As the bulking season comes to an end, it's time to stop
eating like a polar bear, shed some weight and reveal what's under all that
lard. For many, shredding/cutting is all about avoiding carbs, doing high reps
and a ton of cardio. This might (please note ‘might') help you get abs and a
physique like Justin Beiber. We are pretty sure you don't want that. Let me make it clear- this isn't the best way
to cut weight. In fact, it's actually dumb.
Unfortunately, the internet is full of bullshit quick-shredding plans
that get you nowhere. Get one thing straight- shredding is not all about losing
fat. It's also very much about preserving muscle. If you are trying to cut,
make sure you are not make these 4 major mistakes.
1.Drastically
Dropping Calories
Plenty of research has shown that there is no significant
advantage of a Keto diet or other fad diets. But one major disadvantage of keto
or other such diets is that they create a huge caloric deficit. If you've been
bulking on 2800-3000 calories/day, there is no way you can consume even 2400
calories on a keto diet (fats are heavily satiating). Thus, you will have to
consume fewer calories than your body is used to (2000) and this leads to
catastrophic results. The body senses ‘restricted caloric environment' as a threat
situation and starts to hold fat instead of mobilizing it. Add excessive
exercise to this and you will lose your gains.
2.Too Much Cardio
If you aim to come out as a shredded beast, not an anemic
boy by the end of your cut, stop doing tons of cardio. Too much cardio creates
endurance adaptations in the body which will hamper your muscle mass and
strength gains. Nonetheless, too much cardio is catabolic as well. Cardio needs
to be used in the later stages of your cut. Initially, you can lose a
substantial amount of fat with a slight caloric deficit 200-400/day and no
cardio. And if you're going to employ
cardio, ensure it is low intensity walking or short HIIT sessions, ditch the
moderate intensity jogging or at least minimize it.
3.Doing High Reps
With Light Weights
This is perhaps the dumbest of all mistakes you can make. I
guess people simply copied the training programs of the Golden Era Bodybuilders
without understanding the reasons behind them. I'm sure you've seen Arnold and
Franco doing high rep training, but what you don't realize is that they were
experienced lifters with years spent under the bar. They had reached the pinnacle
of their genetic ability and to train with the same intensity on a caloric
deficit it was necessary to drop the weight and increase reps. And please their
light load was also heavier than your heaviest load! For a natural lifter,
lifting heavy during a cut is the only anabolic tool to preserve the muscle
you've gained. It's going to signal your body that the muscle mass is
important, hence maintain it. Forget lifting light you can increase your
strength throughout your cut. All my clients are surprised at first when they
are hitting PRs (personal records) while dropping weight.
4.Eating Too Many
Meals Or Snacking Too Much
The clichéd advice for cutting coming out of any fitness
model's mouth is ‘eat many meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism
fired up'. Plenty of well-documented research has shown there is no effect of
meal timing or meals frequency on body composition.
However, one downside of consuming 6-8 small meals on a cut
is that the portion of each meal will not be satiating and you will snack extra
to curb your hunger. This will lead to overshooting your caloric intake and
deviating from the goal. I'd advise you begin your cut with a moderate caloric
deficit, keeping the number of meals according to your life schedule, ensuring
each meal satisfies you well. Lift heavy, sleep well and you will bring out the
best in you.
