Am I considered underweight for the NLP?

This is my first time posting and I'm really enjoying all of the material that's here! It's unbelievable how complicated people make strength training!

I'm a 29 year old male, 5ft 10in tall and I weigh 170 as of this morning. I've put on 5 pounds since January 1 (I started NLP in mid-March). I'm currently putting down 2600 calories daily give or take. I have my marco goals set at 195 P, 260 C, and 87 F knowing that if I under eat that day, I'll be extremely close to those numbers. I have a feeling I maybe off though.

I'm not entirely where I fall in the NLP because I starting working out at the gym in November 2019. 2020 came by and gyms were closed from March until some time in June/July. Even then, I wasn't really focusing much on barbell training until about a month ago when I made barbell training the primary (and more often than not) the only training I do in the gym. I've also been practicing TaeKwonDo for a significant portion of my life; September 2019 marked 20 years. This workout takes place 2-4 times a week. Since starting barbell training, I take it easier on the cardio side of this so that I can maintain recovery.

Regardless of where I fall in the NLP, I'm not sure where I fall on the scale of underweight/"on target". Is it realistic to expect to get to 200 pounds? Do I need I need to lower my expectations? I guess by the nature of these questions, I'm indicating that I think I can stand to gain some weight.

Yeah this need not be complicated. You are on the lighter side but I wouldn't say you are underweight. Underweight for strength training though. You will probably need to push yourself closer to 200 lb in accordance with difficulty lifting. Where are your lifts right now?

Thank you for your reply.

In pounds and including a 45 lbs bar:
Squat - 260
Deadlift - 310
OHP - 80
Bench - 150
Chins (understood as supine grip) - 3s 5r 10lbs

I'm just barely getting by with doing deadlifts; the gym is pretty strict about not slamming weights, so cleans aren't a thing at the moment. My two presses took me quite some time to nail to form and movements, but as of now I'm still able to add 5 pounds to the bar each workout and they're all pretty tough. Benches are tough without a spotter; the safety bars only go so low and I'm not large enough in the chest to clear them to get the bar to touch my chest. With a spotter and no bars, I'm able to hit the full range of motion.

What do you mean barely getting by with deadlifts? Grinders?

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Originally Posted by Robert Santana

What do you mean barely getting by with deadlifts? Grinders?

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No, sir. I should have done a better job explaining that. I meant that the gym doesn’t want us slamming weights. When deadlifting, I do my best control the bar and weight on the way down, and while 310 isn’t exactly competitive lifting, it’s not exactly light either. I sometimes anticipate someone coming to tell me to quit slamming the weights after it hits the ground, but nothing has happened this far. That’s what I mean by “barely getting by”; seemingly getting by the concern/attention of the gym staff for slamming weights.

As for my original question and seeing your first response, I think an increase in calorie intake is absolutely warranted, especially when I considered the problem of my chest not reaching above the safety bars when my back is arched. It makes sense to me that I would put away more food to support muscle growth while expecting body fat to increase as well. I’m not overly concerned with getting “sloppy fat” as Rip calls it since I’ve got a handle on how much fast food I eat (once a month or less) along with sugary candies and snacks, though if my 2 year old decides he’s sharing an M&M, how can I say no? I might eat a couple which to me is hardly a blip on the radar.

However, one of my big hang ups is about age. I’m constantly hearing/reading Rip reference 18 year olds or 50 year olds in regards to programming and calories. I’m at neither end of that spectrum and almost exactly in the middle. I don’t fully understand what my caloric needs are based around my age and activity. I heard what you and Rip talked about in one of his earlier Starting Strength Radio episodes (#13) about how you might push someone up to 3500 a day, but I’m not entirely certain I fit that category. Maybe I do.... as you can see, I have some uncertainty in this area! Maybe it’s time for a booked session through Weights and Plates?

You are closer to the 18 year old kid. At your age I ran the program on 3000-3500 and was 1" shorter than you. I started around where you are with a baseline weight of ~167 lb and pushed myself up to 192 lb.

My lifts included a squat of 315 x 1 (wrong, but deep because I still have the video) 320 deadlift, 215 x 5 bench press, and a press somewhere in the 115-125 range for a set of 5, while able to perform 12 consecutive chin ups. I wasn't a rank novice so I feel that I should fully disclose that to add context. I did not, however, know how to lift correctly and microloading was a new thing. I too believed that 310 was not light and then when I figured out that deadlifts were not a "lower back exercise" and very much involved the lower body, I finished out my last run of LP at 405 x 5 and will now tell you that 310 is light and you probably have more in the tank. It's time for a new gym and it may very well be time for you and I to have a chat as well.

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Originally Posted by SethP

No, sir. I should have done a better job explaining that. I meant that the gym doesn’t want us slamming weights. When deadlifting, I do my best control the bar and weight on the way down, and while 310 isn’t exactly competitive lifting, it’s not exactly light either. I sometimes anticipate someone coming to tell me to quit slamming the weights after it hits the ground, but nothing has happened this far. That’s what I mean by “barely getting by”; seemingly getting by the concern/attention of the gym staff for slamming weights.

As for my original question and seeing your first response, I think an increase in calorie intake is absolutely warranted, especially when I considered the problem of my chest not reaching above the safety bars when my back is arched. It makes sense to me that I would put away more food to support muscle growth while expecting body fat to increase as well. I’m not overly concerned with getting “sloppy fat” as Rip calls it since I’ve got a handle on how much fast food I eat (once a month or less) along with sugary candies and snacks, though if my 2 year old decides he’s sharing an M&M, how can I say no? I might eat a couple which to me is hardly a blip on the radar.

However, one of my big hang ups is about age. I’m constantly hearing/reading Rip reference 18 year olds or 50 year olds in regards to programming and calories. I’m at neither end of that spectrum and almost exactly in the middle. I don’t fully understand what my caloric needs are based around my age and activity. I heard what you and Rip talked about in one of his earlier Starting Strength Radio episodes (#13) about how you might push someone up to 3500 a day, but I’m not entirely certain I fit that category. Maybe I do.... as you can see, I have some uncertainty in this area! Maybe it’s time for a booked session through Weights and Plates?

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I hired Robert for nutrition coaching about 2 months ago. I can assure you it will be time and money well spent.

Glad you think so. You've done quite well.