time under tension for moderate mass maintenance/gain

IF
- the tearing & healing of muscles is what makes for growth in mass & strength gains

BUT
- you're limited to 25 lbs max weight &or 10-20 reps,

BECAUSE
- you have to minimize damage to vulnerable soft tissues,

Could doing things really slowly at least preserve muscle mass while on a calorie deficit?

Is "time under tension" as damaging to muscles (ie as effective) as linear weight progression for maintenance/growth/strength, or, could it be a sort of safe alternative if you have to be careful?

ie if it's kind of, but not really super effective, i'm thinking maybe it's an ok alternative to progressively heavier lifting, under those constraints, for the purpose of maintaining muscle mass/strength. would make me feel like i'm doing something, anyway.

Thanks!

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