You'll probably lose 15% of your mass if you do an aggressive cut more if you do it for a longer window. The idea is to grow more muscle than you need in hypertrophy and strength training so you have some to spare.
If you take in fewer calories than your body uses up, your body will burn fat. If you have a calorie deficit over an extended period, some muscle mass will always be lost.
In fact, you can expect a whopping 20–30% of the weight you lose by cutting calories will come from muscle, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
However, as mentioned above, athletes can start losing muscles after three weeks of inactivity. You lose cardio, or aerobic, fitness more quickly than muscle strength, and this can start to happen in just a few days.
Skeletal muscle can regenerate completely and spontaneously in response to minor injuries, such as strain. In contrast, after severe injuries, muscle healing is incomplete, often resulting in the formation of fibrotic tissue that impairs muscle function.
The truth is that working out for the first time after a break will probably be challenging at first, but I have some encouraging news: It is actually a lot easier for your body to regain strength and muscle than it is to start from scratch.
Furthermore, the longer the cut, the more muscle mass is lost overall since it is impossible to avoid muscle loss, so keep this in mind. Most bodybuilders do not exceed cuts of 4 months but usually do at least 2 months.
It takes just two weeks of physical inactivity for those who are physically fit to lose a significant amount of their muscle strength, new research indicates. In that relatively short period of time, young people lose about 30 percent of their muscle strength, leaving them as strong as someone decades older.
A cutting diet lasts 2–4 months, depending on how lean you are before dieting, and is normally timed around bodybuilding competitions, athletic events, or occasions like holidays ( 4 ).
Since there are about 3,500 calories in one pound, it would take you one week to lose one pound and 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds.
Don't train heavy two days in a row
Some people are able to training heavy two days in a row without losing performance but from my experience the most consistent progress comes with an every other day lifting set up. Training every other day allows for much better neural recovery.
Protein is the most important macronutrient during a cutting diet. Your body uses protein to build muscle and organ tissue. The combination of weight training and protein is powerful enough to build muscle even when cutting. Protein also provides you with energy, although that is not the main reason for eating it.
Higher protein intakes are crucial for maintaining existing muscle while cutting calories. In fact, some research suggests that protein needs may be as high as 1.4 grams per pound of body weight to maintain existing mass (2). Protein intake is also critical for muscle gain since muscle is made up of protein.
It's pretty simple. If you're lean enough to bulk (10-15% body fat or less for a man, or 18-23% or less for a woman), you should probably bulk first. If you're above these ranges, you should cut first. And if you're a beginner who's somewhere in the middle, you should recomp.
Some research suggests that you can start to lose muscle in as quickly as one week of inactivity - as much as 2 pounds if you are fully immobilized (3). And another study suggests your muscle size can decrease by about 11% after ten days without exercise, even when you aren't bed ridden (4).
"Based on research, an active person can go up to three weeks without working out and it will not have too much of an impact on their muscle size or cardio output. Take the vacation—when you're in a relaxed head space, it works wonders on the body, too." So yeah, that break is about so much more than recovery.
Once you reach a body fat percent of 15% for men or 25% for women, that's when you'll want to start the cut. With a calorie deficit and ensuing weight loss, you'll start losing that fat gain you've put on over the winter months.
Competitive bodybuilders typically follow a cutting diet for 2–4 months . A person can decide the duration of a cutting diet according to their individual needs, but it is not a long-term diet. Bodybuilders usually go through a bulking phase before a cutting diet.
Your diet is what makes or breaks your cut. Two to three 20–40 minute cardio sessions per week are enough for most bodybuilders.
Skeletal muscle can regenerate completely and spontaneously in response to minor injuries, such as strain. In contrast, after severe injuries, muscle healing is incomplete, often resulting in the formation of fibrotic tissue that impairs muscle function.
Generally it doesn't matter a whole lot the frequency you choose what's important is to keep going until you achieve the desired results. However, for most I recommend bulking for 2-3 months, then cut down for however long you need to get rid of the unwanted amount of fat. Everyone will need a different amount of time.
More than likely the reason that you are getting flat is that you are creating an excessive calorie deficit when you start your cutting phase. When you do that, several things are set into motion. First, your body starts tapping into protein for energy (especially during very low-carb diets).
So, what are the best rep ranges for cutting? The best rep range for cutting is one that allows you to sometimes train with heavier loads to preserve basic strength (5-10 reps) and more moderate to light loads to allow you to retain as much muscle while training in higher volumes (10-20 reps).