maintaining strength

[IronReload04]

When you guys go from bulked up to cutdown, when you do it naturally and perfectly, how much if any strength do you loose. some guys gave me some good info on some of my other questions. I would just like to here from anyone if they were able to loose a good chunk of fat and see what exactly happened to their strength, specifically the bench press. were you able to maintain it or how much did you drop?

[imann]

weight pushes weight.....when i cut up i notice a slight decrease in strength.....BP goes down probably 15 to 25 lbs.....the only thing i get better at is weighted pull-ups...jmo

[fritz2435]

weight pushes weight.....when i cut up i notice a slight decrease in strength.....BP goes down probably 15 to 25 lbs.....the only thing i get better at is weighted pull-ups...jmo

Often times you feel weaker, because the carb depletion causes lethargy. Have a little caffeine before you work out, and you may not feel as weak.

[IronReload04]

i am only going down to 10%bf from about 17 or 18. Since i am not balls out cutting, is it possible to maintain strength at what i am doing.

do you ever get that lost strength back while your are still cut?

[IronReload04]

o, and i dont plan on loosing any water

[carbs-rule]

I think a 17% to 10% drop is pretty large myself. I lost some strength and muscle while cutting, even while taking as many precautions as possible to avoid it. However, i would reccomend doing one exercise solely at a one max-rep when cutting. For example, on chest day:

1-2X one rep bench at max weight
4X10 flies
4X10 incline or decline bench
3X dumbell pullover

After I incorporated the one rep set, I stopped losing strength entirely. Before, I was losing about 1 rep per week on normal sets.

[carbs-rule]

Also, I never gained back that strength until i started bulking again. Unless you are going to be in a show or something, I would get as cut as possible, then bulk with as much clean food as possible. It's amazing how little fat you put on when not eating a lot of junk.

[IronReload04]

Also, I never gained back that strength until i started bulking again. Unless you are going to be in a show or something, I would get as cut as possible, then bulk with as much clean food as possible. It's amazing how little fat you put on when not eating a lot of junk.

are you saying that, after you cut, when you start bulking again, you gain muscle at a good rate while not putting on too much fat when you are bulking clean?

[carbs-rule]

Yes. The first time I bulked, I ate a lot of junk, thinking it wouldn't add up to that much fat as long as I trained hard. But I put on more fat than I did when I ate a lot cleaner (I know, master of the obvious). As a result, I had more fat to lose, which translated into losing slightly more strength because I had to cut longer. Also, I did no cardio when I first bulked, whereas now I would do cardio 1-2 times per week while bulking, just to keep some fat off.

[IronReload04]

thanks for the replies. i will just have to accept possible strength loss. after i get down to 10 %, i intend on staying their and bulking, while doing what you said, cardio 1-2 times a week to keep the fat off.

i am seeing really good fat loss already.

[imann]

Often times you feel weaker, because the carb depletion causes lethargy. Have a little caffeine before you work out, and you may not feel as weak.

Yeah that or ephedra....i like the later myself

[Aboot]

A calorie deficit will equal strength loss. The rate at which you will lose strength will be determined on numerous factors (speed of the loss of weight, diet, etc.).

[bulldawg_28]

A calorie deficit will equal strength loss. The rate at which you will lose strength will be determined on numerous factors (speed of the loss of weight, diet, etc.).

So basically the rate of weight loss, will determine how much strength you can maintain. What if lets say instead of losing 1 pound a week, you lose 1 pound every two weeks. Sure you would have to diet longer to get down to the single digits of bodyfat, but woudn't you maintain more muscle and strength? How does that sound?

[dalcowbag]

**** guys calm down. if your diet is in check and your cardio is not too intense. . well then you prob wont drop ne strngth. u may have to tinker with your diet but i know a few of us on here gain while cutting, i know i do.

dcb

[SwoleCat]

Yeah, cutting doesn't always mean your strength goes in the sh*tter. If it does, u aren't cutting in an ideal fashion.

~SC~

[goodtobeapimp]

Depends on your diet exactly. What's "perfect" in your eyes might not be the same as others. You also used the word "naturally". Which I think adds another dimension to the process of cutting.

I've cut and bulked on my own "naturally" for four years. The four years prior to that I was just an avid lifter and sometimes ate clean other times I didnt. I can assure you that unless your going to change something to help you in your diet when you create a caloric deficit, (depending on exactly what foods you are eating) your more then likely going to come down with the water and energy.

I've lived by the numbers for years to track progress. Mainly,because I've been powerlifting for 9 years now. While cutting,I personally do not get too uptight about my strength loss. Goals are goals and what sacrifieces come with them are just that.

As far as weight on lifts are concerned. I honestly lose about 45-50 pounds on the flat bench. Then again, my training techniques in the winter time (bulking) are very outrageous (powerlifting routine) and I can literally gain 25 of it back within a month.(assuming I'm getting AMPLE calories,and I literally mean AMPLE)

Set your goals and work towards them. I,myself would rather bulk for strength and mass,then cut for my body later on down the road. When you mix and match them without use of AS it can be a tricky task and halter some of your progress. Strength is always there once you build it there. It's just a process of feeding it to get back to where it once was and start building from there. You can't always perform 100% and try to make radical changes to your body...IMO Good luck...

[IronReload04]

ok, i am into my 3rd week of cutting. i have lost 15 pounds so far. my bench press is up by 3 reps since i benched the last time????? all i have to say is that is pretty ****ing sweet. no bull****. i am not taking any fatloss supplements either, just smart cardio and protein and veggies being the staple of my diet.

it is not like i am a newby to lifting. my charted max is 350 now. still natural

[dalcowbag]

ok, i am into my 3rd week of cutting. i have lost 15 pounds so far. my bench press is up by 3 reps since i benched the last time????? all i have to say is that is pretty ****ing sweet. no bull****. i am not taking any fatloss supplements either, just smart cardio and protein and veggies being the staple of my diet.

it is not like i am a newby to lifting. my charted max is 350 now. still natural

always good to see results like that, keep it up bro!!!

DCB

[IronReload04]

i just wanted others to see that loosing fat does not mean loosing strength all the time. using me as proof, their is hope.

either i have genetics that i never knew i had, or i just want it that bad that my mind is willing it to happen if that makes any sense? might be a body only goes as far as the mind situation?

[mitch911]

i use to bench 185 10 times before cutting then when cutting i went down to like 145 12 times...i couldnt believe it although i was looking bigger because of the fat loss it was kind of depressing seeing how my strength was dropping so much...as soon as i started bulking up i was back to my normal range within 3 weeks...is this all because the nutrients that my body needed..is there anything i can change next time i cut

[dalcowbag]

i use to bench 185 10 times before cutting then when cutting i went down to like 145 12 times...i couldnt believe it although i was looking bigger because of the fat loss it was kind of depressing seeing how my strength was dropping so much...as soon as i started bulking up i was back to my normal range within 3 weeks...is this all because the nutrients that my body needed..is there anything i can change next time i cut

hard to say wiht out seeing your cutting diet, post it up if ya like and we can have a look at it.

DCB

[Hypertrophy]

i just wanted others to see that loosing fat does not mean loosing strength all the time. using me as proof, their is hope.

That is what I told you when you posted the same question in the workout forum and I replied about the myosin and actin and force production~

[statuZ]

That is what I told you when you posted the same question in the workout forum and I replied about the myosin and actin and force production~

more details on tihs!

[HOLLYWOOD]

Hey swolecat would this example diet be a good diet to follow to keep as much muscle as possible, im 205lbs, with about 10-12% bf

Meal 1:
Lean Protein, 1/2 cup oatmeal

Meal 2:
Protein shake/Lean Protein (2 tbsp flax

Meal 3:
Veggies, Lean Protein

Workout

Meal 4:
PWO Nutrition

Meal 5:
Veggies, Lean Protein, 1/2 cup rice or oatmeal.

Meal 6:
Shake with Flax

what do ya think?

[SwoleCat]

How did you come up with "1/2 cup" of this/that here and there, but no other measurements/weights of other foods? The outline looks okay, yes, but as far as amounts, food choices, etc., I've no idea. EX: "Pwo nutrition"

~SC~

[HOLLYWOOD]

rambo psoted it as a sample cutting diet! can you give me some weights to throw in there as an example! all protein meals i will be having 50g's of protein from whatever protein it is! but anyways can you help fill the gaps?