Minimalist training
Short, hard sessions built on a few sets per muscle, drop sets and non-competing supersets
Time-efficient lifting for weeks when the gym cannot be the priority. One to four hard sets per muscle a week already deliver a large share of the muscle gain seen at higher volumes, and a single heavy set once to three times a week builds strength for most people. Practitioners squeeze more out of the sets they do keep with drop sets, supersets that pair muscles which do not compete (bench press with rows, for example), a general warm-up of a few minutes and machine exercises that need fewer warm-up sets than barbell lifts. Rest periods can be trimmed gradually as conditioning improves.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Jeff NippardDoes it
Natural bodybuilder · Science-based lifting
Maximalist by preference, he still switches to a low-volume routine when work or travel squeeze training; in a time crunch his warm-up is three to five minutes on a treadmill and a few dynamic stretches. The article adds drop sets, supersets of non-competing muscles and machine exercises that need fewer warm-up sets. He wrote a 20-minute weekly program for his brother, whose hip pain went away.
Source: jeffnippard.com blog: How To Train Like A Minimalist (More Gains In Less Time) - Pavel TsatsoulineRecommends
Strength coach · StrongFirst
Six weeks, four exercises, is the dare he sets: kettlebell swings, Zercher squats, handstand push-ups and weighted pull-ups, nothing else. He borrows the not-to-do list from Tim Ferriss and fills it with gear elite strength athletes never touch, exercises with vague goals, and anything done by people wearing gym gloves.
Source: StrongFirst: No Distractions, The Occam's Razor Training Plan
Aimed at the same thing
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Temptation bundling
Only allow yourself something you want while doing something you avoid
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
ABC goal system
Set three levels for a daily goal so a bad day still counts as progress
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Implementation intentions
Decide in advance: I will do X at TIME in PLACE
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Two-a-day training
Splitting the day: an aerobic session in the morning, strength work later on
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Walking meetings
Taking the conversation on foot instead of around a table, and ending it with the walk
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Home gym
A private training space at home, from a garage rack to a fully equipped room
On record from 7 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 2 recommend it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.