If you want to lose belly fat without losing muscle or at least preserve as much of it as possible during your cutting phase or if you just want to lose some fat off a beer belly then you must do it very strategically. Most people who try to lose weight that have been training for a while would usually lose some muscle and sometimes strength when they “lose weight”. Newbies who have not trained before usually gain muscle and “lose fat at the same time”, kind of… But let’s look at why experienced trainers tend to lose muscle when cutting…
This happens because of a few factors:
- Too much long distance cardio
- Too little food too soon
- Not enough protein
- Adding too much cardio
- Not strength training
- Too infrequent meals
There are several other factors that might make sure that you lose muscle when cutting, but if you keep a well rounded “high calorie intake” (that is clean and just slightly below maintenance, around 250 calories in deficit), intense cardio program, and strength training program.
When I cut or try to lose some accumulated stomach fat I tend to make the mistake of cutting off too many calories myself. This is a common mistake. Instead of losing the fat at a little bit longer, more steady pace you rush into it thinking that the more I decrease the calories the faster it will go… This is not true. Instead keep your calories just slightly below your normal intake.
Eat pretty much the same, but instead of say 3 potatoes, make it 2 potatoes… Instead of 1½ scoop of protien powder use only 1 scoop etc. Keep your diet the same as you did when you bulked up , being as clean and natural as possible, while keeping the protein intake high and carbs on the lower end.
Keep up with your strength training to maintain muscle mass. If you have a successful weight lifting program, do not change it, stick with it, but try to stick with the same weights or increase. Many lose strength, this is a sign that you need to up the calories just a bit.
You cardio should not be too long. Instead focus on intensity, such as HIIT. HIIT will preserve and even build muscle when done correctly. I tend to go with a 4 minute tabata burpee session followed by Ab Ripper X or just do a normal Hill Sprint for about 8-10 times (Up hard, walk down).
If you keep at it you’ll lose fat and keep your muscle as best as possible by creating a VERY SMALL deficit from food and a larger deficit from training. About 250 from each is the perfect ratio for me… Maybe even 100 calories cut from diet and 400 calories burned from training is your ideal, only you can know…
If you want a good program that focuses mainly on strength training to boost metabolism and lose the last layer of fat I can recommend Visual Impact Muscle Building. This was kind of a new take on training for me and it is a 6 week “kick start” program that you can get on right now. Try it and see for yourself if it’s something for you…