In the past six months I've done a slow cut and cut from 70kg (154lbs) to 60kg (132lbs). I've mostly done this using intermittent fasting as for me not eating in the morning gives me more calories for the rest of the day and I love to eat a big dinner. Cutting calories were around 1400-1500, and I'm now reverse dieting back up to maintenance so sitting on 1700 at the moment.
Workout has been consistent for the past 3 months
Day 1
Deadlifts currently 101kg x 5 reps
Leg extension
Chin ups - can now do 7 unassisted
Bicep curls
Day 2
Bench press 41kg x 6
Pull ups - 3 unassisted
Tricep kick back
Lateral raise
Day 3
Squat - 81kg x 7
Walking lunge
Shoulder press - 31 x 4
Russian twist
As me anything about my diet or exercise. I'm so happy with I am at the moment both strength and physique wise and can only increase my strength now I'm increasingy my calories!!
@millenialsaint Hi! I was gonna make my own post about this, but then I saw your post and thought I would ask you if that's ok? The weight you are lifting would be my goals..
How long have you been lifting, if recently what was your starting weights? I started at about 40kg - Squat, 60kg Deadlift, 20kg Bench and over the past two months I have gone up 20kg in each of those lifts. But it is just so hard now. Like every day I feel like I can barely do it, each rep is incredibly hard. Is this what happens when things get heavy ( subjective) or do I need to keep pushing myself at these weights until they feel easy? Oh it's 8 reps for everything, 3 sets.
Sorry it this is completely the wrong place to post this. I'm not looking for lifting advice really, I'm more asking you how hard is each day for you? Does it just get really fucking hard each rep or does your strength catch up and then you can move up?
@dawn16 Going off your other comments, I agree with Pandalark.. If you've been lifting for two years then your maintenance calories may be higher than you realise due to the body adapting to energy lost during your training as well as an increase of muscle mass, which burns more calories (I hope that made sense lol).
I'm not beyond BW on my lifts for several reasons but I follow a lot of very strong female powerlifters closely and it seems like mindset becomes just as important as nutrition, rest etc. To paraphrase something I read (I think Max Aita or Chad Wesley Smith said it), in weightlifting and powerlifting, your hard work is rewarded only with more hard work. It never gets easier. Reading this has helped me and my expectations. Even with perfect nutrition, training and recovery, you will still be grinding.
@dawn16 Hey, I've been lifting for about 10 years with short periods spending time working out in other ways. I have been doing reverse pyramid training (RPT) for the past 3 months and have found that really great in helping me increase my lifts, I also bought some 500g weight plates so that I can increase my lifts by 1kg at a time, which has been great especially on OHP which I have always struggled to make huge gains on. So for RPT with deadlift for example I would do 101kg x 5 reps and then 91 kg x 6 reps, 91kg x 6 reps and that would be my deadlift done (obvs with some warm up). Lower reps makes it heaps easier to increase what your lift.
@dawn16 Have you been doing this non stop without any deload weeks? take a week off, do super light weights or nothing. go back to it. do a program and stop doing 3x8 forever. i'd cry if i had to do 8 reps of anything.
i think someone else has linked you a program already. a volume phase for a number of weeks and then a strength phase with lower reps and more weight, works for some people.
@lhermann3 I accidentally took a week off about a week ago, which is why I'm even more surprised that this week was so hard.
I am doing a program though. It's TLS, aim which you aim for 8 reps of everything, if you can do 10 * 3 you go up in weight. From reading the book and the plan you are meant to be able to follow this for at least a year.
@dawn16 If you are completely new to lifting, the progress you've seen could be what people like to call Newbie Gainz. You'll see significant increases in strength at first, and then your progress will slow. Each day will be hard, but be persistent and you'll continue to see changes in your strength and body.
@freedomusa Not n00b gains unfortunately. Been lifting pretty consistently for 2 years now. I haven't tried a linear progression program with lower reps though. I used to aim for sets of 15, and not really aim to go heavier.
I'm just surprised at how hard it is, like it's a mental struggle for each rep. I mean it has been hard so far, but more when I go up in weight and have to get used to it. My body doesn't seem to be getting used to this weight anymore. I wondered if that was just was happened once you started going over body weight on certain lifts.
@visionionary62 I supplement with protein shakes, also eat eggs every day, and some form of chicken or tuna. But that might be low. The others, carbs and calories, absolutely no way they are too low. I have actually been eating a huge amount of food for the past week ( because I haven't been feeling great ) So I'm really surprised at how hard things have suddenly become, Like.. my body seems happy enough with a 57.5kg Squat, but go to 60 and it kills ( been doing 60kg for at least 4 sessions now and it's just not getting easier ). Had to drop back to 55 to finish sets today.
@dawn16 Yes, I hadn't been deadlifting for a while so started about 80kg and have been slowly increasingly over the past 3 months and hit 101 on friday
@millenialsaint Nice! I need to cut soon but I've been putting it off because I don't want to lose any strength. Good to know it can be done well done.
well done.