There Is NO Good Reason to CUT! (Listen Up, Gym Bros...)

You heard that right. In my opinion, there is no good reason to cut!

Let me explain why. A "cut" in typical bodybuilding/gym methodology is when a trainee eats in a caloric deficit with the goal or removing body fat and appearing more lean and "shredded". However, I believe that for most trainees, going on a cut is a completely counterproductive waste of time and effort. 

The reason for this is that a cut, by reducing food consumption, will lead to a decrease in strength gains, a decrease in gym/sport performance, a decrease in recovery capacity and a decrease in mental efficiency. Let's break these down.

As you reduce your body fat levels, you ability to gain strength and thus size is GREATLY reduced. Having a decent amount of body fat and eating in a caloric surplus will allow you to hit new PR's as you have the ability to recover and fuel your muscles. Eating in a caloric deficit impedes recovery significantly and thus results in a decrease in strength. Although there are ways to cut which minimis strength loss, the best case scenario is that your strength numbers will remain the same. However, as a trainee, YOU must make the decision of whether or not having visible abs and a lean BF% is worth sacrificing your muscle and strength gains. For the majority of people, I believe that this is not a sacrifice that should be made. I think that the majority of people can benefit from embracing a LONG bulk (I recommend bulking for at least 2 years before you even think about cutting). 

Bulking for a long period of time will skyrocket your performance in every aspect of life. If you are an athlete, bulking will increase your sports performance. That is why ALL strength coaches in athlete weight rooms tell their athletes to eat in a caloric surplus. Cutting whilst playing a sport is a great way to ensure that your team loses! Not to mention that many of the trainee who want to cut are rank novices! All novice trainees should be BULKING to actually gain the strength that they need to become intermediates. A novice shouldn't even be thinking about cutting if they have a long term plan to advance significantly in the weight room. Is starving yourself just so you can show your six pack and get some Instagram likes worth taking months away from your gym progress? In my opinion, no.

Furthermore, bulking also improves you mental performance and your libido. Eating less than is required by your body can potentially leave you lethargic and mentally unwell, which can seriously impact your ability to sleep and recovery in addition to decreasing your libido. Basically, if you don't give your body the nutrition that it deserves, your health will suffer!

Of course, there will be a minority of people who can benefit from a cut. This obviously includes bodybuilders during show prep or athletes trying to make it into a certain weight class. However, this does not reflect to lifestyle or the goals of the majority of the lifting population!

That is why there is no good reason to cut.

Enjoy!