Maintenance is one of the hardest phases to master.
Cause as soon as there’s nothing to chase, most of us just lose engagement and start coasting.
There’s also the (sad but undeniable) fact that as we get older there IS no maintenance—you’re either trying to move forward or slowly falling behind.
Coach Trevor Kashey coined the phrase “chasing maintenance” with his clients.
I love it. It reflects that maintenance is just another aspirational goal or destination—one that still requires focus and engagement.
So if you’re loving (or liking) where your body is at and want to hold onto it without a bunch of stress-inducing, life-consuming, outcome-based goals, what do you do?
I got you covered:
1) Set basic process goals. E.g.
* 4 workouts a week
* 50k steps a week
* 2 dedicated cardio sessions per week
* 7 hours of sleep
* 90% accurate calories/protein, 6 days a week
Basically, ALL THE STUFF YOU CONTROL.
And those targets can be adjusted to fit your schedule (fewer weights, more cardio, etc).
2) Get stronger.
Unless you go overboard there’s gonna be ZERO downsides for your body aesthetic, and it’s a goal you can chase well into middle-age.
And better still? No mind games from the mirror or social media—It’s just you vs your logbook.
And another happy side-effect? When you chase strength you have to eat well, rest hard, and train smart—all things that help you LOOK better too. (Just no bulking diet!)
3) Change your perspective.
A lot of you are VERY good at chasing perfection.
From the impeccable food logs and balanced macros to the outpouring of frustration when your training plans get messed up.
But at the same time, you have to remember that trying TOO hard is itself a stressor—one that’s thoroughly counterproductive, and seldom necessary.
Cause there are a lot of fake rules and double standards out there that just aren’t legit.
Things like HAVING to train on vacation. Just use it as a natural de-load and come back fresh and ready to rock.
And there are many examples just like that where we fight like hell to maintain standards or hot targets that just don’t move the needle.
Wanna share your maintenance story with me?
– Coach Bryan