Maintaining muscle

[UseoForce]

I'm about to start a weight cutting cycle, how should I eat and work out to minimize my muscle loss during the cutting?

[Bushido58266]

eat foods low in saturated fat and calories also eat foods high in protein and carbs.

for working out, this is what i was told for muay thai

-dedicate 3 days to stamina training (running, swimming, biking) keep your heart pumping for about 30 to 40mins

-also 3 days to power training (lifting weights) and be sure you work all key muscles (chest, back, delt, traps, bi and triceps, quads, hamstrings, and calves)

-have one day for rest

and be sure to keep mixing you martial arts training into this. this is the workout i do, so for you, you might want to modify some things to meet your body style, but this is great for burning fat and building muscle

[UseoForce]

That looks like some general weight lifting guidelines. I've been putting on muscle (and a little fat) for about a month now. I want to lose the fat while minimizing muscle loss. Can anyone help?

[Bushido58266]

you must have misunderstood what i wrote, that was a guidline to not only build muscle but to lose fat and keep the fat off. as long as you eat low saturated fat and calorie foods, and run alot then you will be good. you have to lift weights or you will lose muscle, you have to run or do some intense stamina training (running, swimming or biking) or some other kind of intense cardio work in order to lose fat. that guideline was just an example of what i do, in just about 6 months i lost about 12% body fat and kept on gaining good muscle by following just that guideline and eating right

[UseoForce]

Is there anything wrong with doing cardio and power training on the same day?

[UseoForce]

Oh, and right now I work abs every other day, as soon as I am done with my leg, chest, arm or other workout. How often do you do them?

[Bushido58266]

Its ok to do cardio and power on the same day just dont over do it cause you dont want to get over exhausted which can result in injury

i normally work all my muscles on one day

here is a basic look at what i do

this is what i do for 5 weeks

Monday- some intense cardio and martial arts(the martial arts i do has a good mix of power and cardio work). Tuesday- intense power work. Wednesday- martial arts. Thursday- intense cardio work. friday- some intense power work and martial arts. saturday- intense cardio. sunday- break

then the next 5 weeks

Monday- some intense power work and martial arts. Tuesday- intense cardio. Wednesday- martial arts. Thursday- intense powerwork. friday- some intense cardio and martial arts. saturday- intense powerwork. sunday- break

then i just repeat every thing. just find a workout plan that works for you, have a few days of cardio and a few days of power. also have a day or two per week for rest. make sure you dont over do it though, you dont want to risk injury. just do it at a pace that feels comfortable to you.

[elbows_and_knees]

the thing about the body is that it's either in an anabolic or catabolic state - it can't be both simultaneously. consequently, if you go into fat loss mode, you likely will lose some muscle also. keep up your protein intake and keep lifting, even if you only lift heavy once per week.

The abs are a muscle that can be worked daily. However, every other day is fine.

you can do cardio and strength on the same day, but do strength first, as you want to be at your optimum performance level when you lift. If you run first, you may be more drained and will less likely to lift maximally.