3-1 Diet Structure

Training
1

Hi CT,
Ive been following the Jacked 31 footprint basically 3 weeks Strength/Performance alternating 1 week hypertrophy work. Ive been doing the same with my diet as well, going great.

Just on my diet, for the 3 performance weeks my weight is going up great, 0.5 - 1lbs per week on average (my goal), than on my hypertrophy week I increase protein slightly and bring calories down 500 to maintenance.

What I have found is after each maintenance week, my bodyweight drops to where I began each cycle so effectively over the last 3 months my weight hasn’t shifted much.

On that should I concertante on keeping calories in a surplus for the hypertrophy weeks and maybe every second hypertrophy week drop 500 to maintenance?

What would you suggest I do?

Thanks for the help,
Mike P

2

I’d consider running at least maintenance or a surplus on the hypertrophy week while during strength/performance you can be either at maintenance or conceivably a decifit. While this exact sentiment isn’t uttered in Part 3 of the article series, it does touch on the topic in the final paragraphs.

3

Why not just remain in a surplus until you’ve reached your goal? No reason to make it more complicated than that. I’m a simple guy though and simple solutions work better for me.

4

Thanks jcmcnorton, yeah thats the conclusion Ive come too. Good point too, keep things simple, don’t make the process complicated.

5

Treat the fourth week as a “deload”. You rest your CNS. You should eat preferably in a surplus during this week.

How’s progress on the program? I did the 3 first weeks before lockdown hit, and it worked very well for me!

6

That is absolutely correct. In fact, when you use largely performance-based methods, a week with less neurological work is there to do everything possible to increase performance potential for the next block.

Eating a deficit during that week is counterproductive in part because it could slow down recovery but also because a caloric deficit leads to more adrenaline production which might hurt the resensitization of the beta-adrenergic receptors, meaning less performance potential for the new block.