A “cut” in fitness refers to the strategic period following a bulking phase, where the primary goal shifts from building muscle mass to reducing body fat while maintaining the muscle gained. This transition requires switching from a calorie surplus to a controlled calorie deficit. The aim is to create an energy imbalance that forces the body to use stored fat for fuel without sacrificing lean tissue. A successful cut demands a procedural shift in both nutrition and training to preserve metabolic health and muscle integrity.
Calculating and Setting the Initial Calorie Deficit
The foundation of a proper cut is establishing a safe and sustainable calorie deficit, starting with accurately estimating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). TDEE represents the total calories your body burns daily, accounting for metabolism, physical activity, and food digestion. While online calculators provide a starting point, tracking actual weight over a couple of weeks at maintenance calories offers a more personalized baseline.
Once TDEE is estimated, the initial calorie deficit should be set moderately to avoid excessive muscle loss. A deficit of approximately 500 calories per day below your TDEE is generally recommended, targeting a weight loss of about one pound per week. This translates to aiming for a weight loss of about 0.5% to 1% of total body weight per week for consistent fat loss.
A 15% to 25% reduction from maintenance calories is a common starting point for lifters. This measured approach helps manage hunger and fatigue, making the diet more sustainable. The typical cutting phase can last anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks, depending on the target body fat percentage.
Prioritizing Macronutrients for Muscle Preservation
After setting the total daily caloric intake, structuring macronutrient distribution focuses on muscle preservation. Protein is the most important macronutrient during a cut because of its role in muscle repair and satiety. A high protein intake helps offset the increased risk of muscle breakdown that comes with a calorie deficit.
To maximize muscle retention, protein consumption should target a range of 1.8 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Protein also has a higher thermic effect of food compared to fats and carbohydrates, meaning the body expends more energy just to digest it, further supporting the fat loss goal.
The remaining calories are allocated to fats and carbohydrates. Dietary fat intake is important for hormone production and overall health, and should typically be kept at a minimum of 20% to 30% of total calories. This often equates to about 0.5 to 0.8 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight. Carbohydrates fill the remainder of the caloric budget, providing the necessary energy to fuel resistance training sessions and prevent excessive lethargy.
Adjusting Resistance Training and Introducing Cardio
The activity protocol must change to support muscle preservation while increasing energy expenditure. In resistance training, the focus shifts from chasing progressive overload through increased volume to maintaining intensity and strength. Lifting heavy weights provides the necessary signal to retain muscle mass, even if the total number of repetitions or sets slightly decreases.
Maintain the working weight on compound lifts for as long as possible, only reducing volume (sets and reps) as fatigue accumulates and recovery slows due to the calorie deficit. Attempting to increase training volume during a cut is counterproductive, as the body lacks the caloric resources for optimal recovery and adaptation.
Cardiovascular exercise increases total daily energy expenditure without relying on further drastic calorie cuts. Low-Intensity Steady-State (LISS) cardio, such as brisk walking, is favored because it burns calories without significantly hindering recovery. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is effective for calorie burn but is more taxing on the central nervous system and should be used sparingly, perhaps one to three times per week, to avoid excessive fatigue.
Monitoring Progress and Breaking Through Plateaus
Consistent monitoring ensures the diet is working effectively and that fat, not muscle, is being lost. Relying solely on the scale can be misleading due to daily fluctuations in water weight and glycogen stores. More reliable metrics include weekly weigh-ins averaged over seven days, taking body circumference measurements, and regularly taking progress photos under the same lighting conditions.
If fat loss stalls for two or more consecutive weeks, you have encountered a plateau requiring adjustment. The first step is to re-evaluate calorie and macronutrient tracking, as adherence often slips over time. Once adherence is confirmed, a small adjustment to the energy balance is needed. This can involve reducing daily calories by another 100 to 200, or increasing energy expenditure by adding ten to fifteen minutes of cardio.
In cases of prolonged dieting or significant fatigue, a refeed day or a full diet break may be beneficial. A refeed involves a temporary increase in carbohydrate intake to boost metabolic hormones. A diet break involves returning to maintenance calories for one to two weeks. These short periods help restore metabolic and psychological health, making it easier to resume the deficit with renewed progress.