Hello,
I’m 26 y/o, male, 6ft, 175lbs, 33 inch waist. I started training 10 years ago but for various reasons (injury, inconsistency etc) my lifts are back to rank novice (deadlift 100kgx4, squat 90kgx4 (both belted), bench 50kgx8). Frustratingly, I feel too fat to comfortably bulk right now and would like to get down to 31 inch waist before trying to get back to my old lifts and physique. Due to running it inconsistently a few times, I am going to restart the beginner template from scratch while doing a deficit.
My question is this: should I expect to continue adding weight to my lifts each week on a cut, and should I move to phase 2 of the programme if my lifts consistently stall in phase 1 (as per the PDF instructions), even when I’m in a deficit?
Many thanks!
Nontheism,
Thanks for the post. I think the programming being appropriate for the individual is far more important than weight gain, which doesn’t really drive strength gain in the short-term. Long-term weight (muscle) gain likely plays some role in strength performance, particularly large changes in lean body mass levels that require many, many years to acquire. If your prioritized lifts aren’t really responding, as evidenced by no change in e1RM after 2 to 3 weeks, I’d move onto some different programming (the next phase).
If you were paying me for my advice, I’d tell you to maintain your current weight while doing the Beginner Template. I would also try to develop a slightly different mindset towards your training and diet. For one, neither needs to be perfect for it to be beneficial and doing something is better than nothing, particularly when you do it consistently.
-Jordan