Quote (yCoRrUpT @ May 1 2012 09:18pm)
Actually I'm planning to cut and do a strength program at the same time. Plus I figure the extra cardio will let me eat more while still losing weight and keeping strength/muscle.
Doesn't work that way I'm afraid. Your body doesn't know the difference between cardio training and strength training in terms of caloric loss.
Your body knows that when energy is being burned, calories are required. When glycogen reaches zero, the body freaks out and starts eating away at fat to provide the energy it needs to survive.
The concept behind gaining muscle works like this - the more surplus of nutrition your body has, the more anabolic it becomes - ie: the bigger the potential for muscle gains. If you are trying to gain muscle and also be catabolic (lose fat) at the same time, you will cause your body to minimize the progress of both. You will only be losing fat for a short period of time every day, rather than the entire day. Alternatively, you will only be tearing your muscles down at the gym with only a little bit of time to recover in a proper anabolic environment.
The overall progress would be extremely slow muscle gains and also slow fat losses. Something has to give. Either choose to bulk first and cut second, or cut first and bulk second. It's futile to do both at the same time unfortunately. Unless you are a mesomorph, then...well...you are very lucky lol.