To shed the extra fat, you must burn more calories than those you consume, and one such workout routine that will help you to burn your fat effectively is the cutting workout plan.
If you are into fitness and sports, you may have come across this weight-loss technique used by many fitness professionals to build the perfect physique. But if you haven’t, don’t worry because we will provide all the details about this fitness weight-loss technique and how to implement it.
What is A Cutting Workout Plan?
In the world of fitness, the term cutting refers to losing weight while retaining as much muscle mass as possible.
Therefore, a cutting workout plan is a training program designed to keep your muscle mass as you shed off excess fats from your body. This could be achieved by having a healthy, protein-rich diet while engaging in some type of exercise.
Many sources and professionals recommend doing a cutting workout plan after you did some bulking workouts because sometimes losing some muscle mass might be inevitable while you are on a cutting program. The main objective when cutting is to lose weight but, at the same time, prevent muscle loss.
How to Prevent Muscle Loss When Cutting?
While the goal of a cutting phase is to lose fat while maintaining muscle, a little muscle loss may occur along the way. However, as long as you are still in a reasonable caloric deficit, keep your protein intake high, and continue lifting weights, you can easily minimize muscle loss.
All in all, you really don’t need to worry much about muscle loss when cutting. Also, the slower the fat loss, the less likely you will experience muscle loss. A slow and proper cut should see little to no muscle loss, and this will lead you to the next question about how long should cutting workout phase should last ideally.
How Long Should I Cut?
While the ideal duration will vary with your fitness goals, you should expect to spend at least 8 to 12 weeks of cutting. Any less time makes it unlikely that you’ll see much in the way of results.
To be effective, a cutting phase should still include working out (both strength training and cardio exercises) and a caloric intake less than the combination of your basal metabolic rate and caloric expenditure.
You should also be careful not to cut caloric intake too drastically or you can inadvertently alter your basal metabolic rate, which could make it harder for you to cut in the future.
Best Workout for Cutting
Now that we have laid out the basics, it is time to come up with a plan. And the best cutting workout plan is the one that is sustainable, meaning that something you can comfortably follow for a long time.
It is also important to note that your plan should be selected and based on your current situation according to what you wish to accomplish. The ideal cutting workout routines will differ by body type, gender, level of physical activity, and many other contributing factors. But in general, cardio and strength training are the most common workouts that could keep your muscles busy during a caloric deficit.
Cardio Exercise
Cardio exercises burn more calories than weightlifting initially and do not accelerate muscle loss. You may choose low-intensity cardio or high-intensity intervals depending on your capacity, but remember to not engage in too much cardio because it could be harmful.
HIIT exercises include movements such as mountain climbers and squat twists, while aerobic weight loss exercises such as running (burns about 600 calories an hour), walking (burns 300-400 calories an hour), swimming, or cycling are low or moderate cardio workouts.
For your cutting workout plan, try to do a 20-30 minute session with 30 seconds of intense exercise followed by 30 seconds to one-minute breaks.
Strength Training
Strength training involves a series of exercises that results in muscle building. When cutting, you want to target specific muscle groups as well as general muscle groups to get the best results.
For example, a squat with a knee lift and squat jumps can help improve mobility and speed. Dumbbell exercises will help you to develop stronger glutes, triceps, biceps, hamstrings, and other muscles.
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