Running the LP on a Calorie Deficit

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hello Barbell Medicine Team:

I would first like to express my sincere gratitude for all of the hard work that you do and hope you know that the resources you have created are invaluable to countless people, including myself.

Background: I am a 26yo male at 5’10, 187lbs and a 37" waist. While I stayed active for most of my childhood, I never played sports at a high level so I do not have a significant training base prior to barbell training. I lifted for a couple of months doing a push/pull/legs program before reading starting strength and beginning my LP seven weeks ago. My training goals are to reap the myriad physiological and cognitive benefits of resistance training, to get strong, and to get/stay lean.

Lifts: Squat-235x5x3, Deadlift-310x5x1, Bench-160x5x3, Press-105x5x3

Nutrition: Calories-2137, Protein-230.5g, Carbs-134g, Fat-63g, Fiber-27g

The Problem at Hand: When I began the LP my waist was approaching 40 inches and I was unhappy with how much fat I was carrying, so I read To Be A Beast and created a nutrition plan based on the “Fat Loss” protocol and have been training in a calorie deficit since. (I have not been perfect in my diet adherence, but I have deviated from it very little with the exception of Thanksgiving. I mean, c’mon - it’s pumpkin pie!) Two workouts ago I failed to complete my sets on the press and on my last workout I failed to complete my sets on the deadlift and bench press. I did complete my squat sets, but I had essentially nothing left in the tank afterward.
My plan was to drop to 178lbs (an arbitrary goal I set for myself, bearing in mind that my highest healthy weight according to the BMI chart is 174lbs) before switching to a “Muscle Gain” nutrition protocol as per To Be A Beast so that I could achieve the hypertrophy I need to progress as a lifter without putting on an unhealthy/unsightly amount of fat.

Since I am stalling at what feel like low numbers I know I have to either eat differently, or change my immediate goals. This being the case, I think my choices are as follows: eat for muscle gain now and continue the LP, do the Endurance GPP template with my current diet and then return to the LP, or do the Endurance GPP template with my current diet and then run The Bridge.

Given my training goals, what do you think I ought to do from here?

2

Welcome and congrats on your progress so far! I’d suggest first using the upper body plug in Novice Bench and Press Plug-In | Barbell Medicine and then if you have trouble with your squats and DLs again, I’d move right to the Bridge. You can do that while still leaning you and you will be just fine.

3

Thanks Leah! I’m really excited to be an active part of the community.

I have three (hopefully) quick clarifying questions:

First, I just read the Novice Bench and Press Plug-In and I want to make sure I properly understand the instruction “Bench x 1 @ +5% from last 5x3 sets on LP, then take 15% off the bar for 5 reps x 5 sets” to mean that I should do a single at a weight 5% heavier than the heaviest weight at which I was able to complete 3 sets of 5 reps (in my case 1601.05=168, which I will round to 170) and then take 15% off from 170 (1700.85=144.5, round to 145) and do my 5 reps x 5 sets with that weight. Also, do I use a full rest period after the single?

Second, am I correct in understanding that I progress by just adding 5lbs (the lowest increment my gym can accommodate) to the single as well as the work sets each workout?

Lastly, if I have properly understood the articles and videos created by BBM, isn’t it true that all of the strength performance gains that I accrue in a calorie deficit are increases in neurological efficiency? (Assuming form and recovery resources are consistent.) Forgive me for speaking about concepts that I lack a sound foundation of knowledge in, but will an increase in volume (as in the Novice Bench and Press Plug-In as compared to the NLP) which is aimed at driving hypertrophy help someone training in a calorie deficit who, by virtue of that deficit, is incapable of achieving hypertrophy?

Please forgive my verbosity - it is my understanding that training can be…nuanced.

Many thanks!

4
  1. You are correct and if by rest period you mean 4-5 min, then yes.
  2. No, as per the plug in, you won’t necessarily add 5 lbs to the single each time.

With respect to progression, the lifter should attempt to add 2.5-5lbs per week on all sets without going above RPE (rate or perceived exertion) 8, which means having approximately 2 reps left in reserve, i.e. you could’ve done another 2 reps before failing.
3. No, depending on your training history and weight, you could certainly be building strength as well. It’s not as cut and dry as caloric surplus/hypertrohpy/volume.

5

Thank you for the clarifications and taking the time to help me out!