Second pass at: Programming during a large energy deficit posts 31–49
This is a continuation of a long topic, addressed by post number rather than by page. Start at post 1.
Marking my place. If it changes for me I will come back and say so.
Recovery capacity falls with energy availability, so a programme that worked at maintenance may be too much during a large deficit.
On balance I think that is right, and I would not bet much on it.
Collapsed as off-topic by two members at trust level 3 or above
One more thing on Programming during a large energy that took me far too long to see: the two figures people quote are not measuring the same quantity. Once you notice that, the apparent contradiction disappears.
Deload weeks matter more during a deficit than at maintenance because recovery is the limiting factor.
Post #36 and I disagree about the size of the effect, not about the direction.
Performance usually declines somewhat during a substantial deficit, and expecting it to improve is the most common source of disappointment reported here.
Taking post #36 at face value and following it one step further.
The failure mode on Programming during a large energy is boring rather than dramatic. It is almost always the step everyone assumes was done correctly because it is too simple to get wrong.
I had written a reply contradicting post #36 and deleted it. Here is what survived.
Progression during a deficit may mean maintaining rather than adding, and framing that as success rather than stagnation is more accurate.
Confirming post #39 from a second method, which matters more than confirming it from a second person.
Maintaining load with reduced volume is a reasonable strategy during a deficit and appears in the published literature more than the reverse.
Collapsed as off-topic by two members at trust level 3 or above
Taking post #40 at face value and following it one step further.
Machine-based work is often better tolerated when energy is low and is not inferior for this purpose.
That is what the documentation says. What happens in practice is usually close.
Post #38 and I disagree about the size of the effect, not about the direction.
Programming while losing weight quickly: realistic expectations are crucial. Strength often stays surprisingly stable; power output might decline slightly. Expecting gains during an energy deficit sets yourself up for disappointment.
Reading back through the Programming during a large energy threads from last year, the same three questions come up every time and only one of them has ever been answered properly. That seems like a documentation gap rather than a knowledge gap.
Programming during a large energy is well covered in the tag pages, and the older discussions are better than the recent ones because they were argued out properly. Worth twenty minutes before adding to this one.
Building on post #44 rather than restating it.
Recovery: heavier training on a energy deficit and on a compound that slows gastric emptying requires attention to recovery (sleep, nutrition, stress). Recovery capacity declines with deficit, so training volume might need adjustment.
Strength and hypertrophy respond to different things, and preserving one during a deficit is a different objective from building the other.
That is my reading. Someone else read the same page differently and was reasonable.
Everything in post #46 holds. The case it does not cover is the one I have.
If someone has run Programming during a large energy properly I would rather read that than my own reconstruction of it. Posting mine only because the thread has gone quiet.
Reduced appetite makes fuelling a session harder, and that is a practical problem with practical solutions rather than a reason to stop.
The answer changed when I changed how I was measuring, which was informative.
This topic was referenced in
- About the Resistance training categoryNutrition & Training › Resistance training · 4 replies
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