The term “body cutting” is used by professional athletes and is a method of maximizing the reduction of fatty tissue in the body, below its own norm, in order to obtain muscle relief.
The result is achieved not only with the help of a special diet, but also with proper training. For people who are not involved in sports professionally and want to acquire permanent sportswear, this method is not entirely suitable. Rather, it will be called weight loss. After all, drying is an extreme and fast way of burning fat, as well as “draining” water, which is achieved for a specific event (competition) and has a temporary effect. But it is impossible to keep the body under constant stress for a long time. This method is not always indicated for a specific organism, as there are a number of limitations and side effects.
I highly recommend watching a video interview with a speaking fitness champion, where she explains in detail what body drying is, how it differs from losing weight, how to do it correctly and much more. And read in more detail how to dry out a girl’s body with examples of a training program and menu for following a diet.
What is body drying
In fitness, the concept of muscle drying means getting rid of excess fat and increasing muscle definition.
This is one of the three main training cycles, which usually completes the year's training and brings the athlete to peak form. It is customary to carry out drying in the summer, associating it with the beach season, although professional athletes are “tied” not to seasons, but to competitive performances. Drying is considered the most difficult cycle. Unlike gaining weight and increasing strength, losing fat provides significant physical and psychological stress. Moreover, this cycle requires the most careful consideration of your diet and training regimen. The wrong approach can lead to many negative consequences, including not only loss of muscle mass, but also possible deterioration in health.
The main differences between drying and losing weight
In order for the cycle to be as short and effective as possible, you need to understand what body drying is and how it differs from regular weight loss. The term “weight loss” usually refers to a general reduction in body weight. Progress is tracked using the number on the scale. In this mode, it is physiologically impossible to achieve the loss of exclusively fat body mass. When cutting calories in the diet, the body, along with fat, will begin to burn muscle tissue for energy. This certainly leads to a decrease in physical capabilities and a decrease in muscle volume.
Drying is the targeted elimination of exclusively the fat layer while maintaining the maximum possible amount of muscle.
Main features of drying:
• Short cycles, no more than 1.5-2 months;
• Creating a controlled calorie deficit (it is necessary to determine the limit of the deficit when fat mass will decrease without affecting muscles);
• Stimulation of lipolysis and enhanced support of the body with the help of sports supplements;
• Planning of all microcycles within the drying cycle;
• Draining water when reaching peak form.
The main difference between cutting and losing weight is the preservation of muscle mass. Draining the water at the end of the course is practiced only in professional sports to prepare the athlete for a performance. For amateurs, such muscle drying will not only not bring benefits, but can also be harmful. This is due to the effects of extreme drainage of fluid from the body to maximize muscle dryness.
How to properly dry muscles?
In order for the result to last as long as possible, you need to reduce the fat content in the body to a certain point.
At least 8% is considered optimal. Many try to reduce this figure to 4-5%, and sometimes more, but this is not recommended. The body, having reached such a critical point, will subsequently begin to actively replenish its fat reserves, which will make drying ineffective. Remember also that sudden weight loss always leads to stress, after which the body begins to actively accumulate large fat reserves. For him, this serves as a signal of distress, after which he needs to doubly make up for what was lost.
Cutting should only be done after you have already gained some muscle mass. Only if there is muscle mass, the body becomes sculpted.
The benefits and harms of drying
Both losing weight and drying can have both negative and positive aspects. Understanding the potential disadvantages allows you to choose the most optimal option for getting rid of body fat.
Main advantages of drying:
- Improved metabolism;
- Reducing blood cholesterol levels and improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- Effective prevention of fatty liver hepatosis;
- Strengthening the immune system (only after recovery from the cycle; during drying, immunity drops significantly);
- Normalization of the hormonal system;
- Drying your feet prevents varicose veins;
- Increasing natural testosterone production in men.
A number of studies show that even narrowly targeted abdominal drying can normalize and even slightly increase testosterone synthesis in men.
Disadvantages of drying:
- Harm to the body from severe dehydration: leaching of nutrients, hormonal imbalances and other consequences (relevant only for professional level athletes);
- Significant stress on the psyche (associated with a lack of calorie intake);
- Slight or moderate decrease in mental abilities;
- Increased fatigue, lethargy, drowsiness, mood changes;
- Decrease in strength indicators.
Almost all deficiencies are controllable. With the right approach they can be minimized. The only exception is drying the body for girls before performances. Extreme withdrawal of water at the final stage causes significantly more harm to the female body than to the male body. Among the main consequences: emergency weight gain (due to the accumulation of water), as well as hormonal imbalances, menstrual irregularities, and others. Therefore, without the need to prepare for competitions, athletes are categorically not recommended to use professional schemes.
In general, the main harm comes only from professional drying. For amateurs, a fat burning cycle, and even minimal abdominal drying, will have mainly advantages.
Possible contraindications
Drying the body is suitable exclusively for healthy athletes. Obstacles include diseases of the heart, vascular, digestive systems, and kidneys. Drying should not be done at any stage of pregnancy or during lactation.
The process puts a significant strain on both the body and the psyche. Even calm and balanced people can experience mood swings and breakdowns. When starting drying, which lasts from one month, the athlete needs to be prepared for a serious test both for himself and for those around him.
Igor October 10, 2016
Nutrition during the drying period
Diet is the most important element of drying. In terms of the degree of impact on overall performance, the influence of diet is estimated in the range of 60-65% (the remaining 35-40% depends on training). Building a diet during the drying period is a difficult task that requires constant attention, regular calculations and planning.
Nutrition during drying comes down to control:
- Ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates;
- Counting calories consumed.
During the period of fat burning, the need for protein increases significantly. This is due to the need to reduce muscle catabolism (to prevent muscle breakdown). Also, protein foods are absorbed over a long period of time, reducing the feeling of hunger. Another important argument for increasing protein foods in the diet is its calorie content. Unlike carbohydrates (4 kcal per 1 gram), as well as fats (9 kcal per 1 g), the nutritional value of a gram of proteins is 3-3.5 kcal.
Body drying for men is effective with the following ratio of macronutrients:
- Proteins – 40-45%
- Carbohydrates 40-45%
- Fats – 10-15%.
For girls, the menu is formed with a slight increase in fat consumption (by 5%). The share of carbohydrates is reduced by 5%. A completely carbohydrate-free diet (ketogenic, paleo variations) is rarely used during cutting. Such a nutrition plan will greatly reduce performance and reduce the quality of training. It is optimal to control the proportion of carbohydrates at a minimum level (within the daily caloric intake). Using slow carbohydrates will saturate the body and reduce hunger without increasing insulin production.
Best sources of carbohydrates:
- Cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, black and brown rice);
- Vegetables (especially broccoli, spinach, celery);
- Whole grain bread (no more than a few slices per day)
- Fruits with a low glycemic index.
Best sources of protein:
- Chicken breast;
- Sea fish (low-fat river fish is allowed);
- Egg whites;
- Protein supplements;
- Lean meats (turkey breast, lean beef and others);
- Low-fat dairy products.
Best sources of fat:
- Sea fish;
- Nuts;
- Avocado;
- Omega-3 supplements.
During the drying period, salt and most spices are completely eliminated. Sodium retains water in the body, and spices increase the feeling of hunger and the production of gastric juice.
During the period of fat burning, all sugar-containing, starch-containing foods, sweet drinks or juices, fast food, fried foods are excluded (only frying without oil in a non-stick pan is allowed).
One of the popular schemes is carbohydrate alternation. It involves changing the amount of carbohydrate intake by day, for example:
- Monday is a low carb day;
- Tuesday – normal carbohydrate intake;
- Wednesday – low carb day;
- Thursday – increased carbohydrate consumption in the first half of the day;
- Friday is a low carb day;
- Saturday is a low carb day;
- Sunday is a fasting day (increased consumption).
Vary the regimen by day, depending on the progression. If there are no results, it is recommended to increase the number of low-carb days by 1.
Exercises to do at home
To carry out sports activities while drying the body, you must adhere to the selected training system and purchase equipment. You may need collapsible dumbbells that allow you to decrease or increase the load, a jump rope, a heart rate monitor or a stopwatch. Circuit training includes:
- Cardio classes.
They are aimed at quickly burning fat. During aerobic exercise, it is important to control your heart rate and maintain it at 130 beats per minute. Classes begin with a warm-up, which includes walking, gradually turning into jogging, for about 20 minutes and jumping rope for 5-7 minutes. To cool down, you can use stretching exercises. A good time for cardio training is the morning. Exercising on an empty stomach allows you to burn fat immediately after you start exercising. The selection of aerobic exercise is carried out in accordance with the state of the body. For example, running is contraindicated in cases of back or knee injuries. When drying the body, prolonged exercise with low intensity is necessary; - strength exercises.
As part of circuit training, you can perform push-ups from a low support. Hands should be placed shoulder width apart. To get their legs in shape, girls should pay attention to squats with dumbbells. Such equipment is also useful for swings, seated presses, etc.
Finding the optimal amount of calories during cutting
Understanding what can be eaten dry is far from the main task. It is much more important to choose the right amount of calories. If regular weight loss allows you to reduce the calorie intake to the maximum (up to complete starvation) and lose weight due to the destruction of fat and muscle, this approach is excluded during the drying period. Taking into account different individual characteristics and metabolism, finding the optimal calorie balance can only be achieved through trial and error.
Basic algorithm for determining calorie content:
- Calculating daily calorie needs using complex calculators (be sure to use those that take into account metabolism and lifestyle, and not just body proportions);
- Reducing calories by 200-250 from normal for the first week, tracking results;
- While maintaining muscle mass and reducing body fat, calories are reduced by 50-100 per week;
- With weak or absent results, the weekly reduction increases to 150-200 kcal.
The main task is to find the deficit limit at which fat will be actively and steadily burned. Cutting calories too much is unacceptable; this will not only negatively affect muscle mass, but will also trigger “braking mechanisms” that completely stop fat burning. To track the ratio of muscle mass to fat, it is recommended to use special scales, as well as regularly take body measurements.
Gradually, the body will give off less and less fat, even as the calorie deficit increases. Cheat meals are a great way to “deceive” the body. Use fasting days, allowing you to eat any food (pizza, a piece of cake, etc., but within reason) for lunch once a week. This will not only help “shake up” your metabolism, but will also reduce psychological stress.
What do red muscle fibers have to do with it?
This is a special feature of drying! Red muscle fibers are able to use fat as an energy source. This is the effect we use. We activate the red muscle fibers intensely with high reps. As a result, the muscles become much more resilient and acquire tone in a matter of days. And pumping a large amount of blood through the capillaries during exercise creates the prerequisites for the overall health of the body.
And, importantly, with such training there is simply no chance of getting injured, “killing your knees” or “straining your back”! This is not for you to carry a heavy barbell!
Training during the drying period
There are two positions regarding training. The so-called super drying, when the emphasis is on grueling training until the last days before performances (before the removal of water), as well as uniform cyclic drying (wavy). The latter is based on alternating loads in waves in each microcycle.
The main goal of training is to maintain muscle tone and volume, as well as ensure sufficient calorie expenditure for fat burning. Amateur drying of the body for girls may include minimal or no physical activity, but this option greatly worsens muscle tone and makes the appearance of the muscles unaesthetic (flabbiness and sagging of the skin in some places is also highly likely).
The number of training sessions should increase significantly. It is optimal to adhere to the standard daily schedule:
- Drying legs (multiple repetition work with 30-35% RM) + strength work on the upper body (back, shoulders, arms);
- Low-intensity cardio session – 50 minutes or more;
- Strength work on all muscles of the body + drying the abdomen (abs complex);
- Light toning lower body workout + 10-15 minutes HIIT;
- Low-intensity cardio session – 50-60 minutes;
- Strength training (full body or for lagging muscle groups) + HIIT;
- Day of active rest.
The program varies depending on your well-being, energy level and progress. For example, drying your legs during frequent running or cycling sessions can be replaced by a classic lower body workout with group work 1-2 times a week.
Strength work
It is optimal to perform 3-4 strength training sessions per week with different volumes. The use of a split system, full body or top/bottom division is individual, so athletes can choose the method that is most convenient for them. Regardless of the type of training, the bulk of the strength work should not exceed 45-50 minutes in order to reduce catabolism (70 minutes for low-intensity training with long rest periods).
It is important to avoid excessive stress on the lower body so that drying the legs does not lead to loss of muscle mass during running and other movements.
Cardio workout
Drying muscles is impossible without cardio. It is necessary to conduct 4-5 sessions of varying intensity per week. It is optimal to perform 3 low-intensity and 2 HIIT workouts so that the drying of your legs does not lag behind other parts of the body.
For low-intensity mode, it is recommended to change types of load using:
- Bicycle/exercise bike;
- Run;
- Orbitrek;
- Plyometric movements.
If amateur drying of the abdomen is performed, you should additionally add gymnastic movements with the active participation of the core muscles.
