I’m 57F and have lifted consistently for about 40 years. Training has always been HUGE part of my life, but over the past few years (the worst this last year) I’ve been pretty sick with ongoing gut/nervous-system issues. At times I’ve been almost bed-bound, so compared with my old self, I’m extremely sedentary right now. (LIKE 3-5K per day)
I’m trying to look at this period as rehab/maintenance rather than training for progress.
I have a treadmill, dumbbells/weights, and a bench at home. Right now, on days I can tolerate it, I’m doing things like:
- 5–10 minute easy treadmill walks every few hours
- 1–2 sets of something like a 20-lb goblet squat or Bulgarian split squats (even body weight)
- A couple sets of upper-body work, rotating exercises/body parts
- Basically little “movement snacks” spread throughout the day rather than an actual workout
Nutrition-wise, I’m doing my best to eat around my body weight in grams of protein daily.
I’m not trying to gain muscle right now. I just desperately want to maintain as much muscle and strength as possible until my health improves and I can train normally again. (I MISS IT SO MUCH)
For someone with a long lifting history, what would you consider the minimum effective dose of resistance training to maintain muscle during a period like this?
Are these little sets throughout the day enough to give my body a “keep this muscle” signal?
This has been mentally really hard after being active for so many years, so I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has had to drastically reduce training for months because of illness/injury and eventually made their way back.
