Cheating
Cheating is simply when you eat something that’s not exactly healthy. It’s okay to cheat on your diet once in a while to maintain your sanity, but don’t go overboard. Try to keep your cheating to once a week (or less).
Beverages
Beverages will help you fight feelings of hunger and give your stomach that “full” feeling. Drink at least a gallon of water per day. It is important to keep the body hydrated. Besides water, you could drink some hot beverages, such as Black Coffee or Green Tea, both of which have caffeine (see supplement section below). Diet Sodas are also acceptable, as they have zero calories. Milk (low fat or nonfat) is another good beverage, but just make sure that you’re counting it towards your overall calorie intake. I suggest keeping milk intake to 32 oz. or less, due to the high lactose content. Lactose is basically another form of sugar, and fairly high on the Glycemic Index.
Training
This is divided into two sub-sections, weights and cardio.
Weights
Possibly the hardest part of cutting is lifting weights for months at a time without getting any bigger or stronger. Unfortunately, this is the case for most individuals. Yes, it is possible to gain some muscle or strength on a cut, but not very likely. Keep in mind that this is a cutting guide, and not a body recomposition guide. That being said, let’s talk about weight training.
You can choose several different weight training routines when cutting. The best one is the one that works for you. I suggest a training volume of 8-10 sets per body part per week. There is no need to work muscles twice a week. Again, your goal here is just stimulating your existing lean body mass, not growing any new muscle. You should still be lifting heavy, and close to muscle failure.
Like I said, you can choose several weight routines, but I'll go ahead and recommend the one I use when I cut:
Day 1: Off or Cardio or Shoulders (optional)
Day 2: Legs
Day 3: Push (Chest and Triceps)
Day 4: Off or Cardio
Day 5: Off or Cardio
Day 6: Pull (Back and Biceps)
Day 7: Off or Cardio
As you can see, this leaves much flexibility, to either take rest days if you feel the need for recovery, or do cardio (see cardio subsection below). If you feel the need to do some direct shoulder work, you can fit it in on Day One.
What about abdominal work?
Abs can be worked on any day of the week, no more than twice a week, and at least 48 hours in between. Anywhere from 4-8 sets would be ideal.
Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise is another key element of cutting. It helps with fat burning, raises metabolism, and contributes to a healthy heart (the strongest muscle in the body). When you first begin cutting, you should have one or two days per week dedicated to cardio. As you progress further into your cut, you may feel the need to increase cardio if you reach a sticking point or a plateau in your weight loss. There are several forms of cardio. This next sentence is very important. Find one that you enjoy. If you hate cardio, it will hate you back. If you can’t stand running on a treadmill, don’t do it. If you love to play Tennis or Basketball, go for it.
The duration of your cardio depends on your intensity level. Personally, I have had good results with medium intensity cardio (such as cycling or elliptical) for durations of 40-50 minutes. The main objective is to keep your heart rate at an elevated level for an extended period of time.
Others have good results with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This involves short bursts of maximum effort (such as Wind Sprints, Heavy Bag, Jump Rope) followed by short periods of rest, repeated over and over. There is scientific data to prove that HIIT is quite effective for fat loss.
