Recomp or gain?

[Stu Hughes]

Hi Jordan,

6'0, bodyweight 205-208lb, 43" chest, 34" waist, 26" thigh

Running HLM as my schedule involves hundreds of miles of travelling and some compromised sleep.

Numbers at present are (kg):
Squat - 115 x 5 x 5
Bench - 85 x 5 x 5
Press - 55 x 5 x5
Deadlift - 150 x 5
Power clean - 75 x 3 x 5

Assistance work limited to chins, dips, and curls 2-3 times a week. Nothing too structured.

Progress has been good, and I wonder given my body composition whether a really tight diet would let me push up my numbers and bodyweight - say closer to 100kg - without creeping over 20% bodyfat.

What would you advise?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Stu,

If those lifts are not in kilos, then I wouldn't try and lose or maintain weight right now. You're not in danger of being over fat just yet.....but you're still a novice and could benefit from a little gain.

[Stu Hughes]

Those are in kilos, Doc. Just hit a nice 70kg press PR for a single this evening actually.

Ran the novice LP a couple times a long while back. Would happily do it again for a few weeks if you think it's worth a shot.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Well, what programming are we running right now then? I don't think you need to gain a ton of weight quickly, but could probably benefit from some weight gain slowly over time.

[Stu Hughes]

Heavy	Light	Medium
SQ 5X5	SQ @80% 3X5	SQ @90% 4X5
BP 5X5	PR 3X5	Incline 4X5
DL 1X5	PC 5X3	SLDL 3X5

Chins, dips, and curls a couple times a week. Three to five sets, just getting some work in.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I would probably slowly gain some weight when training is your number 1 or 2 priority, and maintain when it isn't.