Cut (135-160 lbs) Transformation Guide: How to Keep Progressing After Beginner Gains

A man at 135 to 160 pounds keeps building muscle after beginner gains by running push/pull/legs five days a week, tracking every lift, eating 2,600 to 3,000 calories, and getting 135 to 160 grams of protein. The deficit is tiny, 100 to 200 calories, so you lean out while you keep adding strength.

Who is the Cut archetype?

Men between 135 and 160 pounds with a mesomorph build. Shapes are inverted triangle, rectangle or pear. You have trained before. You have some muscle. You have also hit the wall where the same program and the same food stopped producing anything new.

That wall is normal. It does not mean you have hit your limit. It means the easy phase is over and the plan needs to get more precise.

Why did your progress stall?

Usually one of four things.

You stopped progressing loads. You walk in, do your usual weights, and leave. Muscle needs a reason to grow.

Your volume is wrong. Either too little for a trained lifter or so much that you never recover. More weekly sets build more muscle up to a point (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), but junk sets do not count.

Your protein drifted down. You used to track. Now you guess.

You restart programs every few weeks. New program, new soreness, no progression. Soreness tells you something was new. It does not tell you that you grew.

How many calories and how much protein?

• Calories: 2,600 to 3,000 a day, 100 to 200 under maintenance
• Protein: 135 to 160 grams a day
• Carbs: higher on leg days and pull days

At 150 pounds, 1.6 grams per kilogram is about 110 grams. Research shows little added benefit above that for muscle gain (Morton et al., 2018). The XPL target sits above that floor on purpose, because a small deficit makes protein a bit more important for holding muscle.

What does a week of training look like?

Push, pull, legs, push, pull, then two rest days. Next week starts with legs so every day gets hit evenly over two weeks.

Push day

• Bench press: 4 sets of 5 to 8, rest 2 to 3 minutes
• Incline dumbbell press: 3 sets of 8 to 10
• Seated overhead press: 3 sets of 8
• Lateral raise: 4 sets of 12 to 15
• Overhead cable triceps extension: 3 sets of 10 to 12

Pull day

• Weighted pull-up or pulldown: 4 sets of 6 to 8
• Chest-supported row: 3 sets of 8 to 10
• One-arm cable row: 2 sets of 12 per side
• Rear delt fly: 3 sets of 15
• Barbell or EZ curl: 3 sets of 8 to 10

Legs day

• Back squat: 4 sets of 5 to 8
• Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 8
• Leg press: 3 sets of 10 to 12
• Leg curl: 3 sets of 12
• Standing calf raise: 4 sets of 10 to 15

Log every set. When you hit the top of the rep range on all sets, add weight. Every sixth week, take an easier week: same exercises, about half the sets.

What should a normal day of eating look like?

• Breakfast: 4 eggs, 2 slices toast, fruit
• Lunch: 8 ounces chicken, rice, vegetables
• Pre-workout: Greek yogurt with honey and oats
• Dinner: 8 ounces lean beef or salmon, potatoes, salad
• Evening: casein shake or cottage cheese

About 2,800 calories and 165 grams of protein.

What should you expect at week 1, week 4 and week 12?

Week 1: The new split may leave you more sore than usual. Weight stays about the same.

Week 4: At least small jumps on your main lifts. Waist down a little. Weight down 1 to 2 pounds.

Week 12: Most guys in this range are 2 to 5 pounds lighter, visibly leaner, with bench, squat and pull-up numbers higher than when they started. If lifts are dropping, add 200 calories and check sleep.

Is this plan right for you?

Three questions. Have you trained for at least a year? Have your lifts been flat for two months or more? Can you train five days a week? If yes, this split and a small deficit will get you moving again. If you can only train three or four days, use the Lean guide upper/lower setup at these calories.

Above 160 pounds, read the Swole guide. For more on staying lean while you build, read the real science of building muscle while cutting fat.

What is the next step?

Take the XPL quiz, check coaching options and pricing, or read five reasons why men struggle to get in shape.

Written by Zavier King, personal trainer in Houston and founder of XPL. ISSA Certified Personal Trainer and NASM Nutrition Coach. More about me.