MUSCLEBLAZE

Hello Ziddis! If you are working on yourself, gaining and building muscles while in a cutting phase, chances are you are wondering how you can shed fat without sacrificing your hard-earned muscle. You totally can! But it takes more strategy, discipline, and a deeper understanding of how your body works under a calorie deficit. Let us see how you can do it, too.

Why Muscle Loss Happens During a Cut

When you are in a calorie deficit, your body starts looking for energy sources. If your deficit is too aggressive or your diet lacks enough protein, your body ends up breaking down muscle tissue to meet energy demands. This would be your mechanism if your workouts change drastically during the cutting phase, like reducing resistance training or increasing cardio intensity. This causes catabolism, which is muscle breakdown, and it is more likely to happen if:

• You are not strength training consistently
• Protein intake is low
• Your deficit exceeds 25% of your maintenance calories
• Recovery is compromised
• You experience a lack of sleep, high stress or overtraining.

Bodybuilding Cutting Phase

The cutting phase is designed to make you lose fat while keeping your muscle mass intact. It follows a bulking phase and can last anywhere from 6 to 16 weeks, depending on your goal.

Key goals for bodybuilding during the cutting phase are:

• Preserve lean mass
• Maintain strength
• Avoid habits that slow down your metabolism
• Stay mentally and physically consistent.

Cutting Diet Bodybuilding

A bodybuilding cutting diet is not just about eating less, but also eating smart. Here is how you can follow a cutting diet for bodybuilding:

• Prioritise high protein and nutrient-dense meals.
• Keep fats moderate, about 0.8 to 1 gram per kg of your body weight
• Cycle carbs based on training load
• Use meal prep and macro tracking to stay in check with your intake
• Avoid fad diets and stick to a sustainable, whole food and no processed foods diet with room to personalise and flexibility

Cutting Diet Plan

If you are overwhelmed and unsure what food you should eat and what you should avoid because you are in your cutting phase, here is a diet plan for you to get started. The aim is to have 2000 to 2100 calories every day.

Breakfast ideas:

• 4 egg whites or 2 whole eggs
• 1 slice of whole wheat toast
• Black coffee or green tea

Pre-workout Snack:

• 1 Scoop of Protein supplement
• 5-10 almonds
• Green tea or coffee
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop of BCAAs
• A scoop of peanut butter

Lunch idea:

• 250 grams of grilled chicken
• 100 grams of brown rice
• Mixed greens with olive oil dressing

Dinner

• 200 grams of fish or paneer
• Stir-fried vegetables
• A small serving of quinoa or dal

Supplements

• Creatine
• Caffeine
• BCAAs
• Multivitamin
• Omega-3
• Protein powder

Takeaway

Cutting does not have to mean shrinking yourself. It means with the right training and right nutrition, along with the right supplementation, you can retain muscle and strength while reducing your fat.

Read Also: Top 10 Indian Bodybuilders: Diet and Workout Plan

Know that train like you are still building, keep your protein intake high and do not fear carbs. Supplements can support your journey well. You must always monitor your progress weekly and adjust your diet accordingly.

Stay wise and consistent to see the results.

Hello Ziddis! When it comes to fat loss, most of us instinctively hop onto the treadmill or HIIT up. But are you sure you need that? The reality is that the most effective path to a sustainable fat loss may not be just doing cardio, but also trying to reshape your body by a strategic combination of strength training and cardio. Let us understand how it can help you.

Cardio for Fat Loss

Cardio is often the first thing that comes to people’s minds when talking about burning calories. Running, cycling, swimming, zumba- all these activities get your heart racing and burn good enough calories. Here is what cardio makes it one of the great ways for fat loss:

• Burns calories like magic. It helps you stay in a calorie deficit which is an important part of fat loss.
• Cardio, as it is in the name, is good for your cardiovascular health and endurance.
• If you have insulin sensitivity, cardio like a brisk walk can help you body use glucose efficiently. This boosts your fat metabolism.

But, relying on cardio alone is not the wisest way. Too much of it without a proper strength work can lead to muscle breakdown which results in a lower metabolic rate over time.

Strength Training for Fat Loss

Strength training does not always burn as many calories as cardio does, but it is just as good a workout for your fat loss journey. It is the best way for a sustainable, long-term fat loss. Here is how strength training helps you:

• It boosts your Basal Metabolic Rate aka BMR which means that more muscle you build, your body will burn that much more calories while you are at rest.
• It helps you preserve your lean muscle even when you are on calorie calorie-deficient diet. It makes you lose fat, not muscle, unlike cardio.
• Strength training triggers excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, which means that your body continues to burn calories even after your workout is over.

In short, the more you build and maintain muscle, the more efficient your fat loss becomes.

Strength vs Cardio for Fat Loss

So, which one is better? Strength training or cardio?

If fat loss is your aim, strength training should be the foundation of your fat loss routine. Cardio could be your powerful sidekick. Many times, people on their fat loss journey make the mistake of overdoing cardio while underestimating the value of muscle preservation, which can backfire by slowing down their metabolism. Your ideal mix would depend on a lot of things, like:

• Your current fitness level.
• Your body type
• Your goals
• Your training experience

A good rule of thumb for fat loss is :

• 3 to 4 days of strength training
• 2 to 3 days of moderate to high-intensity cardio

And do not forget to rest and prioritise recovery. Your muscles can only grow if your body is well-rested.

Fat Loss Workout Routine

Your fat loss workout routine is really important. You can not be doing vague workouts and expecting results. Here is a sample workout for a week to kick-start your fat loss routine:

• Day 1: Full body strength training
• Day 2: 20 mins of cardio, like a brisk walk or cycling
• Day 3: Lower body and core strength training
• Day 4: Rest or active recovery like yoga or walking
• Day 5: Upper body strength training with HIIT to finish it
• Day 6: Cardio like swimming, dancing and incline treadmill.
• Day 7: Rest

This is a good point for you to start, but make sure you are also prioritising nutrition. You need to be on a calorie deficit diet, eat enough protein to maintain muscle and keep yourself hydrated. Fat burning tablets and weight loss tablets can accelerate the fat loss process.

Read Also: The Overlooked Role of Connective Tissue in Strength Training

Takeaway

Fat loss is not just about sweating it out with endless cardio, but more about training the smart way. You need to build your strength to power your metabolism, while cardio can support the fat-burning process. Prioritize strength and let cardio take the side seat. Most importantly, stay consistent. A healthier, happier and leaner version of you is waiting for you.

Have you heard of magnesium in places other than your chemistry books? Magnesium is extremely important for our body, but it is not getting the spotlight like protein or vitamins do. This humble mineral still powers over 300 biochemical reactions in our body. Be it helping muscles relax post-workout session or easing stress after a long day, magnesium is your silent hero. Let us know more about benefits of magnesium supplementation and especially the role of magnesium in muscle recovery and stress management.

Benefits of Magnesium for Your Body

Magnesium is an important biochemical in our body. It pulls the strings for some of the most important body functions, like:

• Nervous system regulation helps nerve transmission, reflexes and keeps communication between muscles and nerves smooth.
• Protein synthesis helps the body use amino acids effectively to build and repair muscles.
• Energy production via the creation of ATP, the energy currency of our cells. Without this, you would feel drained and sluggish all the time.
• Muscle function and recovery support proper muscle contractions and relaxations. This reduces the chances of cramping and twitching.
• Sleep regulation is an underrated offering of magnesium.

In short, magnesium keeps you moving, recovering and functioning at your best!

Magnesium for Anxiety and Sleep

One of the underrated or often ignored yet very appreciated roles that magnesium plays is in providing a calming effect to our nervous system. This is because magnesium regulates cortisol, which is our body’s main stress hormone. High levels of cortisol not only affect our mood but also have a bad impact on our muscle recovery, metabolism, mental health and sleep cycle. By reducing cortisol, magnesium helps us calm our minds and bodies.

Magnesium also activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the rest and digest mode. It supports the production of GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that helps us relax and sleep well. If you have been facing trouble sleeping or feeling anxiety, magnesium is your best bet.

Magnesium for Muscle Recovery

Magnesium is important for muscle health post your workout session. When you work out, your muscles contract repeatedly. Magnesium helps them release and relax. If there isn’t enough magnesium produced, you may experience tightness, soreness or spasms in your muscles, leading to painful cramps.

Magnesium plays a role in flushing out lactic acid to reduce post-workout discomfort. Whether you are lifting weights, running or engaging in HIIT, magnesium supports your body’s process of repairing and prevents the kind of fatigue that could derail your routine.

Signs of Low Magnesium

You need to be watchful of your body’s calls for help. Here are some signs of low magnesium:

• Muscle cramps
• Slow recovery
• Feeling tired all the time
• Sleeplessness
• Stress
• Low stamina
• Feeling lethargic

Benefits of Magnesium Supplementation

When your food can not fulfil your magnesium needs, you would need to take help from magnesium supplements. Here’s when you know it’s time to start magnesium supplementation:

• Your diet lacks variety
• You have started training intensively
• You sweat a lot
• You are under constant stress
• You have sleep issues
• You have digestive issues.

By getting on a magnesium supplementation, you can:

• Reduce muscle cramps and soreness, helping you recover faster and better after your workout
• Improve your sleep quality
• Reduce your anxiety and stress levels
• Manage your heart health and blood pressure
• Help with bowel movement.

Some of the best forms of magnesium you can try for supplementation are:

• Magnesium citrate to help with digestion and sleep issues
• Magnesium glycinate to help calm your mind and body
• Magnesium malate for energy and muscle performance.

How to Have Magnesium Supplements

• If you are new to magnesium supplementation, don’t worry, we are here to help. Start slow.
• Recommended daily allowance or RDA for magnesium is 400 to 420 mg/day for men and 310 to 320 mg/day for women.
• Take magnesium with meals to improve absorption
• Take magnesium one hour before bedtime for stress relief and better sleep
• Do not overdo it because overdosing on magnesium can cause an upset stomach.
• If you are on any medication or have kidney issues, consult a doctor before adding magnesium supplements to your routine.

Magnesium-Boosting Foods and Habits to Support Supplements

Even if you take supplements, your diet and lifestyle matter.

Here are some magnesium-rich foods you must add to your plate:

• Dark leafy vegetables like spinach and kale
• Nuts and seeds
• Whole grains
• Legumes
• Dark chocolate
• Bananas
• Avocados

Some lifestyle changes can take you a long way by retaining your magnesium:

• Stay hydrated
• Have electrolyte-rich drinks to make up for magnesium lost by sweating
• Avoid too much caffeine and alcohol
• Eat whole foods instead of processed foods
• Try yoga to calm your mind

When you work out, your energy needs to be maintained to help magnesium levels as well. Adding supplements can help with that. Try mass gain supplements for your bodybuilding routines, and if you are just trying to stay in shape, then grab a protein bar before you hit the gym.

Read Also: The Psychology of Supplementation: Are You Addicted to the Ritual?

Takeaway

Magnesium is the unsung hero of our body. Now that you know how it quietly supports some of the most important functions, you should start taking it seriously and add it to your diet. Prioritise magnesium-rich foods daily and add supplements to your routine. Your body and mind will thank you.

Hello Ziddis! We are all chasing health goals here with an information overload. From expensive memberships to overwhelming diet plans, from eating right to weights vs machines, we have so many choices and so little knowledge about them. Minimalist workout routine could be your best shot if you are trying to keep yourself healthy and build muscles just by doing body weight training.

Benefits of a Minimalist Workout Routine

Minimalist workouts are more than just a trend. They are a lifestyle that can revolutionise your fitness goals. Here’s why:

• They are convenient. You can do it at a park or at home. No need to buy expensive memberships. All you need is a push.
• They are time-efficient, so you do not have to commute to your gym or wait for machines to be vacated. You can wrap up your session faster with more productive work done.
• They are cost-effective as they do not need any fancy equipment or expensive membership, or complex sports gear. Just having a trusty pair of joggers and a shaker bottle for your workout boost is enough, which you can easily get at MuscleBlaze.

Key Movements for Building Muscle

To make sure you get the most out of your exercises, you need to focus on fundamental and compound movements. These will engage multiple muscle groups, making your workout session more fruitful while being minimalistic. Here’s what you can do:

• Push-ups with variations like decline and diamond to hit different target areas like chest, shoulder and triceps.
• Pull-ups to build upper body strength.
• Dips to work on your chest, shoulder and tricep muscles
• Squats to build strong legs and glutes. You can progress with jump squats, pistol squats or Bulgarian split squats
• Lunges are great for leg strength, stability and balance. Walking lunges or holding a heavy water bottle for lunges can add to the difficulty levels, making it more fruitful.
• Planks are the best core test and you can try side planks, plank reaches or plank to push-up movement to scale up the intensity.

These exercises cover every major muscle group and set the foundation for a strong, muscular physique without equipment.

How to Increase Intensity with Tempo, Reps, Holds, and Progression

Without weights, you might be thinking, how can one build strength and muscles, how to progress and how to make the right gains. Here’s how:

• Tempo Control: Slow down the lowering phase and increase the time under tension. For example, keep the dip in the squat for a few seconds before coming up and do that slowly.
• Higher Reps: Progression does not always mean increasing the intensity or weights. You can also do so by increasing the reps.
• Pauses: When the tension is built up, pause right there.
• Exercise Progressions: As you get stronger, move to harder variations like from regular squats to jumping squats or burpees.

This progressive overload works well even without weights. It is key to continuous muscle growth.

Minimalist Bodyweight Workout Plan

A minimalist routine doesn’t mean “easy.” It means smart. Here’s a simple split you can follow:

Day	Exercise	Sets & Reps
Day 1: Push Focus	Push-ups	4 sets of 15–20 reps
	Dips (use bars/chairs)	3 sets of 10–15 reps
	Pike push-ups	3 sets of 12–15 reps
	Plank shoulder taps	3 sets of 20 taps
Day 2: Lower Body Focus	Bodyweight squats	4 sets of 20 reps
	Walking lunges	3 sets of 20 steps
	Bulgarian split squats	3 sets of 10 reps per leg
	Wall sit	3 rounds of 30 seconds
Day 3: Pull Focus (If pull-up bar available)	Pull-ups	4 sets of 6–10 reps
	Negative pull-ups (if needed)	3 sets of 8 reps
	Inverted rows (under sturdy table)	3 sets of 12 reps
	Hollow body hold	3 rounds of 20 seconds
Day 4: Active Recovery/Core	Side planks	3 sets of 20 seconds per side
	Bird dogs	3 sets of 12 reps
	Glute bridges	3 sets of 15 reps
	Light stretching or yoga	–

If you follow this for the start of your fitness journey, you would get a baseline for how you should progress you can build on this to make the most of your workout.

Read Also: How to Build Your Own Workout Routine

Bodyweight Exercises for Muscle Growth

The key to healthy muscle growth is challenging your muscles consistently. Progressive overload, good form and proper recovery are the non-negotiables of muscle building. By focusing on movements that engage multiple muscle groups, you can stimulate your muscle fibres to their best potential. Some exercises that help us do this are push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats and more. Body weight training often improves our core stability and enhances our overall strength. Combining the right intensity with consistency will help you get the muscles strengthened without using weights.

Bodyweight Strength Training Tips

Check out these bodyweight strength training tips before you start your training.

• Focus on the full range of motion during every rep.
• Prioritise quality over reps
• Don’t neglect mobility and flexibility
• Stay consistent
• Show up every day
• Have enough protein for muscle health

Takeaway – Minimalist Workout Routine

Minimalist does not mean low effort. It just means making the most of what you have. To build a strong and healthy body, you do not need to work out at the gym for hours. You need to focus on form and intensity while staying consistent. So the next time you think to yourself that you do not have what it takes to start working out, stop yourself and know that you are the only equipment you need.

Hello Ziddis! Do you think those two eggs for breakfast and having some peanuts for snacking is enough protein? Do you think your one bowlful of dal and a spoonful of peanut butter can give your body the amount of protein it needs? Nope! It is time to think, calculate, count and act to make sure you are feeding your body enough protein. Here’s how you can do it and save yourself from overestimating your protein intake.

Protein Intake for Muscle Growth

Why is protein even important? In school, you must have learnt that protein is the building block for your body. That is exactly why it is important. Protein is important for your muscles to build, strengthen, and withstand pressure. Without adequate protein, your body will not have the essential building blocks to repair and grow muscle tissue. Muscle building needs more effort than simply hitting the gym. Without enough protein your muscles will turn weak and your body won’t have the building blocks it needs to repair and grow muscle tissue.

For muscle gain, the general recommendation is 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So if you weigh 70 kg, your daily target should be between 112 to 154 grams of protein – spread throughout the day.

The catch? You also need to hit about 25 – 30 grams of protein per meal to stimulate muscle protein synthesis optimally.

Protein Intake Calculation

For muscle gain, the general rule of thumb is to have 1 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight. If you weigh 70 kgs, your daily target needs to be 70 grams to 140 grams of protein, depending on your fitness goals. This can be spread out through meals.

What’s the catch, then? You should try to have 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal to manage your muscle protein synthesis and also your insulin levels.

Here is a simple calculation you can rely on:

• 2 boiled eggs can give you around 12 grams of protein
• One scoop of protein can give you 28 to 30 grams of protein
• 1 bowl of dal can give you 9 grams of protein
• 100 grams of paneer can give you 20 grams of protein
• A handful of nuts can give you 6 grams of protein.

This totals up to 42 grams, which is still below your minimum goal since the average weight of an Indian adult is 60 kgs. This is where people fall short and overestimate their daily protein intake.

To make sure you calculate your protein accurately:

• Read labels
• Use apps to track proteins and calories
• Be aware of portion sizes
• Remember that the weight of food is not how much protein it has.

Protein Intake for Athletes

Athletes or people going through intense training require 2 to 2.5 grams of protein per kg of their body weight, depending on their sport and goals. Recovery, endurance and performance are all directly linked to protein availability. Timing also matters here because for athletes, consuming protein with some carbs post-session is also beneficial, ideally within 30 minutes of the workout.

Protein Intake for Weight Loss

If you are trying to lose fat but maintain muscle, protein is your best friend. A high-protein diet can increase satiety, support fat loss and prevent muscle loss during calorie restriction. For weight loss, aim for 1 to 2 grams of protein per kg of your body weight. High protein meal curbs cravings, keeps you fuller and makes it easy to stick to your goals.

Protein Intake for Vegetarians

This is where it gets tricky. But it is not impossible. It is a myth that one needs to have non-veg to gain protein, while the truth is that even though many vegetarian sources are incomplete proteins, multiple options can help you. Though being a vegan can cut most of those out for you.

Some good vegetarian protein options:

• Greek yoghurt (10 grams per 100 grams)
• Paneer (18 grams per 100 grams)
• Soy chunks (52 grams per 100 grams dry weight)
• Tofu (8 grams per 100 grams)
• Lentils, rajma, chana
• Protein powders or bars specifically formulated for vegetarians

Tracking becomes even more essential if you’re a vegetarian to make sure you’re not overestimating based on volume alone.

Tips to Increase Your Protein Intake

Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast like eggs, paneer, protein powder shake, smoothie bowls

• Clean up your snacking by replacing biscuits with protein bars or roasted chickpeas and peanuts.
• Use supplements like whey protein, casein and plant protein powders
• Bulk up on EAA and creatine supplements to get the essential nutrients to power up your muscles.
• Add protein to every meal, aiming to have at least 20 to 30 grams of protein on your plate.
• Choose high protein alternatives like quinoa over rice, Greek yoghurt over regular yoghurt
• Double up on proteins by combining them, like having peanut butter toast with scrambled eggs.

Read Also: Why Tracking Your BMI is Just Not Enough

Takeaway

It is easy to assume you are hitting your protein goals, but these assumptions are often wrong. You highly overestimate the nutrition your food choices give you. The best way is to track your food intake and make sure you know how many calories and proteins you are consuming the right amount. Whether you are an athlete, on a weight loss journey or building muscle, knowing the right amount of protein you consuming is a non-negotiable.

Add protein, snack smarter, and you’re gonna hit your fitness goals.