Judge current leanness
Cutting makes sense when there is enough fat to lose and your abs and muscle lines are hidden. If you can already see decent definition and want to be bigger, a cut is premature and you should keep gaining slowly.
How do I know if I should cut?
Cut when body fat feels high enough to hide muscle, roughly above 15 percent for men or 25 for women, and you want more definition.
The quick answer
Cut if your body fat is high enough that muscle definition is buried and you would rather look leaner than keep gaining, generally above about 15 percent for men or 25 for women. If you are lean and could carry more muscle, keep building instead, since cutting too often stalls progress. A cut means a modest deficit of around 300 to 500 calories with high protein while training hard.
How to think about it
Weigh your goal
Cutting reveals the muscle you have; it does not add any. If your priority is size, keep building; if you want to look leaner and sharper for a while, a cut is the tool for that.
Run it properly
A good cut is a deficit of about 300 to 500 calories a day, protein at 1.8 to 2.2 g per kg, and continued heavy lifting to keep the muscle you built. Aim to lose around 0.5 percent of bodyweight a week.
Do this
- Assess your body fatIf muscle is hidden and you are above roughly 15 percent men or 25 women, a cut fits.
- Clarify the goalDecide whether you want to look leaner now or add more size first.
- Set a modest deficitAim for 300 to 500 calories under maintenance, not a crash diet.
- Keep protein highHold protein near the top of the range and keep lifting heavy to protect muscle.
Keep going
How SUUPR helps
Cut when body fat feels high enough to hide muscle, roughly above 15 percent for men or 25 for women, and you want more definition.