Did I jump the gun?

I posted about a month ago about starting training again after about a year hiatus. Things have been going well, and I’ve been conservative on my bumps at just 5 lbs from the beginning. I’ve gone up 60 lbs on my squat (285), 30 lbs on my presses (140 & 220), and 45 lbs on my DL (345 - need more weight). I’m moving to fractionals on my Press now and may on my bench in the next couple weeks.

Recently on a podcast, I heard the figure of a male caucasian with a waist above 40 inches should take care of that issue before moving to a strength program. I started the LP with about a 46.5-inch waist. I’m currently just under 46 inches. Weight has remained relatively unchanged. I recently had my yearly checkup with a full biometric workup. Everything is within normal ranges (for that lab), so outside of my weight/BMI, I am in good health.

On to my question. Considering where I am and the slow rate of change in body composition, should I continue with the LP or should I consider changing gears to get my weight/waist in a better position? If I should stop the LP, do you have any suggestions for an alternative? Should I just opt for the dreaded cardio until I am in a better “shape”? A modified/maintenance approach to strength training with some cardio added?

To recap, I’m a 33-year-old caucasian, 5’ 8.5", 230 lbs, ~46" waist.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

I would absolutely continue your Novice LP, but would absolutely not recommend weight gain during the process, and would have a lower threshold to incorporate conditioning into your training.

Thanks for the quick reply, Dr. Baraki.

Do you think moving to something like LP on Monday & Friday with conditioning focus on Wednesday may be more optimal? Or should I just add some conditioning post-training and/or on Saturday?

GRhodes, im in the same boat, been training nlp, all of our lifts are almost identical, im 6’1" but stil have about a 46 inch waist. I have continued to train 3 x week, but add a little interval run and maybe a hiit session on the elliptical or ride my bike each week in addition to tracking my calories. I’ve still been hitting some PRs here and there and still feel good at 2000-2200 calories. And i’ve lost an inch in the belly in the last couple of weeks.

The latter.

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