How to maintain muscle if I have limited time to work out?
I’m happy with how much muscle I currently have, the thing is that I’m working a 40 hour + job and going to college, so I only have one day I can truely work out. Can I maintain my current muscle size and strength by eating right and only fully working out once a week, also with a push up and sit up routine three times a week?
I’ll be drinking a protein shake of course
June 26th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
definitely, just work out to your max, whether it be repetitions or weight, and you will at least maintain it. You might even find yourself improving, with the extra rest helping.
June 26th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
if you don’t have a lot of time to work out then just eat really healthy
June 26th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
If you have only one day to lift weights, you can still build muscle. Just keep your weights heavy and your reps in the 6 to 8 range. Do a circuit of all the exercises.
Work your body in sequence, from the inside out.
In other words, start with your back, then chest, then shoulders, then tris, then bis, etc.
June 26th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Oh yeah. Muscle does not really lose size or shape unless you change your lifestyle dramatically. Doing push-ups, sit-ups, and running three times a week is more than enough to stay in shape with the busy schedule you have. I also go to college and work, but I set up a schedule to work around everything! Just watch what you eat and stay committed to your workouts and you will be fine!
June 26th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Do Supersets.
Lets say you’re working chest and triceps.
1 set Bench Press
then immediately after
1 set of Triceps Extensions
then
another set Bench Press
etc.
Basically, instead of resting in between sets of one muscle group’s exercises, you are replacing that rest period with a set of a different muscle group.
This tires your muscles faster, and cuts your workout time in half.
enjoy!
June 26th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
do supersets.. that should solve all your problems lol.
so if thats all you have time to do, do a full body workout… make sure you flog yourself with everything youv got in that time, and changeup your exercises as much as possible.. So basically its going to come down to what you eat…
you know the old 6 meals, one every 3 hrs with protein in each. well thats wat you need! If you give your body enough protein it wont need to break down your muscles to get ammino acids! It will be getting all the amminos it needs. say about 20g protein per meal should do you fine, no need to over do it if your not working out very often!
just make sure you eat buddy, try to never skip meals as that wont help the cause. you probs wont be able to put on much more size, but you should be able to keep your size.