It’s every bodybuilder’s favorite macronutrient and for good reason. Protein is extremely essential, super satiating and amazingly anabolic. Complete Guide to Cutting Weight Without Sacrificing Strength. Anyone can cut weight fast. It’s really not that hard. But rapidly cutting a lot of weight while maintaining (and even gaining) strength requires strategy. So I’m going to give you mine. In this article, you’re going to learn both the theory and practical application behind the approach I’ve developed over the past 5 years to cut weight fast prior to a 2. Why listen to me? An IPA world- record holder with a 4x bodyweight raw deadlift under my belt (for which I had to cut nearly 8% of my bodyweight in about 2. I’ve had years of experience cutting weight while performing at a high level. Follow my instructions and you’ll learn how to lose weight rapidly without sacrificing your strength. But first. And while cutting weight isn’t inherently bad, it can take your focus away from performance and put it on an arbitrary weight class. So rather than focus on cutting weight, focus solely on your strength and make sure you hit personal records. The type of weight cut outlined below is not a long- term solution. It’s not a sustainable way to eat and, in the long- term, can have negative effects on both health and performance. Assuming you want to lose and maintain your weight loss in the long- term (not just for a single powerlifting meet), you need to adopt a mindset and approach that will allow you to succeed. On the other hand, if you’re a high- level lifter with a legitimate shot at setting records, drastic weight cuts can be a necessary evil. So if you’re a high- level lifter and need to optimize your weight cut, the approach outlined below is for you. How Do You Want to Cut? How To Speed Up Weight Loss High Daily Intake Of Fruits, Vegetables, Greens and Beans Can Help You Take Control By Jackie Wicks PEERtrainer Founder.The way I see it, you have three options. Option 1: Slow and Steady. Bodybuilding, weight training, nutrition - Dave Draper's IronOnline, over 2,500 pages of insight, motivation, an active community forum board, blog and wiki database. Protein tends to play a starring role at mealtimes, but you might be better off if it moves out of the spotlight and becomes part of a supporting cast of foods on.
Slow and steady is a progressive weight cut for about 1. This is ideal for lifters who hate rapid fat loss and would prefer to progressively lose weight over time. The major drawback of this approach is that it increases your time spent in a caloric deficit, which is never a fun experience and may impact your training cycle. I’d note, this approach is truly sustainable and is my preferred method for lifters of all levels when long- term fat loss (not rapid weight loss) is the goal. Option 2: Fast and Drastic. This is a more rapid approach. Starting roughly 1- 2 weeks prior to weigh- ins, you will introduce a significant caloric deficit to initiate rapid weight loss. Depending on how much you need to lose and how much water you’re comfortable cutting the night before weigh- ins, you’ll progressively implement several strategies to help you lose weight rapidly without sacrificing strength. The major drawback of this approach is that the entire time spent in this phase is pretty miserable. That being said, some people (myself included) prefer this over 1. Option 3: A Combo of the Two. Exactly what it sounds like, this option combines slow and steady, and fast and drastic to get the best of both worlds. To illustrate, rather than start slow and steady 1. This way, you reduce the time spent in each phase and ideally get the best result. In the remainder of this article, I’m going to focus on fast and drastic as well as the water cut. For more information on slow and steady, you can read this article. How to Cut Weight Fast While Gaining Strength. Step 1: Set Your Time Frame. Let’s work backward. Before you establish your protein intake, calorie intake, and other details, you need to know how far in advance (two days to two weeks) you plan to start the fast and drastic phase. To make an educated decision, you first need to understand how much weight you can expect to lose. How Much Can You Lose? Weight loss is highly variable from person to person, but, generally speaking, it’s not uncommon to lose 7- 1. Three days after starting my most recent fast and drastic phase, I dropped 5lbs. Tack another week of fast and drastic dieting onto the schedule and a net weight loss of 1. Do you want to lose that much weight prior to the meet? It depends. If you don’t want to cut a lot of (or any) water the night before weigh- ins, this rapid approach will be right up your alley. If you do plan on cutting water, you may not want such a drastic approach for a full 1- 2 weeks. However, you could use fast and drastic for 2- 3 days in order to drop a few extra pounds and make the water cut less stressful. Simple enough, right? Now you need to answer a very important question. Do you want to cut water the night before? If your answer is “no,” then you need to get within . Some lifters might able to swing 1. That being the case, see how much weight you need to lose and plan for anywhere between two days to two weeks of fast and drastic dieting prior to weigh- ins. If your answer is “yes,” then you have a bit more leeway with how much weight you need to lose prior to the water cut. Taking that into consideration, you likely won’t need to spend as much time in the fast and drastic phase (3- 7 days is usually sufficient) as you’ll be cutting water the night before. Later on, I’ll discuss how to cut water effectively. Now it’s time to set your time frame. Below, I’ve provided four separate options based on how much weight you need to lose prior to weighing in OR prior to initiating the water cut. Use the option that most closely coincides with your individual needs. If you need to lose 2- 4lbs, initiate fast and drastic 2- 4 days in advance. If you need to lose 4- 8lbs, initiate fast and drastic 4- 6 days in advance. If you need to lose 8- 1. If you need to lose 1. Step 2: Set Your Protein Intake. How much protein should you consume during a drastic weight cut? Personally, I recommend anywhere between 1. Realistically, you’ll be fine anywhere within this range but, generally speaking, the leaner you are, the higher your protein: bodyweight ratio should be. Do you need 2x your bodyweight in protein to maintain muscle and strength? No. But a higher ratio will keep you satiated (full) for longer periods of time. Plus, considering protein has a higher thermic effect than all other macronutrients, an emphasis on protein may actually increase your net caloric deficit resulting in even more rapid weight loss. Practical Application: To set your protein intake, multiply your current bodyweight by anywhere between 1. To illustrate, if you weigh 1. Step 3: Set Your Caloric Deficit. This is the not- so- fun part. While the fast and drastic method is extremely effective and allows you to lose a lot of weight very quickly, it also sucks. And it sucks because the deficit so big. Also known as a Protein- Sparing Modified Fast (PSMF), your caloric deficit for the fast and drastic method can be calculated by multiplying your bodyweight (in pounds) by 6, 7, or 8. Needless to say, 6 calories per pound is a much greater deficit than 8 calories per pound, which will lead to a more rapid rate of weight loss. I recommend starting at 7 calories per pound and adjusting as you see fit. Need a faster rate of weight loss? Go to 6 cals per pound. Dropping weight too quickly? Bump it up to 8 cals per pound. Practical Application: To set your caloric deficit, multiply your current bodyweight by 6- 8 calories per pound. To illustrate, if you weigh 1. Step 4: Prepare For the Suck. I’m not going to sugar coat anything. This is going to suck. You’re in a serious caloric deficit and nearly all of your calories are coming from protein. Prepare for extreme irritability. The first few days aren’t that bad, but by the time days 4 and 5 roll around, you’ll probably find yourself in a pretty crappy mood. This is normal. Extreme dieting is never a fun experience and feeling tired, irritable, and hungry are all standard reactions. It’s your body’s way of trying to convince you to eat more. Knowing this, it’s important to prepare ahead of time to make the process as simple and easy as possible. Here are some of my go- to recommendations: Pre- plan and cook meals ahead of time so you don’t come home completely ravenous with nothing ready to eat. Get any/all trigger foods out of your home. There’s nothing worse than staring at a box of your favorite cereal in the middle of a PSMF. Reduce your training volume. This should go without saying since you’re a maximum of two weeks out from the meet, but reducing your training volume to the bare minimum is essential on such a low calorie diet. Boredom is the enemy of hunger. Get out of the house and stay out as long as possible. The more you find yourself bored at home, the hungrier and more irritable you’re going to become. Head to the nearest coffee shop, grab a large black iced coffee and do work on your computer. Make sure you get a minimum of 6- 8 hours of sleep every night. When in doubt, lean meats, green leafy veggies, and seltzer will fill you up for very few calories and lots of protein. Step 5: The Water Cut. I should start by saying cutting water is not a healthy, fun, or even particularly safe process. It is an extreme tactic used by high- level athletes in weight- controlled sports to acutely reduce their body weight in order to make their desired weight class. Again, it is neither healthy nor safe. Taking this into consideration, if you’re willing to take the associated risks, below I’ve provided the method that I use to cut water leading up to weigh- ins. How Much Water Can You Lose? The absolute maximum amount of water I would say an individual can attempt to lose is roughly 8% of their total bodyweight. Some sources say it’s safe to lose closer to 1. I would never recommend going that high. Why? Because it’s extremely dangerous and an exceptionally awful experience. And aside from the increased health risks, a larger water cut is more likely to negatively impact your performance on the platform. Practical Application: Plan to cut an absolute maximum of 8% of your total bodyweight prior to beginning the PSMF. To illustrate, if you want to water cut to the 1. Similarly, if you want to cut water to the 1. When Should You Initiate the Water Cut? You want to spend as little time dehydrated as possible.
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