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Discussionvince_t·
Can you actually gain strength on a cut? My numbers say yes but I'm new
M24, 7 months lifting total. Started a cut 6 weeks ago at 88kg, now 84.5. In that time squat went 90 to 105, bench 65 to 72.5, deadlift 120 to 140.
Everyone says you lose strength on a cut. I am gaining it faster than I was before the cut. Is this the "newbie gains" thing overriding the deficit, or am I doing something right, or is the deficit not actually a deficit (I am tracking, 2300 kcal, losing 0.6kg a week so I think it is real).
Newbie gains. 7 months in, your strength gains are mostly your nervous system learning the lifts, not muscle you are adding. A deficit barely touches that. You can expect it to continue for a while, then slow down, and if you are still cutting at month 12-14 you will start to feel the deficit in your lifts.
You are also doing something right: 0.6kg a week at 88kg is a sensible rate and 2300 is plenty of food. People who lose strength on cuts are usually at 1600 trying to lose 1.5kg a week.
So enjoy it, it is real, and it is not forever.