Minimum amount of training for maintenance?

[Skinnyrunt]

I was having this conversation with a friend of mine.

What do you think is the bare minimum training required just to maintain size and strength?

Basically, my friend was saying that after training for several years now, his work / life etc is just getting so ridiculously busy that he's finding it harder and harder to get to the gym. He says he wants to try and keep doing SOME training, and doesn't want to lose all his hard earned muscle.

I was saying that I think he would still have to train at least twice a week, in order to stimulate his muscles enough and give his body a reason for keeping that muscle - i.e. if you don't use it you lose it. I thought either two full body workouts a week, or maybe one day upper one day lower.

So, keeping in mind that he'll still be eating clean, and that he can still squeeze in some early morning runs / power walks, what are your thoughts on the bare minimum amount of training needed for maintenance? Also, he's currently natural.

[ritch]

very good question, I've tried to say, "I'm gonna maintain from now on" I'd just back off a bit, then after 2-3 weeks I could not take it anymore and go nuts in the gym.

But say you can bench x amount for 8 reps, I wonder what the maintenance charge would be or if you need more reps with less weight or whatever.

Good thread, hope some answers come out of it from people in the know.

[Skinnyrunt]

....?........??????.....
Nothing huh? All I hear is crickets!

I guess this could be unfamiliar territory. I'll let you know in a few months how buddy got on with this.

[Nabeel]

I would think 2-3 days a week with a good split (higher volume or more sets with more weights) keep the muscle moving, as long as your diet is good, I don't see any type of workout making your lose or get smaller. I've taken 6 weeks off felt like I was getting softer, after 1 week into the gym I was back to normal, and my strength went thru the roof I was stronger than I was at the end of my offseason last year.

[clarkf]

Its funny cause after every show. I say to myself Im going to take some time off and just lift to be healthy do cardio etc. I end up lifting 3 or 4 days a week but with less intensity, almost just for fun. But after a month or so Im right back to the normal heavy, high intensity shit.
But anyways I would say as long as he hit everybody part 1 x er week, he should be able to maintain what he has. Thia could be accomplished in 1 workout per week, but would be to hard on the CNS. I would imagine 2 days per week would work. Monday:Legs, Delts. Thurs:Back, Chest , Arm. .. Not ideal but would work.

[Hoss06]

I would say a 3 day split training program to keep the blood flowing and the muscles from being soft

[Taylor Normandeau]

Well if you think of it like this, you probably train each bodypart once a week as it is. Say you train 5 days a week and hit each part once. If I wanted to "maintain", I would drop to 2-3 days (basically I would just relax and not really worry if I miss a day or not), but condense my workouts to include more body parts. So pretty much your muscles are being trained as frequently as they were before, just not taxing them with the specific volume you were before.

When I "de-load" or whatever the hell you wanna call it, I like to do either a push/pull split (day 1 = chest/shoulders/triceps/quads, day 2 = back/hams/biceps and calves on whatever day has less volume), and do a 1 on, 1 off kinda thing. Don't murder yourself in the gym, 2 exercises or so per body part, make sure to keep a set or two of heavier lower reps (especially if natty), and then just get the blood flowing.

It's really, really hard to lose muscle unless you are very genetically opposed to building it, as long as you continue to stress them at a somewhat regular interval and keep the diet in check.



So yeah, either M/W/F or 1 on, 1 off, or don't even really worry bout it just get in when you can, and the push/pull or whatever half body split works for you.

[I Eat Therefore I Am]

I would agree with just getting in as much as possible. If it were me, I'd have two separat workouts and just alternate. Maybe a push/pull like chode said. Stressing about not working out will cause more muscle loss than just reducing frequency.

[ob205]

I think it depends on what you are trying to maintain, lean body mass and strength I think 2x a week either splitting the body in 2 or 2 whole body days per week would work. I do think composition will suffer, since you are reducing number of workouts per week, epoc, etc.

In most sports during their "IN" season they only train 2x a week and that maintains strength.

[ritch]

come to think about it, this summer I switched my 4 day week spilt to training 3 times a week. That means you're training each body part every 10 days. My strength went up acutally, but resist the urge to do so, just use the same weights you did, or a bit less wit the same rep ranges, could work.

I actually forgot about that. But then after a while 3 days a week was just not enough for me meaning I was not ready to maintain. But it's nice to never have to train 2 days in a row. Your energy levels are never down really...

If you find you're losing some of what you were hoping not to, train everything once a week again for a few weeks to go back to what I suggested.

So be a good lab rat for me, lol.. try this and let me know how it works, lol...

[Skinnyrunt]

So be a good lab rat for me, lol.. try this and let me know how it works, lol...

Haha so true man. I'm terrified of shrinking so would never try a "maintenance phase" myself just in case!