Most people out there do not want to keep getting more powerful and do not want to increase their muscle mass constantly. If you love the way in which you look at the moment and you are comfortable with the strength that you want, you are surely aware of the fact that you need to keep training or you would lose muscle mass and strength. This makes a lot of people wonder how muscle strength and size can be maintained.
The truth is that it is a lot harder to gain muscle size and strength than to remain at the same level. However, this does not mean that you can simply stay on your couch and expect the body to remain the same. It should be mentioned that your strength gains will be maintained for a much longer period of time as opposed to muscle mass, for around 2 months.
How Much Should You Train?
This is the real question that you ask. You need to keep training but you do not want to train too much to gain more strength and muscle mass. Obviously you will want to keep the gains that you worked so hard to maintain.
Based on one study that was recently published, older men only need one session per week in order to maintain lean body mass and strength. While the study was done on the elderly and you may argue that it is different with younger people, we should take into account the fact that those that are older actually have more problems to retain muscle size and strength when compared with those that are younger.
The problem is that you have to maintain workout intensity even if you work out just one time per week. This is quite difficult to do for a lot of athletes. Never lighten up on resistance use if you are not training as often as you used to. We normally see people that lower intensity and go to the gym 2 to 3 times per week, thinking that they will maintain strength and body mass. The result is not what they envisioned.
Things To Consider
All the studies that were done are not 100% conclusive since they did not take into account what would happen with strength and muscle mass in this 1 workout per week scenario if it took place for one year. With this in mind, it is vital that you keep looking at your body and how it reacts. If you feel that you lose muscle mass and strength, add one more session per week. Eventually, you will figure out what works for you for the long term.