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Thread: Gain strength vs lose weight dilemma

  1. #1
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    Default Gain strength vs lose weight dilemma

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    I'm starting SSLP. I've had a few false starts in the past, but didn't get very far. These were intermingled with various other forms of exercise - mostly cardio and bodyweight stuff - over the last few years. Prior to that I've never really done any kind of fitness activity. Anyway, my goal is to get as much out of LP as I can. I'm not really sure what those numbers will look like, but I'm a larger than average guy to begin with, so hopefully that helps. The dilemma is that I carry too much body fat - and I have for a long time. From everything I have read, to eat correctly to add muscle, I will also be adding more fat. I guess I'm ok with that to a small extent, but I don't want it to get out of control. My assumption is that it's easier to lose body fat when you have a bunch of lean muscle helping burn calories than when you don't.

    Currently, I'm here:
    Age: 47
    Height: 6'5"
    Weight: ~255 lbs
    Body Fat: ~24%

    My current lifts (after 2 sessions) are:
    Squat: 145 lbs
    Press: 75 lbs
    Bench Press: 115 lbs
    Deadlift: 185 lbs

    So, with a primary goal of getting stronger, I am planning for these daily macros:
    Calories: ~3300
    Protein: ~300g
    Carbs: ~320g
    Fat: ~90g
    Fiber: ~40g

    Do these seem realistic? This is practically all coming from lean meats, rice, beans, eggs, etc. and it feels like I'm eating non-stop. I could cut down on fat & carbs to avoid gaining too much body fat, but will that slow muscle gains? It seems like as long as I am gaining more muscle than fat, my body fat % should go down, even if I am gaining weight, correct?

  2. #2
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    I think your calories are a good start and you should titrate up the carbohydrates as the lifts get grindy. That shouldn't happen anytime soon though since everything is still light in relation to bodyweight. Don't try to gain weight rather get stronger and eat more as it gets harder. You are at a good baseline weight so extreme weight gain is not necessary and since you are a novice you can simultaneously lose fat and gain muscle mass. You do need to and can deadlift more though. Film them so you can see that they are in fact easier than they look. That and so you can check your back of course.

  3. #3
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    Thanks for your reply! 3300 calories will almost definitely cause me to gain weight, as this is noticeably more than I am used to eating. Should I back off the carbs & fat to start and just increase them when I need to?

    I'll try to film my lifts if I can. Not sure the logistics will work

  4. #4
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    3300 calories will almost definitely not cause weight gain unless you are eating 5300 on the weekends, which is often the case. You are 6'5" 255 lb. Put yourself in my shoes and look at those anthropometrics compared against that calorie level. Is excessive weight gain plausible provided that you are in fact eating 3300 all 7 days of the week and not only doing it "part time?"

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    You do need to and can deadlift more though.
    You are totally right - I added 20 lbs and I feel like I have room to add more. At least, the bar didn't seem to be slowing down. I think it's mentally harder since it's at the end of the workout, but not physically harder... So, I'm going to keep adding 20 lbs each time I deadlift for as long as I can get away with it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    3300 calories will almost definitely not cause weight gain unless you are eating 5300 on the weekends, which is often the case. You are 6'5" 255 lb. Put yourself in my shoes and look at those anthropometrics compared against that calorie level. Is excessive weight gain plausible provided that you are in fact eating 3300 all 7 days of the week and not only doing it "part time?"
    Well, I haven't gained a bunch of weight so far, so I'm going to stick with this plan as closely as I can.

  6. #6
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    Be aggressive with your deadlift progression (assuming good technique) and don't let your calories swing too far from your base amount (3300) and you should do just fine. You may need 4000 later when the workouts are crushing you but by then the training will justify the need. But seriously, Get that deadlift to 405 x 5 asap. If technique evades you get coaching if it's an option for you.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Santana View Post
    Be aggressive with your deadlift progression (assuming good technique) and don't let your calories swing too far from your base amount (3300) and you should do just fine. You may need 4000 later when the workouts are crushing you but by then the training will justify the need. But seriously, Get that deadlift to 405 x 5 asap. If technique evades you get coaching if it's an option for you.
    Hi Coach, 2 queries:

    1) How do you know if not eating enough?
    2) What happens when you hit the 405 dead, your stronger but still "fluffier" than you want?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lloyd90 View Post
    Hi Coach, 2 queries:

    1) How do you know if not eating enough?
    2) What happens when you hit the 405 dead, your stronger but still "fluffier" than you want?
    1) Your training isn't cooperating (constantly missing lifts, no measurable progress etc)
    2) You scale back calories, lose a few lb, and work back up.

  9. #9
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    Robert, I’ve seen you mention getting to 405 DL a few times! Why is that the magic number to get to?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brad Cuzz View Post
    Robert, I’ve seen you mention getting to 405 DL a few times! Why is that the magic number to get to?
    Experience has shown me that body composition changes, especially in the upper body musculature, are quite noticeable for most males when the deadlift breaks 400 for 5 repetitions. I don't have a p value if that's what you are looking for but I will say that objectively it is more than 2.5x the lean mass of most novice men, which could help explain my observation. The muscle gaining side effect of getting stronger becomes more apparent in the upper body when the deadlift gets appreciably heavy.

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