Surplus vs Maint Cals During Strength Phase

[Impious]

On 12W Strength, in the strength phase of the program, are there rewards to be reaped by continuing a caloric surplus or would results be essentially the same if one were to begin tapering their calories down starting in week 7 and hitting maintenance cals around week 9 or 10 (and maintaining the maintenance through the end of the program)?

I have no imminent need to restrict calories (slim waistline, reasonable BF%, not trying to make weight for PL), however I am planning a small cut after 12W and if a calorie surplus in the strength phase is just unnecessary fat gainzZz then I can do without and make my cut a little quicker/easier. But if that would leave strength gainzZz on the table I also have no problem with continuing the surplus.

[Jordan_Feigenbaum]

@Impious

On 12W Strength, in the strength phase of the program, are there rewards to be reaped by continuing a caloric surplus or would results be essentially the same if one were to begin tapering their calories down starting in week 7 and hitting maintenance cals around week 9 or 10 (and maintaining the maintenance through the end of the program)?

I think that hedging our bets towards increasing LBM would likely produce better results than not, so I wouldn’t explicitly advise maintenance calories unless there was a reason to.

[Impious]

Surplus it is. Thanks Jordan!