Lose some weight, or carry on?

[adstads]

I think this is a nutrition question, though you might argue it’s a training question — in any case, I’d really value your insight!

For context, I’m 46, male, 6 feet tall, and 212lbs. I’ve been running SSNLP since late March with several backoffs due to injury, stalls, illness, and travel (but I’m 100% consistent when not sick or traveling. I count 20 missed workouts out of 117 possible in that time).

Progress (all in pounds, sadly!):
Squat: 125x5x3 → 250x5,5,3 (I keep plateauing here, which baffles me, but feel like I may break through this week!)
Deadlift: 165x5 → 320x5 (Got stuck at 310 for a long time due to various back tweaks, but feeling good and progressing now)
Press: 70x5x3 → 122x5,4,4,2
Bench: 115x5x3 → 195x5,4,4,2
Body weight: 175lbs → 212lbs
Waist: 33.25” → 41”

Because I was quite skinny and missing reps early on, I drove my cals way up — 4500+ for quite some time — and obviously gained quite a bit of weight. But I was utterly shocked to measure my waist and see it’s 41” — I’m a lot thicker than I was, but I don’t look very fat — I’ve got some love handles, but you can still see a bit of abs, too. (I did have to move up from a S to M belt; the hole I use it on measures 36”, in case that means I’m measuring myself wrong.)

So I’m trying to figure out where to go from here. At 41” waist, it appears you’d suggest I lose some weight, but I presume that will force me to change up my programming, and I’d hate to stop when I finally seem to be making progress again, and long before I’m actually strong enough to move to the Bridge or other intermediate programming. I’m also pretty shocked at how not-fat 41” looks, and wondering a little whether at 6’ tall that cutoff should perhaps be considered higher? I certainly want to be thinner than this in the long run, but I picture the end of a bulk looking a lot bigger than I do!

Can you please advise on how you’d proceed? Thanks a ton!​

[Jordan_Feigenbaum]

Adstads,

Thanks for the post and congrats on your journey so far. A few thoughts: 1. I would switch programming now from LP, as there are many other programs that will allow you to progress as fast (or faster), but not require you to “always add 5lbs” each workout, which is not sustainable in any way, shape, or form. The program only works for ~ 9-10 weeks in a row on average before it needs a reset or you hit a plateau. The program is also missing a lot you’d want in a program, e.g. movement variation (to improve technique, reduce risk of overuse injuries, etc.), a range of rep schemes (to develop strength more broadly than only 5’s), conditioning to meet/exceed the current physical activity guidelines (for health and performance), and auto regulation (to avoid overuse, allow for maximal progress, and help you select the appropriate load each and every workout). We would recommend the Beginner Template at this point of your training.
2. The narrative accompanying LP regarding weight gain and strength is not based in any evidence, scientific or otherwise. Even people who report “eating there way” through the “sticking” points never end up actually getting strong. Given the sample size and selection bias associated with that brand, that is very concerning. 10/10 would not recommend gaining weight rapidly EVER. A few pounds per month may be appropriate for those who want to gain weight without any contraindications, but I would not expect people who gain weight to get stronger than those who do not, on average.
3. I do not know what your actual waist circumference is, but if it’s greater than 37" (and/or your BMI > 30), I would recommend losing weight. If it’s not quite there, I would recommend cutting or maintaining pending your preferences. Both of these assume you change the programming. We have a video and article on measuring your waist.
4. The waist circumference cut off is not higher in taller individuals. -Jordan