Beginner Template on Caloric Deficit

Training Q&A [Moderated]
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Hi BBM crew,

I am a 30-year-old male planning to return to the gym after about three years of being mostly inactive. My previous training routines were primarily based on BBM concepts and training protocols for general strength development, and I’d like to return to the gym using the beginner template.

Ideally I would be starting on a caloric surplus, but I’d like to lose some excess body fat before bulking. My question is about whether I might “miss out” on the benefit of “newbie gains” in the long term if I were to start on a caloric deficit; if I were to run the beginner program on a deficit before moving on to a bulking phase, should I expect that in 6, 12, or however many months, my strength/muscle gains will not be where they could have been had I done a bulk as a novice? Or does caloric intake in the novice phase not have any effect on growth potential in future training phases?

My assumption is that it wouldn’t make much of a difference in the long term. However, I am curious about ways to approach training as a beginner on a deficit that would put me in a position to achieve the best possible results in later phases.

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DBTR,

I don’t think there are any benefits to being in an energy surplus in training for someone who is new to training from a strength perspective. I am very confident that this will not reduce your short or long-term gainzZz™, whereas I hold a similar confidence level that rapidly gaining weight and body fat is likely to lead to worse long-term outcomes in this context.

As a rule of thumb, I think modest changes in diet are prudent, e.g. small deficits, small surpluses, and little tweaks here and there. I think approaching nutrition this way is likely to produce better results as well :slight_smile:

-Jordan

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