How fast do i lose strength from eating at a deficit?

[chico1st]

Yesterday I ate about 1000 calories less than what I typically eat during my linear SS progression. I just didnt want to eat I dont think im sick.

This morning I missed the same weight squat from my last workout by a lot (4,3,1 reps). I was somewhat sore after my last workout (had a 1 week squat break) but I was coming up to a 2 day rest.

Would missing food for that 1 day make me miss that set or should I be looking at something else? It seems crazy to me as I ate well for 2 days but the coincidence is strong.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

It's unlikely that your transient decrease in calorie intake had this effect on you (though it didn't do you any favors) unless it messed with your brain, which may or may not have happened.

I think the reality of the situation is you didn't provide enough stress from the previous workout where you missed reps to drive the adaptation to make the reps this time, perhaps coupled with the lack of food intake on your mental status when approaching relatively heavy weights. Moreover, since you had 1 week off previous to your last squat session where you missed, you don't have the accumulated fatigue to drive improvements in your strength. It's a training thing, not a food thing.

That being said, if you want to get strong- take care of your diet, don't miss days, and attack the fucking weights.

[chico1st]

thanks jordan.
Im suprised you are catching up on all the posts. I thought posts sent in during that month would have just been lost in the internet aether.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

thanks jordan.
Im suprised you are catching up on all the posts. I thought posts sent in during that month would have just been lost in the internet aether.

I saved them from the ether, thankfully.

[chico1st]

you are a king among men.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

[Swami]

I'm going through something similar but more chronic. Dropped my calories to lose fat I had gained during LP and my lifts (minus my DL) are taking a dump. I was around 23.5% BF and am now about 21% (measured using calipers). I'm about 4 weeks into the calorie cut. It's depressing to think my gainz were that tied up with being somewhat fat. Bench dropped 5 lbs, squat about 25 lbs, OP dropped 5 lbs. DL went up 10 lbs.

I sure wish I had a book ro read so I could do this the right way...

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Your strength loss is programming related....99% sure. How has your programming changed?

[Swami]

I hope you're right.

I'm doing HLM, 3 days per week. Not really anything programming related has changed during this period. But I'm assuming it's not optimal, that I should be either ramping up/down the volume or intensity, because, well, this sucks...

I can't point to any changed variable during this period except eating less. And believe me, I'm getting pissed off and am pushing myself on my heavy days but am missing squats at weights that were very easy 2 months ago. I get angry, regroup, wait, and go at it again thinking it just a fluke, but it wasn't. Failure repeat. Last 2 heavy days have been like this. It's mind bottling.

I'm 40. Perhaps my hormonal profile doesn't lend itself to losing fat without also losing muscle? I dunno. Just had T labs done yesterday, no results yet.

Totally open to suggestions.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I don't think volume needs to explicitly go down in this instance, but I do think that you need to aim for hitting all your reps that are programmed and get away from explicit linear progression whilst calorie restricted. Of course, over time you need to be adding weight to the bar/volume to the template/etc. but it doesn't have to be every week and everytime you miss a rep, miss a workout, etc. you're impeding adaptation to accumulated fatigue.

I would work up to moderately heavy sets on your heavy day on all the exercises, with no misses. Light day do 80% of that, medium day 90% OR use alternate variations of the exercises (or similar) and just do that for a series of weeks to accumulate some consistent exposure to volume. Rep PRs will follow.