30 Day Cut - Diet, Meal Plan and Workout

Looking to get shredded in 30 days? Well you’ve come to the right place. This guide has everything you need to know when you are going through a 30 day cut. From training and nutrition, right down to the supplementation that will help you lose fat and build muscle. 

If you want an easier read, we cover the basic guidelines behind a 30 day cut here. 

What is a cut? 

A ‘cut’ is a familiar term in bodybuilding and refers to the fat loss phase of a programme. This is when athletes are looking to get to their lowest body fat percentage, whilst still maintaining as much muscle as possible. 

Unlike general weight loss, fat loss is a much more refined concept as you have to maintain a calorie deficit whilst continuing high intensity weight training sessions to pack on muscle. Although difficult, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know, including an example training programme and nutrition plan. 

Strength Training for a 4 week cut

When you are going through a cut, it is essential that you continue a strength training programme in-order to build muscle mass whilst burning fat. Without training on a regular basis, muscle atrophy will take place and you will begin to lose muscle mass. 

Therefore, optimal strength training is required to maintain your physique. When planning your training, you should ensure that you include a sufficient amount of compound exercises into your programme. These are exercises that include large muscle groups. Key compound exercises include: 

• Squats 
• Deadlifts 
• Lunges
• Bent over row 
• Bench press 
• Shoulder press

With each of these exercises, there are several variations that you can perform to increase muscle mass. By recruiting as many muscles as possible, this means the bigger the strength gains. As well as this, strength training can also increase your metabolism, therefore you will be burning calories at a higher rate after training, which is ideal for fat loss. 

Cardiovascular exercise 

Cardiovascular exercise is important for maintaining good heart health and can be useful when you want to burn fat. That being said, you need to be careful in-regard to the type of cardio you choose when going through a cut. 

During a 30 day weight cut, your primary focus will be to build and maintain muscle through strength training, the extra cardio will be the added push, along with your nutrition to be in a calorie deficit. Because you want to be focused on strength, your cardio cannot defer from this. That means that your cardiovascular exercise cannot diminish your strength, therefore it shouldn’t be too intense and hinder main training days. 

LISS 

LISS stands for low intensity steady state, which basically means cardio that isn’t too intense and you can still hold a conversation. LISS activities include: 

• Stairmaster 
• Incline treadmill 
• Walking/hiking 
• Cycling (steady pace)

Often, LISS can be performed for between 30-60 minutes for optimal results and can be implemented into your training programme without being detrimental to your strength training. 

NEAT

Neat refers to non-exercise activity thermogenesis and is all of the activity that you do that isn’t set exercise. Examples of NEAT could be walking the dog, carrying food shopping or doing the gardening. It is essential that your NEAT increases during a cut because this can increase your calorie expenditure without fatiguing the muscles and causing a hindrance to the muscles. 

Training guide to Shred in 30 days

Pull workout

Push Workout

Lower Body Workout

Nutrition guide for a 4 week cut

It is vital that you are consistent and tracking your nutrition when you are on a 30 day cut. This is because your nutrition is the main focus that will lead to fat loss, whilst your strength training will help to maintain muscle mass. Although there are several articles online that can make things confusing, it is best to keep things simple when it comes to your diet. 

The most essential thing to remember is that you need to be in a calorie deficit if you are aiming for fat loss. This means that you need to be consuming less calories than you are using each day. To do so, you will need to track your calorie in-take. 

On top of this, your protein requirements will be higher than usual if you want to maintain and build muscle mass. This is because protein is the key macronutrient for building and repairing muscles. Therefore, without enough protein, your muscles will not grow optimally. 

Below is an example of a sample 1500kcal high protein meal plan: 

Sample 30 day cut meal plan - 1500kcal 

Breakfast 

-x3 egg omelette

-1 handful of spinach 

-½ red pepper 

Lunch 

-120g salmon fillet 

-100g potatoes, boiled 

-80g green beans 

Post-workout snack 

-1 scoop protein powder & 200ml semi-skimmed milk

-1 apple

Dinner 

-150g chicken breast 

-125g basmati rice 

-80g broccoli 

-80g carrots 

Evening snack 

-4 squares dark chocolate

30 day cut supplementation  

When you are on a cut, once you have the fundamentals of your training and nutrition nailed down, then it is time to consider supplementation to aid your fat loss and muscle building. Supplements are a great way to aid your fat loss journey to get the best results possible. One of the most important supplements to take during a cut is a fat loss supplement. They hold vital ingredients that speed up your metabolism and increase focus for training. The ingredients to look out for in your fat loss supplement include: 

Calcium HMB - When looking to maintain muscle, calcium HMB is a key ingredient that should be a part of your supplementation. HMB is a chemical that is produced when the body breaks down leucine, which is an amino acid. It is known to promote muscle growth and reduce the breakdown of muscle, which is why it is so useful during a cut. 

Caffeine - This is a familiar ingredient found in most fat loss supplements. Caffeine is a stimulant and helps to improve concentration, increase focus and boost energy levels. This is just what you need when you are fatigued from a calorie deficit and need to put all of your efforts into a training session. 

Coleus Forskohlii - This is a natural chemical found in the root of a plant and is traditionally used to treat disorders such as high blood pressure. This is because it produces a more powerful heartbeat and in-turn, widens the blood vessels which can then lower blood pressure. 

But why is this important for fat loss? Coleus Forskohlii also helps to create enzymes in the body, these enzymes then go on to free fatty acids from the cells and use them as energy. This means that the body is burning more fat whilst also potentially protecting lean muscle mass. 

Conclusion 

After reading this 30 day cut guide you should see that a fat loss phase is actually pretty simple. Stick to a calorie deficit, train hard and use supplements to aid that last push. 

The main take home points are that your nutrition needs to be on point throughout the 30 days, tracking everything and maintaining a high protein diet. Additionally, in-order to maintain as much muscle mass as possible, strength training should be consistent and progressive for maximum results.