Strength-Preserving Cut

Ten-week cut designed for intermediate-to-advanced lifters who want to drop body fat without losing the strength they've built. Six sessions per week: four powerlifting-style strength days (squat / bench / deadlift / overhead press, each with one main lift hit heavy + minimal accessories), plus two cardio sessions (Wed HIIT, Sat Zone 2). Sunday rest.

The trick to keeping strength in a deficit is volume management — when calories are low, recovery suffers, so accessory volume is intentionally cut and main-lift intensity stays high (4-5 reps at 80%+). Phase 1 (wks 1-3) holds 4×5 at 80%. Phase 2 (wks 4-7) drops to 5×3 at 85%. Phase 3 (wks 8-10) intensifies to 3×2 at 88-92% with back-off triples — pure strength preservation.

Pair with a moderate caloric deficit (200-400 kcal/day) and high protein (2.0-2.4 g/kg). Best for intermediate-advanced lifters with a 1.5×bodyweight squat / bench / deadlift baseline who want to cut without their lifts going backwards.