How much maintenance lifting is required to keep strength and size?

[lhr]

I’ve focused on lifting and a better protein-centric diet for the past year. I’m close to achieving the strength goals I set for myself and I can see my body has changed. I’ve also lost almost 30 pounds. I don’t really want to get jacked, but I want to continue losing weight while increasing my overall fitness and losing 25 more pounds. I don’t want to lose the strength I’ve gained, as it’s helped a lot with my posture.

How much can I cut back my lifting? I’d like to spend a little less time in the gym each week.

Current routine
1x/week - swim 1 mile
3x/week - 20 minutes cardio followed by 90 minutes of lifting

I can currently:
Bench press 3x8x225
Hip Thrust 3x10x315
3x5 body weight pull-ups with good form

I typically train my back every gym day (pull-ups, lat pull downs, bent over rows, face pulls), bench 2x/week, hip thrust 2x/week, RDL 2x/week, plus some other accessory lifts and stretching. I focus on progressive overload on all lifts, and I’ve seen really steady progress over the year with this routine.

I have a wonky knee and back, so need to be careful w/ heavy squats and deadlifts.

I’m 42 yo, 6’0, 215lbs, eating 2300 calories/day, losing about 0.5 lbs per week.

How much can I cut back and still maintain my hard-won strength? If I cut back to 1/week for each lift, is that too little?

 

[srracing]

@lhr It’s wordy but I recommend reading a Guide to Detraining by Stronger by Science. It gives you a good idea of how little training it takes to maintain size and strength.

 

[lhr]

@srracing Perfect. I should have known Stronger by Science had the data. 1/3 volume does indeed appear to work for maintenance.

 

[dawn16]

@lhr What Garret said, you can cut 2/3 of your volume. Programming wise it's up to you. Some people can do fine training muscle groups once per week, other people lose the groove/motor patterns easily, and do better on a 2x full body, or 3x alternating upper/lower.

 

[miab]

@lhr If your aren't going forward , your going backwards. If you are cutting back on visits make sure when you do go that your intensity is on point and still try to progress whether that is doing more reps , shorter rest times , or higher weights on working sets .

 

[lurio]

@lhr Need to do an exercise once a week to keep a level

 

[dawn16]

@lhr Once a week is enough if you hit a full body workout with sufficient volume.

You’ll also want to be at maintenance or in a slight surplus if you want to maintain any muscle you have.

You’re just now getting out of your newbie phase, a lot of the muscle you think you gained could actually just be more definition on the muscle you already had it’s just more visible after the 30lb weight loss

A lot of new lifters see their lifts move up and think it’s muscle but in most cases it’s more likely cns adaption, learning to produce force with the muscle you had, and learning proper form and technique.

This is also why a lot of new lifters quit once they hit their first real plateau

I’m not saying you didn’t gain muscle, but it’s going to be hard to maintain on once a week on top of a deficit to lose an additional 25lbs unless semi obese when you started

I’d aim for at least an upper/lower split and a minimal deficit to lose weight as slow as possible so you retain as much muscle as possible

 

[lhr]

@dawn16 Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps makes sense to keep doing what I’m doing until I lose the rest of the weight.

 

[rsm777]

@lhr anything you dont do, you lose. so the minimum to keep the strength and size you currently have is what you're currently doing. you wont lose much if you take it easier for a week or two.

you cut back to 1/week, that's how much strength you'll "maintain;" enough for once a week

 

[alessandra]

@rsm777 That’s absolutely false. You should research before responding. Most studies suggest you can maintain muscle mass at 20% to 35% the volume it took you to gain it, indefinitely - or until age catches up with you.

 

[bear_lady]

@lhr Jacked isn’t something that happens quickly. If you find yourself getting more muscular than you want, then cut back slightly.

It’s not as though you wake up one morning completely shredded and think “I must have overdone it yesterday”

 

[sergyi]

@lhr I’m 46 225lbs and my “strength marker” I want to not fall under is 1x 315 on the bench with perfect form and control. If I want to keep that right where it is I go to the gym every other day and so 135x20 225x10 275x5 315x1 and then I do overhead tricep extension with each arm at 45 amrap, 35 amrap, 20 amrap alternating arms.

This will keep me right at a buttery smooth 315x1 indefinitely with 30 minutes every other day.

I work other stuff too but the bench is my marker.