Strength gains and calories

[Oliver Pringle]

Hi guys.

Im a keen olympic weightlifter and have a couple of questions regarding bodyweight and how to approach it. 7 months ago i was 76kg probly around 15 percent body fat and had a 106kg clean and jerk.

Id heard lots about eating silly amounts to gain strength and so decided for this year i would give it a try. I started GOMAD diet plus 7 meals a day and 3 months later was 90kg and getting a belly haha. Strength gains were crazy and i've done 115kg clean and jerk since then.

At 5 foot 10 ideally i want to be competing at a lean 85kg and not any lighter. but considering im a long way off being competitive i suppose that is not entirely relevant.

What approach do people think is wise/suggest? My current plan is to get back down to a lean bodyweight which is probably about 79kg and be more patient for muscle and strength gains. If you eat a constant caloric intake will you gain muscle mass and weight over time? So i could expect to hit a lean 85 within a few years by just eating healthy and training hard?

Ollie

[Steve Pan]

I would say to start out moderately and see how you feel with training and where your weight falls naturally.

First take out the milk and see where your weight goes. If training keeps going well and you keep making improvements it may be a case where you can stick to the weight you are and continue making gains.

You don't want to have to really work to get down in weight. Cutting hard or too much will definitely have a negative effect on your training long term. It is best to try and see where your weight sits without having to force feed or restrict. Cutting down 11kg will be a pretty big cut.

Try taking out the milk and going back to your regular eating habits and see where the weight goes and then make an adjustment from there.