View Full Version : Time to cut
londontom
08-04-08, 6:13 am
Right, we’ve all been here, the bulking has gone great, we’ve enjoyed the big eating, the big lifting, we’ve enjoyed the big everything. But now I need to carve something out of that mass.
My size and strength have gone up massively, but I have lost all vascularity and am looking pretty puffy. I have dropped down to 2000 calories a day, and my lifts are all now being done just with low reps, big weight. But the cardio is the question. I am sticking in a hour of CV work first thing in the morning before anything passes my lips and I’m getting there, but slowly. Cardio is being split with jogging for 30 mins and stairmaster for 30 mins, then off to work. I used to find rowing the best thing (for cutting whilst maintaining as much bulk as possible), but I broke my knee and now the pull doesn’t do me any favours.
Any suggestions whatsoever as to how to quicken this process, success stories will be more than welcome.
u can't run? if u can mix the cardio, do 3 HIT sessions on the elliptical after ur workout, 3 slow cardio sessions on the treadmill in the morning?
londontom
08-04-08, 11:04 am
No, I wasn't clear. 30 mins RUNNING followed by 30 mins stairmaster - in all 1 hour every morning. HIIT - good idea, but every day?
Right, we’ve all been here, the bulking has gone great, we’ve enjoyed the big eating, the big lifting, we’ve enjoyed the big everything. But now I need to carve something out of that mass.
My size and strength have gone up massively, but I have lost all vascularity and am looking pretty puffy. I have dropped down to 2000 calories a day, and my lifts are all now being done just with low reps, big weight. But the cardio is the question. I am sticking in a hour of CV work first thing in the morning before anything passes my lips and I’m getting there, but slowly. Cardio is being split with jogging for 30 mins and stairmaster for 30 mins, then off to work. I used to find rowing the best thing (for cutting whilst maintaining as much bulk as possible), but I broke my knee and now the pull doesn’t do me any favours.
Any suggestions whatsoever as to how to quicken this process, success stories will be more than welcome.
if you wanna maintain size while dieting i would suck down some aminos before i did my cardio on an empty stomach... prevent the catabolism.. i think cardio is all about switching it up.. try a couple weeks of high intensity then switch over to low.. switching machines helps a lot too.. spend like 3 weeks on the treadmill then jump over to the stairmaster or whatever... just a thought
TheDarkHalf
08-04-08, 3:02 pm
if you wanna maintain size while dieting i would suck down some aminos before i did my cardio on an empty stomach... prevent the catabolism.. i think cardio is all about switching it up.. try a couple weeks of high intensity then switch over to low.. switching machines helps a lot too.. spend like 3 weeks on the treadmill then jump over to the stairmaster or whatever... just a thought
What I do when I cut is start at a low amount of cardio and increase it by 5 minutes each week, and do it after my lifting. I'll start at 15 mins for week 1, 20 mins for week 2, etc. But when I hit 40 minutes in a week I split the cardio into two sessions - one 20 min session in the morning and one 20 min session after I lift. From there i'll continue to increase my cardio by 5 mins a week and just tack on 5 minutes to one session from there on out. It's been working great for me i'm up to 55 mins of cardio and have seen a 15lb reduction in my weight over an 8 week period with very little to no muscle loss. All this is done on the exercise bike.
londontom
08-05-08, 3:40 am
Thanks guys, both good suggestions.
no i didn't say do HIT every day i said 3 days a week do HIT after ur workouts and the other 3 days do long duration on empty stomach
Personally if you want to maintain your mass while ridding yourself of bodyfat keep the cardio to moderate intensity. HIIT burns your muscle pretty quick if you are on low calories(which you are). Getting shredded takes time - Animal cuts and omega will help you a lot. Cycle your carb intake and do cardio every day as you are doing.
For me I do 2 X 40 mins walking on a treadmill a day. I train 4 days a week and do cardio 7 days. Training is hard and heavy none of this high rep crap. Big movements with cardio and good diet = shredded!