How To Train Like A Minimalist (More Results In Less Time)
Read this on Dango.co Back in 2020, my family sold our house and moved to Costa Rica for eight months. During our time in Costa Rica, I rediscovered my passion for surfing. I was out on the waves twice a day, every day. This routine left me little time to hit the gym yet I still wanted to keep my muscle. So, I turned to a workout called Minimalist Training. Minimalist training is about condensing down your workouts to the most critical components. It's about getting the most bang for the buck while removing the fluff. There are going to be times when training in the gym is not your top priority. Maybe work gets in the way, or your kids have started going to a new dance camp. Whatever it is, you want something to fall back on in situations where you don't have time on your side. Minimalist training is for:
The great thing about it is that you can still get results while spending up to 50% less time in the gym. Here's how... How To Train Like A Minimalist (More Results In Less Time)There are 2 types of Minimalist Training:
#1 - More Gains in Less TimeThese are for people who have 2-3 days per week to train. They still want to make gains but don't want to spend too long in a gym. These workouts take around 30 minutes. You can do this using Antagonistic Supersets or the Myo-rep method. 1a. Antagonistic SupersetsWhen you perform one set immediately followed by another with minimal rest this is called a superset. An antagonistic superset is when you do an upper-body exercise followed by a lower-body exercise. Example: 8 reps of squats followed by 8 reps of bench presses Sample Workout: Set 1: 8 reps of Squats and Back Rows This is the workout we use in The Lean Body 90. You would use it to do the most exercises in a 30-minute timeframe while getting a slight cardiovascular benefit. 1b. The Myo-rep MethodMyo-reps are a lifting technique created by Norwegian strength coach Borge Fagerli that was popularized in the mid-2000s. It's a form of rest pause training designed to stimulate muscle growth in a short amount of time. Here's how to do Myo-reps
Pushup Example: Step 1: I'd do a set of pushups in good form until I'm about 1-2 reps away from failure. This type of training has you doing fewer exercises but may elicit more muscle growth due to the intensity you're placing on the muscle. If you want to go deeper, here is a comprehensive article by the creator Borge Fagerli on how to do myo-reps. #2 - Maintain what you haveLet's say you only have the space to hit the gym once a week or play a sport that prevents you from hitting the gym due to recovery or lack of time. Do this workout once a week:
Example:
This is the exact workout I used in Costa Rica to maintain my strength and muscle. Training once a week wasn't optimal, and due to the amount of cardio I was doing, I did lose some muscle. But I would have lost a lot more and set myself back farther if I had not done this workout. Rules for Minimalist Training
More Gains. Less Time.Let's be real for a second here: Not everyone wants to look like a bodybuilder or has dreams of becoming a high-level athlete. We want fitness to be part of our lives, which means dedicating the right amount of time to it while we balance all other areas of our lives. Also, there may come a time in our lives when we can't (or want) to dedicate much time to the gym. That's the beauty of learning to train like a minimalist. You focus on the essentials and forget the rest. This frees up time to focus on other areas of your life. Hope this article brought value to your life. Onwards and upwards 🚀 - Dan When you're ready, here is 1 way I can help: 1. Promote yourself to 330,652+ subscribers by sponsoring this newsletter.
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