It's the million dollar question, right? When is strong... strong enough? For those who have been in the game for a while, it's not really a question at all. There is no strong enough, at least not for 99% of us. Life and other priorities get in the way of training enough that most of us never achieve a level of strength which is "strong enough." Those little, sometimes large, life deloads put us back into strength gaining mode as we fight to recover what was lost. Thus, from a practical standpoint, there's no point questioning whether one is strong enough.   But there's a philosophical argument against the notion of being strong enough, too. The acquisition of strength -- that is, training for it -- depends on goals: small goals, like adding 5lbs each workout, to larger and more long-term goals, like setting a new 1RM in each lift. These goals allow us to organize training systematically so that we can achieve them; they make training logical, systematic, and progressive. Without a distinct goal, training often becomes random, erratic, and unfocused. The notion of training to maintain strength, though seemingly logical on the surface, is not a concrete goal. How does one train to maintain, exactly?   We know from the SRA model that a stress must occur to continue driving adaptation. Without stress, there is no adaptation. More importantly, without stress there is regression, a loss of adaptation. So lifting with the intention of maintenance -- essentially lifting to preserve homeostasis -- is a sketchy proposition. On a practical level, if you try to continue squatting, say, 315 for 3x5 once a week, you'll likely notice that after a couple weeks it becomes rather difficult, and ultimately you being missing reps. Add the inevitably fluctuation in stressors from outside life events, and it's clear that maintenance is a flawed idea.   In reality, training typically looks like a wave, with periods of great progress followed by deloads, intentional or not. While it's possible to maintain your strength for a short period of time -- the crest of the wave, to extend the metaphor -- eventually we must either continue to adapt by getting stronger or begin to detrain.   Got a question for Matt and Scott? Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com and we'll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&A!   Discounts Get 3 months of coaching at Starting Strength Online Coaching for just $500! Use SUMMERGAINZ at checkout. Use discount code LOGIC to save 10% off microplates, dumbbell microplates, and more at Microgainz Use discount code LOGIC to save $10 off belts and more at Dominion Strength   Discounts Get 3 months of coaching at Barbell Logic Online Coaching for just $500! Use SUMMERGAINZ at checkout. Use discount code LOGIC to save 10% off microplates, dumbbell microplates, and more at Microgainz Use discount code LOGIC to save $10 off belts and more at Dominion Strength   Connect With Matt Matt on Instagram Barbell Logic Online Coaching — Matt’s website Matt on Facebook Matt on Twitter Connect With Scott Scott on Instagram Silver Strength – Scott’s website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Connect With the Show Barbell Logic on Twitter Barbell Logic on Instagram The Website Barbell Logic on Facebook barbelllogicpodcast@gmail.com