Cutting without strength loss: powerlifting protocol to chase 10x bw

[Ctf345]

1. Starting Stats

Age: 34
Height: 172 cm
Current bodyweight: 89.5 kg
Goal bodyweight end of cut: 87,5kg
Starting bodyweight for the cut: around 101 kg. Started cutting in May, so 4 months ago. Was on TRT there so nothing important happened.

The main goal right now is to finish the cut, roughly three weeks left before I start upping calories and move into a reverse diet, with the idea of getting a decent rebound in performance without immediately becoming a fat fuck again.

I came down from around 101 kg to 89.5 kg, so at this point I am not interested in throwing a massive amount of drugs into the mix just because I can.

I have never needed high dosages to perform well, totaled 907.5kg in competition while running around 350mg Test E per week.
Before the meet I had also been running 300mg Mast E per week, but I ran out around three weeks before competition and thanks to the shortage I wasn't able to get any, and I hate Mast P due to crippling PIP, so it wasn't even in anymore by meet day. Anadrol and Anavar were used in the last 3 weeks leading up to the meet.
I can reach that level of performance without running stupid amounts of gear, I don't see much reason to suddenly start doing it now, also I don't intend to become extremely huge, as I won't be competitive in higher weight classes as a midget.
2. PED Protocol
At the moment the protocol is:
Testosterone Enanthate:
60mg Min/Wed/Fri
Total: 180mg/week

Anavar:
20mg ed.
Var will be in for the next three weeks, basically until the end of the cut then my coach will decide what gets changed, added or removed, but I know that it will be NPP and Primo, don't know the exact dosages yet, I just know it won't exceed 750mg total.
I don't know the total duration of the complete protocol yet because that depends on how things develop (blood work, blood pressure, sides etc.) and what my coach wants to do next.
Any changes will be updated by me immediately.

Thyroid Medication
I currently take:
T3: 12.5µg/day
T4: 50µg/day

This is part of managing my existing thyroid issues.

Growth Hormone
GH: 2 IU before bed.
3. Training & Nutrition
Training

I train using a conjugate setup four days per week, although the days can vary due to work.

Monday: Max Effort Lower
Tuesday: Max Effort Upper
Friday: Dynamic Effort Lower
Saturday: Dynamic Effort Upper

Max effort for absolute strength through rotating variations, dynamic effort work keeps bar speed high and gets me reps in without grinding my ass off in the comp lifts.
Accessory work changes depending on whatever weak points arise and need to be taken care of.
I do around 35-50 minutes of Zone 2 cardio between 3 to 6 times a week, at the moment 6. Apart from helping with the cut, cardiovascular health is something I take seriously because I'm on TRT anyway.

Nutrition
Current intake is around 2,000 kcal per day as to finish the cut.

Current macros are approximately:
Protein: 250 g
Carbohydrates: 150 g
Fat: 50 g

The priority during the final few weeks is maintaining as much strength and muscle as possible while getting the last bit of weight off.
Once the cut is finished, calories will go up slowly, I don't plan on finishing the diet and immediately eating everything in sight, the goal is to use the rebound properly, get training performance moving upward instead of stalling or losing some kg in the bench, as it tends to decrease with weight loss and increase food without immediately undoing the entire cut.

At the moment I also use:
- CoQ10
- Citrus bergamot
- Red yeast rice
- Niacin
- Nattokinase
- Fish oil
- Magnesium

I monitor hydration (5-7l tracked ED) electrolytes, blood pressure (measured 3 times a week), cardio and bloodwork (done when the coach wants to see it)

Tl, dr:

180mg TE/WK split into 3 injections, 20mg var/ed for 3 wk, 2IU GH/ed, plus my normal thyroid medication.

After those three weeks, the next step will depend on what my coach decides, how the cut finishes and how performance and recovery are looking.

I'll update any changes to the cycle and to training performance, as I haven't been that light since nearly 5 years.

 

[Donvitosharkone]

1. Starting Stats

Age: 34
Height: 172 cm
Current bodyweight: 89.5 kg
Goal bodyweight end of cut: 87,5kg
Starting bodyweight for the cut: around 101 kg. Started cutting in May, so 4 months ago. Was on TRT there so nothing important happened.

The main goal right now is to finish the cut, roughly three weeks left before I start upping calories and move into a reverse diet, with the idea of getting a decent rebound in performance without immediately becoming a fat fuck again.

I came down from around 101 kg to 89.5 kg, so at this point I am not interested in throwing a massive amount of drugs into the mix just because I can.

I have never needed high dosages to perform well, totaled 907.5kg in competition while running around 350mg Test E per week.
Before the meet I had also been running 300mg Mast E per week, but I ran out around three weeks before competition and thanks to the shortage I wasn't able to get any, and I hate Mast P due to crippling PIP, so it wasn't even in anymore by meet day. Anadrol and Anavar were used in the last 3 weeks leading up to the meet.
I can reach that level of performance without running stupid amounts of gear, I don't see much reason to suddenly start doing it now, also I don't intend to become extremely huge, as I won't be competitive in higher weight classes as a midget.
2. PED Protocol
At the moment the protocol is:
Testosterone Enanthate:
60mg Min/Wed/Fri
Total: 180mg/week

Anavar:
20mg ed.
Var will be in for the next three weeks, basically until the end of the cut then my coach will decide what gets changed, added or removed, but I know that it will be NPP and Primo, don't know the exact dosages yet, I just know it won't exceed 750mg total.
I don't know the total duration of the complete protocol yet because that depends on how things develop (blood work, blood pressure, sides etc.) and what my coach wants to do next.
Any changes will be updated by me immediately.

Thyroid Medication
I currently take:
T3: 12.5µg/day
T4: 50µg/day

This is part of managing my existing thyroid issues.

Growth Hormone
GH: 2 IU before bed.
3. Training & Nutrition
Training

I train using a conjugate setup four days per week, although the days can vary due to work.

Monday: Max Effort Lower
Tuesday: Max Effort Upper
Friday: Dynamic Effort Lower
Saturday: Dynamic Effort Upper

Max effort for absolute strength through rotating variations, dynamic effort work keeps bar speed high and gets me reps in without grinding my ass off in the comp lifts.
Accessory work changes depending on whatever weak points arise and need to be taken care of.
I do around 35-50 minutes of Zone 2 cardio between 3 to 6 times a week, at the moment 6. Apart from helping with the cut, cardiovascular health is something I take seriously because I'm on TRT anyway.

Nutrition
Current intake is around 2,000 kcal per day as to finish the cut.

Current macros are approximately:
Protein: 250 g
Carbohydrates: 150 g
Fat: 50 g

The priority during the final few weeks is maintaining as much strength and muscle as possible while getting the last bit of weight off.
Once the cut is finished, calories will go up slowly, I don't plan on finishing the diet and immediately eating everything in sight, the goal is to use the rebound properly, get training performance moving upward instead of stalling or losing some kg in the bench, as it tends to decrease with weight loss and increase food without immediately undoing the entire cut.

At the moment I also use:
- CoQ10
- Citrus bergamot
- Red yeast rice
- Niacin
- Nattokinase
- Fish oil
- Magnesium

I monitor hydration (5-7l tracked ED) electrolytes, blood pressure (measured 3 times a week), cardio and bloodwork (done when the coach wants to see it)

Tl, dr:

180mg TE/WK split into 3 injections, 20mg var/ed for 3 wk, 2IU GH/ed, plus my normal thyroid medication.

After those three weeks, the next step will depend on what my coach decides, how the cut finishes and how performance and recovery are looking.

I'll update any changes to the cycle and to training performance, as I haven't been that light since nearly 5 years.

Hi mate! Love the understanding behind the fact that more gear doesn’t automatically mean more performance. That already tells me plenty.

Going from 101 to 89.5 kg while still prioritizing strength, cardio, BP and bloodwork is how a cut should be managed. And I particularly like that the next phase isn’t predetermined by ego, but by recovery, performance and health markers.

Finish these last three weeks cleanly, don’t chase unnecessary scale loss, and let the rebound come from food and recovered performance before adding complexity.

Strong people move weight. Smart strong people know when not to add more.

Keep this log updated. I’m interested in seeing where this goes.

Shark

 

[Ctf345]

Hi mate! Love the understanding behind the fact that more gear doesn’t automatically mean more performance. That already tells me plenty.

Going from 101 to 89.5 kg while still prioritizing strength, cardio, BP and bloodwork is how a cut should be managed. And I particularly like that the next phase isn’t predetermined by ego, but by recovery, performance and health markers.

Finish these last three weeks cleanly, don’t chase unnecessary scale loss, and let the rebound come from food and recovered performance before adding complexity.

Strong people move weight. Smart strong people know when not to add more.

Keep this log updated. I’m interested in seeing where this goes.

Shark

I do as my coach tells me as he is very knowledgeable about that stuff.
He already told me if we don't hit 87,5kg, so be it as the BF% is low enough and my bench already took a slight hit, even though I PRd in deadlift variations and even pulled 2,5kg off my best comp deadlift in training while quite in a steep deficit because my leverages improved.
My squat wasn't tested, but I was able to squat 90% of my best comp squat in training as I was told to leave one in the tank, no need to go balls out every max effort session as the Westside Book of Methods explicitly states everything at or above 90% 1rm is max effort, otherwise you'll burn out quick on an aggressive cut.

The days where I experimented like a moron are over, I got my shittiest meet on nearly 2g of gear and my best at roundabout 550mg as my mast was empty three weeks prior, I prioritize food, hydration and exercise (GPP, Cardio) over only gear now. The 2g experiment was definitely a one time thing lol.

It really makes you learn the hard way when you throw 16 weeks of prep down the drain listening to some, albeit incredibly strong SHW powerlifter and inject what they do, but that's 4 years ago, I've grown older and wiser.

I'll update my training of today later when it's done and my meals too as I share everything full transparency.

I will have to heavily censor any progress pictures as I don't want to get fired as I have a job that doesn't like anything that has to do with questionable activities.