Nutrition Plan for Strength I Template

Hey Dr. J,

Having read some of your more recent responses here on the forum regarding body composition and bulking/cutting, I’m working on coming up with a nutritional plan to correspond with my training plan and body composition goals.

Some context:
Male - 32yo - 189lbs - 5’11” - 34in waist

Recent training info:
Weeks 1-4 of Hypertrophy I before starting Powerbuilding I, of which I have completed the first three weeks. I’ve gained 3.5lbs in that time, and 0.25in on my waist. Upon completion of PB1, I’m planning on running Strength I. I plan on continuing to gain about 0.5lbs per week while finishing PB1, which brings me to my question about the plan for Strength I.

You stated in another thread of mine regarding hypertrophy and template selection/combination that the first block (Weeks 1-6?) of Strength I would function well for hypertrophy purposes in the context of strength development. (https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/forums/training-q-a-with-dr-jordan-feigenbaum-and-dr-austin-baraki/39551-hypertrophy-strength-template-mash-up)
I am reading from this that blocks 2 and 3 are less appropriate for hypertrophy purposes. Since I’m nearing the point where I’d like to cut some body fat before continuing to gain further long term, I’m planning to complete block 1 in a continued slight surplus (+0.5lbs per week), and blocks 2-3 at maintenance, before going into a deficit during Hypertrophy I following the completion of Strength I.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Or would it be potentially beneficial to also be in a slight surplus for block 2 of Strength I? Since I’m getting close to wanting to clean up some
body fat before continuing to gain weight long term, I’d like to gain as much as possible without gaining any unnecessary body fat.

Thanks!

Sounds very reasonable to me. I would continue your surplus (or stop it) based on goals and your response vs. what block you are or aren’t in. Training with weights while gaining weight puts you in a pretty good spot regardless.

Thanks for the response, the consistent quality content, and the templates!