Max Out and Cut Fat

I hear it every time I ask someone their opinion on fat loss. I see it every time I go online. Looking to lose fat? Cardio, cardio and more cardio! Well I have a problem with that, and I think every other muscle-bound guy out there does as well. I don’t like killing myself on the stationary bike in the gym while wearing a garbage bag and having the thermostat cranked up into the triple digits.

Also, another problem I have with this method, is the loss of muscle size and strength during cutting phases. So why not lose some fat while lifting heavy? I’ve devised a density program to reduce or eliminate strength and size loss during a hardcore cutting phase by placing emphasis on the powerlifts.

I promise, you won’t have to touch an elliptical, treadmill, or stationary bike. This program should be a favorite among heavy lifters because it allows you to have a max effort on a powerlift every day, even though it’s a cutting cycle. Because of its uniqueness and difficulty to adapt to, you may even see gains in size and strength while simultaneously cutting fat.

This program is designed as a full body workout with emphasis on a powerlift each day.

Day 1 : Bench Press

: Bench Press Day 2 : Deadlift

: Deadlift Day 3: Squat

Core work is not included, but can be done as a warm up or cool down. However, stay away from erector muscles, they get plenty of training during the actual workout, and any more activity may lead to overtraining and injury.

A sample day may look like this:

5 Minute Dynamic Stretching/ General Warm Up (Done to stretch muscle fibers while raising heart rate)

5 Minute Specific Warm Up (Ex. Bench on bench day, etc…)

Max Effort 1RM on Powerlift

5-10 Minute Core Work

Density Workout

5 Minutes Static Stretching/Cool Down

Constructing the program for you:

Each of the powerlifts should be done at 80% of your 1RM.

Assistance exercises should be done with 70-75% of your 1RM (possibly more or less depending on your strengths and weaknesses).

When med balls are called for, use a weight you are comfortable with, if the med ball is too light, you might not receive benefits of that exercise; too heavy, you may be placing emphasis on the wrong muscle groups, or you may experience too much joint stress.

During the max effort portion, don’t make any more than three attempts at a lift, this will too greatly hurt performance in the later density circuit.

Rules of the Program

Plyometric/bodyweight exercises can be done with dumbbells if an exercise feels too light.

Weights should not be increased throughout the program unless a weight feels drastically too light/too heavy.

Exercises in the program should be repeated through for 25 minutes NO MORE, NO LESS.

Each exercise in the set should be done back to back, any rest needed should be taken between sets.

The goal is to add a set done every time through the workout.

Separate each workout by at least a day to avoid overtraining.

So there it is. If you want to lose some fat, put down the cell phone and stop texting for 25 minutes to get in the best shape of your life. You’ll look better, and still be able to bench an impressive load. Try this program for a month or two, and then come back and do it again the next time you want to lose a little fat. Have fun maxing out on the powerlifts, but be ready to sweat your ass off when it’s time to work.