Progressive overload during calorie deficit

[Ahmed M]

Hey Joe!

Currently two months in after gyms have opened, and I built up load slowly. At the moment, I’m also following your weekly split.

My log book indicates weekly progress, but noticed some lifts are better than others. My reverse band smith bench press has plateaued this week. As I have also accumulated more fat, I am in a calorie deficit to reduce bf%.

Should I continue to track progressive overload during a deficit – or does this make more sense during a calorie surplus to add more tissue? I understand I still need heavy weights in order not to lose muscle, but should I expect to improve my lifts during this period as well?

Thanks!
Ahmed

[Joe]

Hey Joe!

Currently two months in after gyms have opened, and I built up load slowly. At the moment, I’m also following your weekly split.

My log book indicates weekly progress, but noticed some lifts are better than others. My reverse band smith bench press has plateaued this week. As I have also accumulated more fat, I am in a calorie deficit to reduce bf%.

Should I continue to track progressive overload during a deficit – or does this make more sense during a calorie surplus to add more tissue? I understand I still need heavy weights in order not to lose muscle, but should I expect to improve my lifts during this period as well?

Thanks!
Ahmed

[Ahmed M]

Thanks Joe! really appreciate the detailed answer and it makes a lot of sense – pretty much what I needed as I was beginning to doubt my progress. Probably do this for a couple of weeks to hit around 11% bf and indeed move to a slight surplus.

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