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Bill Starr's 5x5 - Bill Starr - Glenn Pendlay 5x5 - Periodized Version, Dual Factor Theory
I'm cutting at the moment and in a bit of a dilemma. I'm not sure how I should go about training when on my cut. I've been using exactly the same routine I use for bulking now that I've started my cutting cycle, but I can't help but think I might be better off using something else such as a strength/mass routine (5x5 or something) as opposed to a routine based purely for size. Right now I'm using a fairly high volume split (4x per week) in the 8-12 rep range, using 3 sets per exercise and it works great in terms of helping me add size, but when it comes to cutting I'm not sure if this routine is optimal. I've heard things such as "you should switch to a strength based program on a cut so that you don't lose too much strength" etc, but I always figured I may aswell just stick to my current routine for BOTH cutting AND bulking.
I have actually noticed I'm not progressing in terms of strength & on some lifts I even seem to be LOSING strength, which obviously never happened when I was bulking therefore do you guys feel I'd be better off switching to a routine such as 5x5 (which is 3x per week, as opposed to 4x per week which I'm currently doing) or should I just stick with my current routine? I won't bother posting my current routine, but I've explained the basics of it above anyway. It's basically your run of the mill mass routine, with nothing too complicated involved.
The one thing I WAS worried about though, was that if I were to switch to a strength routine (such as 5x5) whilst cutting, I'd be using considerably less volume than the routine I'm on at the moment, therefore wouldn't my muscles basically be thinking "fuck it, we're not needed if this is the only amount of work we're gonna be doing" and catabolise? For example, on the routine I use at the moment I pay close attention to each & every muscle giving them individual exercises (aswell as compounds of course) in order to increase their size as best I can, yet with the 5x5 routine shown in the link above there are basically ZERO isolation exercises and it's extremely low volume in terms of exercises. Basically I'm just worried that if I were to use 5x5 whilst cutting, my body would adapt & realise that it doesn't need as much size in order to do the lower amount of volume involved in the routine, therefore I'd lose "some" (not all) my muscle, so that I JUST have enough to be able to cope with the routine's demands. After all, your body only really adds muscle to your frame in order to cope with the increasing demands/workload of a routine, which is why people advise you to try & increase the weight on your lifts from week to week so that your body has a reason to keep adding muscle.
Anyway, I don't want it to seem as though I'm giving you guys a lesson as I'M actually the one with the questions here haha, but I just wanted to try & get you to understand what I'm actually asking & what I'm concerned about. Thanks in advance for any advice/answers I get!
I'm cutting at the moment and in a bit of a dilemma. I'm not sure how I should go about training when on my cut. I've been using exactly the same routine I use for bulking now that I've started my cutting cycle, but I can't help but think I might be better off using something else such as a strength/mass routine (5x5 or something) as opposed to a routine based purely for size. Right now I'm using a fairly high volume split (4x per week) in the 8-12 rep range, using 3 sets per exercise and it works great in terms of helping me add size, but when it comes to cutting I'm not sure if this routine is optimal. I've heard things such as "you should switch to a strength based program on a cut so that you don't lose too much strength" etc, but I always figured I may aswell just stick to my current routine for BOTH cutting AND bulking.
I have actually noticed I'm not progressing in terms of strength & on some lifts I even seem to be LOSING strength, which obviously never happened when I was bulking therefore do you guys feel I'd be better off switching to a routine such as 5x5 (which is 3x per week, as opposed to 4x per week which I'm currently doing) or should I just stick with my current routine? I won't bother posting my current routine, but I've explained the basics of it above anyway. It's basically your run of the mill mass routine, with nothing too complicated involved.
The one thing I WAS worried about though, was that if I were to switch to a strength routine (such as 5x5) whilst cutting, I'd be using considerably less volume than the routine I'm on at the moment, therefore wouldn't my muscles basically be thinking "fuck it, we're not needed if this is the only amount of work we're gonna be doing" and catabolise? For example, on the routine I use at the moment I pay close attention to each & every muscle giving them individual exercises (aswell as compounds of course) in order to increase their size as best I can, yet with the 5x5 routine shown in the link above there are basically ZERO isolation exercises and it's extremely low volume in terms of exercises. Basically I'm just worried that if I were to use 5x5 whilst cutting, my body would adapt & realise that it doesn't need as much size in order to do the lower amount of volume involved in the routine, therefore I'd lose "some" (not all) my muscle, so that I JUST have enough to be able to cope with the routine's demands. After all, your body only really adds muscle to your frame in order to cope with the increasing demands/workload of a routine, which is why people advise you to try & increase the weight on your lifts from week to week so that your body has a reason to keep adding muscle.
Anyway, I don't want it to seem as though I'm giving you guys a lesson as I'M actually the one with the questions here haha, but I just wanted to try & get you to understand what I'm actually asking & what I'm concerned about. Thanks in advance for any advice/answers I get!
