Let’s say you achieve what you wish for? Best possible, genetic 1 ppb case:
Another very successful chap from development perspective:
How would you rate their functional fitness? Now what? As you get older, you have to consider how any additional weight (muscle or fat) will affect your #1 muscle…heart. Both present extra work load for the heart.
It depends on your objective function, strength, longevity, maximizing FFMI for an 8% BF level?
After trying both approaches, I’d argue for seeing what one would do while keeping BF level low as you get older. Otherwise, human nature kicks in and one will easily justify carrying an extra 10% BF so their bench is 50 lb higher. There is an optimal FFMI for human performance.
Think about this, let’s say a chap sets a goal of doing 315 lb x 5 on the bench and also being able to run a 6 min mile. Another goal would be doing 375 lb x 5 on the bench. What would this individual need to do body wise to achieve each one of these goals? Is one a “healthier” goal for a 30 something? What’s the intrinsic value of another 50 lb on the bench vs shaving 4-5 min off your mile time?
I think the optimal is somewhere between running marathons and training for absolute mass hence just trying to bring into the discussion a consideration for cardiovascular fitness, BF level, and ALSO total body weight as one gets older.
So do you leverage the improved hormonal profile to carry a little extra functional FFM at low BF or use it to train for absolute mass? I’d consider the former as one gets closer to 40. But again depends on what you want. Joints only last for so long.