Avoiding overtraining during a cut!

[BerserkerRage]

Hi,

I find it really easy to overtrain on a cut and lose strength because of the reduced cals(along with all the cardio),I was thinking of lifting weights to preserve the muscle just twice a week with heavy squats,deads,etc.Would this be enough or would thrice a week be better?

[holvoetn]

2 or 3 times a week, around 60-70% of your 1RM if you want to go for maintenance.
More sessions = more calories out

[JasonLB]

I'd still lift 3 days a week, and continue lifting heavy -- keep trying to hit PRs -- just cut the overall volume. So instead of 5 x 5, do 3 x 5, or even work up to a single set of 5. But, whatever you do, I think continuing to lift heavy and frequently is key -- you've got to give your body a reason to hold on to muscle and strength while cutting. You just need to manage the volume.

[MaritimeMass]

maintenance is a weird idea

[BerserkerRage]

^^^ There's no choice,i gained a good amount of strength and muscle on my bulk but the fat will get out of hand if i don't go on a cut.It's better to bulk and then go on a cut although its not a fun thing to do

[BOHICA]

Or just add in more sprints and intense interval cardio. Clean up your diet while still eating a little more or right around maintenance and you will lean out and still keep making progress on your lifts.

[knoted]

Don't push yourself on the cardio for fat loss while on a deficit, like you mentioned, it is easy to lose strength that way. You can drop volume (total number of reps in a session) and frequency (number of sessions in a week) by about 2/3 and keep what you have gained. So two short full body sessions per week should be heaps, as long as you keep the weight up. Like 90%+ of your max.