Hey y’all,
I had ACL and meniscal surgery about three months ago and, as such, have been much less active than I have been used to. I began lifting again about two weeks ago, though not squatting or dead lifting yet. As a result of not training and my diet being almost completely shot, my body composition has totally flipped on it’s head. My muscle mass is noticeably MIA and in it’s place (not literally of course) is a solid layer of the chunk. I had been barbell training (following BBM templates) for a little over a year, and lifting for the better part of a decade, at the time of surgery. I’ve always been a heavy guy, even when I’m lean (sub 10% bf) I still tip the scales at around 225 to 230 at 5’10". Since my surgery I went from 240 to 265. I’m assuming dropping into a deficit is the smart thing to do as I train back up and recover more from surgery, but is there any value to starting out at a “maintenance” phase to try to put some lean body mass back on before a cut? Am I overthinking this? Any input is appreciated.