How do I cut without losing muscle?

Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilders put the rate at about 0.5 to 1% of body weight per week. In a study of elite athletes, the group losing weight more slowly kept more lean mass and gained more strength than the group losing it twice as fast.

A meta-analysis found that lean-mass gains during resistance training shrank as the calorie deficit grew, while strength still improved. A moderate deficit is the trade-off that keeps muscle. Start from your TDEE and adjust from your weekly average weight.

• Keep your main lifts and keep them fairly heavy. The weight on the bar is the signal to keep muscle.
• Keep most of your weekly sets. If recovery suffers late in a cut, drop a set or two per muscle rather than whole sessions.
• Add cardio gradually if you need it, and prefer walking or cycling that doesn’t wreck your legs for lifting.

In a 4-week trial with a large calorie deficit and hard training, people eating 2.4 g/kg of protein a day gained lean mass and lost more fat than those eating 1.2 g/kg. For lean lifters in a deficit, the bodybuilding recommendations go as high as 2.3 to 3.1 g per kilogram of lean (fat-free) mass. For most people, 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg of body weight is a sensible range (how much protein you need).

Spot logs your meals in GymStreak from a photo or a description against your calorie and macro targets. As your cut goes on it can change your calorie goal and suggest changes to your macros. Its daily briefing shows your weight trend, and it can answer from your logged sets whether your lifts are holding.