7 BODYBUILDER TIPS TO HELP YOU CUT PROPERLY Joseph Minetto
• A bodybuilder’s physique takes more than just lifting weights. A delicate energy balance has to be maintained so that they can be as lean as possible to make their muscles stand out as much as possible. You also have to cycle between bulking up and cutting fat to get the most visible gains. • Cutting can be tricky because it’s very easy to do it wrong, for instance cutting too quickly or cutting without consuming enough calories for your body to maintain its new muscle mass. Eating the right amount of whole foods is crucial for maintaining a healthy body while you’re building muscle. Even if you’re not a bodybuilder, cutting is a vital part of getting to a healthy body weight and fit physique. • Read on for the full rundown on cutting, how it works in tandem with bulking, and ten of the best tips bodybuilders use to take their cutting programs to the next level.
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1. Count Your Macros Macronutrients are always important but they’re even more critical on a cutting diet because your body will be feeling the effects of a limited caloric intake. This includes carbohydrates. Although you might want to cut carbs out completely, they are important for your body to function properly and you still need to include them in your cutting diet in some capacity.
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2. Keep Up Your Weight Training Although a calorie deficit may be making you feel a bit drained during the cutting phase, it’s important to keep training your muscles. Compound exercises that target most or all of your body’s muscle groups work best, and they will burn more calories, which is ideal for the cutting phase.
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3. Use HIIT Routines for Cardio Getting cardiovascular exercise is important during the cutting phase. But just like you should at any other period, you can use intense HIIT workout routines to promote hypertrophy though muscle exhaustion and as a way to get short-burst cardio without losing muscle mass.
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4. Protein Is Your Best Friend
This is nothing new to bodybuilders and people who have been working out for a long time, but protein is one of the most important macronutrients for building muscle. Protein also helps curb appetite, a godsend in the cutting phase when your body will very likely be hungry almost all the time.
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5. Stay Hydrated Drinking enough water is undervalued these days. It’s bad enough that sedentary people cram processed salty foods down and chase them with sugary juices and soft drinks. For bodybuilders and other active people, failing to stay hydrated can wreck your gains and stifle the creation of lean muscle mass.
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6. Refeed Strategically Some of the worst effects of a meal plan with a built-in caloric deficit can be avoided by having a refeed meal at the right time. It’s more satisfying than a cheat meal and it will actually help you get through the cutting phase more easily. You can plan a refeed meal or a refeed day once a week or twice monthly, just make sure that it’s well planned out and not an unlimited, open cheat meal.
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7. Maintain a High Glycogen Level Glycogen is a product of glucose and one of your body’s go-to energy resources during strenuous physical activity. Lifters who “hit the wall” during a workout are doing so most likely because they have exhausted their glycogen reserves.
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Thank You
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