i am 5.7, 88kg i am new to powerlifting, my goal is to compete at 83kg/181lb, but i am not sure about deit.
i am eating pretty clean 3000/3500 cals a day
roughly
300g carbs
200g protein
100g fat
should i keep this up and add some cardio or lower something?
It all depends on your goals man. If you want to compete in 83kg then you need too drop 5 kg but since you are new I’m guessing you also need to gain a fair bit of strength. If most of your weight is fat then I would go for a big deficit. Looking to lose 0,5kg to 1kg per week. If you are fairly lean then I’d look to lose 0.3kg-0.4kg per week. Try to get stronger and drop weight at the same time. This will be possible at first since you are new.
I can’t tell you wether you should increase or decrease calories and macronutrients. You need to track your progress and adjust accordingly. I would adjust carbs mainly and definitely leave protein where it is. Say you want to lose more weight, decrease carbs a bit more. You want to gain weight, increase carbs a bit more.
Cardio is a no especially since you are new. Cardio and conditioning has a place to help break through plateaus when you are an advanced lifter. You’re saying you are new. Just focus on adding weight to the bar and keeping your diet in check.
Make sure youre eating for performance. Eating clean is fine and will make you an aesthetically pleasing 181 but make sure you’re timing your carbs right around your workouts to ensure you’re getting the most out of them.