# How hard is it to maintain muscle?



## Fodera (Mar 27, 2007)

Obviously some work has to be done to maintain it, but the question is how much? Like, let's say I gain my goal of 30lbs of muscle (putting me at 160). To get to that point I am guessing that it would take 2 years of heavy dedication (correct me if I'm wrong). Would lifting once a week still maintain all of that muscle? Or do you typically have to keep up a heavy routine?

I am just curious to how quickly muscle can be lost.

Have any of you have experiences with this?


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## Volume (Apr 8, 2007)

a. It doesn't have to take years. I've put on 25lbs in two months just by changing my diet and lifting a couple of times per week. No supplements, yet.

b. By meeting your nutritional needs, you should have no problem maintaining while lifting once a week.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

What do you mean by lifting once a week? You're only supposed to hit your muscles once a week anyways. Do you do a full body routine? or splits ( legs back one day, biceps tris other etc..)


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## Speak Easy (Jun 27, 2006)

Volume said:


> a. It doesn't have to take years. I've put on 25lbs in two months just by changing my diet and lifting a couple of times per week.


 :agree When I was lifting hard earlier this year, and got a trainer and everything, I went from 138lbs to 162lbs in about 2 months. I took vitamins and protein, too, and ate a lot more than usual.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

wow thats alot of weight to put on so soon, no? Did you end up getting stretch marks? I put on like 15 pounds of fat on lexapro/paxil :yes


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## scairy (Sep 18, 2005)

Fodera said:


> Obviously some work has to be done to maintain it, but the question is how much? Like, let's say I gain my goal of 30lbs of muscle (putting me at 160). To get to that point I am guessing that it would take 2 years of heavy dedication (correct me if I'm wrong). Would lifting once a week still maintain all of that muscle? Or do you typically have to keep up a heavy routine?
> 
> I am just curious to how quickly muscle can be lost.
> 
> Have any of you have experiences with this?


I've never studied this or tried testing it but I would say however hard you had to work with resistance to get as big as you are you must continue. If your workouts become less strenuous you're going to lose some muscle size.


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## terrific81 (Apr 7, 2007)

hmm 2 months prior to football season jr year i was 143. by the start i was 155. then after that in the next year or so i gained another 15 pounds. i think thru the whole time i even lost a little fat, cuz i started running much more. anyways so right now i dont wanna get bigger cuz im fine the way i am, even tho i still work out, maybe not as hard. i mean im not against getting any bigger but ehh i feel like being lazy. 
and during the best gains i made i was doin a program of 3 times a week, full body routine. i dunno about hitting each group of muscles once a week like someone said, but maybe thats if u do them seprate days and hit them real hard. after trying both ways, i defiantly liked the full body routine much more.


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## sprinter (Nov 22, 2003)

I don't seem to have a problem maintaining by working each muscle once every 10 days or so.


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## QuietCoral (Mar 23, 2005)

i think as long as you put on the muscle naturally (meaning no supplements or steroids) and you do it over a period of time you should be able to maintain it pretty easy if you just hit the gym a couple times a week doing medium level weights (nothing too hard). thats my opinion. i have gained muscle in the last couple years that is pretty easy to maintain really. the bigger problem is not gaining fat over it haha.


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## sprinter (Nov 22, 2003)

*Re: re: How hard is it to maintain muscle?*



sprinter said:


> I don't seem to have a problem maintaining by working each muscle once every 10 days or so.


One thing about less frequent workouts though is of course you're more likely to get muscle soreness after. 10 days between doesn't seem to lead to much muscle soreness but if I push it to two weeks I might get some soreness. I kind of like the soreness anyway.


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