Logan Steele
Maintaining muscle mass is easy, but building it takes hard work. Progressive resistance training (PRT) is one of the most important factors in maintaining muscle mass when losing weight. To build muscle, you must work the muscles hard enough to cause your body to believe it must make them bigger and stronger. However, to maintain muscle, you only need to exercise the muscles to mild exhaustion. A well-balanced diet that meets your nutritional and energetic needs is also key to maintaining muscle. Research shows that eating a high-protein diet while losing weight may be one of the most important factors in maintaining muscle mass.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Resistance training | Two to three times a week, exercising all major muscle groups. |
| Weights | Everyday activities like climbing stairs, lifting and carrying weighty objects can help too. |
| Rest | Recovery is important to reduce stress on the body. |
| Protein | 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. |
| Carbohydrates | Carbohydrates are essential for providing an anabolic (muscle-building) stimulus in the body. |
| Calories | Consume more calories than you burn to support new tissue. |
| Age | From around the age of 30, people start to lose muscle mass naturally. |
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What You'll Learn
Eat a high-protein diet
Eating a high-protein diet is essential to sustaining muscle. Protein is responsible for tissue growth and repair, and it is broken down into amino acids, which are used to build muscle. Research shows that a high protein diet is one of the most important factors in maintaining muscle mass, especially when losing weight.
Protein helps promote protein synthesis, the process by which amino acids, the building blocks of protein, form into muscle mass. It may also aid fat loss by increasing feelings of fullness, boosting metabolism, and improving muscle recovery. It is recommended to spread protein intake throughout the day, aiming for 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For older adults, a daily intake of 1 to 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is advised, with up to 1.2 grams being beneficial for maintaining muscle mass.
To ensure sufficient protein intake, consider adding protein powder to your diet. This is especially important for older individuals, who may be at a higher risk of protein deficiency due to reduced absorption and lower dietary intake. Additionally, consuming a meal or drink with a carbohydrate-to-protein ratio of three-to-one or four-to-one within 30 minutes after a workout can maximize muscle growth and recovery. For example, chocolate milk, which contains approximately 22 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of protein, is a good choice.
It is important to note that while protein is crucial, consuming enough overall calories is also essential for maintaining muscle mass. Carbohydrates, in particular, provide an anabolic (muscle-building) stimulus in the body, and a deficiency can lead to muscle loss. Therefore, a well-balanced diet that meets your nutritional and energy needs is key to sustaining muscle while optimizing fat loss.
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Combine cardio and resistance training
Combining cardio and resistance training can be an effective strategy for achieving and sustaining a healthy weight. Cardio exercises, such as running, cycling, swimming, and jumping rope, elevate your heart rate and increase your breathing rate, improving your endurance, stamina, and overall heart health. On the other hand, resistance training, also known as strength or weight training, involves using tools such as resistance bands, weights, or your body weight to challenge your muscles and build muscle strength and mass.
By combining these two types of training, you can create a varied and engaging workout routine that helps you achieve your fitness goals. Cardio workouts help you burn calories during exercise, while resistance training helps build and preserve lean muscle mass. This ensures that your weight loss consists primarily of fat loss rather than muscle loss. Additionally, the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest, further enhancing the effects of your workouts.
When incorporating both types of training, it is important to consider your personal fitness goals and allow for rest and recovery. For example, if your goal is to build muscle mass, performing cardio within a few hours of lifting weights may confuse your body and diminish strength gains. In this case, it is better to separate your cardio and resistance training sessions or focus on endurance cardio and intensity workouts, which can be enhanced by power and strength workouts.
However, if you are looking to improve your endurance and power output, you can combine long-distance and high-intensity cardio with resistance training. Additionally, low-to-moderate-intensity cardio workouts can help increase blood flow to damaged muscle tissue, aiding in recovery. It is also important to train all major muscle groups to maintain physical balance and reduce the risk of injury.
Overall, combining cardio and resistance training can provide numerous benefits, including improved fitness, weight management, and muscle preservation. By varying your workouts and tailoring them to your specific goals, you can effectively sustain and build muscle while enjoying the advantages of a diverse exercise routine.
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Allow time for recovery
Allowing your body to recover is essential to sustaining muscle. Recovery is when your body works to decrease the stress you've put on it during a workout, maintain homeostasis, and get everything back to normal. If you don't give your body time to recover, you risk putting it into over-training or starvation mode, which can cause damage.
The amount of recovery time you need depends on the intensity of your workouts and how many sessions you plan to complete per week. After a light workout, your muscles may recover in 24 hours, whereas a more challenging workout might take two to three days. Very intense workouts might take even longer. As you get older, you will likely need more time off between sessions. If you're building strength, you'll probably only be able to do max effort workouts twice per week, and you'll need 48-72 hours between sessions to recover. Even if your muscles feel ready, your nervous system needs a break, too.
There are several things you can do to aid your recovery. Getting a good night's sleep is important, as is making sure you're getting enough calories and protein. Eating some protein and carbohydrates within an hour of your workout will help to ensure muscle maintenance and growth. You can also try massage, compression garments, or cryotherapy to reduce muscle soreness.
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Consume enough calories
Consuming an adequate amount of calories is essential for sustaining muscle mass. While it is important to eat enough protein, consuming sufficient calories overall is even more critical. Carbohydrates are essential for providing an anabolic (muscle-building) stimulus in the body. If you don't consume enough carbohydrates, you risk losing muscle mass.
To maintain muscle mass, it is crucial to consume a well-balanced diet that meets your nutritional and energy needs. This is especially important when trying to lose weight, as a calorie deficit is necessary for fat loss. However, very low-calorie diets can lead to muscle mass reduction. Therefore, it is important to ensure you are consuming enough calories to support your muscle tissue.
The number of calories needed to sustain muscle mass will depend on your individual needs and activity level. In general, building muscle requires a lot of energy, so a higher calorie intake may be necessary. For example, research suggests that 20-25 nutrient-rich calories (kcals) per pound of body weight are needed to build muscle. It is important to focus on nutrient-rich sources and avoid "hollow" calories from soft drinks, chips, and treats.
In addition to consuming enough calories, it is important to incorporate resistance training into your routine. This can include lifting weights, progressive resistance training (PRT), or everyday activities like climbing stairs or carrying heavy objects. By challenging your muscles, you stimulate growth and prevent muscle loss.
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Take supplements
Taking supplements is a good way to support muscle growth, especially when combined with resistance training and a well-rounded diet.
Protein is critical for muscle growth, and it can be challenging to get enough protein from diet alone. Whey protein, in particular, has been shown to improve muscle growth and strength when consumed consistently alongside exercise. Whey protein is water-soluble and rapidly metabolized into amino acids, which are essential for muscle growth. It is also quickly digested, making it a good option for post-workout recovery. Casein, another protein supplement, is digested more slowly and may be a good option for sustained muscle growth. However, studies suggest that whey protein may be more beneficial for muscle growth.
Creatine is another popular supplement for muscle growth. It is an amino acid that helps supply muscles with energy and has been shown to increase strength, power, and the maximum number of sets completed during exercise. It is also one of the most studied supplements for improving physical performance. While creatine is naturally produced by the body and can be found in foods like red meat and fish, supplementation can help increase muscle mass and improve exercise performance.
Other supplements that may support muscle growth include branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), carnitine, HMB, and glutamine. BCAAs may be beneficial for muscle growth if your diet is low in protein, while carnitine supports post-workout recovery and may improve muscle growth. HMB may be effective for increasing muscle mass in those new to exercise or increasing workout intensity, and glutamine is another supplement that may support muscle growth.
It is important to note that supplements should be chosen wisely and taken in appropriate doses. Some supplements may have side effects, and it is always a good idea to consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplementation program.
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Frequently asked questions
To sustain muscle while losing weight, it is important to maintain a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn each day. Additionally, resistance training is key to maintaining muscle mass. Aim to work out with weights two to three times a week, and ensure you are consuming a high-protein diet.
From around the age of 30, people naturally start to lose muscle mass, and this process accelerates after 40. To slow down this natural process, it is important to stay active and work out with weights targeting major muscle groups. Consuming a high-protein diet is also vital for preserving muscle mass as you age.
While building muscle requires intense and frequent workouts, maintaining muscle mass is relatively easy. Aim to work out with weights two to three times a week, and ensure you are getting adequate rest and recovery time between workouts.
