Steve Howard In bodybuilding, a cut results in a specific low-calorie diet, intended to eliminate as much fat as possible while keeping the maximum amount of muscles. Widely used by bodybuilders preparing for a competition, this is a period in which the athlete will have to follow a precise diet.
What is a dryer?
This step is also one of the most trying since fatigue can quickly be felt over the days. This diet period can be more or less long and difficult depending on the desired objective and the starting point, but in all cases, the diet should be controlled throughout the dry period.
Often used wrongly, the word “dry” is dedicated to competition and has nothing to do with a simple degreasing or food balancing that can be done before summer, for example. To lose weight and fat, it is imperative to consume fewer calories than daily calorie expenditure. But be careful, this is not a simple diet to lose weight but something much more complex to maintain muscle size while losing unwanted fat.
In order to start a muscle cut, it is important to have some muscle volume to avoid looking really flat. There is therefore no need to prepare a dry run if you are a beginner or if you do not have enough muscles. You risk losing everything you have won and therefore starting from scratch. It is useless to start a cut if you start with a rather thin or lean physique.
To allow the process of dryness, you must be in a calorie deficit in order to draw on the stock of fat reserves. The dry also translates into a tiring training since you will have less energy and therefore lower performance and loads.
How to eat during the dry season?
Diet plays a key role during the dry season. In calorie restriction, it is necessary to focus on quality nutrients so as not to lose all of your muscles gained during the rest of the year. Thus, it is essential to maintain a good protein intake, or even increase the amounts to ensure the maintenance of muscle mass (1). This is why it is advisable to consume whey isolate or low in calories, carbohydrates, sugars and lipids to meet your protein needs and which can help during the dry, such as ISO Whey Zero from BioTech USA for example. Protein powders like whey are generally low in carbohydrates but have a rapid absorption rate.
Other dietary supplements such as BCAAs fortified with leucine can help you maintain a certain level of performance despite calorie restriction while shedding visceral fat tissue.
As for carbohydrates, it is especially these macronutrients that will be scaled down and will lower your energy reserves. It is therefore normal to be constantly tired and to lower the loads on weight training exercises.
When it comes to fat, it is important to keep enough for the general good health of the body. It is also advisable to keep unsaturated fats such as those contained in fish and vegetable oils and to reduce saturated fats.
The goal of a good eating plan is to minimize muscle loss and maximize fat loss. Any subcutaneous water that remains between the muscle and the skin should also be removed. A hair does not last for months, it is a temporary physical condition for competition. Indeed, the body reaches a very low level of fat, impacting the hormonal balance and the metabolism of the body. Often, people following a real dry diet are followed by a specialized coach. There are also fat burners that can accelerate the dryness if the training plan and diet are respected.
How to train in a dry period?
During the dry season, your muscles have significantly less strength and energy and it is very difficult to maintain the same program with the same loads as usual, or risk injury. It is recommended to lower the loads and increase the number of repetitions and / or sets. The goal is to look for congestion and muscle burning for better definition. To help, the majority of practitioners use training methods such as supersets or bi-sets. While practicing cardio increases calorie expenditure to help achieve a lean, skinny physique faster, its use will depend on your physique and metabolism. Cardio can be placed at the end of the dry period for example.
