Lifting only once a week:(

[UrbanCowgirl]

Is the anyway to make this work without loosing strength? Of course I would like to gain strength, but that's just being too optimistic. Due to work, family and school I only have time for the gym on the weekend. Does doing other stuff during the week like body weight exercises help retain strength? Or does it just take up time and calories? I went almost a month without lifting and lost a bit of strength so I am going to make it to the gym every chance I get from now on, but sadly that won't be more than on my days off.

[chamelious]

Once a week is obviously not ideal. Its really upto you, I have no doubt you could make more time, if you wanted to. Its just about how important it is to you.

[UrbanCowgirl]

Nice pep talk bro I work close to forty hours per week, I homeschool my youngest child, I go to school part time myself, I keep my house. Until spring term my schedule is so swamped I can barley get six hours of sleep in each night. I believe my time management skills are up to par. I just have too much going on right now to make time for anything else. I have had to quit volunteering with one of the groups I volunteer with just to make time for need to be done responsibilities. So no I doubt I can mak more time, unless I drop out of or quit something that is needed for my family to get by.
That being said, does anyone have any programs they would recommend for lifting once a week? I am just hitting the big three with reps similar to 8-5-3-1 or 5x5. Would doing a short calisthenics workout do anything to preserve actual strength? I.e. When my kids are doing activities that I have to take them to but are too young to be left alone so I can go to the gym, should I hop out to the parking lot and find a place to do pull ups and pistol squats? Or would that just burn calories and add to endurance?

[chamelious]

Again, i did say if you wanted to. Its clear you have stuff which is more important to you, which is fine, you simply have to accept you're not going to make progress nearly as fast as if you were able to gym 3-5 times a week.

I've not seen many/if any programs based on once a week, all i could say is the big three is a good place to start, pull ups/press ups/pistol squats are always worth doing. As with anything, to make progress you much focus on progressive overload, suggest perhaps aiming for a rep total for each for the week, then beating it next week. Something like, 100 pull ups, 300 press ups this week, beat by 10 reps next week, etc etc.

[spradish]

Here's an article from Bret Contreras with his own experience lifting once every 5 days (not once a week): https://bretcontreras.com/how-much-t...th-and-muscle/

If I were in your place I'd probably lift on the weekend and then 1-2 days during the week do something like pushups and goblet squats and some rows and dumbbell RDLs at home.

[jessic2952]

Do you have the ability to get some equipment in your home, like a barbell set? It's my only saving grace. Getting to the gym was becoming next to impossible for me, now I work out for about an hour at night after the kids are in bed.

[sonti]

I tried this and it wasn't enough. It really just wasn't. I now get up at 530, put my kids on a tablet if they wake up, and train my ass off in the basement until 630 then run around before work/school. It was a hard routine at first but now it gives me extra energy.

All "slacker" routines are still two days (Sender 5/3/1 has one, I'm not sure if it's consecutive days).

[TrainBetter]

Can you not try to find 30 minutes in the day? You can even split it up throughout the day - Example: 15 minutes doing push-ups and tri-dips in the morning and another 15 minutes in the evening doing shoulder presses, rear delt raises, etc. Starting out, body weight can be enough.

I know that most people can find 30 minutes in their day, especially when split up throughout the day...what I understand to be the real challenge for busy people is just finding the desire to do it after tiring yourself out with the day's other tasks.