Cutting on Westside and Still Gaining Strength

[Saturday Fever]

OK, first we have to define strength as it pertains to the Westside/powerlifting methodology. Strength is, quite simply, the amount of weight you can lift one time. And to further define it, a weight you can lift one time on squat, bench and deadlifts. So when I say gaining strength, I mean simply that you will be able to increase your 1RM on those 3 lifts whilst "cutting" or reducing bodyfat.


So, what twaks to the routine do we make? It's easy. Restructure your ME progression. You should spend 80% of your gym time progressing your ME lift to a 1RM. Set your egos down. This means starting with the bar and adding no more than 20 pounds between sets.

The remaining 20% can be dedicated to accessory lifts, but should not be intense. You should be doing sets of 12 with a weight you can easily handle.

Now I said 80% of the time on ME and 20% on accessory. This means if it takes you 30 minutes to complete your ME lift, you have about 10 minutes for accessory work. Don't say "fuck it, I can stay longer." Your accessory work is not important when you're cutting. You're cutting! You're going to lose mass, so why waste accessory work training for mass you're inherently going to lose?

Q: What if my ME progression takes 50 minutes? Do I work past the 60 minute mark?
A: NO.

Hope this helps. Questions are always welcome.

 

[M.J.H.]

Wow.

This is definitely not how I am training while cutting on Westside. So far my accessory work has been fairly strong. At least IMO. I mean we'll see what happens as time goes by since I am going to be depleting my muscle glycogen levels obviously.

Is it a bad idea to continue training the way I am?