After many months, I’ve been able to get back into the gym. I have been ramping up gradually over 3 weeks with your returning to the gym article’s program. I’d like some input from you about moving forward training and diet wise.
Your hunch was correct. Without reliable access to a rack, my squat and bench have tanked significantly. They are now at ~80% of what they used to be, and I’m tempted to run PB1 or Strength 1 to see them go up quickly. Would it be appropriate to run them now over, say, phase 2 of BT?
Regarding body composition, I’m in a dilemma. I’ve lost a good amount of muscle mass - 4 kg down in bodyweight, same waist circumference and sagging in the wrong places. I want to reduce my WC to around 80-82cm, but sort of bothered by the idea of where my bodyweight would need to be for that level of leanness.
What would you suggest me to do if I wanted to start looking good in the short term while getting back to my previous strength levels? All inputs are greatly appreciated.
I don’t have a strong preference on programming here, but I’d favor PB I or the Beginner Template. I think it is unlikely you lost much muscle mass given that you were not immobilized or sick, though ~ 20-40% of the weight you lost was likely LBM and your muscle cross sectional area may have decreased during the time out of the gym. At your height, weight, and WC, I’d probably stick in maintenance for the next 2 months while you get back into it. I’d consider a modest, short cut after that if you want to be leaner for some reason.
Apologies for the delayed response, I totally forgot. So far, I’ve been maintaining at 79-80ish, and have lost 0.5" at the waist. Strength has slowly been trending back up. I don’t know if the following information would change your earlier advice, but I’d value any feedback or “FYIs”.
I’d been hit by the flu 3 times during this period, with symptoms lasting for a few days up to a week each time. Perhaps that explains this significant visual difference, especially in the chest region that’s been bothering me (currently ~2" less in circumference than what it used to be). Whereas I had fuller pecs and some striations weighing 2-3kg more, I now feel like I’ve developed gynecomastia.
And could you throw me some numbers so I can understand what you mean by a modest, short cut? A time frame, rate of weight loss, energy deficit, WC to aim for etc.
It is highly unlikely that you’ve developed gynecomastia or lost a significant amount of muscle mass in this time, but being ill can shift fluid balance and that can certainly alter your appearance.
With respect to future weight loss:
The energy deficit should be ~200 to 500 Calories from maintenance
Last a month or two based on preferences
No specific rate of weight loss
No specific waist circumference to aim for since I don’t know enough about you, but < 80cm would be a good goal FWIW, this was on page 6 of the training forum after a month delay between my reply and your answer. To avoid delays in the future, I think making a new post with questions you may have is likely to be more efficient.