Cardio vs Calorie Deficit while Cutting

[brokenjoker]

Hello, recently I have begun cutting for the first time (without a bulk (yes I know I shouldn't cut)). I was always under the impression that when cutting you could just go into a calorie deficit and continue weight training since this is what a lot of body builders on TikTok tend to show. But recently I notice when it's close to show they are doing cardio. I currently do very little cardio because again, I didn't think you had to do cardio when cutting, just decrease calories. Someone mentioned to me on TikTok that cutting calories is a last resort and that increasing cardio should be the first thing to do (I know this is primarily wrong since the rule of thumb is that cardio should be half of the time you spend weight training). But it got me thinking about how much is cutting about decreasing calories vs doing cardio, especially since doing cardio you would burn less than if you just cut the calories from eating. Seems sorta difficult to balance these especially when you're trying to reach X body fat % goal by X date.

P.S. How much cardio while bulking (since this will be my next step).

Edit: Question has been answered.

 

[dawn16]

@brokenjoker Decreasing calories is way easier (particularly from a time efficiency standpoint) than increasing cardio. Cardio can help with fat loss, but you should do cardio because it’s good for your heart, not as a mechanism for cutting. I’ve cut multiple times and never really upped my cardio beyond being a little more conscientious of my step count.

Edit: I should add that upping cardio is a perfectly valid method, but it can be time consuming, especially as you get deeper into a cut.

 

[brokenjoker]

@dawn16 So when you are cutting and bulking, do you keep your cardio amount the same?

 

[dawn16]

@brokenjoker For the most part, yea. I get a little more lax about my step count when I’m bulking but that’s about it.

 

[marymj]

@dawn16 Speak for yourself, I find it much easier to eat around 2k calories and do 30-60 minutes of chill cycling or a couple hours of walking

But then again, light cardio just keeps my mind busy and happier and I’m not as tempted to overeat

 

[dawn16]

@marymj Is that added to what you normally do or is that your baseline?

 

[kaiisbae]

@brokenjoker Decreasing calories should be the main driver. Do what you want but run or walk for 1 hour and see how many calories that burns vs how many calories any of your typical meals are.

And don’t compare your regime to professional bodybuilders preparing for a show.

 

[klonopinz]

@brokenjoker 1500 calories a day is way too low to start at

 

[brokenjoker]

@klonopinz I didn’t start at 1500, I’ve unknowingly been decreasing my calorie in take for the last few months. I recently jumped though from 2k to 1500 just because I have 2 months to drop from like 20% BF to 12%

 

[cjwolf]

@brokenjoker 8% BF reduction in 2 months may be too ambitious. That’s 1% per week. If you’re 158lbs that’s 31.6lbs of fat down to ~19lbs which sounds doable, ~13lbs in 8 weeks, except for water weight and you’re likely to lose muscle going on this aggressive of a cut. 13lbs of fat has 45,500cals, divide this by the 56 days of your cut and you’re looking at an average daily deficit of 812.5 calories.

This is possible for sure by increasing cardio and decreasing calories simultaneously, but it’ll suck doing it in such a short space of time. Long term you may be better off doing this over twice the length of time (~16 weeks) and only needing half as much of a calorie deficit (~406.25 calories)

 

[brokenjoker]

@cjwolf Yea I will likely increase cardio since 1500 is already pretty low. And yea I’ll probably lose muscle but I’ve been hitting PRs since I began the more aggressive cut which is good (I think)

 

[klonopinz]

@brokenjoker I see

 

[increasinglygrateful]

@brokenjoker This video might help.

 

[brokenjoker]

@increasinglygrateful This video was helpful, thank you. It answered most of my questions.

 

[increasinglygrateful]

@brokenjoker Whenever I have a question or problems with nutrition, lifting, programming I can usually find a Renaissance Periodization video that helps me out. Really awesome resource.

 

[iampax]

@increasinglygrateful Couldn’t agree more with this. OP, these guys have some of the best info I’ve found out there.

 

[preciousleslee]

@brokenjoker Ok, I have to ask, what's your goal here? You're in a bodybuilding sub, are you trying to build muscle? Because at 5'8" 158 lbs, without a previous bulk, it doesn't sound like you have a particularly high amount of muscle. On the other hand, it doesn't sound like you're overweight with fat either. So what are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to look like the bodybuilders on TikTok you mentioned? The reality is that if you cut so drastically right now, you are NOT going to look like those bodybuilders. As a man in your 20s, cutting all the way down to 1500 kcals really just stands to lose whatever muscle you have. I know you said that you know you really shouldn't be cutting. So why are you cutting?

And you probably shouldn't be listening to these guys on TikTok for advice. Cutting calories is a "last resort"? That's nonsense. All fat loss comes from a calorie deficit, your body using more calories than you consume. It's just a question of reaching a deficit by increasing how much calories you use (ie with cardio) or reducing how much calories you consume (by eating less). Eating less is the simplest way to get into a calorie deficit; you can eat less, never do any cardio exercise, and still lose fat. However, the inverse is rarely true. If you're doing a ton of cardio, but also eating plenty, your fat loss will be very slow if it happens at all. When it comes to fat loss, eating less to get to a caloric deficit is the first step.

But again, it doesn't sound like going on a cut for fat loss is really what you should be doing right now.

 

[brokenjoker]

@preciousleslee I’m cutting the same reason everyone cuts, to lower my bf %. Yes, im gonna lose some muscle, that is inevitable, but I’m definitely not going to lose it all. I know this is a bodybuilding sub but I am only here for aesthetic, I don’t really care to be the biggest one in the room.

 

[preciousleslee]

@brokenjoker You're going to end up as a twig. Twigs aren't aesthetic.

 

[brokenjoker]

@preciousleslee Cool.