Related Posts
Anyone in dental sales?
Bowl Leader
Conversation Starter
Additional Posts in Gym Buddies Daily Check-in
Rising Star
0 motivation to get out for a run today
Chief
Conversation Starter
Chief
Who’s working out Monday morning? 😤😤😤
Rising Star
Chief
Rising Star
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Track calories. 200 deficit per day. Prioritize protein to maintain gainz…
You want to start cutting because you’ve plateaued on strength gains?
yeah i find when i plateau its a good time to change things up
plus my clothes are starting to fit too tight after gaining
The only way to not lose strength on your way to getting super lean is with anabolics. I am not suggesting you go that route, just that you have realistic expectations so as not to get derailed.
A consistent 200-300 calorie deficit over a long period of time can drop significant weight without affecting strength, but everyone gets to a level of leaness, where the body slows it's metabolism and starts to catabolize muscle along side that last little bit of fat. How lean the atrophy starts differs person to person, and if you want to get lean past that point you either have to sacrifice a little strength and size, or you need to lean bulk for a while to build up some "extra" muscle. My experience with that is that I build the extra muscle and end up in the same spot, not wanting to sacrifice to get below 12% or so.
There are no tricks, either you work with what God gave you, or you go super-natural. It's almost a guarantee that the bodies that you idize are enhanced, so be realistic about your end goal.
Over the past year or so, I've dropped from 250 lbs to 230 lbs and gotten slightly stronger along the way (a rep or two per lift, nothing dramatic).I've yo-yo'ed too many times to count, and the reason all along was that I would drop a bunch of weight relatively quickly, but end up feeling weak and depleted, so I'd go on a bulk and gain it all back.
For someone in your situation, patience is the key. Eating in a slight deficit isn't much fun, and you do get hungry on occasion, but it's not torture The key is to be willing to stick to it for a long period of time to not have it impact your strength. Target a pound per week, maximum 2 pounds a week, and do not mentally shy away at the gym. Another problem I've faced is that my mind would go into "diet mode" in the gym, and I would lighten the weight, and I would slow and perfect my form. This is good to do intentionally every few months for a week or two in order to give your nervous system a break in terms of intensity, but in my case I was actually backing of to the point that I atrophied slightly from the lower intensity and volume, not from the calorie deficit.
The last tip that seemed to help me is that I shifted away from training fasted. I still work out first thing in the am, but this past year, I've had a protein shake (made with tart cherry juice for simple carbs and mild vasodialation) and a banana on the way to the gym. Add in dried coffee to tolerance, and it's been great for motivation and energy, I get a better pump, and it has helped me keep the weights up.
I think my biggest struggle is going to be the hunger. Even while bulking I was always hungry. The only thing I could do was meal prep to make sure I was eating good fuel.
To start out, I am planning to replace some of the carbs with greens, I think that should save me a 2-300 calories a day. and hopefully I can make the rest up with some cardio or something
i just bought a kilo of broccoli, wish me luck lol.
I feel hungry when i’m bulking and even when i was maintaining. I think it’s just how my body works lol.
That’s why i’m focused more on replacing my food with greens. I need more food but less calories