Life gets in the way sometimes, or maybe you just want a little break so things can heal. The good news is the military did research to determine what was needed to maintain muscle in these periods. Endurance can be maintained with 2 sessions a week or by reducing workouts by up to 66%. Intensity needs to remain the same in those workouts! This will get you 15 weeks of maintenance. Muscle size and strength can be maintained for 32 weeks using 1 session per week and 1 set per exercise. Obviously, you will want to exercise the muscles you want to maintain. People over 50 may need 2 sessions a week and 2-3 sets per exercise.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33629972/
Spiering BA, Mujika I, Sharp MA, Foulis SA. Maintaining Physical Performance: The Minimal Dose of Exercise Needed to Preserve Endurance and Strength Over Time. J Strength Cond Res. 2021 May 1;35(5):1449-1458. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003964. PMID: 33629972.
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