Muscle Maintenance..

[naughtoj]

Seems like I ask this one over and over, but here goes....

I would like to know how much weight work those of you on "maintenance" routines do. Lately, with marathon training, I have begun questioning how much weight work is really necessary. What is just enough to keep your strength up and your lean mass where it is??? I wonder sometimes if I mostly ran and then did some hiking throughout the week, how much additional leg training I would need to stay "healthy". Also, how much is REQUIRED for bone density reasons and injury prevention. I am thinking of dropping to the least amount of lifting possible so that I can focus my muscular energy on running and overall fat loss.

Any ideas from the pros would be appreciated!


Janice

Also...is it possible to completely STOP lifting and replace it with pilates and/or yoga and experience the same positive results? I have some friends that have been thinking about doing this lately and I sure don't see how pilates could maintain the strength level that heavy lifting provides. They don't necessarily want to be stronger, just look better and they have heard that this can be accomplished without lifting......????????

 

[kathryn]

I'm no pro, but I pretend to be

I've heard that a 2x/week, full-body weight routine is good for maintenance. It may be possible to do 1x/week if you lift the heaviest you can during the workouts, but I've also read that you begin to lose muscle gains after about 5-7 (don't have the exact info right off hand) days of not working the muscle. If you do something else that might act as a resistance workout (pilates, power yoga, kickboxing--which I think works fast-twitch fibers) then 1x/week might work for you.

Supposedly Madonna just does power yoga to maintain her muscle.

 

[likes2bfit]

I remember a great reply here from Aquajock on this subject. Anette are you here? I'll search for it.

Judy

 

[likes2bfit]

Here is a reply from Cathe herself last February when a post asked if lifting weights was really necessary:

"Hi Katia! Yes, I think any person gets best results when doing BOTH weights and cardio. The health benefits alone speak for themselves but also introducing your body to various fitness approaches will inspire continuous and progressive results.

As far as lifting weights and weight loss, the more lean muscle mass you develop the more calories your body will burn AT ALL TIMES, not only during exercise. It will take some time to find the most beneficial exercise formula for your body type but generally speaking, a challenging, hi rep, lower weight, lifting program will keep your muscles from getting too big. >>>>>>>>>>>>>Side Note: This is not an absolute rule and I know it to be untrue for many, it is simply a general rule to be used as a starting point.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Here is what I suggest for you as a starting point:

a) Eat a very clean diet. No junk, just good nutritious food.

b) Do 4 intense cardio workouts per week (2 interval workouts and two moderate to high intensity non-interval workouts).

c) On non-cardio days, I recommend doing my "Leaner Legs" workout one day and my "Power Hour" or "Muscle Endurance" workout on the other. Never do these weight workouts on consecutive days.

Good Luck! "

Judy

 

[naughtoj]

Thanks Judy and Kathryn.

Every time I ask about "maintenance" I notice not many replies. I guess no one is maintaining yet, eh?

If I did try what Cathe suggests, how do I know if it is working? I mean, how do I know if I am losing muscle or staying the same? I guess you wouldn't really right?

Annette..if you see this, I sure would like your take on it. I am sorry to see I missed one of your posts on this. Thanks again!

Janice

 

[kathryn]

> Thanks Judy and Kathryn.
>
> Every time I ask about "maintenance" I notice
>not many replies. I guess no one is maintaining yet, eh?
>
> If I did try what Cathe suggests, how do I know if
>it is working? I mean, how do I know if I am losing muscle or
>staying the same? I guess you wouldn't really right?
>> Janice

You could judge by how much you're able to lift in the same workout. If you do PS, for example, one week, and can lift XX amount in each exercise, then have to drop down next time you do the workout (unless it's because you did them too close together and are still tired), then that would be a sign that you are losing strength (though I'm not sure if that would show up in muscle size at the same rate?)

What Cathe is suggesting looks like it's a response to someone who doesn't already work out with weights.

 

[Debra L]

Janice,

I've always reduced my strength training when training for endurance events when mileage got high whether it was running, hiking or cycling. I find my event specific workouts would suffer if I tried to continue heavier leg work. If you have the time & energy, there's no reason not to continue your regular upper body work though you may find less muscle mass is advantagous in a running program. I find a couple of upper body sessions per week work well for me. Even though I lose some strength, I tend to look more defined because my body fat drops.

The hiking & running will provide enough weight bearing exercise for bone health. You may want to continue some isolation exercises, e.g. floorwork, for the legs to prevent "runners knee" & other injuries.

Pilates matwork won't keep you as strong as a heavy lifting program but it would help with flexibility & core strength. Pilates also is one of the few ways to give the spine weight bearing exercise for bone health. If the Pilates included leg work, one would get the isolation work needed to prevent injuries.

Are you training for the Az Rock & Roll Marathon? And how is your running going??

Debra

 

[Debra L]

& a question for you

Janice, have you hiked in the Grand Canyon? My hiking buddies (& former Spinning buddies) are celebrating a 50th birthday (not mine) with a hike to the Phantom Ranch in January. Let me know if you have any trail recommendations or other tips.

Debra

 

[mogambo]

RE: & a question for you

I'm pretty much at maintenance. I have all the muscle I need and only about 8 lbs of fat to lose for cosmetic reasons.

I lift for every muscle twice a week, more or less. There is no real reason to get neurotic about that seven day week thing though in my opinion, so sometimes it's more accurate to say I do each muscle group every 3 or 4 days. I try to vary between heavier and more endurance style workouts. I may be getting a little more muscle here and there but basically I don't care, I'm happy just holding even.

I also try to do 4 cardios, mixing up intervals, non-intervals, 30 minutes to 60 minutes, spinning, step, kickbox, running, swimming, whatever.

My "fitness goal" is to stay where I am and try to lose the last bit of fat, but I'm also fine if I don't. I'm 46, both of my knees are sketchy from a teenage car accident and I just want to maintain at this point.