# Maintaining A physique?



## Corporal Hicks (Sep 13, 2005)

This is one thing that puzzles and indeed worries sometimes! Say your build yourself up to the physique that you like, how much does it take to keep your physique at that level? 
Say like myself I've worked hard in the gym to build myself up, would doing a couple of press ups, chins ups, and stomach workouts keep my body at its current level.
Will working the muscles keep them at a near enough actual stage they are now, or will I need to continue at the level of my current workout?
How long would it take for muscles to shrink and to lose a phsique?
Regards


----------



## TonyM. (Sep 14, 2005)

I'm not sure about the times, but I do know I need my training routine to be maintainable. Under almost any circumstances.


----------



## evenflow1121 (Sep 14, 2005)

I am more of a long distance runner, but I have a buddy of mine who is a power lifter and has more experience with weights than I do.  He told me that depending on an individual's routine usually about 2 weeks of inactivity you will start to feel weaker.


----------



## searcher (Sep 15, 2005)

How you continue depends on what you are trying to do.   If you are competing and need to be rested for competition then you will have to modify your routine to allow for more recovery time.   If you are just trying to maintain your build and strength you will have to lift high intensity 1-2 times per week and watch your caloric intake nore closely.   The best advice I think I can give is to test out different routines and eating plans and find what works for you.


----------



## skyguy (Sep 21, 2005)

How quickly it goes away partly depends on how developed you are. 
  If you have added a lot of muscle mass, far beyong your normal set point,
  your strength and mass will decline far more rapidly than if you are just in 
  really good shape but have not added a significant amount of mass.

  To maintain the mass you have, you pretty much need to maintain the activity level and intensity that got you to that point. 

 If you had to work your *** off at high intensity to get where you are, then doing "a couple of press ups, chins ups, and stomach workout" wont keep you there.

 Sucks, doesnt it? Thats how it is though.


----------



## punisher73 (Sep 22, 2005)

The body will only mantain what it has to in order to avoid stress.  Lifting weights stresses the body so it adapts and gets bigger so that the weight is not a stress anymore.  If you stop lifting eventually your body will go back to it's "original" condition because it is expending energy on maintaining the muscles it doesn't need anymore.

As long as you stress the muscles through working out you will maintain what you have achieved.


----------



## Shirt Ripper (Oct 24, 2005)

punisher73 said:
			
		

> The body will only mantain what it has to in order to avoid stress.


 
Exactly.
Age.  Training level.  Experience.  The level reduced to.  Individual physiological differences.  The variables are innumerable.


----------



## Flying Crane (Oct 24, 2005)

Corporal Hicks said:
			
		

> This is one thing that puzzles and indeed worries sometimes! Say your build yourself up to the physique that you like, how much does it take to keep your physique at that level?
> Say like myself I've worked hard in the gym to build myself up, would doing a couple of press ups, chins ups, and stomach workouts keep my body at its current level.
> Will working the muscles keep them at a near enough actual stage they are now, or will I need to continue at the level of my current workout?
> How long would it take for muscles to shrink and to lose a phsique?
> Regards


That can be an easy trap to fall into.  You have a period of time in your life when you are able to devote a lot of time to this kind of training.  Then, later, you find that obligations take you away from it and you are struggling to maintain what you had.  Gotta decide on your priorities.  I used to supplement my MA training with weight lifting.  It became too burdensome, so I now focus my time on MA.  I still do some pushups and situps, but don't do the full weight lifting routine.  I think the small amount of strength training that I do, along with MA training, does make a difference tho.


----------



## mantis (Oct 24, 2005)

Corporal Hicks said:
			
		

> This is one thing that puzzles and indeed worries sometimes! Say your build yourself up to the physique that you like, how much does it take to keep your physique at that level?
> Say like myself I've worked hard in the gym to build myself up, would doing a couple of press ups, chins ups, and stomach workouts keep my body at its current level.
> Will working the muscles keep them at a near enough actual stage they are now, or will I need to continue at the level of my current workout?
> How long would it take for muscles to shrink and to lose a phsique?
> Regards


if you want to stay at the same level of fitness you have to maintain the same combination of hours of work out, and the complexity of your exercises. 
Note that if you, say, work out to build your muscles and then you stop working out and you move to, say, basketball the shape of your muscles will change although you may not change weight or look fatter/skinnier.
in my opinion if you want to maintain the same "look" and shape of the muscle, say your biceps, you have to work them out in an increasingly steady fashion.
what that means is if you curl with a 85 dont just do 85's for the rest of your life, but keep an increasing pattern. this month do 85's next months it will be 90's the month after it's 95's and so on. this will keep the shape the same.
i learned from experience that large weights give your muscles bad memory. meaning if you stop your muscles are gone. but if you train with lighter weights with more reps and burnouts you will keep your shape.
good luck


----------

