Drying is an important phase in a bodybuilding program, as it aims to optimize body composition by sharpening the physique. After mass gain, the aim is to eliminate fat while preserving muscle, which means strategically reducing your calorie intake and adapting your training.
What are the best exercises for drying out? Increasing the number of sessions, varying the loads on the bar and adding intensification techniques are three levers to activate in addition to modifying meals. Without rigorous planning over several months, it's impossible to optimize results without sacrificing muscle mass.
Let's see which exercises to choose and how to combine strength training and cardio to maximize fat loss without losing muscle.
The dry period in bodybuilding: physiological principles to understand
What is a dry program?
The starting point for a weight loss program is to lose fat, not necessarily weight.
The aim is to sharpen the body after a period of muscle mass gain. The aim is to achieve a better ratio between body weight and muscle proportion, whereas weight loss is more about shedding kilos, without worrying about the body composition of those kilos.
The drying mechanism
When you dry out in bodybuilding, you're in a caloric deficit, i.e. you lose more calories per day than you consume. This principle, similar to the rebalancing sought in a classic diet, requires the body to draw on its fat reserves. This is known as lipolysis.
However, if caloric intake is inadequate or insufficient in protein, the body may attack muscle reserves for energy. This is known as muscular catabolism, and it's exactly what you want to avoid during a lean period.
The caloric deficit associated with dry weight training can lead to a drop in strength and fatigue, which you need to watch out for to avoid muscle catabolism.
3 aspects to follow for a successful dry run
To avoid common dry-cleaning errors, there are a few aspects of the program to keep an eye on.
The cardio - weight training association
One of the most common mistakes in dry weight training is the ill-adapted combination of cardio and strength training. Before talking about the best exercises for dry weight training, it's important to go back over this aspect.
Endurance is interesting in dry weight training, but not excessively so, hence the importance ofadapting endurance to dry weight training.
Cardio involves the aerobic energy pathway, which requires large quantities of oxygen to provide the energy needed for exercise.
This mechanism leads the body to burn fat, which is what we're looking for when we're drying out. However, to achieve this effect, the exercise must be prolonged, and this does not stimulate muscle mass - quite the opposite. So there's a balance to be struck to avoid muscle wasting.
Reducing calories
The second aspect to follow is precisely that of dietary strategy.
A sudden and excessive reduction in the number of daily calories will shock the body and put it in difficulty. So forget about the objective of drying quickly and start a gradual drying program, with a reduction of 300 to 500 kcal per day in relation to total needs.
Macronutrient management
It's essential to take into account the composition of your plate if you hope to succeed with your weight loss program.
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Without a sufficient and increased quantity of protein, there's no point in trying to dry out effectively. Proteins make up part of the muscle and are essential to avoid the dreaded muscle catabolism.
As for lipids and carbohydrates, they must be maintained, as they are also sources of energy, and their daily dosage must be adjusted to suit the drying program.
A weight-loss program is the right balance between an appropriate dietary strategy and a sports program combining cardio and weight training.
The best exercises for effective drying
Modifying your bodybuilding program during the dry period is necessary to adapt to the caloric deficit and its impact on metabolism. The three levers on which to act are :
- the volume of training, which we will increase to between 4 and 5 sessions per week;
- the loads to be lifted, which will be adjusted to the physical fatigue felt;
- intensification techniques, such as the superset, which links movements together with no rest time.
Let's take a look at which exercises to choose.
Multi-joint exercises: increasing caloric expenditure
Polyarticular movement has the advantage of mobilizing several joints at the same time, and is therefore more energy-intensive. It also maintains muscular stimulation, which is essential in the lean phase.
For the upper body, muscle-building exercises such as the bench press, which mobilizes the shoulder and arm joints, are worth practicing. The bench press (as it's also known) strengthens both the pectoral and shoulder muscles, such as the anterior deltoids and coraco-brachial muscles. It also requires the body to be sheathed, thus activating the abdominal muscles.
For the lower body, the best-known exercise is the squat, which works mainly the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. It mainly strengthens the lower limbs, but can also be performed with a barbell placed at shoulder level. The latter engages the upper limbs a little more and, above all, allows loads to be added.
Squats, pull-ups, deadlifts, deadlifts, bench presses, hip thrusts, push-ups... all effective calorie-burning movements.
Isolation movements: sharpening muscles
These movements are complemented by isolation work at the end of the session. The aim of a dry run is to achieve a sculpted body, and this type of exercise is used to shape the muscles more finely. To illustrate, while the bench press mobilizes the pectoral muscles, it will be less effective specifically on them than a bench press performed with dumbbells or a pulley.
Why is this? The bench press will mobilize several muscle groups, so if one of them is stronger, it will take advantage and be more active than the pectorals. The isolation exercise, on the other hand, will concentrate on the pectorals and even on specific parts of them, forcing them to work first.
Lateral raises, leg curls and triceps extensions are all effective muscle-defining movements. Ending your dry weight training session with 2 or 3 of these exercises is a good technique for successful dry weight training.
Isolation or not, increase the number of sets and repetitions, to reach a total of between 40 and 50 reps at an intensity of between 50 and 70% of the maximum on 1 RM (Maximum Repetition). And to optimize the whole, we reduce the rest time between each set.
High-intensity sessions: optimizing energy expenditure
Cardio sessions, yes, but too long, no. That's where HIIT or SIT training comes in, but what are we talking about?
To vary your workouts, athletes on a dry period can try out :
- High-intensity interval training circuits, also known as HIIT ;
- fractional sprint training (SIT).
In fact, one study compared the two forms of exercise and found that HIIT offers greater caloric expenditure with less perceived effort than SIT1.
The advantage of HIIT is that it promotes fat burning without weakening muscle mass.
Another study2 also suggests that a 30-minute HIIT session with a hydraulic resistance system optimizes energy expenditure compared to a :
- resistance training at 75% of RM ;
- cycling at 70% of Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) ;
- endurance training on a treadmill at 70% of maximum heart rate.
Last but not least, there's another interesting form of training to include in a weight-loss program. This is the TABATA method, which alternates 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of recovery for 4 minutes, i.e. 8 intervals.
Ready, set, go! Tabatez!
Cardio, an essential contribution to dry weight training
Why add cardio and at what intensity?
Cardio is an essential complement to weight training in the dry phase. It promotesfat oxidation through lipolysis, while weight training serves to maintain lean body mass and stimulate metabolism. So it 's a good idea to include it in your sports program, as long as you do it properly to avoid fatigue and increased muscle catabolism.
Here are two ways of adding cardio to a weight-loss program:
- at medium or low intensity (50 to 70% of HR Max) to promote active recovery;
- as we've seen with HIIT for example.
Medium- or low-intensity work has the advantage of optimizing recovery, a key factor in a successful dry, but has the disadvantage of producing a limited effect in terms of optimizing energy expenditure. High-intensity training phases, on the other hand, have the advantage ofoptimizing energyexpenditure, but with the risk of inducing greater fatigue .
For low-intensity sessions, they can be added after weight training to help recovery. High-intensity workouts, on the other hand, are best done away from days with heavy weight training.
Cardio exercises to add to your lean program
Among medium- or low-intensity cardio exercises, you can add brisk walking, rowing, swimming or cycling to your weight-loss program, in 30-minute sessions, for example.
For HIIT, the choice of exercises is wide, but it's possible to alternate :
- 30 seconds sprint with 30 seconds walk 10 times ;
- 40 seconds of burpees and 20 seconds of rest for 8 reps;
- 20 seconds of mountain climbers and 10 seconds of recovery over 10 to 12 reps.
Complementary resources for a successful dry run
The diet: the principles of good nutrition
Nutrition is one of the two essential pillars of dry training. Drying out without paying attention to the nutrients on your plate is risky, especially for certain body types such as ectomorphs, whose base metabolism during weight gain requires more calorie intake.
The number of kilos of fat to be lost during weight loss is therefore calculated according to each morphotype and lifestyle. The next step is to gradually reduce the number of kcal per day.
Protein, fat and carbohydrate intake should be distributed strategically and in a balanced way throughout meals. Carbohydrate and protein supplements, for example, should be taken close to the session. In addition to these macronutrients, vitamins, minerals and water play an important role in transporting nutrients to the muscles. These micronutrients must be provided by a varied and balanced diet.
We opt for lean proteins found in chicken, turkey, fish or Whey-type dietary supplements. We prefer carbohydrates with a low or medium glycemic index (wholegrain cereals, pulses, etc.) to avoid quick sugar spikes. And last but not least, don't forget essential fats, and add oils or nuts to your meals.
Weight training in a hypoxic environment
Science is increasingly interested in training in hypoxic conditions, i.e. in environments where oxygen is less present, such as at altitude.
One study has observed the effects of this type of resistance training on muscle hypertrophy. It seems that moderate hypoxia is beneficial for muscle volume increase, but not for strength development3.
Another study suggests that hypoxic training tends to reduce body fat4in overweight or obese people, after 45 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 8 weeks, at a rate of 4 sessions per week and in a hypoxic environment of 2,000 to 2,500 m.
These studies suggest that the use of a hypoxic environment would promote fat loss, but there are no studies specific to dry weight training to prove this.
Prioritize sleep and manage dry stress
Sleep is an interesting indicator of recovery . If it's of good quality, it clearly favours the success of a dry run, thanks to the many physiological mechanisms that come into play at night. You therefore need to be particularly vigilant and get 7 to 9 hours' sleep, avoiding screens before going to bed. Establishing a routine is also a good strategy, as the body prefers regular sleep at constant times.
It's a good idea to include meditation or breathing exercises in this evening routine, to reduce stress levels, another important parameter to monitor during a dry period. The stress hormone cortisol promotes fat storage and limits muscle recovery.
A healthy lifestyle is a performance factor in its own right, and one that's particularly important when it comes to a weight-loss program.
Conclusion
Drying out is a demanding period in bodybuilding, requiring you to find the right balance between training and nutrition. The aim is not to mechanically reduce calories, but to optimize them to maximize fat loss while preserving muscle mass. As we've seen,integrating cardio is a good training strategy, provided it's adapted to the objective and the level of fatigue.
Drying out over a number of weeks requires a progressive approach, which is all the more important for women, who are more sensitive to hormonal and metabolic variations.
And to stack the odds in your favor, you need to maintain ahealthy lifestyle. These are just some of the factors that will enable you to successfully maintain your plan of attack to achieve optimum body composition over the long term.
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