Individuals that are experienced in weight training can tell you firsthand how difficult it is to progressive overload while cutting. Progressive overload is a main component in building muscle and is easier to do during a bulk or when consuming excess calories. This does not mean that you should take it easy during the cutting phase, but instead, do everything that is in your control to help you progressively overload the muscle. It is possible and it has been done before!

What Is Progressive Overload?

Progressive overload is gradually increasing the weight lifted, amount of reps or sets performed, or just increasing the total work volume to increase the stimulus placed on the muscle. It’s an increase in tension for the same duration of time. The muscle eventually adapts to the stimulus or stress it receives and eventually will need a greater stimulus in order to grow.

Getting stronger is a good sign of progressive overload working. If you are able to perform even just 1 more rep with the same exercise at max effort vs. the last time you performed the exercise, you have successfully progressively overloaded the muscle!

Effect of Cutting and Resistance Training

Cutting without a proper training routine and diet has been shown to decrease the rate of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) which increases the likelihood of losing muscle. The weights you normally lift feel heavier and the number of reps you perform for a certain weight may decrease.

Your ability to progressive overload is dependent on your strength. During a cut, you can expect to lose some strength, especially on longer cutting cycles.

Strategies to Promote Strength Gains and Retain Muscle

If the main reason for progressive overload is to get stronger and continue to build muscle, it may be wiser to tackle a different goal. Getting stronger during a cut is possible, but not all the time!

Muscle loss should be your primary concern since it’s very possible in a calorie deficit!

Optimal approaches for lean mass sparing during calorie restriction should therefore focus on counteracting the decline in MPS by modifying dietary and mechanical [i.e., resistance training (RT)] stimuli.

Roth C, Schoenfeld BJ, Behringer M. Lean mass sparing in resistance-trained athletes during caloric restriction: the role of resistance training volume. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2022 May;122(5):1129-1151. doi: 10.1007/s00421-022-04896-5. Epub 2022 Feb 11. PMID: 35146569; PMCID: PMC9012799.

Instead of wondering if you can progressive overload while cutting, you should focus on retaining muscle and your current strength. This involves the right training and proper diet regime. You may even get stronger if you follow the key points below!

The Do’s and Don’ts While Cutting

• Do have a moderate calorie deficit
• Do have a high-protein diet
• Don’t lower training volume or the amount of work you normally do in the gym
• Don’t stay in a calorie deficit for a long time (4 months max)

Have a High Protein Diet

It is well known that a high-protein diet contributes to an elevation of MPS (Pasiakso et al. 2013) and whole-body protein synthesis (Gwin et al. 2020a) as well as helping to inhibit insulin-sensitive protein breakdown (insuling-IGF-1-PI3K), which therefore partially counteracts the negative consequences of prolonged CR (Jager et al. 2017; Hudson et al. 2020; Gwin et al. 2020b).

Roth C, Schoenfeld BJ, Behringer M. Lean mass sparing in resistance-trained athletes during caloric restriction: the role of resistance training volume. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2022 May;122(5):1129-1151. doi: 10.1007/s00421-022-04896-5. Epub 2022 Feb 11. PMID: 35146569; PMCID: PMC9012799.

Consumption of protein has been shown to elevate muscle protein synthesis, reducing the negative effects of calorie restriction (CR).

In a study performed by Dudgeon et al. in 2017, Dudgeon recruited resistance trained athletes who have trained for two years. The group of athletes that consumed a high protein diet was able to retain muscle while the other group that had a low protein diet, slightly lost muscle.

Don’t Lower Your Training Volume

Just because you’re in a cutting cycle, does not mean you should lower the number of reps and sets you perform in the gym.

If volume is decreased from the off-season to the weight loss phase, as has been previously reported in bodybuilders (Hackett et al. 2013), this conceivably reduces mechanical loading, which in turn may hasten the decrease in lean mass (Hornberger 2011; Vandenburgh et al. 1999; Gao et al. 2018; Breen et al. 2013).

Roth C, Schoenfeld BJ, Behringer M. Lean mass sparing in resistance-trained athletes during caloric restriction: the role of resistance training volume. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2022 May;122(5):1129-1151. doi: 10.1007/s00421-022-04896-5. Epub 2022 Feb 11. PMID: 35146569; PMCID: PMC9012799.

You should aim to keep the same volume that you normally do when you are training during a bulking cycle. You should also continue to push yourself to set PRs (personal records) and get stronger!

The Amount and Length of The Calorie Deficit Matters

Individuals that carry more body fat can diet with a higher calorie deficit. On the other hand, leaner individuals should have a lower calorie deficit or they risk losing muscle.

First, given the assumption that higher deficits lead to greater lean mass loss (Chaston et al. 2007), we speculate that once the deficit becomes too severe, even anabolic stimuli such as high-volume RT may be unable to counteract diet-induced anabolic resistance (Schoenfeld et al. 2020; Kistler et al. 2014; Robinson et al. 2015; Murphy and Koehler 2020).

Roth C, Schoenfeld BJ, Behringer M. Lean mass sparing in resistance-trained athletes during caloric restriction: the role of resistance training volume. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2022 May;122(5):1129-1151. doi: 10.1007/s00421-022-04896-5. Epub 2022 Feb 11. PMID: 35146569; PMCID: PMC9012799.

When trying to keep muscle during a cut, you should aim for 0.5-1.5 lbs/week weight loss. Leaner individuals would belong in the lower range while higher body fat individuals can diet in the higher lbs/week range.

My Final Thoughts on Whether or Not You Can Progressive Overload While Cutting

You can progressive overload while cutting if your training and diet are dialed in. It’s not easy to do during a cut and it also gets harder the longer you stay in a caloric deficit. It is much easier to achieve with new lifters since they are more sensitive to the training stimuli. The goal on top of progressive overload should be to keep muscle mass during the cutting phase since the chances of losing muscle is higher. At the same time, you should STILL continue to push yourself to get stronger (which can happen in a cut), resulting in progressive overload. This is achieved with proper a high protein diet, high volume training, and a deficit that isn’t too severe.