Maintaining Int/adv Levels Of Strength And Mobility

What is the minimal investment required to maintain advanced levels of strength and mobility without making gains?

 

 

Though these can be separate questions the two are hugely interdependent. However, in all my searching of the forums I have yet to see a serious discussion about this. Can those that have experience with this weigh in?

 

Basically: let's say you've spent a significant amount of time developing your gymnastic strength, training from 3-10+ hours a week over at least a year or two to get solid strength and mobility across the board; you can do press handstands, freestanding HPUs, front and back levers, muscle ups, maybe even planches and OACs, and advanced leg strength exercises. All with full ROM, and your joints are damn well prepared.

 

You've put in all this hard work, but now you want to chill out! (you want to regain your social life; finally have time to rebuilt that old car/boat AND spend time with your family; go traveling; lift weights; commit to something else. You get the idea). However, you don't want to lose all those hard-earned gains you've made. What now?

 

 

I've heard allusions to maintenance training, but very little concrete discussion of it. I'm not nearly at this point yet, I'm just curious if anyone has any experience with it or even any theorizing to do on the subject. What type of intensity, how many times a week, etc? I'm sure that some skills will be more difficult to maintain than others.

The answer will depend on how solid the strength or mobility element was to begin with. For your highest level it may be that you loose it within two weeks. Even attempting to do occasional minimal work on it may not be enough. The frustrating part here is once you get back to more serious training, you may find some elements at this level very difficult to regain. 

 

With the next level down, solid but requires a high level of strength or mobility for you, you might retain it for two or three months with minimal training. If you do loose these, they will come right back when you return to training.