I was thinking about running Strength I and adding in direct side delt work (lateral raises, upright rows) that just copies the programming for the arm work since side delt size is not really a priority in powerlifting, but it’s something I don’t want to see get smaller over time. My questions are:
1.) For muscles that are not “target muscles” in typical barbell compound exercises, such as biceps, side delts, triceps, calves, etc., is it necessary to do a requisite amount of volume of isolation movements to prevent these muscles from dwindling in size while maybe pursuing something like specific powerlifting strength?
2.) Is the idea of “maintenance volume” a real thing for muscle size? If it is, how can we ensure we are meeting it so that we are not losing gainzZz?
3.) Is what I proposed doing in Strength I a bad idea?
Not if you’re ambulatory, eating enough protein, and resistance training otherwise
A more accurate term might be maintenance activity- since you could really preserve most muscle mass created from RT without RT with recreational activity.
If you haven’t ran it before, I’d probably advise you doing it as it is first.
Thank you for your response! I have a couple quick follow-up questions:
1.) So as long as someone is walking around, hitting their protein goals, and lifting you would not expect to see a loss in muscle mass in small muscle groups not receiving direct focus via isolation movements (e.g. bicep curls, lateral raises, triceps extensions)?
2.) Does any of this change depending on if someone is doing a fat loss, weight maintenance, or muscle gain diet?