MariposasCutting
Cutting is a training phase where someone deliberately reduces body fat while trying to hold onto as much muscle mass as possible. It almost always involves eating at a caloric deficit, meaning you consume fewer calories than your body burns each day, which forces the body to tap stored fat for energy. The part most people misunderstand is that cutting is not simply "eating less and doing cardio." The resistance training volume and intensity stay high during a cut, because lifting is what signals the body to preserve muscle rather than burning it alongside the fat. Protein intake is typically kept elevated relative to overall calories for the same reason: muscle retention under a deficit depends heavily on how much protein you're feeding your body. Cuts are usually run for a defined block of weeks rather than indefinitely, because sustained deficits drive down metabolic rate and make the process increasingly difficult over time.
Example
A lifter who spent six months in a caloric surplus building strength and adding muscle might then run a 10-week cut, eating roughly 300 to 500 calories below their maintenance level while keeping protein at around 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. They continue squatting, pressing, and pulling close to their normal training weights, accepting that some strength numbers may dip slightly as body weight drops. The goal at the end of those 10 weeks is a leaner physique that still carries most of the muscle built during the previous building phase.