Minimalist Training

The benefits of weight training for strength, health, and muscle gain are indisputable. But we live such busy lives, many people feel they just don't have time to train. How much time does it take? Here's what the evidence from academic studies shows.

Strength

1 heavy set done 1-3x/week. (81% of strength gains can be achieved with 1-4 sets per week)

Health

Just 30-60 minutes of lifting per week is enough for maximum risk reduction (all cause mortality)

Muscle gain

Optimal Target: 10 sets per body part per week. Split across at least 2 workouts per body part.

1-4 sets per body part per week will yield 64% of the maximum muscle gains.

5-9 sets per body part per week will yield 84% of the maximum muscle gains.

Tips for a minimalist workout

1. Push yourself harder. The lower your volume, the higher your intensity should be. (RPE 9-10)

2. Utilize drop sets. After hitting failure, drop weight by 25-50% and go to failure again.

3. Use sensible supersets (different muscles) for more efficient workouts.

4. Cut down on warmup time.

References: Jeff Nippard YT video with links to scientific studies. https://youtu.be/xc4OtzAnVMI