How To Track Progress During A Cutting Phase
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How To Track Bulking Progress:
• How To Track Progress During A Bulking Phase
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How To Track Progress During A Cutting Phase
https://www.SeanNal.com/articles/trai...
The two most important progress tracking metrics when trying to maximize fat loss while maintaining lean muscle during a cutting phase are changes in bodyweight and strength.
A standard rate of weight loss to aim for is 1-2 pounds per week. If you’re landing within that range, you’ll know that you have a proper calorie deficit in place.
If your bodyweight is decreasing more slowly or is stagnant, then your calorie deficit is too small or you don’t even have a calorie deficit in place at all.
If you’re in this situation, conduct a dietary audit by going tracking every single item you’re consuming. Many people consume far more calories than they realize. A standard deficit for fat loss is usually only 350-500 calories per day, and it only takes a few errors to reduce or eliminate it.
If you aren’t actually hitting your calorie target, you need to be more diligent with your tracking. However, if you’ve been consuming the calorie total that you’ve planned, then that target is too high, and you’ll want to decrease your daily intake by 100-150 calories each week until you’re consistently landing in that 1-2-pounds-per-week range. Because calories in versus calories out is the ultimate bottom line, the other option is to increase your calorie expenditure through additional activity.
However, if you’re dropping too quickly, your overall calorie deficit is too large and you’ll want to increase your calorie intake, decrease your calorie expenditure or both. But as long as you feel fine in terms of hunger, energy and strength in the gym, you should be fine for the time being.
You may also find that your bodyweight is decreasing at a slower pace but you’re seeing improvements in body composition – you’re losing fat but gaining muscle mass. In that case, keep doing what you’re doing and only adjust your calories or cardio if other metrics plateau.
The other main cutting progress factor to monitor during a cut is strength in the gym.
If your strength numbers are staying the same or increasing from week to week and the rest of your training and nutrition are on point, you can be sure that the vast majority of your weight loss is body fat and not muscle.
However, your strength is dropping noticeably throughout your cut, then your overall calorie deficit could be too large, your calorie intake could be too low, could be performing too much cardio during the week, or your macronutrient intake could be out of balance. If you’re having issues with recovery, you might need to reduce your overall training volume or frequency by 20-25%.
To fine-tune your cutting progress tracking further, you can use progress photos and body part measurements to track how your body is changing. These are particularly important in cases of recomposition, where your body weight might be going down more slowly.
You can also use body fat percentage readings to track progress. These can be highly inaccurate and usually aren’t necessary, but they can give you some extra insight into your overall cutting phase progress.