Cutting (Fat-Loss Phase)

Cutting is a structured fat-loss phase, typically following a muscle-gain phase ("bulk" — see bulking) in the bulk/cut cycle many lifters use. The aim is to lose fat while retaining the muscle built previously.

How it's run:

• Moderate caloric deficit: ~10–25% below TDEE (often ~500 kcal/day), targeting ~0.5–1% body weight/week (see calorie-targets, safe-deficit-rate). Leaner individuals should err slower and smaller to protect muscle.
• High protein: toward 2.3–3.1 g/kg/day in trained lifters to maximize lean-mass retention and satiety (see protein-sparing-deficit).
• Maintain training intensity: keep lifting heavy/hard to signal muscle retention; some reduction in total volume is fine as energy drops.
• Duration: run the cut long enough to reach the target, then transition to maintenance or a gaining phase rather than dieting indefinitely (chronic deficits risk low energy availability — see energy-availability).

The leaner one gets, the harder muscle is to keep and the more disciplined intake and recovery must be. Diet breaks (short returns to maintenance) can aid adherence and hormonal recovery during longer cuts. See the broader playbook in fat-loss-nutrition.

• A cut = deliberate fat-loss phase, often after a bulk.
• Moderate deficit (~10–25% / ~500 kcal/day); ~0.5–1% body weight/week.
• High protein (~2.3–3.1 g/kg trained) to retain muscle and curb hunger.
• Keep training intensity high to preserve muscle.
• Time-limit the cut; avoid chronic deficits (low energy availability).

• bulking — the gaining phase a cut follows.
• fat-loss-nutrition — the full fat-loss playbook.
• protein-sparing-deficit — protecting muscle while cutting.
• energy-availability — risk of dieting too hard/long.