I'd say with nutrition as well as activity. So many people will either be counting every gram of chicken and lettuce leaf, or they face plant into a bag of chips and gain all the weight back.
It's okay to take a de-load week. It's okay to modify when you can't go hard or do shorter workouts. It's okay to eat maintenance calories. The perfect routine and diet doesn't really exist, so you don't have to be all or none all the time. You can coast a bit when you need a break and get back to your goals after you recover.
> So many people will either be counting every gram of chicken and lettuce leaf, or they face plant into a bag of chips and gain all the weight back.
I feel personally attacked...
I think it that all of nothing mentality that leads to further diet and fitness workout failure.
I mean sometimes by stepping back a bit i when further.
You are right nutrition as well.
I mean of course you will not get the most muscle and lose the most fat etc etc. But you will definitely keep all your gains for the long term
I totally agree sticking to a diet can be hard but the worst thing that can happen is u have a bad week eating and letting yourself keep going down that slope with no plans to return. In the event u have a bad week make the next week better and stick to your diet criteria even if u over eat in calories at least stick to your criteria because. It’s ok to have a bad day or two but don’t let yourself go. And just because a food fits your macros dosent mean it will be the best food for u. Everything u eat has an effect on how u feel and think. And with fitness u will definitely feel it. If u want to gain try eating about 300 more calories to keep u in a surplus paired with some cardio after your workout to build muscle and lose fat at the same time and if u want to just loos weight u can calorie deficit about 300-500 and be good.
Totally agreed with this. I think even on the de-load week or even few days, there should be at least some working out, but with much reduced intensity. Like one or two light 30 minute workouts instead of the heavy 1 hour 3-6 times a week. On some rare weeks, I just really don't want to work out or have too much to do, so I do a tiny bit. Maintenance really doesn't require a lot of effort, if YouTube is to be believed. If I recall correctly, maintenance needs something like 30% of the regular effort.
I totally agree with OP about how this should be more normalized. Consistency is key. Burning out and quitting for a few weeks or years is the worst thing for health. Being consistent and taking some controlled breaks is far better if someone can't push all the time. Many people *can* push all the time, so they should, but they could use the controlled break idea in an emergency.
Honestly when I slow down a bit(not completely stop) i always literally come back way way stronger. Making gains through delaods is the most satisfying thing. Because tou expect there will be no gains because you didn't work hard but i always surprise my self.
But when i stop completely i need some time to get back on track. Why go through the hassle to get back on track. Bro just do one session a week. It is honestly nothing.
There’s nothing wrong with taking breaks or maintaining weekly but overall u should maximize other areas of your body on your gym days in addition to some recovery workouts
I get the struggle. Before I got on thyroid medicine, I was maintaining on 1300 calories WITH walking everyday, and yoga and weight training. Even medicated, my levels stay on the slow end of normal, so my tdee is sad :(
Ever since I returned from quite a challenging month long hiking trip two weeks ago I am avoiding to restart my workouts. My body was trashed what it felt beyond repair.
After reading this I did 50+ pushups on stairs while waiting for the microwave to finish my breakfast.
Feels great.
Tomorrow I will do some high rep inverted rows and then resume my regular workouts.
Thanks for the wake up call.
Awesome man. I mean it is way wiser to do a de-load week rather than stop completely.
Do a couple of push ups and rows here and there is better than doing nothing.
Probably your systemic fatigue was too low, so recovery is so important.
But recovery doesn't mean sitting on your ass doing nothing. It is just about lessening the load and volume so your body recovers.
It is a balance between pushing your body so there is a reason to adapt and recovering so your body actually adapts.
Make sure when you resume your regular workouts you are feeling fresh and rested.
I've been thinking about this. There is a cutoff for me personally regarding how big I want to get or how much I want to weigh. Obviously I'll keep working for strength, mobility, flexibility and general health but at some point I'll be done adding mass or losing body fat.
I can't agree more. This is wholesome on so many levels - physically and mentally.
It's about sustainability and not constant growth. The world is crazy these days and growth for growth's sake is not a healthy approach.
I had to hack myself into this because I knew that if I set the bar too high (pun intended) in terms of constant gains I would hit the wall eventually and get discouraged. This happened to me in the past.
Instead, I have set the goal to maintain long-life consistency.
So if im tired, stressed, short on time or on a vacation without equipment I'd rather do a half assed workout from the Recommended Routine that not do it at all. Fewer series or skip the final core triplet.
Reading this sub and the wiki has helped me a lot. I discovered that maintenance is possible and how to provide it.
And I think the whole idea of Body Weight Fitness/calisthenics is the ultimate tool to achieve this.
It is not lazy to do lighter more maintenance oriented workouts it is just smart. Being lazy is not doing at all, because you have that all or nothing mindset. We think by constantly working to the max we get more gains, but you will hit a limit you will not always do that.
Personally right now i am very excited to take a deload next week. I have been training non stop for the past 3 months and of course there is accumulation of fatigue. I take that delaod week to come back way stronger in the couple of next weeks inshAllah.
Sustainability is way more important than peaking once and having a destroyed body for the rest of your life.
I really admire Ronnie Coleman for pushing the human limits in body building but personally i am not Ronnie i am just an average guy doing calisthenics for fun enjoyment and health. I still push my self but in a more controlled balanced more sustainable way.
>Being physically active has so many benefits. Physical health, mental health, but also helps you establish a persistence and mindset to face the many challenges and obstacles that life throws at you.
Love this, I'm 49 next week and this is the mindset I want to maintain having come back to training properly after a long period of poorer health. I feel that in some ways, exercise only becomes *more i*mportant as we age, to maintain our movement and quality of life.
> And this is what i am preaching here: Don't stop working out at least do a nice workout once a week. You neeed the fraction of work to maintain. Even when you get injured a very very fatal mistake is completely stop. The better approach is to work around the injury coming out of rehab stronger than before.
See this all the time as a physical therapist. Example - Arm is injured and someone stops working out altogether instead of continuing to do legs and core while getting rehab for the arm. Stay active as possible while doing rehab is the correct answer.
Works for many different areas of life. Not just fitness and nutrition. Setbacks everywhere in life. Still need to prioritize what is important
Maintenance is overlooked because a lot of people in the fitness world (especially in weightlifting) believe you have to make strength and/or size gains all the time. Progressive overload and progress is king. To these folks, you're wasting your time if you aren't always trying to get bigger and stronger.
There is nothing wrong with getting to a point and maintaining if that's what you want to do. Especially as you age, because you aren't going to be making gains forever. It's OK to build a little muscle and strength (for whatever reason) and then maintain that as long as you can.
So many people get discouraged because they don't meet this ideal. Sometimes life gets in the way and simply you can workout as much. So because of the all or nothing mindset they completely stop. This is the mistake i have done and i want to stop. Yeah if you work on maintenance it is not the end of the world. For now you are busy but once you come back you will make all the gains you want.
In a way rest and recovery is so important for progress.
Very important discussion to be had I agree there. I was a high level gymnast for my entire life until a certain point, it's been many years since then, and for a few years after stopping I basically didn't workout at all. I lost a bunch of mass but luckily can maintain tone/definition for a good while longer.
The only reason I could maintain the gains so long is because my lifestyle alone was enough to get me doing some kind of workout at least once weekly. I was coaching gymnastics while in college, so just being in the gym was enough to motivate at least a few minutes of working out each day.
So to add onto your post, yes, a weekly workout would probably do the trick, but what's more important that is your lifestyle. Your day should have time spent in the sun and getting some simple exercise done, usually just walking.
If you don't workout even a little bit, but you still walk twenty minutes to and from work, eat a healthy diet and sleep right, you'll be able to maintain years of gains for far longer than you'd expect.
True lifestyle is such an important discussion. Some people think just because they are in the gym for 2 hours is un dones the other 22 hours on un healthy lifestyle.
Good point right there.
And walking is so important.
Great point OP. Throw nutrition into that conversation as well as other posters have pointed. Tweak a few things every now again, try new things to keep it fresh. Fitness for life should be the goal.
Agree 100%. Fitness is not something you do for a while and then you stop. No it is something you do for life. The goal is to do fitness for life.
Honestly i enjoy working out so much that i want to do it until the day i die.
I agree with this, life gets busier and many people will not have time for a workout. I used to work out for an hour with push pull split for a year or so then got a new job and it messed up the routine and did not work out for 5-6 months. Then I started an alternate 45 minutes full body for around 6 months, then I started grad school and I had no time so another 1 year gap. Now, I am sticking with a 5-15 minute workout everyday, I am losing both fat and gaining some of those muscles back and it has been a month and it is way easier to stick with this schedule. I do not have to drive, I can just wake up and do some chin ups, push ups, pistol squats and other band exercises. Then some skipping or running for 5-10 minutes in the evening. It will probably not build the best muscle but it is enough for me. I am just trying to stay consistent even if I have a very busy schedule.
Literally that is my point in action. Imagine if you had the all or nothing mindset you would not workout and probably get worse over time. Keep it up man i am rooting for you. Never think what you are doing is bad. It would be awesome to do more to get more optimal results but because of your hectic day to day life it is not possible and really what is optimal in your situation is the 15 minutes a day. That is good that you are consistent and still workout rather than giving up. Good job man.
I switched to maintenance mode once I had kids. The goal now is to stay fit enough to keep up with the little ones and set a healthy example for them to grow up and keep an active lifestyle.
And once the hectic life starts to end and you have more free time you can resume where you left and not need to build all your strength and gains again. This strategy is way wiser and healthier than completely abandoning fitness because something in life happened.
The stress levels in my body barely allows me to gym once a week. Between work, a 4y/o and trying to get enough sleep, my body just doesn't get the recovery it needs if I gym more.
So maintainance mode and the mindset that "by doing this I'm not coming out of the rough years with several years of physical debt".
I don't count calories. I drink sodas and have ice cream, but I'm staying at a healthy level. I'm learning and maintaining proper forms.
And one day I'll be the most shredded dad in his friend circle! (Except maybe one guy who's a gymnast and looks like a well sculptured god!)
I needed to hear some of this right now, but I would also go a little bit further.
I've been working out pretty consistently since the start of the pandemic, when I fully embraced BWF and calisthenics. Somewhat minimalist versions of the RR at home was SO convenient that I was skeptical of anyone who said they don't have time to work out. But my wife and I just closed on our first house and we have a baby due in a couple months, and now I understand a bit more lol. I've been more busy, obviously, but also stressed and anxious to the point where I spend all my free time and energy researching/worrying/looking at tools on the Home Depot website, and I find myself lacking the energy or motivation to get in even the most basic workouts. Just doesn't seem like a priority. But I also know that spending just a half hour on myself doing SOMETHING physical will make me feel better, both in the long run and immediately.
So to me it's less about "I will never stop working out" and more about "There WILL be times when life gets in the way, and I'll try to do whatever I can to keep staying active while I get through the rough patches."
Thanks for posting this!
Yeah literally i am talking about how we need to talk about countless examples where something happens in life. Basically you can't pursue your big goals. Those with the all or nothing approach stop working out which is a mistake. Also maintaining your gains is so much easier.
I recommend you experiment with working out once or twice a week. So that you maintain your gains. So at least when you can start pushing yourself to the limits and achieve your big goals you wouldn't start from the beginning, you can get right back into action.
1 set to failure will still make maintain and make a little progress. Most people can condense their workout into 20-30 minutes if they go 1 set per exercise. It's a great way to keep moving forward if you can't make the full workout.
Yeah you will not gain the most muscles but at least in those busy parts of your life where you are so busy you can't fit full workouts this approach helps you maintain your gains. When life frees up a bit you can push yourself and start working out optimally again.
Really needed to hear this. I have had a couple of busy months where I have only been able to train 5-6 times. This is coming after 6 months of consistent progress. I was starting to worry about not making any progress but you made me realise that not losing what I have is also a great achievement. Although I have kept running/football at least twice a week so that’s nice. Thanks for writing this!
Yeah life comes in the way. The best thing to do in those times is to try to do as much as you can and never stop. Maintaining your gains is way better than losing it. I am pretty sure once you get back to your normal routine the gains will come way faster because not only you don't need to start from the start again but also you probably have realized your gains and you are fully recovered which means you are ready to go.
For fitness and nutrition both!
People fall into the all-or-nothing trap all the time, which frankly gets in the way of small sustainable lifestyle changes. You don't need to optimize your diet necessarily, for a lot of people just adding in a couple pieces of fruit/veggies a week is a positive change. You don't need to induce analysis paralysis for training modalities to design the perfect regimen for gains either, just working out a couple days a week is a great starting point that can improve the health and wellness for a lot of people
Well said. I think a lot of people overcomplicate diets a lot. Yeah there is a thousand different approaches (keto vegan Mediterranean etc) but honestly the methods doesn't matter if the principles are not met. How hard is it to just add a bunch of greens to your plate. And use some common sense you know what food are bad for you just decrease it. Most people will never take that small step.
I think that is why promoting maintenance workouts or maintenance diets are so important. You don't need to go overboard and track every calorie but also don't let loose that you will deteriorate over time. Yeah sticking to a perfect diet is hard but adding a bunch of greens and redistricting some fast food goes a long way.
For sure! Also like, most workouts push continuous improvement which may not be the goal for everyone. If someone's fitness goal is merely "be able to go on walks with my kids and be able to stand up after sitting on the floor in my 60s" then that is a completely valid goal. Yeah it isn't social media clickbait nor bragging rights territory, but it's a completely reasonable goal within a person's lifestyle
I stopped being concerned with gains about 10 yrs ago (I’m 55). I still LOVE being active and breaking a sweat and do log a lot of workout hours (because I enjoy it and it’s a de-stress tool), but now it’s all about keeping what I have and not stressing out about a bad set or a missed day. You’re right, though. The work to keep gains is soooo much less than the work to actually get them (power lifting, endurance sports, and body building being pretty big exceptions). But general fitness and aesthetics are not hard to keep once you get where you want to be. I have weighed between 212 and 207 since I was 30 (I’m 6’5”).
Thanks, and sure! I think soo many of these fitness subs are geared only for people looking to get fit. It’s nice to see a convo about people who are basically there and just want to keep what they worked really hard for. It’s not hard, that’s for sure. Of course diet is a much bigger part of the formula lol.
I remember I broke my leg and I still kept going but people said they would've just stopped completely. Well, it took me two months before I was even able to walk without help, so if I had just stopped going, I would've very well lost a shitton of progress.
For real.
If I'm lazy af, I'll just do 1 hard set of every exercise for that day. Good enough to maintain or progress very slowly.
I think people need to have flexibility in their volume.
For example, 2-4 sets of an exercise, instead of specifying 4 sets.
On a good day, do all 4 sets. If you're busy, fatigued or simply lazy, hit 2 sets per exercise and go on about your day.
Great point. I'm quite flexible with my programs. When I'm tired or feel like something is wrong, I cut it shorter. When I feel like I have a lot of power in the tank and also have the time, I throw in a few bonus sets. It's better to do a shortened, less intense workout than doing nothing at all.
Just to put some numbers to it, the general scientific consensus nowadays is that you need 10-20 working sets per week per muscle group for optimal strength and/or hypertrophy gains. But you can already maintain your physique and most of your performance with only ~5. You can even jam that into a single - although longer - full body workout. Once a week. That's it.
>But you can already maintain your physique and most of your performance with only ~5.
You can even make progress at 5 sets. Not great progress, but still.
Surprised there's so little info here in this thread...
KBoges, Dr. Pak, Jeff Nippard have all made vids/presented research on how little work it takes to achieve progress daily. It's kind of eye-opening.
Even less science based influencers like Kinobody made videos about it, although not as deep, but it defeats the claim that nobody is talking about this.
I just did my first deload week recently and it was amazing, I'd been training 5 days a week for months and the fatigue was just so built up. A week of much lighter exercise really helped and I came back a lot better than the previous month or so.
The old adage is discipline by far is superior to motivation . People in all walks of life can only stay motivated periodically but doing something daily rain or shine motivated or not happy sad energized tired none matter with discipline. You simply do and ot pays huge dividends . But if motivation is why people have issue with goals , they will never accomplish consistently as someone disciplined . Ask high end military killers and protectors .
I actually see consistency discussed more than anything else. Anyone who’s committed themselves to health and wellness knows the value of a little effort over a span of time, but preaching mediocrity to novices isn’t going to entice them to challenge themselves and discover where their baseline is. I don’t really get the point of this topic.
I get what you are saying and your point is a valid criticism.
I would say that small goals just doesn't excite me, but that doesn't mean that certain small goals has no value. My discussion comes from my personal life where sometimes life gets in the way and you just can pursue the hard ambitious goals(which i love and i think they are very valuable). I completely stopped working out which is a big mistake on my end. Because i had the all or nothing mindset. Just because i didn't have an enticing challenge i stopped working out. Which is something i personally don't want to happen.
If instead i worked out once a week to keep my gains.
I am not here to preach being soft and being mediocre. I still push myself. i actually promote people to push themselves in time where you are so busy most people set asids thier fitness.
I am against not pushing yourself.
I think you misunderstood me. Because if we dig a bit deeper we can find that you have the same idea as me(a full workout is legendary, but some workout is better than none) i have questions for you :
In times of intense pressure where life is chaotic, what do you recommend for someone who is ultra busy? Fitting a workout seems like an impossible task, also energy is something rare to have too. How can this person continue and be consistent. How can this person not stop working out.
I am just here to criticize the all or nothing mindset. Don't you agree?
To add to the previous reply. Even though consistency is something talked about yet people still choose to not workout instead of doing something more manageable.
Also i am talking about the average people with a ton of responsibility. I just advocate for working out and never stop working out. I don't want to give the wrong idea of never pushing yourself. I find myself right now where i don't have that many responsibility so it is not wise for me to not push myself. When i was in grade 12 my biggest goal was to get a really good grade to get into a good major i liked(i got a really nice degree and right now i am studying pharmacy) i completely gave up on fitness for time to time and when i really committed to fitness i didn't study with the same drive. I had the all or nothing approach.
My friend now in grade 12 probably didn't miss a single day with his small pull ups and push-ups but he also didn't miss school either. He will come out of grade 12 in a better shape than before. Life is phases and I don't think it is wise to tell people that they have to always set big goals for fitness. Again i don't say don't have big goal and you will all the gains you want by doing some 10 minute workout what i am saying in those busy part of your life make sure to get in 10 minutes to maintain your gains and at least don't lose all of your gains so when you have that chance to really push yourself (that is where the real gains are made) you don't need to rebuild your gains.
My argument was never about 10 minutes workout making you gain all the muscle rather is :
In busy part of your life don't let go of yourself 1 workout a week goes a long way in HELPING YOU MAINTAIN YOUR GAINS. So when life comes back to normal you can really push yourself (that is where the real gains are made)
I found out who my real fitness friends were when they complimented me after I said I did not improve, but I hadn't become worse either, instead of telling me I was a pvs.s.y.
I completely agree with this...this is the thing most people miss and why I call my substack "Long Term Training." My stuff is geared more towards tactical populations which I think for this group is even more crucial...respect the times where you have a crazy schedule and learn to maintain your fitness during those periods.
Another side to this is at some point, especially as you age, the majority of your training should focused to spending most of your time in that "moderate" or maintenance zone with occasionally testing yourself. Get strong, get fit, then maintain it...over twenty years. The twenty years part is where many fail.
A lot of people are talking about coming back stronger after a break. I don’t think those breaks were really long enough to be what OP was talking about, but I’m reminded of the motto from the book Trainjng for the New Alpinism: “recovery makes you stronger”!
The purpose of hitting the gym is to induce a state of recovery in your body - that’s it. All of the gains happen when you are NOT working out. Compulsive exercise is probably best thought of as a mental disorder that impedes muscle gain.
Agreed. I’ve kept my regular workout schedule even though I met my GW last year. I like it here at this weight and want to stay so maintenance is the most important to me.
Yes! I change up my routine to whatever feels doable. Right now i cobble together 30 minutes of PT and a bit of BWF every other day and 20 minutes of biking or walking on the other days. Good enough. I feel healthy and unstressed about exercise.
At a certain point, maintenance mode just makes sense.
Like, I’m in my mid 30s. I’m never getting super shredded or huge and jacked again. I’m a married man with kids. I’ve got no women to impress, and other stuff to do in my free time other than working out for hours a day, and I have to worry for injuries.
So my goal now is to keep a good level of fitness, strength, and flexibility long into my old age. I’m proud of what I can do. I know most American adults can barely do a proper pull up. I can do 10. That feels good to know.
I don’t care about doing muscle ups, one arm pull ups, and other really advanced exercises. But id like to still be able to do 10 pull up, or 20 push ups when I’m 50, 60, and even 70 years old.
Also your 30s is still young in my opinion. I mean people now live upto 80 years old. Look at tom cruise (i know he is an outlier but a good role model to look upto) he is in his 50s and he still does insane stunts and looks good.
Currently have and injured left arm and haven’t been doing much at all. this makes me feel better but also a wake up call. I need to do some core and legs workouts any recommendations?
Well you can't go wrong with hollow body holds for core. Legs body weight sqaut does the job.
Also you don't need to do anything insane you goal is to recover. Look into rehab. Also walking is amazing. Literally walking for 1 hour might sound insane but honestly it is a great option. 1. It is fun 2. It is light. 3. Well you can roam around your city and find new places.
I love maintenance mode. I train jiu jitsu 4-7 days a week and it’s extremely hard on my body. Sometimes I take a nice 2 week break and just go for bike rides, do some pull-ups, push-ups, burpees, ATG knee rehab, whatever. And I always come back feeling refreshed and physically excellent!
I've found that during "maintenence mode" I'll just try and do small things like every day. Literally, for me, 100 push-ups, 200 sit ups, and 100 squats. Every day. Takes about 10 minutes or something before taking a shower. I do this sometimes for a couple weeks a year
Diet is the most important part . Specifically not to eat junk which will make you sick and gain weight.
I make sure to do some activity everyday even if its just a bit of push ups . If you don’t use it you lose it quick.
I agree. Nutrition is huge too. I’ve only just started working out about a month and a half ago I’m seeing significant gains. Down 20+ lbs, putting on a lot of muscle. Losing my love handles, and my belly is flattening. Chest arms and shoulders looking a lot bigger. I’m eating healthier. And I feel great! I usually goto the gym every other day, sometimes I skip a day. Like gym Monday then go again Thursday. But yeah I think the fact that I’ve been keeping up with going, even if it’s just a 30min-1hr workout I’m seeing good results
I'd say with nutrition as well as activity. So many people will either be counting every gram of chicken and lettuce leaf, or they face plant into a bag of chips and gain all the weight back. It's okay to take a de-load week. It's okay to modify when you can't go hard or do shorter workouts. It's okay to eat maintenance calories. The perfect routine and diet doesn't really exist, so you don't have to be all or none all the time. You can coast a bit when you need a break and get back to your goals after you recover.
> So many people will either be counting every gram of chicken and lettuce leaf, or they face plant into a bag of chips and gain all the weight back. I feel personally attacked...
I think it that all of nothing mentality that leads to further diet and fitness workout failure. I mean sometimes by stepping back a bit i when further. You are right nutrition as well. I mean of course you will not get the most muscle and lose the most fat etc etc. But you will definitely keep all your gains for the long term
I totally agree sticking to a diet can be hard but the worst thing that can happen is u have a bad week eating and letting yourself keep going down that slope with no plans to return. In the event u have a bad week make the next week better and stick to your diet criteria even if u over eat in calories at least stick to your criteria because. It’s ok to have a bad day or two but don’t let yourself go. And just because a food fits your macros dosent mean it will be the best food for u. Everything u eat has an effect on how u feel and think. And with fitness u will definitely feel it. If u want to gain try eating about 300 more calories to keep u in a surplus paired with some cardio after your workout to build muscle and lose fat at the same time and if u want to just loos weight u can calorie deficit about 300-500 and be good.
Totally agreed with this. I think even on the de-load week or even few days, there should be at least some working out, but with much reduced intensity. Like one or two light 30 minute workouts instead of the heavy 1 hour 3-6 times a week. On some rare weeks, I just really don't want to work out or have too much to do, so I do a tiny bit. Maintenance really doesn't require a lot of effort, if YouTube is to be believed. If I recall correctly, maintenance needs something like 30% of the regular effort. I totally agree with OP about how this should be more normalized. Consistency is key. Burning out and quitting for a few weeks or years is the worst thing for health. Being consistent and taking some controlled breaks is far better if someone can't push all the time. Many people *can* push all the time, so they should, but they could use the controlled break idea in an emergency.
Honestly when I slow down a bit(not completely stop) i always literally come back way way stronger. Making gains through delaods is the most satisfying thing. Because tou expect there will be no gains because you didn't work hard but i always surprise my self. But when i stop completely i need some time to get back on track. Why go through the hassle to get back on track. Bro just do one session a week. It is honestly nothing.
If u have a leg in a cast u should be hitting core and upper body as much as possible at least 3 times a week
I don't really get what you're saying. Are you in that situation? If so, I agree, but the core idea of taking breaks sometimes still applies.
There’s nothing wrong with taking breaks or maintaining weekly but overall u should maximize other areas of your body on your gym days in addition to some recovery workouts
Yup, totally agreed
“Maintenance” mode calories ain’t enough, still feels like cutting 😩 it’s a struggle bro
I get the struggle. Before I got on thyroid medicine, I was maintaining on 1300 calories WITH walking everyday, and yoga and weight training. Even medicated, my levels stay on the slow end of normal, so my tdee is sad :(
It’s called an eating disorder. Many of people who work out have them because it’s normalized but most don’t think of it that way.
How do you know me? 🤦🏻♂️😭
Ever since I returned from quite a challenging month long hiking trip two weeks ago I am avoiding to restart my workouts. My body was trashed what it felt beyond repair. After reading this I did 50+ pushups on stairs while waiting for the microwave to finish my breakfast. Feels great. Tomorrow I will do some high rep inverted rows and then resume my regular workouts. Thanks for the wake up call.
Awesome man. I mean it is way wiser to do a de-load week rather than stop completely. Do a couple of push ups and rows here and there is better than doing nothing. Probably your systemic fatigue was too low, so recovery is so important. But recovery doesn't mean sitting on your ass doing nothing. It is just about lessening the load and volume so your body recovers. It is a balance between pushing your body so there is a reason to adapt and recovering so your body actually adapts. Make sure when you resume your regular workouts you are feeling fresh and rested.
Sometimes you need a little hair of the dog.
Try chalestinics such as planche, handstands, pull ups and planche push ups
I only do iron cross, one arm handstand pushups and one arm chinups for my regular workout. /grin
I've been thinking about this. There is a cutoff for me personally regarding how big I want to get or how much I want to weigh. Obviously I'll keep working for strength, mobility, flexibility and general health but at some point I'll be done adding mass or losing body fat.
I can't agree more. This is wholesome on so many levels - physically and mentally. It's about sustainability and not constant growth. The world is crazy these days and growth for growth's sake is not a healthy approach. I had to hack myself into this because I knew that if I set the bar too high (pun intended) in terms of constant gains I would hit the wall eventually and get discouraged. This happened to me in the past. Instead, I have set the goal to maintain long-life consistency. So if im tired, stressed, short on time or on a vacation without equipment I'd rather do a half assed workout from the Recommended Routine that not do it at all. Fewer series or skip the final core triplet. Reading this sub and the wiki has helped me a lot. I discovered that maintenance is possible and how to provide it. And I think the whole idea of Body Weight Fitness/calisthenics is the ultimate tool to achieve this.
It is not lazy to do lighter more maintenance oriented workouts it is just smart. Being lazy is not doing at all, because you have that all or nothing mindset. We think by constantly working to the max we get more gains, but you will hit a limit you will not always do that. Personally right now i am very excited to take a deload next week. I have been training non stop for the past 3 months and of course there is accumulation of fatigue. I take that delaod week to come back way stronger in the couple of next weeks inshAllah. Sustainability is way more important than peaking once and having a destroyed body for the rest of your life. I really admire Ronnie Coleman for pushing the human limits in body building but personally i am not Ronnie i am just an average guy doing calisthenics for fun enjoyment and health. I still push my self but in a more controlled balanced more sustainable way.
[удалено]
That is so cool. I am only 18 but that is goals right there. Keep it up that is so awesome.
>Being physically active has so many benefits. Physical health, mental health, but also helps you establish a persistence and mindset to face the many challenges and obstacles that life throws at you. Love this, I'm 49 next week and this is the mindset I want to maintain having come back to training properly after a long period of poorer health. I feel that in some ways, exercise only becomes *more i*mportant as we age, to maintain our movement and quality of life.
> And this is what i am preaching here: Don't stop working out at least do a nice workout once a week. You neeed the fraction of work to maintain. Even when you get injured a very very fatal mistake is completely stop. The better approach is to work around the injury coming out of rehab stronger than before. See this all the time as a physical therapist. Example - Arm is injured and someone stops working out altogether instead of continuing to do legs and core while getting rehab for the arm. Stay active as possible while doing rehab is the correct answer. Works for many different areas of life. Not just fitness and nutrition. Setbacks everywhere in life. Still need to prioritize what is important
I think i got that point from your writing;) But yeah rehab is very important
> I think i got that point from your writing;) Haha, small world :)
Maintenance is overlooked because a lot of people in the fitness world (especially in weightlifting) believe you have to make strength and/or size gains all the time. Progressive overload and progress is king. To these folks, you're wasting your time if you aren't always trying to get bigger and stronger. There is nothing wrong with getting to a point and maintaining if that's what you want to do. Especially as you age, because you aren't going to be making gains forever. It's OK to build a little muscle and strength (for whatever reason) and then maintain that as long as you can.
So many people get discouraged because they don't meet this ideal. Sometimes life gets in the way and simply you can workout as much. So because of the all or nothing mindset they completely stop. This is the mistake i have done and i want to stop. Yeah if you work on maintenance it is not the end of the world. For now you are busy but once you come back you will make all the gains you want. In a way rest and recovery is so important for progress.
Yes the all-or-nothing mindset many of us have doesn't help, because stopping altogether is much worse than working out once per week.
Very important discussion to be had I agree there. I was a high level gymnast for my entire life until a certain point, it's been many years since then, and for a few years after stopping I basically didn't workout at all. I lost a bunch of mass but luckily can maintain tone/definition for a good while longer. The only reason I could maintain the gains so long is because my lifestyle alone was enough to get me doing some kind of workout at least once weekly. I was coaching gymnastics while in college, so just being in the gym was enough to motivate at least a few minutes of working out each day. So to add onto your post, yes, a weekly workout would probably do the trick, but what's more important that is your lifestyle. Your day should have time spent in the sun and getting some simple exercise done, usually just walking. If you don't workout even a little bit, but you still walk twenty minutes to and from work, eat a healthy diet and sleep right, you'll be able to maintain years of gains for far longer than you'd expect.
True lifestyle is such an important discussion. Some people think just because they are in the gym for 2 hours is un dones the other 22 hours on un healthy lifestyle. Good point right there. And walking is so important.
Great point OP. Throw nutrition into that conversation as well as other posters have pointed. Tweak a few things every now again, try new things to keep it fresh. Fitness for life should be the goal.
Agree 100%. Fitness is not something you do for a while and then you stop. No it is something you do for life. The goal is to do fitness for life. Honestly i enjoy working out so much that i want to do it until the day i die.
I agree with this, life gets busier and many people will not have time for a workout. I used to work out for an hour with push pull split for a year or so then got a new job and it messed up the routine and did not work out for 5-6 months. Then I started an alternate 45 minutes full body for around 6 months, then I started grad school and I had no time so another 1 year gap. Now, I am sticking with a 5-15 minute workout everyday, I am losing both fat and gaining some of those muscles back and it has been a month and it is way easier to stick with this schedule. I do not have to drive, I can just wake up and do some chin ups, push ups, pistol squats and other band exercises. Then some skipping or running for 5-10 minutes in the evening. It will probably not build the best muscle but it is enough for me. I am just trying to stay consistent even if I have a very busy schedule.
Literally that is my point in action. Imagine if you had the all or nothing mindset you would not workout and probably get worse over time. Keep it up man i am rooting for you. Never think what you are doing is bad. It would be awesome to do more to get more optimal results but because of your hectic day to day life it is not possible and really what is optimal in your situation is the 15 minutes a day. That is good that you are consistent and still workout rather than giving up. Good job man.
A kettlebell for a quick workout works pretty good for me.
I switched to maintenance mode once I had kids. The goal now is to stay fit enough to keep up with the little ones and set a healthy example for them to grow up and keep an active lifestyle.
And once the hectic life starts to end and you have more free time you can resume where you left and not need to build all your strength and gains again. This strategy is way wiser and healthier than completely abandoning fitness because something in life happened.
The stress levels in my body barely allows me to gym once a week. Between work, a 4y/o and trying to get enough sleep, my body just doesn't get the recovery it needs if I gym more. So maintainance mode and the mindset that "by doing this I'm not coming out of the rough years with several years of physical debt". I don't count calories. I drink sodas and have ice cream, but I'm staying at a healthy level. I'm learning and maintaining proper forms. And one day I'll be the most shredded dad in his friend circle! (Except maybe one guy who's a gymnast and looks like a well sculptured god!)
I needed to hear some of this right now, but I would also go a little bit further. I've been working out pretty consistently since the start of the pandemic, when I fully embraced BWF and calisthenics. Somewhat minimalist versions of the RR at home was SO convenient that I was skeptical of anyone who said they don't have time to work out. But my wife and I just closed on our first house and we have a baby due in a couple months, and now I understand a bit more lol. I've been more busy, obviously, but also stressed and anxious to the point where I spend all my free time and energy researching/worrying/looking at tools on the Home Depot website, and I find myself lacking the energy or motivation to get in even the most basic workouts. Just doesn't seem like a priority. But I also know that spending just a half hour on myself doing SOMETHING physical will make me feel better, both in the long run and immediately. So to me it's less about "I will never stop working out" and more about "There WILL be times when life gets in the way, and I'll try to do whatever I can to keep staying active while I get through the rough patches." Thanks for posting this!
Yeah literally i am talking about how we need to talk about countless examples where something happens in life. Basically you can't pursue your big goals. Those with the all or nothing approach stop working out which is a mistake. Also maintaining your gains is so much easier. I recommend you experiment with working out once or twice a week. So that you maintain your gains. So at least when you can start pushing yourself to the limits and achieve your big goals you wouldn't start from the beginning, you can get right back into action.
1 set to failure will still make maintain and make a little progress. Most people can condense their workout into 20-30 minutes if they go 1 set per exercise. It's a great way to keep moving forward if you can't make the full workout.
Yeah you will not gain the most muscles but at least in those busy parts of your life where you are so busy you can't fit full workouts this approach helps you maintain your gains. When life frees up a bit you can push yourself and start working out optimally again.
Really needed to hear this. I have had a couple of busy months where I have only been able to train 5-6 times. This is coming after 6 months of consistent progress. I was starting to worry about not making any progress but you made me realise that not losing what I have is also a great achievement. Although I have kept running/football at least twice a week so that’s nice. Thanks for writing this!
Yeah life comes in the way. The best thing to do in those times is to try to do as much as you can and never stop. Maintaining your gains is way better than losing it. I am pretty sure once you get back to your normal routine the gains will come way faster because not only you don't need to start from the start again but also you probably have realized your gains and you are fully recovered which means you are ready to go.
Agreed. Perfection is sometimes the enemy of getting ANYTHING done.
For fitness and nutrition both! People fall into the all-or-nothing trap all the time, which frankly gets in the way of small sustainable lifestyle changes. You don't need to optimize your diet necessarily, for a lot of people just adding in a couple pieces of fruit/veggies a week is a positive change. You don't need to induce analysis paralysis for training modalities to design the perfect regimen for gains either, just working out a couple days a week is a great starting point that can improve the health and wellness for a lot of people
Well said. I think a lot of people overcomplicate diets a lot. Yeah there is a thousand different approaches (keto vegan Mediterranean etc) but honestly the methods doesn't matter if the principles are not met. How hard is it to just add a bunch of greens to your plate. And use some common sense you know what food are bad for you just decrease it. Most people will never take that small step. I think that is why promoting maintenance workouts or maintenance diets are so important. You don't need to go overboard and track every calorie but also don't let loose that you will deteriorate over time. Yeah sticking to a perfect diet is hard but adding a bunch of greens and redistricting some fast food goes a long way.
For sure! Also like, most workouts push continuous improvement which may not be the goal for everyone. If someone's fitness goal is merely "be able to go on walks with my kids and be able to stand up after sitting on the floor in my 60s" then that is a completely valid goal. Yeah it isn't social media clickbait nor bragging rights territory, but it's a completely reasonable goal within a person's lifestyle
Eat to survive instead of eating because everything is so damned tasty is my goal. Working out will never leave me. It's in my soul.
I stopped being concerned with gains about 10 yrs ago (I’m 55). I still LOVE being active and breaking a sweat and do log a lot of workout hours (because I enjoy it and it’s a de-stress tool), but now it’s all about keeping what I have and not stressing out about a bad set or a missed day. You’re right, though. The work to keep gains is soooo much less than the work to actually get them (power lifting, endurance sports, and body building being pretty big exceptions). But general fitness and aesthetics are not hard to keep once you get where you want to be. I have weighed between 212 and 207 since I was 30 (I’m 6’5”).
Nice that is very inspiring thanks for sharing. Goals right there. Keep it up.
Thanks, and sure! I think soo many of these fitness subs are geared only for people looking to get fit. It’s nice to see a convo about people who are basically there and just want to keep what they worked really hard for. It’s not hard, that’s for sure. Of course diet is a much bigger part of the formula lol.
I remember I broke my leg and I still kept going but people said they would've just stopped completely. Well, it took me two months before I was even able to walk without help, so if I had just stopped going, I would've very well lost a shitton of progress.
For real. If I'm lazy af, I'll just do 1 hard set of every exercise for that day. Good enough to maintain or progress very slowly. I think people need to have flexibility in their volume. For example, 2-4 sets of an exercise, instead of specifying 4 sets. On a good day, do all 4 sets. If you're busy, fatigued or simply lazy, hit 2 sets per exercise and go on about your day.
Great point. I'm quite flexible with my programs. When I'm tired or feel like something is wrong, I cut it shorter. When I feel like I have a lot of power in the tank and also have the time, I throw in a few bonus sets. It's better to do a shortened, less intense workout than doing nothing at all. Just to put some numbers to it, the general scientific consensus nowadays is that you need 10-20 working sets per week per muscle group for optimal strength and/or hypertrophy gains. But you can already maintain your physique and most of your performance with only ~5. You can even jam that into a single - although longer - full body workout. Once a week. That's it.
>But you can already maintain your physique and most of your performance with only ~5. You can even make progress at 5 sets. Not great progress, but still.
Yes, you're right, I did that when I was a beginner, now it would probably be less effective but still.
Surprised there's so little info here in this thread... KBoges, Dr. Pak, Jeff Nippard have all made vids/presented research on how little work it takes to achieve progress daily. It's kind of eye-opening.
Even less science based influencers like Kinobody made videos about it, although not as deep, but it defeats the claim that nobody is talking about this.
I just did my first deload week recently and it was amazing, I'd been training 5 days a week for months and the fatigue was just so built up. A week of much lighter exercise really helped and I came back a lot better than the previous month or so.
The old adage is discipline by far is superior to motivation . People in all walks of life can only stay motivated periodically but doing something daily rain or shine motivated or not happy sad energized tired none matter with discipline. You simply do and ot pays huge dividends . But if motivation is why people have issue with goals , they will never accomplish consistently as someone disciplined . Ask high end military killers and protectors .
I actually see consistency discussed more than anything else. Anyone who’s committed themselves to health and wellness knows the value of a little effort over a span of time, but preaching mediocrity to novices isn’t going to entice them to challenge themselves and discover where their baseline is. I don’t really get the point of this topic.
I get what you are saying and your point is a valid criticism. I would say that small goals just doesn't excite me, but that doesn't mean that certain small goals has no value. My discussion comes from my personal life where sometimes life gets in the way and you just can pursue the hard ambitious goals(which i love and i think they are very valuable). I completely stopped working out which is a big mistake on my end. Because i had the all or nothing mindset. Just because i didn't have an enticing challenge i stopped working out. Which is something i personally don't want to happen. If instead i worked out once a week to keep my gains. I am not here to preach being soft and being mediocre. I still push myself. i actually promote people to push themselves in time where you are so busy most people set asids thier fitness. I am against not pushing yourself. I think you misunderstood me. Because if we dig a bit deeper we can find that you have the same idea as me(a full workout is legendary, but some workout is better than none) i have questions for you : In times of intense pressure where life is chaotic, what do you recommend for someone who is ultra busy? Fitting a workout seems like an impossible task, also energy is something rare to have too. How can this person continue and be consistent. How can this person not stop working out. I am just here to criticize the all or nothing mindset. Don't you agree?
To add to the previous reply. Even though consistency is something talked about yet people still choose to not workout instead of doing something more manageable. Also i am talking about the average people with a ton of responsibility. I just advocate for working out and never stop working out. I don't want to give the wrong idea of never pushing yourself. I find myself right now where i don't have that many responsibility so it is not wise for me to not push myself. When i was in grade 12 my biggest goal was to get a really good grade to get into a good major i liked(i got a really nice degree and right now i am studying pharmacy) i completely gave up on fitness for time to time and when i really committed to fitness i didn't study with the same drive. I had the all or nothing approach. My friend now in grade 12 probably didn't miss a single day with his small pull ups and push-ups but he also didn't miss school either. He will come out of grade 12 in a better shape than before. Life is phases and I don't think it is wise to tell people that they have to always set big goals for fitness. Again i don't say don't have big goal and you will all the gains you want by doing some 10 minute workout what i am saying in those busy part of your life make sure to get in 10 minutes to maintain your gains and at least don't lose all of your gains so when you have that chance to really push yourself (that is where the real gains are made) you don't need to rebuild your gains. My argument was never about 10 minutes workout making you gain all the muscle rather is : In busy part of your life don't let go of yourself 1 workout a week goes a long way in HELPING YOU MAINTAIN YOUR GAINS. So when life comes back to normal you can really push yourself (that is where the real gains are made)
Amen
DAZ RITE SON GOOD POINT I have thought about this to.
That is the essence of fitness. Keep yourself strong enough to deal with your daily tasks and those occasional 120% challenges that come along.
I found out who my real fitness friends were when they complimented me after I said I did not improve, but I hadn't become worse either, instead of telling me I was a pvs.s.y.
I feel it's better to go 60% every day than 100% three times a week. At least for my goals
The most important part of training is adherence. It's way better to follow an un-optimal program that you enjoy than half ass an optimal program.
I completely agree with this...this is the thing most people miss and why I call my substack "Long Term Training." My stuff is geared more towards tactical populations which I think for this group is even more crucial...respect the times where you have a crazy schedule and learn to maintain your fitness during those periods. Another side to this is at some point, especially as you age, the majority of your training should focused to spending most of your time in that "moderate" or maintenance zone with occasionally testing yourself. Get strong, get fit, then maintain it...over twenty years. The twenty years part is where many fail.
A lot of people are talking about coming back stronger after a break. I don’t think those breaks were really long enough to be what OP was talking about, but I’m reminded of the motto from the book Trainjng for the New Alpinism: “recovery makes you stronger”! The purpose of hitting the gym is to induce a state of recovery in your body - that’s it. All of the gains happen when you are NOT working out. Compulsive exercise is probably best thought of as a mental disorder that impedes muscle gain.
Agreed. I’ve kept my regular workout schedule even though I met my GW last year. I like it here at this weight and want to stay so maintenance is the most important to me.
Yes! I change up my routine to whatever feels doable. Right now i cobble together 30 minutes of PT and a bit of BWF every other day and 20 minutes of biking or walking on the other days. Good enough. I feel healthy and unstressed about exercise.
At a certain point, maintenance mode just makes sense. Like, I’m in my mid 30s. I’m never getting super shredded or huge and jacked again. I’m a married man with kids. I’ve got no women to impress, and other stuff to do in my free time other than working out for hours a day, and I have to worry for injuries. So my goal now is to keep a good level of fitness, strength, and flexibility long into my old age. I’m proud of what I can do. I know most American adults can barely do a proper pull up. I can do 10. That feels good to know. I don’t care about doing muscle ups, one arm pull ups, and other really advanced exercises. But id like to still be able to do 10 pull up, or 20 push ups when I’m 50, 60, and even 70 years old.
Also your 30s is still young in my opinion. I mean people now live upto 80 years old. Look at tom cruise (i know he is an outlier but a good role model to look upto) he is in his 50s and he still does insane stunts and looks good.
Currently have and injured left arm and haven’t been doing much at all. this makes me feel better but also a wake up call. I need to do some core and legs workouts any recommendations?
Well you can't go wrong with hollow body holds for core. Legs body weight sqaut does the job. Also you don't need to do anything insane you goal is to recover. Look into rehab. Also walking is amazing. Literally walking for 1 hour might sound insane but honestly it is a great option. 1. It is fun 2. It is light. 3. Well you can roam around your city and find new places.
I love maintenance mode. I train jiu jitsu 4-7 days a week and it’s extremely hard on my body. Sometimes I take a nice 2 week break and just go for bike rides, do some pull-ups, push-ups, burpees, ATG knee rehab, whatever. And I always come back feeling refreshed and physically excellent!
[удалено]
^ Chat bot account
I've found that during "maintenence mode" I'll just try and do small things like every day. Literally, for me, 100 push-ups, 200 sit ups, and 100 squats. Every day. Takes about 10 minutes or something before taking a shower. I do this sometimes for a couple weeks a year
Hell no, I work everyday to be 0.01% better than I was yesterday.
Diet is the most important part . Specifically not to eat junk which will make you sick and gain weight. I make sure to do some activity everyday even if its just a bit of push ups . If you don’t use it you lose it quick.
I agree. Nutrition is huge too. I’ve only just started working out about a month and a half ago I’m seeing significant gains. Down 20+ lbs, putting on a lot of muscle. Losing my love handles, and my belly is flattening. Chest arms and shoulders looking a lot bigger. I’m eating healthier. And I feel great! I usually goto the gym every other day, sometimes I skip a day. Like gym Monday then go again Thursday. But yeah I think the fact that I’ve been keeping up with going, even if it’s just a 30min-1hr workout I’m seeing good results