What happens after I complete a strength training program?

hgillesp
hgillesp Posts: 46 Member
edited November 23 in Fitness and Exercise
This might be a silly question, but I am in the process of working through the New Rules of Lifting for Women and it occurred to me that I don't know what happens when I finish! The book, at least at this stage, pushes you to keep listing heavier weights. But I don't think I will be able to do that forever and am not sure I want to.

So, when you finish a program like this, how do you continue to stay in shape, maintain the muscles and strength without always lifting heavier weight? You always hear about the weightlifters who lose all their muscle and get fat. Not really looking for that outcome! I want to maintain, continue working out, but by the time I finish the program I don't think I will really want to get any stronger.

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited August 2015
    Do another program. Not all programs have an ending point. Many can go on forever. You just keep adding weight and/or reps.

    I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to add more weight to the bar but you can keep lifting at the same level if you want. You just won't get stronger if you don't up your weight/reps.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    hgillesp wrote: »

    So, when you finish a program like this, how do you continue to stay in shape, maintain the muscles and strength without always lifting heavier weight? You always hear about the weightlifters who lose all their muscle and get fat. Not really looking for that outcome! I want to maintain, continue working out, but by the time I finish the program I don't think I will really want to get any stronger.

    If you are happy with your strength levels and want to maintain them then 1-2 sessions a week using the same rep range and weight should be fine (I have maintained my strength levels on one heavy lifting session a week in the past.) Devote the time you free up to another goal (be it another sport, flexibility stuff etc.)

    If you want to avoid getting fat then modify your diet if you are doing less exercise.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited August 2015
    I'm not familiar with that specific program, but generally speaking a good program doesn't end. The is no end point. You either progress past it or your goals change. In either case, you'll move to a program more suited to your goals and abilities.

    New Rules should either keep going, or if it's more of an into book/program, then you can move onto something else based on your specific goals.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    New Rules of Lifting for Women is an introductory program. My wife did it and then she moved on to Strong Curves. She's been lifting for a few years now and uses New Rules Supercharged which doesn't give you a detailed plan but rather templates for various lifting/fitness goals (i.e. endurance and stamina, hypertrophy, strength). The templates provide you with they type of movement (i.e. squat variations) but you get to pick the variation of that movement as per your goals. She tends to work in cycles...right now she's training for a marathon so she's doing more "boot camp" endurance type of work a couple days per week (i.e. higher rep/lower weight). When she's done training she'll likely move into the hypertrophy range...not that she's trying to grow, but that rep range is a good range to lift in simply for maintenance purposes if you're not adding a bunch more weight.
  • hgillesp
    hgillesp Posts: 46 Member
    Great stuff - sort of what I thought, intuitively, but wanted to make sure I had some idea of what I would do when I finish this program. Thanks for the specifics on Strong Curves and Supercharged. Maybe I will look into those. I guess I just don't want to feel like now that I have started strength training I will always have to be trying to lift more and get stronger. I'd like to find a happy medium, maybe.... ask me again in 6 weeks and my opinion could change. Thanks all!
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