The famous English saying "Use it or lose it" (use it or you will lose it) lends itself well to maintaining muscles, once obtained.
Our body is resilient, but if the muscles are not trained for a long time, there is no way to keep them!
While rest days are critical to recovery, staying active regularly can help preserve your force and the physique in the long term.
Muscle maintenance is not only important for maintaining the desired physique, but also for the prevention of injuries and to reduce the risk of disease.
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How does muscle maintenance work?
Skeletal muscle is a collection of innervated voluntary cells that show fatigue with a high energy requirement.
Se practice constantly, with progressive overload, combined with correct nutrition and recovery, muscles have the ability to grow (hypertrophy).
The rules are, however, slightly different when it comes to maintaining the already built musculature; Studies suggest that resistance training is beneficial for maintaining muscle and strength, but bodyweight exercises should not be underestimated either, as they can bring several benefits.
If you are unable to hit the gym or eat a careful and balanced diet, maintaining muscle should be your top priority.
Why does muscle loss occur?
La Muscle loss is the reduction in the size of muscle fibers and can be the result of aging, lack of exercise, poor diet or medical conditions.
Although muscle atrophy is generally a byproduct of physical inactivity, it can also be an unfortunate side effect of specific medical conditions such as sarcopenia or the cachexia.
Furthermore, muscle loss is closely related to increased risks of some chronic diseases and is a reliable indicator of mortality rates from multiple causes.
Aging also has a major impact on muscle wasting: after age 30, you can lose up to 8% of your muscle mass every decade, a process that still increases rapidly after age 50.
Muscle maintenance training
Building muscle is difficult, but maintaining it can be easier; a maintenance-focused training program may differ from one for muscle growth or weight loss.
Studies suggest that for muscle maintenance, resistance training once or twice a week may be sufficient; “3 sets of 10 reps” is a science-backed benchmark for general muscle maintenance.
It is always good anyway contact a professional to analyze the initial situation and get proper advice.
Beginners will need less effort to maintain muscle gained, while a professional athlete will need to work harder to maintain muscle built up over years of training.
Split workout for muscle maintenance
Usually the same routine you followed for muscle growth might work well for the maintenance phase, as long as you keep your overall workload under control.
Here are three common ways to organize muscle maintenance training:
- Split body part: train each muscle or muscle area on a specific day of the week
- Upper / lower: train your upper body one day and your lower body another day
- Push / pull / legs: this program divides the pushing, pulling and leg exercises into three different days.
Have you ever followed a muscle maintenance program? Let us know in the comments!