The diet for cutting in bodybuilding is perhaps the toughest part of competition preparation. It’s not enough to just remove certain foods from your diet; it’s much more complicated, especially if you’re going the natural route.
Professional bodybuilding has long ceased to be natural. Almost all its representatives “help” their bodies overcome difficulties with the aid of pharmaceuticals and fat burners. Here is a confession from a pro about the cutting agents that professionals use today.
Below, we will introduce you to the principles of proper nutrition during cutting from Layne Norton – a representative of natural bodybuilding, a professional weightlifter with a scientific degree in sports dietetics.
“When you look at the winner of a bodybuilding competition on stage, you can be sure that this athlete meticulously counted calories, carbohydrates, protein, fats, and never skipped meals.”
“If you want to succeed in bodybuilding, then prepare for a tough battle with your body.”
Main thoughts:
The right cutting should be… slow
The cutting diet should be as slow as possible.
If you estimate that you have 10 kg of fat, then cutting in 10 weeks while preserving muscle mass is unrealistic.
The degree of caloric deficit you create directly determines how much muscle mass you will lose or preserve. The shorter the duration of the cut, the greater the caloric deficit that needs to be created, and the higher the chance of losing muscle mass.
A short cutting diet where caloric intake is reduced by 1000 calories below the maintenance level of current weight does not pose a serious threat to muscle mass; however, prolonged fasting with such a caloric deficit will inevitably lead to significant muscle mass loss.
For a rough estimate of the time needed for cutting, use the following rule: the normal rate of fat burning while preserving muscle mass is 0.5-0.75 kg per week. If it is more than that, it will inevitably lead to significant muscle mass loss.
Rapid cutting over a short period will inevitably lead to muscle mass loss. The proper cutting diet should be as slow as possible. The normal rate of fat burning is ~0.5 kg of fat per week
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How long does body cutting last?
The duration of body cutting is determined by the current condition and body type.
Always the very first step that should be taken at the beginning is a honest assessment of the current state of your body, mistakes, strengths, and weaknesses, to roughly understand how much time will be needed to get it in shape. This is important.
Body type determines the body’s predisposition to fat accumulation and how easily it can get rid of it.
Therefore, bodybuilders who are ectomorphs, who easily burn fat, can generally start cutting about 11-15 weeks before competitions, while endomorphs, who struggle to lose fat, require a longer period, approximately 16-22 weeks. The duration of cutting for mesomorphs is somewhere in between. More details on this below.
For beginner bodybuilders who are not yet very in tune with their bodies and cannot predict how difficult or easy it will be for them to lose excess fat, it is better to allow a few extra weeks.
The duration of body cutting is determined by the current shape and body type: ectomorphs find it easier to get rid of fat than endomorphs.
Diet for Body Cutting
In professional bodybuilding during body cutting, three levers are used to get rid of fat:
- diet;
- cardio training;
- pharmacology.
Priority is in the order listed.
The third point is excluded in natural bodybuilding, which places more responsibility on the diet.
A proper diet for body cutting requires sufficient time to, as mentioned above, not only reveal muscle definition but also maintain muscle mass size.
The three main goals of a cutting diet are as follows:
- preserve muscle mass;
- remove excess fat;
- ensure maintenance of training intensity at the achieved level.
All of them contradict each other or, in other words, require mutually contradictory actions to achieve them: to gain and maintain muscle mass, a caloric surplus is necessary, while to burn fat, a caloric deficit is required; in turn, a caloric deficit equates to a lack of energy for training, i.e., a decrease in intensity.
It is obvious that to achieve all three goals simultaneously, one must learn to balance precisely on the edge of caloric intake and the ratio of nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats).
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Protein during body drying
Protein is the main component of food that supports the maintenance and growth of muscle mass.
During a drying diet, protein works through three mechanisms:
Ensures effective muscle synthesis
Protein consists of amino acids, which, when digested, enter the bloodstream and are transported to muscle cells. Sufficient presence of amino acids in the blood is the most important anabolic factor that ensures the maintenance and growth of muscle mass.
The synthesis of muscle protein is proportionally dependent on the concentration of amino acids in the blood. Effective muscle mass gain and its maintenance occur when the concentration of amino acids in the blood exceeds twice the normal level.
Consuming enough protein is rule number one for gaining muscle mass or maintaining it during drying or weight loss.
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Has a fat-burning effect
Protein is on the list of the most effective natural fat burners and has numerous scientific confirmations of benefits for weight loss.
It requires more energy for digestion, which is accompanied by increased heat production. With the same portion sizes of carbohydrates and protein, in the latter case, the body will receive less.
Protects muscles from catabolism (destruction)
In conditions of caloric deficit, the body may start to break down its own tissues for energy. This unpleasant process usually begins with muscle cells. If the diet contains enough protein, some of it can be used for energy.
This is not good and not normal, as using building material for muscles as fuel is too wasteful.
During drying, the diet must contain enough protein: it ensures muscle synthesis for maintaining muscle mass, has a fat-burning effect, and protects against catabolism.
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Carbohydrates During Body Drying
There are several reasons why carbohydrates are important during drying.
Carbohydrates Preserve Muscle Mass from Breakdown
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for muscles.
Therefore, when they are sufficient, they protect protein from being used for energy in a calorie deficit during drying and provide energy for training. That is, the risk of burning amino acids for energy decreases. This is better in terms of maintaining muscle mass and ensuring its growth.
On the other hand, if there are too many carbohydrates, they can easily be converted into fat. This happens because their consumption triggers insulin release, which is responsible for controlling blood glucose levels: when there is an excess, it is stored as fat.
A lack of carbohydrates in a drying diet can lead to amino acids from both muscle proteins and food being used to provide energy for vital processes and physical movements. Both effects directly impact the state of muscle mass.
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Carbohydrates Stimulate Insulin Release – One of the Anabolic Hormones
Carbohydrates cannot be completely eliminated during drying, as they increase the level of insulin in the blood – one of the most anabolic and anti-catabolic hormones… but at the same time, they increase the risk of gaining fat mass, as mentioned in the two paragraphs above.
Few people know, but insulin, as a sports chemistry drug, is found in the first aid kits of almost all modern bodybuilders, who inject it along with anabolic steroids and growth hormone for even greater stimulation of muscle growth.
Insulin helps nutrients, including amino acids, penetrate muscle cells, stimulating muscle growth.
It also suppresses the action of some catabolic hormones, particularly cortisol. Cortisol is responsible for the process of obtaining glucose from amino acids described above. It is the main catabolic hormone.
During drying, it is important to consume a certain amount of carbohydrates, as they stimulate insulin release – one of the most anabolic hormones that counteracts the action of catabolic hormones.
Carbohydrates make muscle cells fuller, literally increasing their volume. When a cell is large in volume, it means it is “full”; when the volume decreases, it is a sign of a hungry state.
Muscle cells grow in a “fed” state. In this state, more anabolic and fat-burning hormones enter the cell. This means that during a cutting diet, it is important to ensure a “fed” volume of muscle cells by consuming an adequate amount of carbohydrates.
Complete exclusion of carbohydrates leads to a decrease in the volume of muscle cells and a reduction in anabolic potential
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Carbohydrates provide energy for training and add volume to muscles
Our body can store excess carbohydrates in the glycogen of muscles and the liver. Glycogen is a reservoir of quick energy.
Every gram of glycogen in the muscles holds about 2.7 grams of water. This means that when a muscle cell is saturated with glycogen, it has a larger volume, and the muscles appear bigger in size.
This relationship can be easily felt in practice; for example, if you fast for a few days or completely remove carbohydrates from your diet, you will be surprised at how much the size of your muscles decreases. This happens precisely due to the depletion of glycogen stores in the muscles.
The fullness of muscles with glycogen (= energy) allows for the maintenance of training activity to which the muscles are accustomed, which is important for preserving muscle mass.
A low level of glycogen due to insufficient carbohydrates means less energy, more feelings of fatigue, and consequently, a decrease in performance in the gym (endurance, strength, power, and mass).
When carbohydrates are excluded during a cutting diet, the amount of glycogen in the muscles decreases, leading to a reduction in the volume of muscle cells (and muscles as a whole), as well as significantly reducing training efficiency, which is necessary to maintain the achieved results in muscle mass
Why the ketogenic diet is not suitable for cutting
The reputation of carbohydrates in bodybuilding during cutting has been largely tarnished by the ketogenic diet.
The ketogenic diet promotes the near-complete exclusion of carbohydrates while simultaneously increasing the intake of fats and protein.
The idea is as follows: when the body receives an insufficient amount of glucose (the primary source of energy in the body) for its functioning, it begins to synthesize so-called ketones. Ketones are byproducts of fat oxidation that can be used for energy. This process is accompanied by a fat-burning effect, as the lack of carbohydrates leads to a decrease in insulin levels, which triggers a more efficient use of fats for energy.
The ketogenic diet is indeed very effective for weight loss… but it is not suitable for cutting.
Why?
Just because it contradicts all three goals of a cutting diet (preserving muscle mass, losing weight, maintaining training activity) by excluding carbohydrates. Weight loss occurs too quickly, and this is always accompanied by a significant loss of muscle mass.
If you miscalculated the time needed for cutting, then perhaps the ketogenic diet is your only chance to try to catch the departing train.
The ketogenic diet is not recommended during body cutting. Reduce carbohydrate intake to initiate the fat-burning process, but do not eliminate them completely to ensure enough energy to protect muscle mass from catabolism.
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Fats during body cutting
Fats, contrary to the aura of evil and harm that recent dietary research and intense self-examination in the mirror have surrounded them with, are another food component that is crucial for life.
Aside from the unpleasant ability to accumulate in places we despise, revealing our inability to control appetite, fats are involved in many important chemical processes in the body.
The two most important functions of fats are energy provision and hormone synthesis.
A fat molecule carries more than twice the caloric charge compared to carbohydrates and proteins (9 kcal vs. 4 kcal).
The main anabolic hormone – testosterone – is synthesized in the body with the involvement of cholesterol.
Severe restriction of fat intake during a body cutting diet leads to a decrease in testosterone levels. This is one of the protective mechanisms for the economical use of nutrients in conditions of caloric deficit: the lower the testosterone in the blood, the fewer nutrients are sent for building muscle tissue, meaning more can be used for energy.
That is, regarding fats during cutting, it is necessary to balance on a fine line: they cannot be completely excluded to ensure the synthesis of anabolic hormones (testosterone), and on the other hand, it is important to remember their caloric density and the ease with which the body can store them.
How much and what types of fats to consume during cutting is a question that is difficult to answer definitively. Of course, there are many scientific studies on the topic, but they all, as always, vary in experimental conditions. Some of them indicate that limiting fat intake to 15% of total caloric intake significantly reduces testosterone levels, while consuming more than 30% significantly increases it.
General recommendation: stick to this range. And remember that on one hand, more fat means more testosterone, on the other hand, more calories.
But testosterone is not the only anabolic factor. Carbohydrates and proteins, according to what has been said above, are no less important. Therefore, increasing fat intake at the expense of reducing carbohydrates and proteins during a cutting diet is a bad idea.
From this perspective, 30% fat from total caloric intake seems to be the optimal value.
Fats have an important anabolic function in the body – they are involved in testosterone synthesis. Therefore, they cannot be completely excluded from the diet during cutting. On the other hand, it is necessary to remember their calorie density.
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Example of a cutting diet program
Rule for calculating the amount of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates during cutting
Let’s consider an example of how to correctly calculate the amount of each food component (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) on a cutting diet.
The first step is to assess how many extra kilograms of fat you currently have and how much you need to burn each week, based on the time available until the competition.
It is important to understand that there cannot be an exact science here; we are only working with approximate estimates. But these estimates are quite accurate, as they are based on practical experience.
So, an example of the calculation.
Let’s consider a mesomorph weighing 100 kg, with a body fat percentage of 13%. For competitions, the norm is considered to be 3-4%. This means that our mesomorph needs to cut down by 10%, which is equivalent to 10 kg of fat.
Let’s remind that the optimal cutting rate is 0.5-0.75 kg per week. We will take the upper limit of the range, 0.75 kg, to shorten the cutting time. This is approximately 13 weeks (10 kg of fat / 0.75 kg/week).
During cutting, it is recommended to burn about 80% of the excess fat through diet and about 20% through cardio (ectomorphs should almost completely exclude cardio workouts, while endomorphs should increase their volume).
So, to lose 0.6 kg (80% of 0.75 kg) per week, daily caloric intake needs to be restricted by ~770 kcal (0.6 kg * 9 kcal / 7 days).
The remaining 0.15 kg (20%) of fat per week needs to be burned through cardio. For this, you need to perform about 3 cardio sessions per week, each burning 350 kcal.
Important
As we mentioned, the calculation provided is an estimate. To accurately determine the personal calorie restriction needed during a cutting diet that ensures the desired fat burning rate, it is best to keep a daily record of calorie intake for several weeks and, depending on the body’s response, slightly adjust the calculated value.
That is, start with a calorie deficit of 770 kcal, observe the results over a few weeks, and if the weight is not decreasing at the desired rate, slightly increase the calorie deficit or the amount of cardio; if the rate is too fast, reduce either one or the other.
The number of calories per day at which weight remains unchanged is the basal energy expenditure. This can also be calculated experimentally, following the scenario described in the paragraph above. It is from this value that the calculated calorie deficit should be subtracted to obtain the required daily caloric intake.
There is a rougher way to estimate the basal caloric needs for those who find the above mathematical calculations tedious.
Rough estimate of basal metabolic rate:
- Mesoform: body weight * 33;
- Ectoform: body weight * 35-37;
- Endoform: body weight * 29-30.
For our mesoform example, 100 kg * 33 = 3300 kcal per day. This is the basic amount of calories that maintains the current weight. To lose weight at a rate of 0.75 kg per week, the caloric intake for the cutting diet should be approximately 3300 – 600 = 2700 kcal per day.
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Meal frequency during cutting
- Mesoform: every 2.5 – 3.5 hours
- Ectoform: every 2 – 3 hours
- Endoform: every 3.5 – 5 hours
Protein intake during cutting
The general rule for protein intake for muscle mass gain in bodybuilding is 1.8-2.2 g/kg of body weight. The protein dose should be increased during the cutting diet (see above).
- Mesoform: 2.6 g/kg – 2.9 g/kg
- Ectoform: 3 g/kg – 3.5 g/kg
- Endoform: 3 g/kg – 3.3 g/kg
For the mesoform in our example, we get 260 – 290 g of protein per day. Taking the average, we have 275 g. This is approximately 1100 kcal per day from protein. The remaining calories for fats and carbohydrates are 2700 – 1100 = 1600 kcal.
For endoforms, the proportion of protein is quite large not because they need more to maintain muscle mass, but because protein has a thermogenic effect and is beneficial for weight loss.
Fat intake during cutting
- Mesoform: 17% – 23%
- Ectoform: 24% – 28%
- Endoform: 23% – 28%
As can be seen, the amount of fat in endomorphs during a cutting diet also increases. This is done to reduce the proportion of carbohydrates, which significantly hinder fat burning in this body type, especially.
For our example of a mesomorph, the given percentage of fat is equivalent to 460-620 Calories per day. This is 50-68 g of fat per day. Stick to the middle – 540 Calories (59 g).
Carbohydrate intake during cutting
All other calories that were not consumed from protein and fats will be filled with carbohydrates.
In the case of our mesomorph, this means: 2700 – 1100 (protein) – 540 (fat) = 1060 Calories, which is equivalent to about 265 g of carbohydrates per day.
In summary: cutting program for mesomorphs
| Cutting program for mesomorphs | |
|---|---|
| Initial data | Mesomorph, weight 100 kg, body fat percentage 13%. Need to cut down to 3% (10% = 10 kg of fat) |
| Base caloric intake | 3300 Calories |
| Duration of cutting | 13 weeks |
| Method | 80% from nutrition, 20% from cardio workouts |
| Caloric deficit from food | 770 Calories per day |
| Cardio workouts | 3 sessions per week at 350 Calories |
| Protein | 275 g per day (1100 Calories) |
| Fats | 59 g per day (540 Calories) |
| Carbohydrates | 265 g (1060 Calories) |
| Meal frequency | 2.5 – 3.5 hours |
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Proper timing of protein, fats, and carbohydrates intake during a cutting diet
As mentioned above, carbohydrates stimulate insulin release, which is simultaneously beneficial for muscle growth and maintaining muscle mass, but also hinders fat burning.
A cutting diet should be structured in such a way as to:
- increase the duration of periods when insulin levels are low to stimulate fat burning;
- ensure a high level of insulin to protect muscles from catabolism when this risk is at its highest.
There are two moments during the day when the risk of catabolism is very high: during training and after waking up.
Two moments during the day are critical for food intake during cutting: before/during training and after waking up, when the risk of muscle catabolism is high.
During and before training
To avoid muscle tissue breakdown during cutting workouts, it is important to consume carbohydrates before training. This will help:
- provide energy for training and preserve muscle tissue from destruction;
- stimulates the release of insulin, which blocks the action of cortisol, responsible for the undesirable use of amino acids for energy;
- will increase glycogen concentration in the muscles, which will also provide energy and reduce fatigue.
About 35% of the calculated calorie intake from carbohydrates can be consumed 1.5-2 hours before training. This time is sufficient for them to be digested.
During training, you can take a shake with 30-40 g of whey protein along with dextrose or maltodextrin. The amount of carbohydrates in this shake should make up 20% of the daily norm.
After training, it is better to eat a complete whole food meal with products rich in protein and complex carbohydrates (with a low glycemic index) and wash it down with another glass of protein.
Carbohydrates with a low glycemic index in this meal should contain about 25% of daily caloric intake and will help stabilize blood glucose levels.
Dextrose causes a very sharp spike in insulin, which can even suppress blood sugar levels to a critical point, leading to hypoglycemia (which occurs in diabetics with insulin overdose).
Low blood sugar levels are accompanied by a strong feeling of hunger. Low glycemic index carbohydrates and protein in the post-workout meal prevent this effect and stabilize blood sugar levels.
After Waking Up
Another time of day when the risk of muscle catabolism is high is right after waking up. To avoid this, it is also important to consume carbohydrates.
Waking up is a mini-stress for the body, and to prepare itself for action, the body releases several hormones, which are catabolic in nature, aimed at obtaining energy for the hungry host. The two main hormones of awakening are cortisol and glucagon, both having a catabolic effect on muscles.
Consuming carbohydrates immediately after sleep during a cutting diet will prevent the release of these catabolic hormones and preserve muscle mass from destruction. Carbohydrates will also kickstart brain function and improve well-being.
If you train after breakfast, it is necessary to combine breakfast and pre-workout meal. This will provide 35% + 15% of the daily carbohydrate norm that should be consumed before training in the morning. At the same time, do not consume a lot of fat during this meal, as a high insulin level can easily send it to fat stores.
Distribute fats evenly among the other meals throughout the day when carbohydrates will be less.
Also, consume protein evenly throughout the day.
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Body Drying Foods
Protein
- tuna and any other fish
- cottage cheese
- eggs (especially whites)
- chicken breast (skinless)
- turkey breast (skinless)
- lean beef
- low-fat cheese
- milk protein isolate
- whey protein
- soy protein
- any other low-fat, high-protein foods with low carbohydrate content
Carbohydrates
- sweet potatoes (yam)
- oatmeal
- bran
- brown rice
- bread (no more than two slices a day)
- beans
- air-popped popcorn
- fruits (2-3 servings a day)
- maltodextrin
- dextrose
- vegetables
- improved, refined, enriched grain products and products made from them are not recommended, especially if they contain corn syrup!
Fats
- Omega-3 capsules
- olive oil
- olive oil
- nuts (no more than 1 serving a day), peanut butter (only if it does not contain hydrogenated oil)
- egg yolks
- fish (especially salmon)
- consider the fats contained in the carbohydrate and protein food lists
