How To Train Like A Minimalist (More Gains In Less Time)
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Date: 2022-10-16
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Comments and reviews: 15
Rei
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Arms
Wednesday: shoulders
Thursday chest & back
Friday: Rest or low intensity cardio only
Sat: legs
Sunday: rest
Example: Arm workout
Tricep pushdowns, 4 to 5 sets to failure
Superset with dips, 4 to 5 sets to failure
Skull crushers, 6 to 7 sets to failure, very controlled negative and positive movements
Barbell curl w ez bar or regular bar, 6 sets until failure
Preacher curls (machine/ez curl bar, 5 to 6 sets to failure
This will leave you with an insane arm pump, youll finish in about an hour or less depending on your failure points and intensity. Ive seen great progress all round with my routine. Heavily inspired by mike mentzer s (w increased volume obv) but nonetheless, its working great and has been for about 8 or 9 months.
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Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Arms
Wednesday: shoulders
Thursday chest & back
Friday: Rest or low intensity cardio only
Sat: legs
Sunday: rest
Example: Arm workout
Tricep pushdowns, 4 to 5 sets to failure
Superset with dips, 4 to 5 sets to failure
Skull crushers, 6 to 7 sets to failure, very controlled negative and positive movements
Barbell curl w ez bar or regular bar, 6 sets until failure
Preacher curls (machine/ez curl bar, 5 to 6 sets to failure
This will leave you with an insane arm pump, youll finish in about an hour or less depending on your failure points and intensity. Ive seen great progress all round with my routine. Heavily inspired by mike mentzer s (w increased volume obv) but nonetheless, its working great and has been for about 8 or 9 months.
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Bushify13
I'm a big runner and i've made gains doing one really intense front/back workout a week 45-60 mins, it is not as good as training multiple times a week (which i've done in the past) but it is noticable (and you can see the progressive overload increasing over time.
This workout involves essentially supersetting front and back exercises (including respective arm exercises) maybe with tiny rest periods as forearms can get too fatigued otherwise and drop sets can be added at the end. Nearly all sets are to failure other than right at the beginning of the workout
Yes I have tiny legs and i dont' care (although i would love a lifestyle that allows me to fit in more lower gym sessions) but that runners high is just too good
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I'm a big runner and i've made gains doing one really intense front/back workout a week 45-60 mins, it is not as good as training multiple times a week (which i've done in the past) but it is noticable (and you can see the progressive overload increasing over time.
This workout involves essentially supersetting front and back exercises (including respective arm exercises) maybe with tiny rest periods as forearms can get too fatigued otherwise and drop sets can be added at the end. Nearly all sets are to failure other than right at the beginning of the workout
Yes I have tiny legs and i dont' care (although i would love a lifestyle that allows me to fit in more lower gym sessions) but that runners high is just too good
reply
FitLabb
Most people s biggest enemy to getting gains in the gym is time. Anyone can find 30-60 minutes to invest 3-4 days a week to workout, & can t commit to more than that b/c of many other obligations in their lives (work, kids, etc, which is enough to help them achieve great results as long as they re consistent in their efforts & generally doing most other things fairly well (getting enough sleep/recovery time, eating enough protein, following a generally balanced & healthy diet, using proper form & doing exercises that are safe & effective, etc. I don t think anyone other than powerlifters needs to spend more than 1 hour in the gym due to the long rest periods required between sets.
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Most people s biggest enemy to getting gains in the gym is time. Anyone can find 30-60 minutes to invest 3-4 days a week to workout, & can t commit to more than that b/c of many other obligations in their lives (work, kids, etc, which is enough to help them achieve great results as long as they re consistent in their efforts & generally doing most other things fairly well (getting enough sleep/recovery time, eating enough protein, following a generally balanced & healthy diet, using proper form & doing exercises that are safe & effective, etc. I don t think anyone other than powerlifters needs to spend more than 1 hour in the gym due to the long rest periods required between sets.
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HmImeZ
Minimum training required to make progress
1. for strength: 1 heavy set done 1 to 3 times / week will be in off
2. For health: 30 to 60 min of lifting / week are enough to maximum health risk reduction
3. For muscle gain:
a. 1 to 4 set / week will give 64% of your max gains on average
b. 5 to 9 set / week will give 84% of your max gains on average
Best minimalist strategy:
1. Push yourself harder than usual
2. Use drop sets
3. Use supersets (not the same muscle group)
4. Gradually decrease your rest time
5. Choose exercise that don t need many warm-up sets
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Minimum training required to make progress
1. for strength: 1 heavy set done 1 to 3 times / week will be in off
2. For health: 30 to 60 min of lifting / week are enough to maximum health risk reduction
3. For muscle gain:
a. 1 to 4 set / week will give 64% of your max gains on average
b. 5 to 9 set / week will give 84% of your max gains on average
Best minimalist strategy:
1. Push yourself harder than usual
2. Use drop sets
3. Use supersets (not the same muscle group)
4. Gradually decrease your rest time
5. Choose exercise that don t need many warm-up sets
reply
sport
I don't see how anyone gets away with less 1-2 hours a day 5-6 days a week. Its hard to the volume and 20-40 sets a week of doing big compounds then accessory exercises as needed. the biggest problem for me is if I let something lag behind or at least treat it as a recovery exercises i'll get imbalances and start to nurture a little tweak or injury. Its pretty much all or nothing especially because I play sports, tennis, biking, golf. Any problems are magnified and need to be addressed. unfortunately thats the extra 2% but that 2% for one person is 50% for me as far as injury or imbalances are concerned.
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I don't see how anyone gets away with less 1-2 hours a day 5-6 days a week. Its hard to the volume and 20-40 sets a week of doing big compounds then accessory exercises as needed. the biggest problem for me is if I let something lag behind or at least treat it as a recovery exercises i'll get imbalances and start to nurture a little tweak or injury. Its pretty much all or nothing especially because I play sports, tennis, biking, golf. Any problems are magnified and need to be addressed. unfortunately thats the extra 2% but that 2% for one person is 50% for me as far as injury or imbalances are concerned.
reply
Lord
7: 18 Idk about the ab part. I'm already lean but can't see my abs without lighting. I have the strength to do push ups quite easily, but you'll see my body shake because my abs are so weak. I've been doing all the exercises he listed: OHP, deadlifts, chin ups& squats. My lifts have been getting better, but my abs aren't, so I've incorporated ab work. I started with 5 minutes, still nothing so I increased the volume and I'll see how that works out for me. Granted, I'm not strong enough to do 2. 5-3x bodyweight yet but I think ab training is necessary for some people.
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7: 18 Idk about the ab part. I'm already lean but can't see my abs without lighting. I have the strength to do push ups quite easily, but you'll see my body shake because my abs are so weak. I've been doing all the exercises he listed: OHP, deadlifts, chin ups& squats. My lifts have been getting better, but my abs aren't, so I've incorporated ab work. I started with 5 minutes, still nothing so I increased the volume and I'll see how that works out for me. Granted, I'm not strong enough to do 2. 5-3x bodyweight yet but I think ab training is necessary for some people.
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Dm3qXY
Great news to confirm my bias and my recent past experience;
- started as a untrained, i'm in my late 30's,
- with some difficulty recovering under 4 days for some big muscle groups,
- thus sometimes less than 2 sessions per week for those muscles. meaning some weeks were only 4 sets (up to failure or close, to avoid injury mostly, i train at home, alone)
-> yet the gains did keep coming at a healthy rate (2lb/mo 1kg/mo, 6 months in now, and going. i can see the weight difference on the scale, but i see some recomposition having taken place too.
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Great news to confirm my bias and my recent past experience;
- started as a untrained, i'm in my late 30's,
- with some difficulty recovering under 4 days for some big muscle groups,
- thus sometimes less than 2 sessions per week for those muscles. meaning some weeks were only 4 sets (up to failure or close, to avoid injury mostly, i train at home, alone)
-> yet the gains did keep coming at a healthy rate (2lb/mo 1kg/mo, 6 months in now, and going. i can see the weight difference on the scale, but i see some recomposition having taken place too.
reply
Norman
This video is just ideal. For the most part people believe volume is driving hypertrophy, but it is not, just simply mechanical tension. Lot of maximalist as you said always say 20 sets per muscle when they could almost maximize their gains with 6-9 sets for most muscle groups.
So the minimalist approach is just probably better, forces people get quality in since they have not much to work with.
Most of the time gymbros only throw in more volume when they don't really train hard, to be honest. less is better and also good for managing fatigue as a plus!
reply
This video is just ideal. For the most part people believe volume is driving hypertrophy, but it is not, just simply mechanical tension. Lot of maximalist as you said always say 20 sets per muscle when they could almost maximize their gains with 6-9 sets for most muscle groups.
So the minimalist approach is just probably better, forces people get quality in since they have not much to work with.
Most of the time gymbros only throw in more volume when they don't really train hard, to be honest. less is better and also good for managing fatigue as a plus!
reply
Timothy
Hey Jeff! You shoulda maybe added in points on muscle resting hardness. I noticed when having a minimalist approach my mind muscle connection wasn't as active because the volume was so low & my pumps were not real. I don't feel as connected to my muscles being able to fully contract every fibre to maximize size & strength. I've done 1-2 sets of arms for that past few years but I miss the pumps & am now gonna do a true maximum approach at my arms for the next 6 months doing 10+ direct sets to see how things adapt.
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Hey Jeff! You shoulda maybe added in points on muscle resting hardness. I noticed when having a minimalist approach my mind muscle connection wasn't as active because the volume was so low & my pumps were not real. I don't feel as connected to my muscles being able to fully contract every fibre to maximize size & strength. I've done 1-2 sets of arms for that past few years but I miss the pumps & am now gonna do a true maximum approach at my arms for the next 6 months doing 10+ direct sets to see how things adapt.
reply
Jake
Question to Jeff (if you see this): In your opinion, if you were to superset 2 exercises that overlap muscle groups in a way, but the primary muscles are different. Kind of mixing the mentality of drop set where you're keeping tension on the same muscle at a lower volume.
Example: Bicep curls //SS// Lat pull downs (pronated grip, maybe even wide grip) -> where lat pull downs are primarily using lats and supporting muscles (biceps being one) are used less, and activating the bicep again after a bicep curl set.
reply
Question to Jeff (if you see this): In your opinion, if you were to superset 2 exercises that overlap muscle groups in a way, but the primary muscles are different. Kind of mixing the mentality of drop set where you're keeping tension on the same muscle at a lower volume.
Example: Bicep curls //SS// Lat pull downs (pronated grip, maybe even wide grip) -> where lat pull downs are primarily using lats and supporting muscles (biceps being one) are used less, and activating the bicep again after a bicep curl set.
reply
Mehedi
I think one problem with using people like Yates for minimalism is that, not only are they the genetic elites but also the fact that they were/are so strong that their warm up/feeder sets would be considered as working sets for majority of the people. Plus the amount of sets they would/will require to work up to their working all out set will have accumulated enough volume in the RPE 6-8/9 range. Would love to hear what everyone else's thoughts on this!
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I think one problem with using people like Yates for minimalism is that, not only are they the genetic elites but also the fact that they were/are so strong that their warm up/feeder sets would be considered as working sets for majority of the people. Plus the amount of sets they would/will require to work up to their working all out set will have accumulated enough volume in the RPE 6-8/9 range. Would love to hear what everyone else's thoughts on this!
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SuspiciousPole
This needs more attention in the community. Kino body does a good job of it to be honest. And as someone who has consistently lifted for a decade now, if I hit each body part once a week I m happy. Once you build the muscle it s immensely easier to maintain it. And as this said, yes you won t be growing as fast as you could. But it is so conducive to turning your health into a habit and not a hinderance on balancing the rest of your life.
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This needs more attention in the community. Kino body does a good job of it to be honest. And as someone who has consistently lifted for a decade now, if I hit each body part once a week I m happy. Once you build the muscle it s immensely easier to maintain it. And as this said, yes you won t be growing as fast as you could. But it is so conducive to turning your health into a habit and not a hinderance on balancing the rest of your life.
reply
PequenaPepino
Just to play devils advocate, those bodybuilders cited as examples for growth at low volume all had ALREADY built substantial muscle mass to get to that point. As a viewer this perpetuates the idea that such a physique is obtainable through low volume rather than MAINTAINABLE. Those like yates, etc. put in substantial work to achieve their body and only then did they switch to something lighter in their mid- later years of lifting.
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Just to play devils advocate, those bodybuilders cited as examples for growth at low volume all had ALREADY built substantial muscle mass to get to that point. As a viewer this perpetuates the idea that such a physique is obtainable through low volume rather than MAINTAINABLE. Those like yates, etc. put in substantial work to achieve their body and only then did they switch to something lighter in their mid- later years of lifting.
reply
Sojo
I'd love to up my training gear, however all I got are a set of adjustable dumbbells upto 20lbs per dumbbell.
While I can still use this for lateral raises (where I'm severely lacking, I'm heading to the 15-20 rep range for bicep curls/shoulder press for about 5 sets till form failure, and and even more squats and RDLs (though not a worry as I can progress to single leg variations.
Any more ways to maximize minimal equipment?
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I'd love to up my training gear, however all I got are a set of adjustable dumbbells upto 20lbs per dumbbell.
While I can still use this for lateral raises (where I'm severely lacking, I'm heading to the 15-20 rep range for bicep curls/shoulder press for about 5 sets till form failure, and and even more squats and RDLs (though not a worry as I can progress to single leg variations.
Any more ways to maximize minimal equipment?
reply
Nicolas
I train for 3 days a week, only full body, compound exercises, 1hour 20 mins approx, 5-8 reps, a LOT of ring dips and pullups (I do them in each session, split squats, etc. In my first year, I gained 5-7 kg of muscle. IF YOU DON'T EAT, IT DOESNT MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRAIN. I am 82 kg 180cm 17. 5 body fat, I eat 3000 calories (slight surplus, my aim next year is to reach 15% bf and 85 kgs.
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I train for 3 days a week, only full body, compound exercises, 1hour 20 mins approx, 5-8 reps, a LOT of ring dips and pullups (I do them in each session, split squats, etc. In my first year, I gained 5-7 kg of muscle. IF YOU DON'T EAT, IT DOESNT MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRAIN. I am 82 kg 180cm 17. 5 body fat, I eat 3000 calories (slight surplus, my aim next year is to reach 15% bf and 85 kgs.
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