# Minimum amount of training to build muscle? To maintain muscle?



## Warol2137 (Sep 19, 2021)

I would like to start working out, but I am not sure if it's worth it. What I mean is, I would indeed want to have less fat, more muscle, and be stronger, etc., however I don't really like the fact that I have to spend a lot of time in that order, I don't want training to take over my life. 
But don't get me wrong, I am quite fine with the fact, that I have to exercise to build muscle, but I don't really like the fact, that I have to exercise even to maintain it! I don't want to be forced to exercise a few hours every week, for the rest of my life, I would rather use this time in an another way, and not to feel forced to exercise, because if I don't, I will lose something I have been building an maintaining for a long time. So does maintaining muscle require less effort than building it?


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## Jin (Sep 20, 2021)

Yes, maintenance is easier than progress. Enjoy your comfortable life.


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## CJ (Sep 20, 2021)

Much less to maintain, but you still have to work those muscles or they will go away eventually. Use it or lose it. 

Just lift weights 2x per week, do some cardio, eat reasonably, and you'll get some decent results, probably right about what you're looking for. 

But fyi... A few hours per week isn't much at all.


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## Jonjon (Sep 20, 2021)

I think you’ll fit right in at planet fitness 😁


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## Jonjon (Sep 20, 2021)

No seriously… 3 sessions a week focusing on basic lifts and you’ll probably see results. The hardest part about this whole deal happens in the kitchen, not the gym.

You can take it as far or as casually as you want to. Something is better than nothing


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## IsaacRobertson (Sep 20, 2021)

Yep, it's easier since it requires less work. Just make sure you're still lifting a few times a week, do cardio once a week, then watch what you eat too.


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## Warol2137 (Sep 20, 2021)

CJ275 said:


> eat reasonably





Jonjon said:


> The hardest part about this whole deal happens in the kitchen





IsaacRobertson said:


> then watch what you eat too



What do you mean? Is it just simply about eating enought of proteins, carbs, and fats or is there more to it? *If* it's the latter, could you tell more about it? Or post some link where I can read about it?


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## CJ (Sep 20, 2021)

Protein is incredibly important. If your body needs protein for any of the many needs it has for it, and you have some muscle tissue that you're not using enough, then kiss it goodbye. 

Use it, or lose it.... And feed it.


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## Send0 (Sep 20, 2021)

Warol2137 said:


> I would like to start working out, but I am not sure if it's worth it. What I mean is, I would indeed want to have less fat, more muscle, and be stronger, etc., however I don't really like the fact that I have to spend a lot of time in that order, I don't want training to take over my life.
> But don't get me wrong, I am quite fine with the fact, that I have to exercise to build muscle, but I don't really like the fact, that I have to exercise even to maintain it! I don't want to be forced to exercise a few hours every week, for the rest of my life, I would rather use this time in an another way, and not to feel forced to exercise, because if I don't, I will lose something I have been building an maintaining for a long time. So does maintaining muscle require less effort than building it?


I'm going to be the harsh one here.

Based on your starting post, it seems to me that your mind is in the completely wrong place. Committing a minimum of 4 hours a week is really not that much. If you hate working out so much, and you reinforce that notion with negative thoughts like you have here, then you aren't going to go very far.

I completely understand wanting to reserve as much time for other things in your life... trust me I am probably one of the laziest and most procrastinating members on the forum. However nothing in life is free. If you want something, you grab it by the balls and go for it.

I get the impression you are asking about maintaining gains you haven't made yet.

Fix your mentality, and then let's work on optimizing your training program so it's time efficient, and then last we will talk/think about how much it will take for you to maintain once you've hit your goal/gains.

Good luck.


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## NbleSavage (Sep 20, 2021)

@Warol2137  ye need to know yer TDEE and then track yer calories.

Here's a simple TDEE calculator and MyFitnessPal is extra free.


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## DEADlifter (Sep 20, 2021)

This seems like an odd place to pose this question.

But here goes.  You're going to have to do something physical to maintain any muscle.  Some sort of exercise.  Rock climbing, skiing, biking... something.  

OR you can do like I did and sat on my ass for a decade then woke up one day pushing 40 and realized that I looked like shit.


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## Send0 (Sep 20, 2021)

Just for the record... I know there is one person in this thread who replied to you, who works like 16 hours a day and at least 6 days a week.

This person still makes time to get into the gym 4x a week.

I am not that person, but maybe he will be nice enough to step up and identify himself, and maybe he will even give you some time management tips. 😎


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## eazy (Sep 20, 2021)

Warol2137 said:


> I would like to start working out, but I am not sure if it's worth it.


🤣😆🤣😆


Warol2137 said:


> I don't want training to take over my life.



😲

As an often obsessed with something, easily addicted, man of extremes,  I forget these people exist.


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## Jonjon (Sep 20, 2021)

eazy said:


> 🤣😆🤣😆
> 
> 
> 😲
> ...


That’s me… I take everything too far. It’s been a blessing and a curse but it’s how I am


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## Jonjon (Sep 20, 2021)

Here’s the bottom line. You don’t have to do it like the rest of us. You can put in less effort and still get some improvements in your physique

You just do you and enjoy it.


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## CJ (Sep 20, 2021)

Jonjon said:


> Here’s the bottom line. You don’t have to do it like the rest of us. You can put in less effort and still get some improvements in your physique
> 
> You just do you and enjoy it.


This ^^^^^

It's a spectrum. Even a minimal amount of exercise will yield tremendous health benefits. It doesn't even have to be strenuous, could be simply going for hikes or biking.


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## OldeBull1 (Sep 20, 2021)

I call Bean Sauce here (I have kids, we don't say bullshit). No disrespect intended, but I got to call it.
Average work produces average results. Minimal effort produces less. Nothing is free, looking and being fit is earned. I could go cliche and say it is earned with blood, sweat and sacrifice,  but that is a little much. It is earned with consistency, commitment and effort. 

Our bodies want homeostasis.  Holding excess muscle is not normal. It takes work to build it, it takes work to keep it. If you want to be better than average, you need to do more than average.

The process is as much as the results.

This shouldn't take over your life, but it should be a part of it. If you want time, make time. 5 hours a week training,  hard to quantify the time spent eating and preparing.  Do it, or don't.


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## Send0 (Sep 21, 2021)

CJ275 said:


> This ^^^^^
> 
> It's a spectrum. Even a minimal amount of exercise will yield tremendous health benefits. It doesn't even have to be strenuous, could be simply going for hikes or biking.


Devil's advocate, if all he wanted to do was look like an average desk jockey... who does minimal activity for exercise; merely for the health benefits, then why hop on a bodybuilding forum?

Something tells me he wants to look sort've like a body builder, or at least look like he lifts. This requires more than minimal effort.

But maybe I'm judging based on the nature of this place, combined with how he wrote his first post.


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## Send0 (Sep 21, 2021)

@Warol2137 can you tell us what your goals.are? Is there a target physique you'd like to hit? Are you just wanting to look like the average male? _(FYI, I wouldn't call any one on this forum average looking, except maybe myself 😂)_

This will help us make better responses for you. Right now we're all kind of making assumptions of what your trying to achieve.


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## BrotherIron (Sep 21, 2021)

You want to look a certain way but don't want to work for it. I'm guessing your young and not driven.

If you don't like lifting, you're not going to follow through and be consistent. You probably don't like eating correctly either.


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## ATLRigger (Sep 21, 2021)

IsaacRobertson said:


> Yep, it's easier since it requires less work. Just make sure you're still lifting a few times a week, do cardio once a week, then watch what you eat too.





BrotherIron said:


> You want to look a certain way but don't want to work for it. I'm guessing your young and not driven.
> 
> If you don't like lifting, you're not going to follow through and be consistent. You probably don't like eating correctly either.


I don’t like eating right either.  I mean, i eat clean, but i eat way too much haha !!


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## ATLRigger (Sep 21, 2021)

Do 50 jumping jacks every morning, cut out soda and juice, and you’ll be exactly where u want to be in three months !


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## Warol2137 (Oct 13, 2021)

Took me long to answer, time flies by so fast.



Send0 said:


> I completely understand wanting to reserve as much time for other things in your life... trust me I am probably one of the laziest and most procrastinating members on the forum. However nothing in life is free. If you want something, you grab it by the balls and go for it.
> 
> I get the impression you are asking about maintaining gains you haven't made yet.


If you count me as a member, then I am the most procrastinating one 

Yes, exactly! As I stated in my first post, I just wanted to know if it's worth it.
And also I wasn't really determined to get stronger. I just thought it would be cool, but if it takes too much effort - nah, I don't really need it. But by now I changed my opinion on this subject.



Send0 said:


> Just for the record... I know there is one person in this thread who replied to you, who works like 16 hours a day and at least 6 days a week.
> 
> This person still makes time to get into the gym 4x a week.
> 
> I am not that person, but maybe he will be nice enough to step up and identify himself, and maybe he will even give you some time management tips. 😎


Damn, 16? Are you sure? That's basically a whole day. So I bet his #1 time management tip is not sleeping enough :// 
Personally if I had a choice to either work 16 hours a day, or not work at all, I would prefer the latter, lol. 



Send0 said:


> Devil's advocate, if all he wanted to do was look like an average desk jockey... who does minimal activity for exercise; merely for the health benefits, then why hop on a bodybuilding forum?
> 
> Something tells me he wants to look sort've like a body builder, or at least look like he lifts. This requires more than minimal effort.
> 
> But maybe I'm judging based on the nature of this place, combined with how he wrote his first post.


Well, if I wanted to look like an average desk jockey, it's still a good place to ask question about muscles. Even if you want to build just a little of muscles, people who have a lot of them are probably the best to give you advice.
And also I don't think there is a forum for average desk jockeys P

But yeah, you are right, I want to look "better" than average person. Preferably way better. Can't say how exactly, because it's kinda hard to describe, and also I am not sure how exactly big I want to be.



BrotherIron said:


> You want to look a certain way but don't want to work for it. I'm guessing your young and not driven.
> 
> If you don't like lifting, you're not going to follow through and be consistent.


Actually I like lifting. But still it's sometimes kinda hard to just get up and start doing something, and there is a chance I will just stop working out in the future. As I said, it's not that I don't want to work to achieve my goals, I just wasn't really determined, I didn't care that much about it, it wasn't really my goal. Just something that would be cool.



BrotherIron said:


> You probably don't like eating correctly either.


Who likes? 


Also thanks for all the answers.


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## Yano (Oct 13, 2021)




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## Sityslicker1 (Oct 13, 2021)

CJ275 said:


> Much less to maintain, but you still have to work those muscles or they will go away eventually. Use it or lose it.
> 
> Just lift weights 2x per week, do some cardio, eat reasonably, and you'll get some decent results, probably right about what you're looking for.
> 
> But fyi... A few hours per week isn't much at all.



I had to take 2 years off recently due to health issues I had to address and I lost everything even with trt 100mg weekly because I didn't workout anymore. I thought for sure since I've been lifting over 20 years now that it would be impossible to lose all my gains, but it happened. Now everyone is commenting on how skinny I look. 🙁 Now I'm working on getting it back with smart training and smart supplementing and muscle memory.


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## Sityslicker1 (Oct 13, 2021)

ATLRigger said:


> Do 50 jumping jacks every morning, cut out soda and juice, and you’ll be exactly where u want to be in three months !


 Toss some test and dbol in there and you'll be on your way lol


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## Adzg (Oct 13, 2021)

Send0 said:


> @Warol2137 can you tell us what your goals.are? Is there a target physique you'd like to hit? Are you just wanting to look like the average male? _(FYI, I wouldn't call any one on this forum average looking, except maybe myself )_
> 
> This will help us make better responses for you. Right now we're all kind of making assumptions of what your trying to achieve.



Must make me below average then lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Adrenolin (Oct 13, 2021)

Sounds like you better have a big bank account for the muscle implants, liposuction, abdominal etching, etc.


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## Gibsonator (Oct 13, 2021)

Not sure why anyone even took the time to respond after reading ur bullshit post wtf.
Stick to the Xbox and hot pockets dude.


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## Adzg (Oct 13, 2021)

joining a body building forum to ask about not doing hard work


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ATLRigger (Oct 13, 2021)

Gibsonator said:


> Not sure why anyone even took the time to respond after reading ur bullshit post wtf.
> Stick to the Xbox and hot pockets dude.


Bad advice.  Kids need more tackle boxes and less Xbox


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## eazy (Oct 13, 2021)

Warol2137 said:


> forum for average desk jockeys



link to forum for average desk jockeys


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## dirtys1x (Oct 13, 2021)

Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, the human body was designed to move. We are biological entities that are not meant to be sedentary. The human body is at the apex of conditioning and fitness in terms of its form. That is not arguable. Exercise is almost necessary and I believe that it is the one guaranteed thing that affects longevity, well-being, and overall health. You should reevaluate what exercise should mean to you.

Exercise as a first priority is for your health. Secondarily comes the want to look better.


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## ATLRigger (Oct 13, 2021)

dirtys1x said:


> Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, the human body was designed to move. We are biological entities that are not meant to be sedentary. The human body is at the apex of conditioning and fitness in terms of its form. That is not arguable. Exercise is almost necessary and I believe that it is the one guaranteed thing that affects longevity, well-being, and overall health. You should reevaluate what exercise should mean to you.
> 
> Exercise as a first priority is for your health. Secondarily comes the want to look better.


I’m a real man so I’m on my feet for work all day.  I’ll live forever.


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## dirtys1x (Oct 13, 2021)

ATLRigger said:


> I’m a real man so I’m on my feet for work all day.  I’ll live forever.


Use it or lose it


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## CJ (Oct 14, 2021)

dirtys1x said:


> Use it or lose it


Troof!!! 

My penis fell off.


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## BRICKS (Oct 14, 2021)

Warol2137 said:


> Took me long to answer, time flies by so fast.
> 
> 
> If you count me as a member, then I am the most procrastinating one
> ...


Gentlemen, and whatever ladies are reading, the future of our country.  SMH


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## Gibsonator (Oct 14, 2021)

dirtys1x said:


> Whether anyone wants to believe it or not, the human body was designed to move. We are biological entities that are not meant to be sedentary. The human body is at the apex of conditioning and fitness in terms of its form. That is not arguable. Exercise is almost necessary and I believe that it is the one guaranteed thing that affects longevity, well-being, and overall health. You should reevaluate what exercise should mean to you.
> 
> Exercise as a first priority is for your health. Secondarily comes the want to look better.


Well said


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## Wisdom creativity (Mar 14, 2022)

DEADlifter said:


> This seems like an odd place to pose this question.
> 
> But here goes.  You're going to have to do something physical to maintain any muscle.  Some sort of exercise.  Rock climbing, skiing, biking... something.
> 
> OR you can do like I did and sat on my ass for a decade then woke up one day pushing 40 and realized that I looked like shit.





DEADlifter said:


> This seems like an odd place to pose this question.
> 
> But here goes.  You're going to have to do something physical to maintain any muscle.  Some sort of exercise.  Rock climbing, skiing, biking... something.
> 
> OR you can do like I did and sat on my ass for a decade then woke up one day pushing 40 and realized that I looked like shit.





DEADlifter said:


> This seems like an odd place to pose this question.
> 
> But here goes.  You're going to have to do something physical to maintain any muscle.  Some sort of exercise.  Rock climbing, skiing, biking... something.
> 
> OR you can do like I did and sat on my ass for a decade then woke up one day pushing 40 and realized that I looked like shit.


HAHAHA


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## Test_subject (Mar 14, 2022)

OP is the kind of guy who gets ab implants.


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## CJ (Mar 14, 2022)

Test_subject said:


> OP is the kind of guy who gets ab implants.


Why do that much work when you can have your physique delivered by Amazon?


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## Test_subject (Mar 14, 2022)

CJ said:


> Why do that much work when you can have your physique delivered by Amazon?
> 
> View attachment 19514


I’m legit going to order one for the gym


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## CJ (Mar 14, 2022)

Test_subject said:


> I’m legit going to order one for the gym


Don't forget this too....


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## Test_subject (Mar 14, 2022)

CJ said:


> Don't forget this too....
> 
> View attachment 19515


On sale now at www.deepinsecurities.com. 

Try our new invisible shoe lifts for 25% off with the purchase of a cock pump.


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