Can you get stronger while on a caloric deficit?

Ok, then you will have to work harder later. Carry on

that’s strong. nice work.

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Thank you.

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Makes total sense - thanks.

I know this is the vocal crew, but I still maintain (for the rational actor) strict adherence to your macro plan is going to drive you to higher quality choices.

I could also just be the weirdo, though. I hate being hungry, so I’m always going to choose more food over tastier food.

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I think the ultimate conclusion is that ALL of us are weirdos: just different KINDS of weirdos. It’s like how you might see a group at school and call them ā€œnerdsā€, not knowing that some are DnD nerds, some are MtG nerds, some are Star Trek nerds, some are Ren Faire nerds, etc. And the streams do NOT cross.

Like, you believe adherence to macros will drive good food decisions, because that’s how you operate, and you’d rather have a large volume of food vs a small amount of yummy foods. Somewhere in the same camp of flexible dieting is someone that will budget in 4 pop tarts and spend the rest of the day eating iceberg lettuce, because they REALLY like pop tarts.

Some folks are weirdos who need absolute restriction, because if they eat ONE cookie, they eat ALL the cookies. Some folks can’t be told ā€œdon’t drink orange juiceā€, because as soon as you say that, it’s ALL they’ll ever want to drink.

Training protocols are the same way. Really, everything is the same way: we all are just broken weirdly as far as psychology goes, and it’s a matter of finding where we ā€œfitā€

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Yes… if you’re wise about it. Loooow volume, sufficient intensity, proper technique.

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Yeah you can.

Experience level will factor in, and I would take @s.gentz advice on keeping carbs in your diet if strength in a deficit is the goal.

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I’m still waiting on someone to explain to me why carbs are ā€œessentialā€ for performance.

I’ve experimented myself just to see…I grapple, spar, train for upwards of an hour non-stop without carbs and don’t hit the wall.

Do carbs maximally potentiate Excitation Contraction Coupling? Possibly… but my theory is its intracellular fluid / electrolytes that are the key, not necessarily glycogen

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Why? If using lower reps… say 4 to 6…the creatine phosphate system doesn’t require glycogen. I’m asking respectfully, mind you.

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I think the most helpful definition I’ve found is that nerds like math and geeks don’t.

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This whole post was pretty awesome.

I also didn’t realize the different nerds didn’t cross over, so I’m always learning. It’s a great analogy, though.

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Thanks! And it’s true: despite my nerdery, I’ve never seen an episode of Star Trek, haha. I’m only aware of it culturally.

Oh man, the truth is that geeks bite the heads off chickens.

So really Ozzy was a geek.

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I’m ok with that.

Look up dork next.

Already knew that one, haha. Thanks 16 Candles!

I’m a terrible combination of this…

And this.

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Strength training programs I’m familiar with incorporate low and heavy training and higher volume supplemental and accessory work, and fueling the entire session is important.

While I agree carbs may not be essential to get through a strength training session or block, the question for me is optimal.

I’m not a research scientist reinventing the wheel, so I’ll post a few links as discussion points with strength gains while in an overall energy deficit in mind.

https://www.sportivetricks.co/articles/powerlifting/92/carb-timing-powerlifting-performance

There are many more, but they get redundant.

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I’m not facepalming the method. I’ve dropped to zero carbs for a while near the end of a treacherous cut. I’m facepalming the instant descent to extreme dieting without an adjustment period for your physical, mental, and emotional welfare. On top of that, you’re asking about getting stronger. If you’ve done it before ā€œto great effectā€ then why are you asking for advice on building strength on a severe diet… you should already know.

Lastly, 10lb is a drop in the bucket. You should never need zero carb unless you’re trying to get like 6% peeled look. You just need to make small incremental improvements in food choices and don’t need to shock your system so dramatically.

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This.

Diets for extreme and temporary results really are not ideal for the long term.

Prepping and posing for a perfect 20 minutes on stage, or being as lean as possible for an event weigh in or something can make extreme manipulation necessary, but if the idea is generally leaning out for health and walk around aesthetics, they’re unnecessary and even unhealthy, despite hawked pseudoscience around them.

End of day, calories in/out will give you 80% of your weight loss results.

Making choices within those calories that support muscle maintenance and energy need given desire for strength will cap your efforts off.

I think we all have a skewed view of what normal looks like at this day and age anyways.

I remember as a kid, it was abnormal to be fat and bullying fat kids was almost an accepted rite of passage.

People just living normal lives, pre-automated everything, and playing outside (for kids anyways) had abs and muscle definition. And diets were whatever mom was cooking plus a school tray lunch :man_shrugging:t3:

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Right on… ty !

NP.

Each article mentions the same energy systems and thresholds to tap them that you did, and mentions that at a certain point carbs and glycogen are irrelevant.

They also mention at best those thresholds are estimates and everyone’s body will have slightly different experiences.

Each one discusses carbs in the context of training though, and getting the most effective returns out of a session vs a competition best of 3 attempts scenario.

Anecdotally, the info supports my personal experience in powerlifting, and certainly did in high intensity sports like wrestling once upon a time.

I can do it without carbs and even fasted, but there’s a second gear when I have fuel sources to tap.

In any case, my favorite article had the charts demonstrating energy sources tapped as percentages through varying intensities and volumes. Easy high level takeaways for different modalities.

Again, I don’t disagree that keto and carnivore and whatever will give results, or that they don’t have their place, I just think it’s important to consider the right nutrition for optimal support of a desired goal. And I personally see carbs as helpful for the goal at hand, inside of calorie restrictions for weight loss.

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