Hello Jordan,
I have a question mainly about nutrition but also about programming.
I‘m a 28 year old male, 185cm tall and weigh 81kg. I started „exercising“ 3 years ago at 86kg, following Athlean-X programs. At that time I only had powerblock dumbbells and made progress with hypertrophy and conditioning. My main focus was to get „fit“ and reduce bodyfat. I kept exercising with dumbbells and kettlebells for about 1.5 years and then started training BJJ 3x weekly. Exactly a year ago I bought myself a power rack, barbell (plus 117,5kg of weights) and a Rogue Echo Bike. I kept doing Athlean-X programs which are not primarily geared towards making strength progress. I am now slimmed down, maybe a bit too thin with still a layer of fat on my lower stomach. I am not exactly sure about my 1RM on the Mainlifts but the most I have lifted for each exercise is: Squat = 1x107.5kg at RPE 9; Deadlift = 1x130KG at RPE 9; Bench = 1x70Kg at RPE 9; Press 3x47.5kg at RPE 9.5.
Presently I have started your General Strength & Conditioning template which I like so far. My goals are to become stronger, more muscular and have relatively low body fat (Of course right?). I have been a bit chubby my whole life and am enjoying to be slim right now. But I keep reading about the massive strength gains I seem to have missed out on by not having done the linear progression and not having gained any weight at all.
Would it be advisable now for me to gain weight and become strong first or should I stay my course doing an ultra slow body recomp which works but is leaving me pretty weak? Is the general S&C template the one you would also recommend for me?
Too add: I have my nutrition dialed in well right now so I can easily modify between a slight deficit or surplus. Right now I am on a deficit loosing ca. 200g per week which was necessary after slacking off (nutritionally) in December. Any advise is deeply appreciated!
Greetings from Germany
Wladimir
Wladimir,
Thanks for the post and I hope you’re doing well. I think this is a complex question that could spiral into a eight-thousand word response, which is about the space I dedicate to this question in my upcoming book. A few thoughts here:
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I don’t think that there’s a window of opportunity for strength improvements that you only get when you first start training. If the program is ill-suited then it’s unlikely you’ll make good progress until the program is later modified.
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I don’t think strength and weight gain track that well together for lifters period, but especially new lifters. New lifters can gain muscle when losing weight, maintaining weight, or gaining weight, though again the relationship between muscle mass and strength may not be as solid as once thought.
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I think if you want to gain weight, you’re likely to gain muscle faster than if you weren’t gaining weight. I don’t think body recomp is the ideal path for most folks looking to get leaner or bigger (or leaner and bigger) unless it’s not a good time to gain or lose weight.
I think the program is probably fine if you like it, though I probably would’ve started with our Beginner Template.
-Jordan
Thanks for your very lengthy reply Jordan!
I think I am going to swallow my pride and reconsider the beginner template and go into a slight surplus and see what happens! Do you have a recommendation by how much my weight should increase per week as to continue making strength and hypertrophy gains and minimize body fat? I add whey powder to greek joghurt and fruit for my last daily. Is it okay to have another whey protein shake during the day or is it recommended to limit whey powder intake and try to get the necessary protein from “real food”?
You and Austin, as well as the whole team you are working with are an inspiration and great help to me. Thank you guys for the work you do!
Wladimir
I think somewhere in the 0.5-2kg/month range is reasonable.
I think it’s fine if you want to have another shake if that makes the dietary pattern more tolerable for you.