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Hey Reader,
Here's what to expect in today's issue of The Bulletproof Newsletter:
- Week 5 and new training block for the current accumulation cycle
- How to keep your strength while shredding fat
- 13 DB only exercises to build lower back strength
Let's dive in!
This Week's Training
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Day 1 - 4/14/2025
A) High hang P. Snatch. Above knee P. Snatch. Below knee P. Snatch - 3.3.3 reps every 2:30 min x 3 sets
B) 1/4 Front Squat - 3 x 6 @ Mod effort; rest 2-3 minutes
C) Metcon - MAP 8
13 Min AMRAP @ sustained pacing
10 Walballs 20/14# to 10/9'
8 Calorie Row
8 Lat Burpee over erg
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Be sure to snap a pic of your training and tag @WillMurtagh_DPT on social!
Deep Dive
How To Shred Body Fat Without Losing Strength & Performance
You want to lean out and feel more confident in your body without watching your barbell numbers drop.
That’s a common and completely valid goal especially if you're putting in the work each week and expect your physique to reflect it.
The challenge is, that somewhere along the way, you may have been told that losing fat means losing strength, too.
Or, that cutting calories or leaning down will leave you feeling weaker, slower, and constantly worn out.
But that doesn’t have to be the case.
If you approach the process correctly, you can reduce body fat and keep your performance intact.
The key is making choices that give your body what it needs to burn fat while still fueling your lifts, workouts, and recovery.
With the right plan, you don’t have to pick between looking good and lifting heavy you can do both.
Below I'll show you the steps I have my clients in my 1:1 coaching program take to do so.
Why Fat Loss Often Comes at the Cost of Strength
When you cut your calories too aggressively, you make it harder for your body to keep up with the demands of your training.
You’re eating less and ultimately giving your body less energy to recover, adapt, and perform.
Over time, this underfueling catches up with you.
You start to feel drained during workouts, your lifts stall or regress, and MetCons which used to feel manageable now leave you gassed halfway through.
Protein and carbohydrates are especially important when you’re trying to hold on to strength.
If your intake is too low, your body may start breaking down muscle tissue to meet energy demands.
Which risks the muscle mass and strength you’ve worked hard to build.
Add in common micronutrient gaps during calorie-restricted phases, and you’re also dealing with reduced immune function, sleep quality, and recovery capacity.
All of this creates a frustrating cycle that I have been in myself.
The Vicious Cycle of Cutting and Rebuilding
Once you start underfueling and your performance drops, it’s easy to get stuck in a frustrating loop.
You feel exhausted during your workouts, your patience wears thin, and your motivation disappears.
Recovery slows down, your immune system takes a hit, and you might start noticing nagging injuries or frequent illnesses pop up,
All of these are signs your body isn’t getting what it needs.
So, you shift your focus back to strength and performance, hoping to feel better and rebuild what you lost.
But without ever fully achieving your fat loss goals, you wind up in another surplus, putting weight back on and resetting the cycle.
This constant back-and-forth between cutting and rebuilding leaves you spinning your wheels, never truly satisfied with your physique or your performance.
Over time, it delays meaningful progress, drains your energy, and makes it harder to stay consistent with your goals.
How to Shred Fat and Maintain/Build Your Strength
You can absolutely lean out while keeping your performance sharp if you follow the right approach.
Here's how I help my clients strategically lose body fat without tanking their lifts, burning out, or hitting plateaus that kill their motivation.
Each of these steps builds on the others, and when done together, they give you the best shot at optimal results.
1. Create a Mild Caloric Deficit
To kick off a fat loss phase start with a small reduction in calories no more than 10–15% below your maintenance intake.
This slight deficit allows your body to begin burning stored fat while still having enough fuel to support your lifts, daily movement, and recovery.
Larger cuts may speed up weight loss short term, but they’ll likely lead to strength loss, poor recovery, and a higher risk of rebounding once the diet ends.
Slow, steady, and sustainable wins here.
Here's the math:
2500 maintenance calories x .15 = 375 calories
2500 - 375 = 2125 calories for fat loss
2. Prioritize Protein and Carbs
High protein intake is your insurance policy for muscle preservation.
Aim for at least 0.8–1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, and keep it consistent every day.
Protein supports recovery, stimulates metabolism, helps manage hunger, and ensures that most of your weight loss comes from fat, not muscle.
Carbs are just as critical for maintaining performance.
They fuel your MetCons, lifts, and high-intensity efforts.
Cutting carbs too low can wreck your performance and lead to faster muscle loss.
Instead, keep your carb intake high enough to match your training demands.
In my experience keeping carbs between 40-50% of total calories is ideal here.
Here's the math:
2125 calories x .4-.5 = 850-1062.5 calories from carbs
850-1062.5 carbs / 4 calories per carb = 212.5g - 265g carbs per day
You can reduce fats slightly if needed to make room in your calorie budget but don’t eliminate them since your hormones, joints, and brain still need them.
3. Use Diet Breaks to Stay on Track
Even if you're making progress, it's smart to build in 3–7 day breaks every 2–3 weeks where you bring calories back up to maintenance.
These short "refeeds" help reset hunger hormones, support recovery, and prevent your metabolism from slowing down in response to the deficit.
More importantly, they give you a mental break from restriction, making it easier to stay consistent over time.
4. Let Nutrition Drive the Deficit Not Training Volume
It might be tempting to add extra workouts or ramp up training just to burn more calories, but this often backfires.
Instead of piling on junk volume, keep your training focused and purposeful.
Maintain intensity and strength-focused work while letting your nutrition do the heavy lifting in creating the deficit.
This helps avoid unnecessary fatigue and keeps performance sharp.
If you want to add in some activity, consider going for low-intensity walks to increase non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).
5. Sleep Like It’s Your Job
Sleep is your recovery multiplier, and it becomes even more important when you're in a calorie deficit.
Aim for 8–10 hours per night to support hormone regulation, muscle repair, and nervous system recovery.
Poor sleep quality and quantity are usually the linchpin for most athletes who want fat loss and strength maintenance.
If you need to, get to bed earlier and maintain a dark, cool, and quiet sleep environment to the best of your ability.
6. Manage Daily Stress Load
Stress is cumulative and doesn't just happen in the gym but outside of the gym as well.
High-stress levels elevate cortisol, interfere with recovery, and can slow fat loss.
Adopt strategies that are stress-relieving for you.
These could include daily walks, disconnecting from screens, and finding ways to wind down each evening such as static stretch, deep breathing etc.
7. Use Smart Supplementation
Supplements won’t fix a bad plan, but they can support a solid one when the steps above are met.
Here's a quick list of supplements my clients continue taking when they cut calories.
Creatine: 5g / day helps you maintain strength and lean mass in a deficit.
Caffeine: 3-6 mg/kg/bw 30-60 minutes before training can give you an edge on days when energy is low.
Protein powder: makes it easier to hit your daily protein target and enough protein to hit your leucine threshold (25-30g of pro and 2-5g of Leucine).
Additionally, a high-quality multivitamin or targeted micronutrient support can help fill any gaps in your diet, keeping your system running efficiently while you're cutting.
Final Thoughts on Fat Loss and Strength Maintenance
You don’t have to sacrifice your strength to get lean.
Holding on to your strength during a fat-loss phase is a goal that many CrossFit athletes have whether it's to look better with your shirt off or to support performance in metcons.
But doing so requires a balanced approach.
When you fuel your body correctly, follow a structured plan, give your body what it needs to recover, and avoid the trap of extreme restriction, you set yourself up to perform even while dropping body fat.
So, follow the steps above, prioritize what your body needs, train with intensity, and stay consistent over time.
The results you're after will follow.
Want to apply these steps with an individualized plan designed specifically for your goals, training, and recovery needs?
Then CLICK HERE to book a risk-free consultation to see how I can help.
This Week's Blog Post
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13 Must-Try Lower Back Dumbbell Exercises to Build Strength
This blog will highlight 13 must-try lower-back dumbbell exercises to help you target the important muscle groups related to the lower back.
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When you're ready, here's how I can help you
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Talk to you soon, Reader!
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Dr. Will Murtagh, PT, DPT, MS, CSCS, CISSN
Physical Therapist | Remote Fitness Coach
P.S. Click here for a free consultation on how to train-pain free and look and perform better in under 12 weeks.
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