The mini cut is still not a popular solution, often used among training people focused on building muscle mass. This is usually associated with a lack of knowledge about how potentially effective it can be, and how to properly carry it out. In today's article you will read about what a mini cut is and what it is used for.
Mini cut - meaning what?
"Cut", or felling, cutting calories is associated primarily with a reduced calorie diet, whose main goal is the loss of body fat and body weight. By saying "cut" - we are thinking about reduction. So you can say that the mini cut is such a smaller, shortened version of the reduction.
We are talking about mini felling when the time of reducing the caloric content of the diet does not exceed 6 weeks. In practice, it may take less, for example 2-3 weeks.
Why has it been accepted to recognize 6 weeks as a determinant delineating a regular reduction from mini cutting? Because in the period up to 6 weeks we lose a relatively small amount of fat as well as body weight.
Therefore, if someone's goal is to significantly lower the level of body fat, they will reach for solutions lasting longer and bringing better results in this matter.
However, if the mini cut is not the best choice for weight and fat reduction, when can we use it?
Mini cut application
Mini cut is used most often to strengthen the process of building muscle mass. The process of building muscle mass is associated with an increase in body weight. On the one hand, the fact that weight gain is conducive to muscle building, on the other hand, weight gain can inhibit this process. This is because as the body mass increases, both the amount of muscle tissue and fat tissue increases.
The high availability of nutrients on the mass as well as the increased level of body fat results in the reduction of skeletal muscle sensitivity to nutrients.
As a result, as the body weight increases, the percentage increase in muscle tissue decreases. In other words, at the initial stage of mass gain, we are able to build muscle tissue more effectively. With time, we gain fat tissue more easily, and we build muscles more slowly. A reckless prolongation of the massage period, without taking appropriate steps will make you gain more body fat and less muscle tissue than you would like.
And it is at this moment that the "mini cut" comes to the rescue.
It can be said that this is a short break in the period of building muscle mass, in which we cut off the supply of calories, which lasts a minimum of two, and a maximum of six weeks.
How does this help us?
First of all, we reduce the presence of nutrients in the blood. Their reduced amount will improve the sensitivity of skeletal muscles.
Secondly, we reduce the level of body fat, which also reduces the sensitivity of skeletal muscles and inhibits their growth.
It’s suggested that the best results in terms of building muscle mass are achieved when the level of body fat in male athletes oscillates around 10-15%. If you build muscle mass, but the level of fat in your body exceeded 15%, it is worth doing a mini cut.
In summary, by increasing the sensitivity to nutrients and reducing the level of body fat, mini-cuts allow further, effective gains in muscle tissue.
What is the mini cuts advantage over traditional reduction?
You are wondering why not apply a normal reduction in such a case and the mini cut is better in this case.
The advantage of mini-cuts over a traditional, longer reduction is that it doesn’t last as long!
Cutting down calories in a short period of time has many advantages.
First of all, it’s easier to carry out and maintain.
Secondly, there is a much lower risk of losing muscle mass.
Thirdly, it’s a short enough period that there is no time for hormonal changes to take place, reduce NEAT, and increase the level of hunger.
More effective, more optimal and easier to perform will be interweaving 12 weeks of mass gain period with 6 weeks of mini cut than gaining mass for 24 months and then conducting a long reduction.
How to carry out a mini cut?
Mini cut is a short procedure, usually used during mass gain periods. Due to the fact that the period is not long, and the metabolism has the task to experience a slight shock, the most common recommendation is to suddenly cut the calories in the diet.
For a given period, we consume much less calories than needed. For example, in order to maintain weight, we must consume 3500 kcal, we have already reached over 4,200 kcal on the mass. So how does a small cut calorie look like? You immediately cut 20% off the initial value and this is the daily pot, in this case 2800kcal.
We keep the reduced caloric content of the diet for 2-6 weeks. Then, we return immediately to the diet 200 / 300kcal above the caloric demand for weight maintenance.
Tips
The ratio of the duration of the mass period to the period of mini cut is quite individual. Will depend mainly on how quickly you gain body fat.
If after 12 weeks of mass gain you are still slim (10-15% BF) and you still manage to gain muscle, there is no need to break that cycle.
If after 6-8 weeks of mass gain you feel that the level of body fat has increased significantly, start on that mini cut.
During mini cut, the goal is to lose up to 1% of body weight per week.
During that time, you can enter additional activity beyond strength training, but don’t exceed it too much.
In summary, mini cut is a short period of calorie deficit when building muscle mass. Mini cut gives you the opportunity to extend the time of effective muscle building.
