First Mini Cut In A Year! Believe 2024 Episode 16

[@bad-orange10294]

Seeing your approach to nutrition has really helped me understand that weighing every food and counting every calorie is not necessary and that being mindful of portions and food choices can be enough to maintain a healthy weight. I have used that in my first maintenance phase in eight months of dieting and successfully kept my weight stable! Coincidentally I just started my next dieting phase at a similar weight to yours. Thank you and good luck!

[@Team3DMJ]

That’s fantastic to hear, well done!

[@steve_revivestronger]

Let's go Eric, excited to watch this prep :D

[@Team3DMJ]

Thanks so much Steve!

[@Nick-kf3io]

I just saw your video on volume with Data Driven Strength, was very enlightening! You're probably the person on earth who I think is most knowledgeable when I comes to bodybuilding, at least the one I respect the most 🙏

[@Team3DMJ]

I don’t know if I’m the most knowledgeable haha, but I am honoured you found the video enlightening and for your respect 🙏🏻 I appreciate the kind words and I’m glad the information is helpful

[@g0aky]

good luck sir!

[@CinergyTraining]

Looking forward to following along! I just finished up a prep positioning phase for some 2025 shows as well

[@Team3DMJ]

Nice let’s get it!

[@vagabundierenderlaserstrah7964]

Nice work. Love those videos. You're an inspiration.

[@Team3DMJ]

Thank you!

[@realbenmaynard6019]

An excellent way to start my week!

[@fossilfusionz8891]

Considering how busy you have been.... Well done ✅ keep up the great work. 👍💙

[@Team3DMJ]

It’s been hectic for sure! Thank you!

[@davidfort7829]

Big pop for the Big Boss Man statue 🥰

[@forestman8729]

Nice progress, top Content!

[@ATP-James]

Can tell how long you’ve been out of the states if you’re calling it takeaway 😅 excited to follow along as always!

[@Team3DMJ]

lol you’re not wrong. You catch me saying footpath instead of side walk you know I’m lost beyond all hope 😂

[@griffingeode]

I like the plan. I do want to see the gaining continue but a short mini cut will probably improve the next round of growth.

[@ck-rd2ce]

This is a common misconception. Getting leaner doesn't improve your p ratio or muscle growth

[@Team3DMJ]

I’ll be back on the gain train soon! Got another 3 months in me before we start prep, after this cut 👌🏻

[@17jnewman]

Get it eric

[@lic.arielschillaci]

We are waiting for Episode 17. How is the minicut progressing so far?

[@Ask-Ali]

That’s a dope Morty funko pop.

[@lic.arielschillaci]

Eric, will you be using a skinfold caliper to assess skinfold thickness before and after your minicut?

[@lic.arielschillaci]

If so, please share the results.

[@Team3DMJ]

I didn’t get a pre measurement unfortunately but I am considering a post, although I did get skinfolds done a few months back

[@gourmetpaul]

Great spot! How tall are you Eric?

[@Team3DMJ]

Thank you! 6 foot

[@dory_m78]

How do you expect to lose 6kg in one month if your only cutting 500 calories per day? 500calx 30day÷7000cal= 2.1kg not 6kg

[@Team3DMJ]

I don’t haha, that’s why I mentioned that from food alone the deficit would be a minimum of 500 per day, but up to 700, and my step count is higher, and I said I anticipated it would take 6 weeks, and I mentioned it would depend on how bloated I am currently - which by that I mean how much weight will come down from water weight, food bulk, etc from sodium, fiber and total food mass being lower. For example in 2023 I dropped 2.4kg in the first week 😂 probably less than half was fat mass though.

[@dory_m78]

@Team3DMJ thank you, I went on a 5day "modified protein sparing diet and lost 2kg not including water retention,I was so happy with my strength afterwards that I did it again 5 days later, second lost alot of strength and onlylost 0.5kg(of which came back almost straight away) I will have to watch this again and learn from you Thank you again

[@Team3DMJ]

@@dory_m78you’re very welcome, and generally, slow and steady wins the race, and ensures you maintain muscle and actually develop habits

[@Konstantindor]

I noticed a slight thinning of your hair for a long time, do you use finasteride?

[@peterfarr9591]

Eric - I'd love to hear your thoughts more on how you deal with muscle loss from mini cuts. It seems that the evidence seems to point to a calorie deficit larger than 500 calories a week (for average weight individuals in those studies), or greater than 1 lb per week will lead to muscle loss. Is your strategy that the three months of slow gains post the mini cut provide enough time, with muscle memory, to regain that lost muscle before a gentler prep period where you are more careful to not lose muscle mass? How do you weigh the risk vs reward of a mini cut like this, vs simply a longer gentler cut?

[@Team3DMJ]

Take a look at the plot in that meta regression, there’s a huge dispersion around that mean of lean mass loss (not necessarily muscle mass) at 500kcal deficit, and there are a ton of moderators which impact this which are not necessarily accounted for, like the specific setup of training and also the initial body fat of the person in question. Given the data specifically on physique athletes, you wouldn’t expect much if any muscle loss in a mini cut done well, and for sure the period after likely would result in regain if there was. As a coach/athlete anecdotally, it’s not something that is a discernible problem when done right

[@peterfarr9591]

@ really nice to hear! Do you guys have more content on this? I'm a vault member as well so if there any videos in the vault that cover this I'd love to watch them

[@Team3DMJ]

@@peterfarr9591we’ve definitely done podcasts on cutting and mini cuts and vault nutrition courses are generally very good (nutrition fundamentals for lifters, default diet, macros into meals, prep positioning) but not necessarily exactly on the topic of minicuts. Thank you for being a member🙏🏻

[@123peterjackson]

I've given up the idea of ever making gains ever again at 39.m especially after illness made me lose 92 kg in 10 months. I lost so much neuromuscular efficiency

[@latman1]

That's one of the worst looking low pulley rows I've ever seen? Are you missing the top range of the row for a reason?🤔

[@griffingeode]

Probably focusing on maximizing the stretch but I know I love pulling until I feel my chest stretching

[@odiw2509]

Why? all the full row ranges are used. he's just sitting in flexion making it impossible to cheat with his hips. Could possibly be more arm emphasis.

[@latman1]

@@griffingeode I hear you and how can you fully contract the lats without coming up expanding the chest and Contracting the shoulder blades back. I'm old school Arnold low pulley rows. Seems like all the newer generations reinvent the wheel🤔

[@forestman8729]

lengthened partials, very effective

[@becomingsoul]

These are likely at the end of a set. They are designed to to emphasize the lengthened stretch, lengthened partials. There is not much happening at peak contraction in any case