Originally Posted by
Andy Baker (KSC)
I have to have this discussion in the gym with clients all the time based on the population that I train. Sometimes "maintenance" becomes a defacto condition based on circumstances such as age, injuries, medical conditions, scheduling issues, or just simple lack of adherence to a demanding routine. I try not to let my clients adopt the mindset of "maintenance" though. Motivation is hard to maintain when there is no hope of progress, and adherence will slip even further. So, guided by intelligence, we always try to get stronger. Sometimes we keep bumping up against the same old numbers, sometimes we "pop" for new PRs if we can string together a nice little run of consistent attendance. Consistency is the key. Especially with older clients, time out of the gym is killer. It takes forever to work them back up to their personal bests when they miss time so often training become very cyclical. We hold a "peak" for a while, then they go on a vacation, travel for business, or get a small surgery or something and then we spend several months working back up to those top numbers again.
One thing I do remind them of often though, if they get discouraged by slow progress, is that "maintenance" of strength on a given lift can be considered progress as you age. If a guy is squatting 275 at age 60 and can still hit it at age 65, there is something to be said for that. With every decade the forces of nature are trying harder and harder to push you backwards into physical decline. Maintaining your ground and avoiding having to lower your workload over the years is not an easy task necessarily. But you have to have the mindset of trying to push forward just to hold your ground.