How low can you go?

[buff36]

If you do a cutting cycle, how many pounds of fat can you lose a week without sacrificing muscle? I know that naturally, you can't expect to lose more than 1-2 lbs/week, but since anabolic androgenic steroids are muscle sparing, I thought it might be more on cycle -- maybe 3-4 lbs/wk. Does that sound right?

If not, then what is the point of doing a cutting cycle?

 

[outlawtas]

1.5lbs a week is generally the max you want to lose. Though, it depends on where your bodyfat is when you start. If your 12%+ I would say about 2lbs and 16%+ maybe 3lbs. The point of a cutting cycle is not to lose fat, but to maintain muscle. Steroids will not significantly help you lose any weight.

 

[buff36]

1.5lbs a week is generally the max you want to lose. Though, it depends on where your bodyfat is when you start. If your 12%+ I would say about 2lbs and 16%+ maybe 3lbs. The point of a cutting cycle is not to lose fat, but to maintain muscle. Steroids will not significantly help you lose any weight.

Thanks. I assume the reason you are setting a 1.5 (or 2 or 3, depending on your bf%) pounds max is because up to that point, you are only losing fat (thereby maintaining muscle). So, my question is, if you can't maintain muscle unless you keep fat loss below 1.5 lbs, regardless of whether you are on a cutting cycle or not, what is the point of the steroids? Put another way, if steroids helped you maintain muscle, shouldn't you be able to lose more fat without sacrificing muscle?

 

[outlawtas]

Well you don't need steroids for cutting. IMO it's more of a mental thing 1st. But if your trying to get sub 9% or so most people would be sacrificing a significant amount of muscle with the large portions of cardio and very heavy diet. Going from 18% to 12% probably wouldn't yeild any muscle loss, but as you get leaner and leaner it becomes a little hard to keep. Also, "cutting" steroids generally have added benefits of a little weightloss, very hard muscles, vascularity, etc. Also, some people have a hard time getting very low BF and certain steroids will help you get there - but that's when your already at like 7 or 6%.

Make no mistake, if I had to chose between cutting naturally with a perfect diet or training routine and cutting with steroids on an even slightly flawed routine I would pick the first method. A lot of people use steroids as a crutch for sloppy training and diet when really this is no excuse.

 

[ManOfMuscle]

Well you don't need steroids for cutting. IMO it's more of a mental thing 1st. But if your trying to get sub 9% or so most people would be sacrificing a significant amount of muscle with the large portions of cardio and very heavy diet. Going from 18% to 12% probably wouldn't yeild any muscle loss, but as you get leaner and leaner it becomes a little hard to keep.

I'm going to disagree with all of the above. You can't just say going from 18% to 12% wouldn't yield muscle loss. How muscular is the individual? How fast is he cutting weight? Genetics also play a big factor here. There are too many factors involved to say cutting natty is just a mental thing. IMO any time you lose a significant amount of weight naturally (unless you are doing it EXTREMELY slowly) you are going to lose at least some muscle.

 

[Miss Muscle]

My 2 cents....

I have a competition in 18 weeks. I'm 131 pounds now and need to be 95-100 for competition. 2 pounds a week is what I'm losing...I started at 135. Cardio 6 days a week....no HIIT....45 min steady state. Calories at approx 2000. 850 carbs and fats.....the rest protein. My coaches insist on doing it safely and naturally......maybe a thermogenic near the end depending on how much fat I retain.

 

[ManOfMuscle]

My 2 cents....

I have a competition in 18 weeks. I'm 131 pounds now and need to be 95-100 for competition. 2 pounds a week is what I'm losing...I started at 135. Cardio 6 days a week....no HIIT....45 min steady state. Calories at approx 2000. 850 carbs and fats.....the rest protein. My coaches insist on doing it safely and naturally......maybe a thermogenic near the end depending on how much fat I retain.

No sauce?

 

[outlawtas]

I'm going to disagree with all of the above. You can't just say going from 18% to 12% wouldn't yield muscle loss. How muscular is the individual? How fast is he cutting weight? Genetics also play a big factor here. There are too many factors involved to say cutting natty is just a mental thing. IMO any time you lose a significant amount of weight naturally (unless you are doing it EXTREMELY slowly) you are going to lose at least some muscle.

It's true the fatter you start the more muscle you will end up losing, but that's not gear related, that's diet related. You shouldn't let yourself get to the point where in order to cut fat your going to sacrifice a significant amount of muscle. A lot of people, as always, try to use gear in order to make up for slack in their training or diet (we are all probably guilty of this at some point).

Why I said 18-12 is because I believe you can drop that amount of bodyfat without incorporating a "crazy" diet and cardio regime...that amount of fat loss generally requires including some cardio and just being diligent with your diet. But when you start going 12 and lower your really cutting.

 

[ManOfMuscle]

It's true the fatter you start the more muscle you will end up losing, but that's not gear related, that's diet related. You shouldn't let yourself get to the point where in order to cut fat your going to sacrifice a significant amount of muscle. A lot of people, as always, try to use gear in order to make up for slack in their training or diet (we are all probably guilty of this at some point).

Why I said 18-12 is because I believe you can drop that amount of bodyfat without incorporating a "crazy" diet and cardio regime...that amount of fat loss generally requires including some cardio and just being diligent with your diet. But when you start going 12 and lower your really cutting.

I think our philosophies on cutting are just generally very different. I'm not going to pick your post apart, I just think you make a lot of generalities and state them as if they were fact.

 

[Miss Muscle]

No sauce?

None.....if by sauce you mean gear. And if by gear you mean steroids.

 

[ManOfMuscle]

None.....if by sauce you mean gear. And if by gear you mean steroids.

Booo