Seven ways to keep muscle while losing fat: eat over 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, don't cut calories too hard, maintain the weight you lift, keep carbs in your diet, and use refeed days before heavy sessions. Gradual deficits and diet breaks work better than aggressive cuts.
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All right, so important video that I can't believe I haven't done yet, and it is how to maintain muscle/lean body mass on a cut, which is really the main goal. So let's kick it off. Number 1 is eat enough protein. Okay, I know this sounds obvious, but this really does become important when you're cutting. We even have research to show that when in a caloric deficit, it is wise to take in more protein than when we are in a caloric surplus. Surplus. The good old 1 gram per pound of body weight should cover you, but some people even like to add in a bit extra when they're cutting. Number 2: Cut on as many calories as possible. This is very important. Don't just say, fuck it, I want to be shredded, and cut your calories in half. Remember, the bigger deficit you're in, the more catabolic you will be. Number 3: Take things slow. Give yourself plenty of time, even take diet breaks, and just understand that long-term and sustainable weight loss is a slow process. Number 4: Maintain strength/weight on the bar. This is the most important factor of training for anyone who wants to keep muscle and lose fat. The primary stimulus for maintaining muscle is maintaining your strength too. For example, if at the end of your bulk you're benching 100kg, your goal throughout the duration of your fat loss phase is to end up benching that 100kg. The same goes for any other exercise in your routine. You gotta strive to be hitting your numbers, and you gotta say, nope, I'm not going lighter than that. This is also why the myth of lifting heavier to build muscle and lifting light high reps to burn fat is exactly what you don't want to do. Number 5: Reduce volume if necessary. Another thing I'd like to add to the last tip about training is you may want to lower your volume if you notice that you're not recovering properly, or your strength may even be decreasing because of the energy deficit you are in. So again, for example, let's take someone bench pressing 5x5 at 100kg. If you notice that this is affecting your recovery, you may want to lower it down to 3 sets of 5 at 100kg, but just don't lower that weight. Number 6, don't cut carbs. Carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source, but because of today's nutritional dogma, for some reason people think, 'Okay, time to cut. See you later, carbs.' Yeah, maybe if you want to end up looking like Screech Powers. You may have to lower carbs to go into a deficit, but there's no reason to cut them out completely. If you leave them in, your performance in the weight room will be better, thus retaining more muscle. This is a mistake that I personally made when I was younger. Number 7: Include refeed days. These are the business. A refeed day is where you lower protein and fat slightly and increase your carbohydrates by 100%. I made a full video on this only about 3 videos ago, ago, if you want to check that out. I would also recommend placing your refeed day the day before a big session. And again, I'm gonna have to reiterate, better performance in the weight room will mean you're going to retain more muscle. So there we go, these are my tips on how to cut and retain muscle and give you that full but shredded look that most guys desire. But to be honest, all those tips really do apply for girls too, or anyone who wants to cut properly, safely, and effectively. Thanks for watching. As always, keep it real. Like, comment, subscribe. I'm out.
