Pumping iron in the gym or doing body weight training exercises can all help you build muscle.

However, what are the best ways to maintain that muscle in the long run? We asked a professional muscle building personal trainer from Dubai for his advice and tips.

Question 1: As we age we tend to lose some of our muscle mass.

In your opinion, as a muscle building specialist what are the best exercise methods to maintain muscle?

In regards to maintaining muscle, it is important to ensure we stay active, especially once we get to an older age.

Working out with weights to maintain muscle mass around two to three times per week, exercising all major muscle groups can help to maintain this alongside good nutrition.

Good nutrition is also important when looking to grow or in this case maintain muscle, as it is important to ensure you eat well and get enough protein for your activity levels.

Usually between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein per body weight is adequate.

It’s also important to ensure the right amount of calories are eaten per day to ensure maintenance. If you hire a personal trainer in Dubai they can provide specialist nutrition advice about building and maintaining muscle.

Question 2: As well as training for muscle building in Dubai does diet and nutrition have a direct impact on muscle loss?

It’s important to remember that poor nutrition can have an impact on muscle loss if you are not eating the right amount, or if you are not hitting the desired protein goal for your body.

When you eat less calories than your body needs, you will end up in a calorie deficit, which will result in fat loss and also some muscle loss, as it can be difficult to lose fat without losing some muscle.

This is why a lot of people go though a bulking and a cutting stage in their training and nutrition.

It is best to ensure you are eating the right amount of calories to be in a calorie maintenance, as well as hitting your protein goal in order to maintain muscle.

Question 3: To maintain a muscular physique how many times per week should someone be training?

As a professional Dubai PT I personally believe if done right, you can easily maintain a muscular physique, and even grow muscle by training around 3-4 times per week.

You can train everyday of the week in Dubai but this might mean you are not training hard enough, as most muscle groups should have between 24-48 hours rest before re training.

If its also possible to split this into different training splits such as 2x lower body days, 2x upper body days or alternatively split it into different muscle groups such as a leg day, back day, arms day and chest day etc.

Question 4: What are your top 5 muscle maintaining routines and how / why do you think they work best?

1) Get enough protein

The body uses protein to help build and repair cells, including those in the muscle when they have been trained to fatigue. In order to gain or maintain muscle it is important to ensure you are consuming between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein per kg of body weight.

2) Eat enough

Ensure you are not in a calorie deficit (eating less than what you are burning day to day). Eat in a calorie maintenance in order to maintain the muscle mass that you have, or if you are wishing to gain some muscle, a calorie surplus.

3) Train consistently

Aim to train with weights between 3 and 4 times per week, ensuring you are working hard each session.

4) Find a workout split that works for you

There are many different splits that people use in the gym to ensure they are targeting their full body throughout the week. Find one that works best for you to ensure you keep your training consistent and enjoyable.

5) Ensure you’re getting enough sleep

Sleep is important in our overall health, but also important for maintaining and growing muscle. It’s not only that getting enough sleep helps muscles grow.

Without adequate sleep muscle mass decreases.