10-30-20 11:53 AM - Post#904117    

I recently watched a YT video from a cycling coach that explored what the research says about detraining. For endurance, it appears that two weeks off significantly drops your top end, then declines become much more gradual for a few more weeks.

BUT, if you manage to do about 50-60% of your former volume you maintain most of your fitness. In a conversation between Pat Flynn and DJ, they came up with the expression that strength is sticky but conditioning is slippery.

So how much maintenance work must be done to maintain, say, 75-80% of various fitness domains?

How Much to Maintain?
10-30-20 12:22 PM - Post#904119    

From personal experience and observation only, 75-80% of top end strength on the main lifts can be maintained with VERY little training. Even just a single or top set once a week, or even every other week on squats and deadlifts. Hypertrophy can be maintained with 3 sets of 8+ per bodypart once a week with a very light load (as low as 30% 1rm). This type of super minimalism only seems to work after someone has built a pretty significant 'engine' though.

"The trouble about always trying to preserve the health of the body is that it is so difficult to do without destroying the health of the mind."~GK Chesterton

Edited by Browser on 10-30-20 05:00 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

10-30-20 01:12 PM - Post#904122    

• Browser Said:

I agree very strongly with this last sentence. Strength for sure is stickier than endurance, but it is far more sticky if you have a huge amount of it. Or put another way, it is less sticky if you have not reached a pretty high level.