GigaMachiavelli
Iron
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1) Preamble
2) Weight Loss Recommendations
3) Weight Gain Recommendations
4) Weight Maintenance Phase
Planning a phase of muscle gain / fat loss is not something random, unless you are a beginner, for this you need a periodized plan that progresses over time in a logical and organized manner with a specific objective in mind.
This post assumes that you already have some experience with diet and exercise. So for all gymcels this is the most autistic way possible to do it in order to maximize the chances of achieving any long-term fitness goals.
This post assumes that you already have some experience with diet and exercise. So for all gymcels this is the most autistic way possible to do it in order to maximize the chances of achieving any long-term fitness goals.
2) Weight Loss Recommendations
In order to lose weight, a caloric deficit is necessary (as you already know), which means that it is necessary to put our body into a state of malnutrition by restricting the amount of energy we consume, so our body needs to obtain energy from other sources. The energy sources during a deficit to which our body resorts in order are:
Fat>Muscle>Organs
The goal of a cutting phase is to lose as much fat as possible, maintain as much muscle as possible, and maintain good health. All at the same time.
2A) Weight Loss Rates
2B) Weight Loss Duration
2C) Single Phase Weight Loss Limits
2D) Putting It All Together
Fat>Muscle>Organs
The goal of a cutting phase is to lose as much fat as possible, maintain as much muscle as possible, and maintain good health. All at the same time.
2A) Weight Loss Rates
The recommended rates of weight loss are
this increase likelihood of sustained success and maintained health, while still being fast enough to observe and quantify changes.
between 0.5% and 1% body weight per week
2B) Weight Loss Duration
The recommended weight loss duration is
Running a short fat loss diet has less side effects but at the cost of not losing much fat (obviously) while is more difficult to to differentiate fat loss from water weight changes, a low end minimum for weight loss duration should be three weeks.
On the upper end, running a long fat loss diet has more side effects by risking more muscle, declining adherence and rebound gain increase steeply, a high minimum for weight loss duration should be 16 weeks.
Unless you are looking for a more extreme or specific result, the conservative ideal has already been mentioned above.
between 6 to 12 weeks
On the upper end, running a long fat loss diet has more side effects by risking more muscle, declining adherence and rebound gain increase steeply, a high minimum for weight loss duration should be 16 weeks.
Unless you are looking for a more extreme or specific result, the conservative ideal has already been mentioned above.
2C) Single Phase Weight Loss Limits
The total body weight should be lost across any single dieting phase is:
We face to the same problems as I say it before with running a very low end and a very high end rates.
So here is the best deal to mitigate all of the negative side effects of weight loss which develop in a rate-dependent manner:
No more than 10% and no less than 6% of body weight
So here is the best deal to mitigate all of the negative side effects of weight loss which develop in a rate-dependent manner:
- The longer the phase is, the less aggressive it has to be.
- The shorter the phase is, the more aggressive it has to be.
2D) Putting It All Together
Example of an aggressive phase
Example of a less aggressive phase
Body weight: 80 kg
Rate of weight loss per week: 1%
Rate of weight loss per week: 1%
Weight loss duration: 6 weeks
Total body weight should be lost across the 6 weeks of dieting phase: 10%
Body weight | Rate of weight loss per week | Weight loss per week in Kg | Weight loss duration | Total body weight should be lost across the dieting phase | Total Kg you can lose safely at the end of the dieting phase |
80 kg | 1% | 0.800 kg | 6 weeks | 10% | 8 kg |
If your body weight is 80 kg and want to run a less aggressive phase you should lose 0.800 kg per week of weight for 6 weeks, so at the end of the 8 weeks you probably would loss 4.8 kg in total BUT If you feel capable of losing more weight without any inconvenience, you have the option of extending the phase up to 12 weeks as long as you do not lose more than 8 kg.
Example of a less aggressive phase
Body weight: 80 kg
Rate of weight loss per week: 0.5%
Rate of weight loss per week: 0.5%
Weight loss duration: 12 weeks
Total body weight should be lost across the 12 weeks of dieting phase: 6%
Body weight | Rate of weight loss per week | Weight loss per week in Kg | Weight loss duration | Total body weight should be lost across the dieting phase | Total Kg you can lose safely at the end of the dieting phase |
80 kg | 0.5% | 0.400 kg | 12 weeks | 6% | 4.8 kg |
If your body weight is 80 kg and want to run a less aggressive phase you should lose 0.400 kg per week of weight for 12 weeks, so at the end of the 12 weeks you probably would loss 4.8 kg in total.
In order to gain weight, a caloric suruplus is necessary (as you already know), which means that it is necessary to give more resources so our body is capable to build tissues.
Before you consider gaining weight, you should be aware of this:
The main problems we face on a weight gaining phase are just aesthetics and health, the more fat you gain the less aesthetic and healthy you are going to be. So I will not go into more details, I will only post how to do it in the most optimal way to see a visible change and without becoming a hamplanet.
3A) Weight Gain Rates
3B) Weight Gain Duration
3C) Single Phase Weight Gain Limits
We face to the same problems as I say it before with running a very low end and a very high end rates.
The criteria for a weight gain phase is this:
On the other hand, the total duration is up to you, the more weight you want to gain, the longer the duration will have to be, but with a low end rate.
2D) Putting It All Together
Before you consider gaining weight, you should be aware of this:
YOUR STARTING POINT MATTER.
- IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A HIGH BODY FAT LEVEL (more than 15%) THE CHANCES TO GAIN MORE FAT INSTEAD OF MUSCLE ARE HIGH.
- IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A LOW BODY FAT LEVEL (less than 15%) THE CHANCES TO GAIN MORE MUSCLE INSTEAD OF FAT ARE HIGH
3A) Weight Gain Rates
The best muscle gain rates can be generalized to:
This range allows calorie surpluses and weight changes to be detectable, but still keep muscle to fat gain ratios in a favorable zone.
between 0.25% and 0.5% body weight per week
3B) Weight Gain Duration
The most optimal weight gain duration is:
You can go outside of this ideal range, but might not be optimal. A too long phase will lead to more fat gain while a too short phase will be pointless.
between 6 and 16 weeks
3C) Single Phase Weight Gain Limits
maximum total of 10% body weight gain for beginner to intermediates and 5% for advanced lifters
The criteria for a weight gain phase is this:
- If you're prone to gain too much fat, aim for a low end gain rate.
- If you're prone to gain more muscle than fat, aim for the high end gain rate.
- If you don't idea, aim for the medium end gain rate.
On the other hand, the total duration is up to you, the more weight you want to gain, the longer the duration will have to be, but with a low end rate.
Body weight: 80 kg
Rate of weight gain per week: 0.25%
Weight gain duration: 16 weeks
Total body weight should be gained across the 16 weeks of dieting phase: 5%
If your body weight is 80 kg you should gain 0.200 kg per week of weight for 16 weeks, so at the end of the 16 weeks you probably would gain 3.200 kg in total BUT If you feel it's worth to gain more weight without any inconvenience, you have the option of extending the phase up to a few weeks as long as you do not gain more than 4 kg.
Personally I'm not a big fan of bulking phases, so if you care more about aesthetics go for the example of above or go straight roidmaxxing.
Rate of weight gain per week: 0.25%
Weight gain duration: 16 weeks
Total body weight should be gained across the 16 weeks of dieting phase: 5%
Body weight | Rate of weight gain per week | Weight gain per week in Kg | Weight gain duration | Total body weight should be gained across the dieting phase | Total Kg you can gain safely at the end of the dieting phase |
80 kg | 0.25% | 0.200 kg | 16 weeks | 5% | 4 kg |
If your body weight is 80 kg you should gain 0.200 kg per week of weight for 16 weeks, so at the end of the 16 weeks you probably would gain 3.200 kg in total BUT If you feel it's worth to gain more weight without any inconvenience, you have the option of extending the phase up to a few weeks as long as you do not gain more than 4 kg.
Personally I'm not a big fan of bulking phases, so if you care more about aesthetics go for the example of above or go straight roidmaxxing.
4) Weight Maintenance Phase
This phase is necessarily and you shouldn't skip because it allows you to recover:
- Hunger
- Fatigue
- Metabolism
- Neat
After losing weight
Go for 2/3 to 1x the length of the fat loss phases that preceded them, if your desired body composition isn't achieved yet, go for another cycle phase, also the more cutting phases you do the more long is gonna to be the length of the maintenance phase.
After gaining weight
Go for minimum 1 month, then cut.
5) TL;DR
- Weight loss rates of 0.5 - 1.0% body weight lost per week for durations of 6 to 12 weeks are recommended in most cases.
- Weight gain rates of 0.25 - 0.5% body weight gained per week for durations of 6 to 16 weeks are recommended in most cases.
- Long term muscle gain strategies generally involve a cycle of weight gain, followed by maintenance, and then fat loss before repeating.
- Long term fat loss strategies generally involve periods of weight loss interspersed with maintenance phases until the desired body composition is achieved.
