Less reps more weight for cutting?

**will86** · 02-11-2004, 07:57 PM

Hey i'm starting to cut and am pretty confused on how much to lift. I was told that you should lift heavy to not lose muscle memory and fewer reps to prevent catabolism. So what do you guys think?

**damiongage** · 02-11-2004, 08:17 PM

when i bulk i do 4-5 reps
when I cut I go 6-8

**DBarcelo** · 02-11-2004, 09:36 PM

I always suggest people go with high reps and low weight when cutting. You don't lose the "muscle memory". Losing some muscle has always been an accepted part of cutting. Supps will probably come out soon that will change all of that.

**Hardcore189** · 02-12-2004, 09:19 PM

High Reps Low Weight for cutting ( DO THEM SLOW )
Low Reps High Weight for mass

**scottninpo** · 02-13-2004, 04:55 AM

high reps are a waste of time, always go heavy and train hard, your muscles grow when you force them to with heavy weights, just because you're trying to lose bodyfat doesn't make it ok to not train hard and heavy, you'll get better results with heavy training and an hiit cardio program

**bigdog81** · 02-13-2004, 07:09 AM

i agree w./ scott..
keep the intensity high...
when i bulk...i do 8sets of 3.....
when trying to lean...i do the same.........lol
leaning up takes place in the kitchen.
who wants to rob their muscle their growth...just b/c they are tryin to lean up?

***Pheedno*** · 02-13-2004, 07:12 AM

My training stays the same. Your not lifting for fat loss, thats what cardio and diet does. I stick to a heavy weight. Seems to help in retaining my strength while on a calorie deficiency

**gregkovac** · 02-13-2004, 07:43 AM

When i´m cutting i just shorten the rest time between sets. Add more reps and lower weights.

**dutchboy** · 02-13-2004, 05:36 PM

Same workout different diet.
and cardio

**VforVendetta** · 02-13-2004, 05:41 PM

So the general consensus on low/high reps seems to be 3-5 and 8-10 respectively?

**DBarcelo** · 02-14-2004, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by VforVendetta

So the general consensus on low/high reps seems to be 3-5 and 8-10 respectively?

No. 3-5 is for a power lifter or strength training. 8-10 is for bodybuilding and bulking. Some people do bulk with just the 3-5 range, but the vast majority of people only gain strength in that range. Some people will argue that you have to get bigger in order to get stronger, but you don't really have to, and it's more a matter of support muscle involvement. Look at a power lifter that can bench 800lbs, they tend to have a much smaller chest than a bodybuilder that benches 400lbs.

**scottninpo** · 02-14-2004, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by DBarcelo

No. 3-5 is for a power lifter or strength training. 8-10 is for bodybuilding and bulking. Some people do bulk with just the 3-5 range, but the vast majority of people only gain strength in that range. Some people will argue that you have to get bigger in order to get stronger, but you don't really have to, and it's more a matter of support muscle involvement. Look at a power lifter that can bench 800lbs, they tend to have a much smaller chest than a bodybuilder that benches 400lbs.

no offence dude, but that's nuts, take a look at purepowers' pics in the member's pics section and tell me powerlifters don't have mass, that's the whole point of powerlifting, to get bigger and stronger, only wrestlers want to add strength without size as far as i know

**fritz2435** · 02-14-2004, 02:55 PM

Powerlifters tend to be just as large, just they aren't as concerned about their leanness as a bodybuilder would be. For example, a powerlifter may have the same sized chest, only to have a layer of fat above it that the bodybuilder does not have, therefore making the bodybuilder look larger. I know a powerlifter who is not ripped and does not look big from far away, but when as I approach him, i can see he is very thick.

**DBarcelo** · 02-14-2004, 10:01 PM

I'm not saying they aren't big guys. They just don't have the size where you would think. A benchpresser is going to have a large chest, but in relation, normally they have larger shoulders. So if you take that layer of fat into consideration, if the body builder and the power lifter have the same sized chest, and the power lifter can move more weight, then the bodybuilder's chest is actually larger than the power lifter (that's got to be hard to follow).

**Yung Wun** · 02-14-2004, 10:59 PM

Originally Posted by Pheedno

My training stays the same. Your not lifting for fat loss, thats what cardio and diet does. I stick to a heavy weight. Seems to help in retaining my strength while on a calorie deficiency

great minds think alike. fitness fitness forums

**scottninpo** · 02-15-2004, 06:54 AM

Originally Posted by DBarcelo

I'm not saying they aren't big guys. They just don't have the size where you would think. A benchpresser is going to have a large chest, but in relation, normally they have larger shoulders. So if you take that layer of fat into consideration, if the body builder and the power lifter have the same sized chest, and the power lifter can move more weight, then the bodybuilder's chest is actually larger than the power lifter (that's got to be hard to follow).

i think this can be explained with chemistry, obviously bb'ers and powerlifters take different aas to achieve their goals, powerlifters sticking to stuff like halo, test suspension, var, wintrol, and bb'ers to fina, deca , eq, etc. but to say that their style of working out affects this is reaching a little bit, it has a lot more to do with the drugs than the workouts

**DBarcelo** · 02-15-2004, 10:06 AM

Through all of the years, I've heard comparisons between powerlifters and bodybuilders and everyone says it's from the different way they workout. I have done strength training and with the bench press, I notice that my shoulders were more stressed than my chest and my tris gave out before my chest was even very sore at all, so what I've read makes sense to me.

**spywizard** · 02-15-2004, 11:58 AM

You can't spot reduce fat with high reps.. and that is what is suggested with the high reps for cutting.. it raises your metabolism... but that's about it..

I love static...

what if i told you that you could add 30-=50 lbs to any exercise if you would do just 1 rep and that body part only once ever 5 days........

do some searching on static training.. works for me... great for blasting through a sticking point..

Peace

Originally Posted by scottninpo

high reps are a waste of time, always go heavy and train hard, your muscles grow when you force them to with heavy weights, just because you're trying to lose bodyfat doesn't make it ok to not train hard and heavy, you'll get better results with heavy training and an hiit cardio program

**scottninpo** · 02-15-2004, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by DBarcelo

Through all of the years, I've heard comparisons between powerlifters and bodybuilders and everyone says it's from the different way they workout. I have done strength training and with the bench press, I notice that my shoulders were more stressed than my chest and my tris gave out before my chest was even very sore at all, so what I've read makes sense to me.

this is where genetics play a role, most people will say that powerlifters are "blocky" well, i say that makes a lot of sense because most competitive powerlifters have broad upper bodies with short limbs, making it a lot easier to move heavy weight, so people with that body type gravatate towards powerlifting, we're all after the same thing, though, aren't we? bigger, stronger muscles, right? anyway you break it down, that's what we're after, and it only makes sense that powerlifters have the most knowledge about making muscles bigger and stonger, bodybuilders appear to look different because they also concentrate on lowering they're bodyfat percentage, i'll leave with this, if you've ever seen lee priest in the offseason, you'd look at him and swear he was a powerlifter, cause he probably puts on 30-40 lbs in fat, but when competition time comes around, he looks like a bodybuilder, right?