As you begin creating the necessary calorie deficits to achieve fat loss, the possibility exists that muscle tissue is catabolized (broken down) in the process as the body begins to use its stored energy reserves to exhaustion. Therefore, while in the process of reducing your body fat percentage, it becomes crucial to maintain as much of your muscle and strength gains you've achieved from strength training as possible.
One of the best approaches to this objective is to maintain your maximum weight levels during the calorie reduction period. In my experience, it is always good to keep your regular routine for as long as possible during your calorie deficit. For example: if you entered the cutting period with a maximum bench press of 250 lbs, then put your best effort towards maintaining that strength level. If you experience any decreases in strength (which can be naturally expected), then reduce the weights only slightly for a period of time to compensate.
In addition to strength training, nutrition plays an important role. Calorie deficits encourage you to exhaust the majority of your internal energy stores: this comes in the form of fat. While maintaining the deficit is necessary, it is also essential to have sufficient protein intake for muscle preservation and maintenance during a calorie deficit. This combats muscle loss. Maintaining muscle mass ensures that the loss of strength gains during a cut is minimized.
As you lose fat and maintain your muscle mass, via strength training and adequate protein intake, the net effect is that you become a leaner yet strong version of yourself. This is a goal many people aim to achieve, as opposed to the skinny-fat appearance that occurs when we lose too much fat and muscle from calorie deficits with no muscle maintenance involved.
So that's the key here: calories lowered to create the deficit needed for fat loss, but high protein intake combined with strength training and cardio. One way of getting high protein intake is protein supplementation.
Let's talk about a protein powder I use and recommend.