Looking for Input on Direction for My Training

Training Discussion
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1

I originally posted this as a response to Jordan on one of my old posts under a different name, of which I’ve since lost the login, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to get approved so I’ll try my luck here.

My overall goal is physique. I want to be as strong as possible, but mainly focusing on aesthetics. Jordan recommend running PB1 at a caloric deficit to achieve a sub 34” waist circumference measurement, and then begin bulking while keeping an eye on my waistline. Basically ran Powerbuilding 1 through and completed on 4.18.2020, and have since restarted and began Week 4 of PB1 today. My E1RMs per the completed PB1 are below.

  • Bench (1ct): 235 lb
  • Squat w/ Belt: 313 lb
  • DL: 366 lb
  • Ohp w/ Belt: 141 lb

At the time of completing PB1, (4.18.2020) I weighed in at about 162 lb, with a waist circumference of about 34 1/8". As of this morning (05.13.2020), I weighed in at 158.0 lb, and a waist circumference of about 33 1/2", giving me a BF estimate of 18-19% on the US Navy Calculator. Great feeling achieving a sub 34" waist and also seeing my strength improve!

Jordan’s recommendation upon completing PB1 and the weight/waist goal was to transition from a cut/recomp to a bulk. I see the reasoning behind this, but admittedly I am hesitant. Long story short, I have a family history of obesity and struggled with my weight when I was younger, hitting a whopping 236 lb at 5’9" at the age of 17! Here I am a decade later, in what may be the best shape of my life, but I have difficulty with the mental challenge of bulking.

As I’ve seen the lbs drop and the definition show up, I am really looking to continue focusing on my aesthetics and general health, without compromising lifts. Best of all worlds am I right?

I’m not really sure how to approach the next step in training. I’m admittedly getting a bit burned out on PB1. It’s a great template, but I’d like something new to give a shot.

I’m really hesitant to bulk, because I feel like I have a lot more fat to lose in my abdomen. However, I can feel the effects of an extended cut taking their toll, and I feel I need to shake things up a bit.

So I guess my question is: how can I best approach my next step in training to get closer to my goal?

The pics below are as of this morning. I do have a bit of loose skin due to my weight fluctuations over the years, but I’ve come to accept that to some extent, it is what it is. Hopefully these give you all an idea of where I am and can help give a reference for where I need to go.

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2

Just keep cutting if you want to, perhaps with a different template.

Conventional bro wisdom seems to be to bulk from 15 or lower to 20%.

I really don’t see any downside to your long term goals to dieting to 15% (or whatever) now.

Sincerely,
Not An Expert In Anything

3

I share your apprehension of bulking and cutting fatigue. I think a lot of this is personal preference and what is sustainable for an individual.

What I would do in your situation is, after completing your cut, maintain for a program cycle (8-12 weeks). First time I cut (from 195 to 159 at 6’ 1") I finally couldn’t take it anymore and flipped back to bulking, but I felt too much of the weight I added back was in fat instead of LBM. At least for me, it seems to go better if I let my body “adjust” to the new cut weight for awhile before bulking again.

Then when I do bulk, I stay in the smallest of calorie surpluses, 100-200.

Gains are slow, but I’m committed to the long term so if it takes 50% longer, no big deal.

Again, I do think a lot of this is personal preference that align both with your goals and psychological state.

4

Off the top of my head, I would guess your body fat is lower than 18 or 19% if you are 5’9 158 pounds and have some muscle as evidenced by your 1 rep maxes. That said, you’d have to get measured to know for sure. You may even have a pound or two of extra skin meaning you’d be 5’9 156 with out it.

There is the long and short term. In terms of short term I would think if you want to look good the best thing you can do is to bulk up the 165 over 5 or 6 months so you put on no more than a 1/2 pound per week and usually less. Because you have loose skin you won’t get the shredded look from losing more weight until it tightens up, so in the short term a very slow bulk where over 50% of the weight gain is muscle will probably get you the best results.

5

Nice job on your weight loss and your lifts. I’m certain both took a lot of hard work and determination, so be proud of yourself!

I completely understand if you’re apprehensive about bulking given your background and family history. However, if your personal goals are primarily aesthetics driven, then I think you would really benefit from gaining some more size based on your photos and height (not calling you small, just that you have room to grow!). I agree with Smokes that spending some time at maintenance calories after a cut is very beneficial if not necessary, especially considering how long your have presumably been in a deficit. I too once jumped right back into bulking immediately after finishing a cut with no maintenance transition, thus increasing my daily caloric intake by nearly 1,000 cals overnight, and experienced more fat gain than I would’ve liked. When you’re ready to bulk, I think the blanket recommendation is a 250-500 cal surplus, so aim to be in that range, lift hard, and keep an eye on your waistline.

As for your training, don’t overthink it. Programming shouldn’t have to change all that much during bulking or cutting cycles unless you’re doing something crazy. Since your main goal is aesthetics, a little more volume wouldn’t hurt and would be good for gainz. Whether that’s PB1 with some minor adjustments, another PB iteration, hypertrophy, whatever - just do an intelligently designed program that has some good volume and seems like something you’d adhere to.

Also, as a bit of an aside, I think it’s possible that your perception of how much fat you have around your midsection might be slightly warped by the excess skin that’s also in that area (like you said, try to accept that and embrace it as a testament to your hard work and how much you’ve transformed your body). Yes, you don’t have shredded abs, but you look good. I don’t think that getting shredded at your current muscular development would be very beneficial from an aesthetics standpoint anyway.

6

For those of you who have been through cutting cycles before, did you make any strength gains? If so how much and what do you think was happening exactly? Is that you have existing muscle mass that you are conditioning yourself to better exploit?

My experience is limited but I feel like I’ve never been remotely close to making gains during a diet, and it doesn’t exactly come easy during a surplus for me either. To be fair my diets have tended to be pretty extreme.