YNDTP: Summer Figure and Strength Training

[bernhard]

Hi folks!

27 years old, ~6'4'', ~240lbs. Squat ~300lbs for 5 sets of 3, bench ~225 for 5 sets of 3 and deadlift ~365 for 5. I started with a 2 days per week linear progression at the start of the year (did a bit of "lifting" at the end of 2016), switched to the HLM #1 programm from PP in mid April and gained about 10kg/22lbs since the start of the year.

As the title says I now want to lean out and work on my bikini figure. I used Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum's macros and cut down from ~4000kcal/day to ~2800kcal/day. Started my diet at the start of last week, couldn't make my lifts on my heavy day this week and my light day today was a complete suck fest. Usually it really feels "light".

My 2 questions are:
1.) How do you deal with a diet/caloric deficit and strength training? Just stick with the programm and grind through it? Switch things up and go back to strength training once you can maintain a caloric surplus?
2.) I would like to loose 5kg/11lbs. How much weight should I loose per week? 1/2lbs, 1lbs, 1kg/2lbs?

Thanks guys I know this is a strength board, but some of us don't have the conversations skills (or wallet ) to pick up girls

[Manimal]

Only thing I can successfully speak towards is caloric timing. On lifting days when I'm on a deficit I eat all of my calories before I go. I go really hard on carbs and leaner protein as well as lots of salt and caffeine. Well, all but 200 so I can have a protein shake afterward. I also plan on moving to a 4 day split to see if I can cut down on the energy reqs per day. I tend to get really tired by the 3rd movement.

[bernhard]

Thanks Manimal, will try that.

[AdamAZ]

My understanding is that strength training and caloric deficits is basically an oxymoron. As you're cutting, losing weight, and reducing recovery energy, yeah you're going to lose strength over time and weights that used to feel manageable will feel heavier.

[NCuba]

Try cycling calories according to your workouts. i.e. don't restrict cals the day of, and night before, your heavy day. Only plan to make progress on heavy day. Light day and medium day will both feel heavy because you will be dieting then. Also many people have trouble with volume while dieting so if you're doing 5 sets on heavy day try dropping one or two.

This has worked for me recently, going from 234 to 226 in past 9 weeks with gains on all lifts compared to pre-dieting. I think some of the feasibility of this might have to do with how much LP gains I would have had "left in the tank," so to speak, had I chose not to diet. This hold true for my squat and deadlift, where I am well below all-time bests, but then again my press and bench are right now equal to my prior PRs from a couple years ago when I weighed in the 240s.

[Dave Wilson]

Hi folks!

27 years old, ~6'4'', ~240lbs. Squat ~300lbs for 5 sets of 3, bench ~225 for 5 sets of 3 and deadlift ~365 for 5. I started with a 2 days per week linear progression at the start of the year (did a bit of "lifting" at the end of 2016), switched to the HLM #1 programm from PP in mid April and gained about 10kg/22lbs since the start of the year.

As the title says I now want to lean out and work on my bikini figure. I used Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum's macros and cut down from ~4000kcal/day to ~2800kcal/day. Started my diet at the start of last week, couldn't make my lifts on my heavy day this week and my light day today was a complete suck fest. Usually it really feels "light".

My 2 questions are:
1.) How do you deal with a diet/caloric deficit and strength training? Just stick with the programm and grind through it? Switch things up and go back to strength training once you can maintain a caloric surplus?
2.) I would like to loose 5kg/11lbs. How much weight should I loose per week? 1/2lbs, 1lbs, 1kg/2lbs?

Thanks guys I know this is a strength board, but some of us don't have the conversations skills (or wallet ) to pick up girls

Any woman worth the time and energy won't care about you carrying around 11 extra lbs. Don't conform yourself to the useless vanities of society.

[Dave Wilson]

Try cycling calories according to your workouts. i.e. don't restrict cals the day of, and night before, your heavy day. Only plan to make progress on heavy day. Light day and medium day will both feel heavy because you will be dieting then. Also many people have trouble with volume while dieting so if you're doing 5 sets on heavy day try dropping one or two.

This has worked for me recently, going from 234 to 226 in past 9 weeks with gains on all lifts compared to pre-dieting. I think some of the feasibility of this might have to do with how much LP gains I would have had "left in the tank," so to speak, had I chose not to diet. This hold true for my squat and deadlift, where I am well below all-time bests, but then again my press and bench are right now equal to my prior PRs from a couple years ago when I weighed in the 240s.

What exactly are your best lifts? I'm genuinely curious.

[greywar]

Hi folks!


Thanks guys I know this is a strength board, but some of us don't have the conversations skills (or wallet ) to pick up girls

Sorry bro, 11 pounds isn't going to make up for no game and no money.

Game can make up for a lack of looks or money (sometimes even both).

Money can make up for anything if you have enough.

Looks alone will never make up for a lack of both.

Have you considered dating dudes? Looks matter way more in a gay bar.

[NCuba]

What exactly are your best lifts? I'm genuinely curious.

For reference I'm on my third run through LP/early intermediate training (2010, 2014-15, and now--2016-2017 at age 31), so comparing recent lifts to past bests is pretty straightforward.

Best recent press is 200 x1, bench 267.5 x3 which are exactly, or even a bit better than, what I reached before (though in '15 I probably could have pressed more if I tested).

Best recent squat 345 x5 which is quite a bit lower than '15 (400 x4) or '10 (410 x3). Same thing with DL: 445 x3 the other day v. 460 x4 in '15 and 490 x3 in '10.

I think one of the reasons why my lifts are doing ok while I'm losing weight is because I'm relatively untrained--overall, as well as compared to my younger selves. Based on the limited lifting history given by OP (i.e. twice weekly LP for a few months then a couple months of hlm) I think he might be in a similar place and could manage a drop from 240 without having everything go to shit if he was smart about food.

[iamsmuts]

Sorry bro, 11 pounds isn't going to make up for no game and no money.

Game can make up for a lack of looks or money (sometimes even both).

Money can make up for anything if you have enough.

Looks alone will never make up for a lack of both.

Have you considered dating dudes? Looks matter way more in a gay bar.

Hilarious. There's nothing homophobic here; it's just an apt observation. But an 11 pound loss can add a lot of definition. Not that most women really care. . . . Though women do seem to get pretty excited about Mr. Jennifer Aniston and the bulk of the male cast of True Blood (which was produced by a gay man, if I'm not mistaken). I'm not sure if this caries over to real life though. (I'm watching The Leftovers at the moment. . . .)