This is How to Get Cut The Right Way
The tried-and-true information on how to get cut comes down to the bare basics. I wrote this article due to endless emails and the mass confusion online confusing general weight loss with getting cut and defined. There is a difference between losing weight and stripping body fat to get cut. It’s a combination of diet, weight training, cardio, and even optional supplements. Here’s the stuff you need to know to create the body of your dreams.
It’s Not Just Nutrition, It’s Dieting
In order to get cut you have to actually diet down. It’s not about just losing weight as with general weight loss. You need to lose the fat weight first and then start cutting. Cutting is detailing the muscle. You can’t get cut if you are holding 15% body fat or more, and I’m being gracious with that number. Lose the excess weight first. Then, when you are about 16% body fat you can start the cutting process.
This is the reason competitors prep for 12 weeks or more. This gives them time to drop the excess weight first and continue to build muscle. When they notice they are lean and their body fat is in the low teens, this is when they transition over to the cutting phase. With my dieting, I take it in stride so the excess weight is lost. Muscle is either maintained or built as the process progresses. Then, the cutting phase just kind of falls in place because everything was implemented the right way.
Weight Training
Your weight training routine is important as well. This is the part of prep that builds muscle, provided you are eating and resting. You need to keep your weight training as heavy as possible for 8-10 reps to build muscle. As you diet down, you will lose strength. That’s just part of the process. When, and only when, you cannot complete at least 8 reps with good form is when you lighten your poundage to compensate for the strength loss. At this point, choose a poundage in which you can do 10-12 reps with good form. Keep this tweaking process going as needed. You only lower the poundage when your strength drops.
Cardio for Fat Loss Boost
Cardiovascular (cardio) exercise is great for the heart, lungs, and even fat loss when applied in the right manner. For fat loss, there are a few different cardio tactics you can implement. Don’t jump into doing an hour or cardio 6 days a week. You’ll burn out in a matter of weeks! Start off slowly and build your cardio time and days. Start off with something mild such as cardio 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Every two weeks add either 5 minutes. In 3-4 weeks add a day, making cardio 4 days a week. If you see a stall in fat loss after 4-6 weeks, try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). If that happens to hit a plateau, try fasted cardio. Always keep something to fall back on. Give each variant of cardio about 2 weeks before tweaking.
Precision Supplementation
Supplements are necessary during contest prep because you won’t be receiving all your nutrients due to dieting. In addition, training and cardio impact your body and immune system when on limited calories. Therefore, a high-quality multi-vitamin is great to use to ensure you are getting all your nutrients. In addition, you might look into branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and glutamine for muscle recovery. Creatine is still a popular supplement for building muscle. However, I would stop the creatine about 3 weeks out from your contest.
My Secrets on How to Get Cut
Now, if you want the real deal information on getting cut for contest ready, you might grab my FREE Contest Prep Crash Course below. It’s the information you need to start your competition journey. See below for more information…
