Hi all.
I’ve posted to the forums a few times, under a few accounts that I’ve subsequently forgotten the login info. Luckily, this one has stuck!
I posted this (https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/fo…or-my-training) a couple of months ago to the unmoderated forums and Nate B gave me some awesome feedback. What he advised is the approach I took/am taking, and I feel like it is working well.
For reference, here’s the photo I linked of me in that post on May 14th @ 157.6 - yes, I’m flexing my ‘abs’: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
Here’s a photo of me from Friday August 7th @ 157.8 Imgur: The magic of the Internet
So, over the course of this year, I’ve gone from 169ish lb, down to hovering around 158 consistently for the past two months. My lifts have increased across on all accounts, and if I can toot my own horn, I’m lookin’ purty good!
I was advised that after I end my cut to run Hypertrophy 1 with a caloric surplus. I didn’t think it would be difficult to run a caloric surplus, but it isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Sometimes I struggle to meet calorie needs. Sometimes, I blow them out of the water. I realize these issues are within my realm of control, but RPE of food has always been something I struggle with. It is largely hereditary.
Dr. Baraki has mentioned before he often has difficulty hitting his calories and eating enough. So at this point, he just steps on the scale in the morning and if he’s lost weight, he knows he needs to eat a bit more, and vice versa.
Today, for example, I weighed 161.8 this morning, post run, with ~34" waist. However, Friday, day of the second photo above - I was 157.8 with a waist ~33 and 3/8". Now last night I put down a bit more Halo Top than I should have, and dominated a half pound of some fire turkey burgers. I realize that I was a bit more bloated and carrying around water weight, and it will level out over the next few days.
The Question: Given the novice (I guess novice at this point?) training I have, is this method of ‘eat more or less depending on your weight at that point in time’ (morning after voiding for me) something you could recommend to lifters that are still in earlier stages of their lifting/fitness career?
I’m progressing beyond novice into intermediate, no doubt, and moving towards needing coaching to best navigating my further steps. But I’m not sure if I need to take a more, “by the book approach”, or if there is that room for flexibility of adjusting on the fly, so to speak? What do?
To clearly define my goals: I want to be aesthetic. I want to get a good looking body, toned with muscle size. That’s why I have entered the bulk phase when I started Hypertrophy 1. After developing the physique, I’d like to make my way into competitive powerlifting. So goal 1: Look good. Goal 2: Lift gooder.
Ultimately, I understand consistency is key. If my TDEE with my exercise is factored in is 2400 kcal, 2650 kcal is the recommend lean bulk approach. While this is great and most desirable, it can be difficult to achieve. The added factor of seeing my weight and waist shoot up by a few lbs and a half inch or more overnight also plays big into the mental factor.
Just looking for any insight and maybe any previous experience anyone may have in this realm.
As always, thanks for your time.
All the best!