Maintaining

[bolognasty]

As many of us know, achieving a jacked physique requires dedication, consistent training, high frequency, optimal recovery volume, a calorie surplus, high protein intake, sufficient sleep, creatine supplementation, and as many mg of "additional supplements" your body can tolerate.

However, once you've attained your ideal physique, what is the minimum effort required to maintain it? If you were to transition back to trt, adjust your calorie intake to maintenance levels, reduce your protein to 1.6-2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, and commit to just 2 intense full body workouts per week keeping track of your lifts, would you believe this would be sufficient to sustain your physique?

 

[DugPrime]

Personally, I’d stick with training at least 5-6 times a week. A full-body routine twice a week isn’t optimal at all. As for protein, yeah, 1.6-2g/kg of body weight should be good, but don’t just eat at maintenance. Aim for a light surplus, around 50-100 calories over maintenance.

 

[Alert_Custard]

However, once you've attained your ideal physique,

No one ever attains their ideal physique. That is the rule of the game.

 

[Benf15harp]

As many of us know, achieving a jacked physique requires dedication, consistent training, high frequency, optimal recovery volume, a calorie surplus, high protein intake, sufficient sleep, creatine supplementation, and as many mg of "additional supplements" your body can tolerate.

However, once you've attained your ideal physique, what is the minimum effort required to maintain it? If you were to transition back to trt, adjust your calorie intake to maintenance levels, reduce your protein to 1.6-2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, and commit to just 2 intense full body workouts per week keeping track of your lifts, would you believe this would be sufficient to sustain your physique?

Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

[bolognasty]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

I tend to get deep with these ideas lol. Running 300 mg of tren on top of your TRT could definitely yield some significant gains in a short time if everything's done right - training, nutrition, recovery, all that. It's wild how you can make such progress and then probably just coast with this maintenance plan.

 

[bolognasty]

Personally, I’d stick with training at least 5-6 times a week. A full-body routine twice a week isn’t optimal at all. As for protein, yeah, 1.6-2g/kg of body weight should be good, but don’t just eat at maintenance. Aim for a light surplus, around 50-100 calories over maintenance.

If I'm really set on making optimal progress I'd definitely train a legs, push, pull with 1.2g protein per lb bw. This is purely for maintainance, 2-3 hard sets per muscle on a 2 day a week full body to maintain as much strength as possible, any progression just being a bonus.

 

[Astartes]

Eating at maintenance is fine. (45-48% protein) 1g/lb (not kg) of body weight to maintain. Unless significant size. Then perhaps 1.25-1.5

Most guys eat way too many carbs and way too much protein. Just don’t need it to maintain candidly. Then they wonder why they have bubble gut and not a “V” taper.

2 workouts full body is light (depending on size) Also not terribly efficient. You lose too much to efficiently isolate muscle groups and get maximal growth/hypertrophy.

Studies show 3 days a week is optimal. 4 slightly better, but 3 will do. 1.5-2hrs/session.

Full body is not the best method, though you can hit high recovery muscles (biceps for example recover quickly) more often or multiple times if you feel you need to in the splits.

 

[Xplicit]

My current physique was built on predominantly full body 3x a week. Ive since moved on but it got the job done.

When I cruise or diet hard, I bring it down to one upper and one lower workout per week.

Find what works for you, dont get stuck doing what everyone else does just because.