Quote:
Originally Posted by Wheelwright
I always heard that you aim to lose max 20% muscle on a good cut. So what you're saying is you really only lose glycogen (water) which makes muscles only APPEAR smaller. However your muscle fibers (ie. the actual muscle) actually STAY THE SAME IN SIZE. Well that's just fine and dandy if you're an athlete and are mostly concerned with strength and performance. However: if you're mostly concerned about appearance you don't want that glycogen depletion with the resulting "flat" look so you stay away from cardio.
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On a solid cut, you should only be losing glycogen stores and fat cells. It should be clear, though, losing muscular tissue is a difficult feat to accomplish, and you'd really have to be well under your daily caloric maintenance requirement and have a considerably low body fat percentage. A 300-400 caloric deficit, created by cardiovascular activity, for example, will
not result in a loss of muscular tissue.
You cannot lose body fat without getting that "flat" look. The order by which the body utilizes its energy stores for immediate energy is as follows: (1) glycogen stores; (2) fat cells; and (3) muscular tissue. You cannot tap into your fat cells for energy unless first soaking up energy from your glycogen stores. Therefore, you will, and must, feel/look flat in order to lose weight (all of this is assuming you are not taking drugs).