Today I’ll show you how to start and stick to a fitness routine without sacrificing time.

I've trained for over 9 years, worked with 100s of clients, and read dozens of articles on fitness so that you don't have to. This approach has several amazing benefits. You will look good, feel more energetic and confident, live longer, and attract more respect from everyone around you. I’ve experienced growth in all areas of my life when I started strength training:

• My income

• Health for obvious reasons

• My relationships with others

• And an unshakable confidence 

That helps to overcome mental and physical obstacles.

Unfortunately, most people overcomplicate fitness including the fitness industry. They keep you confused and buying into sales gimmicks for years. That's why many never stick to a workout program long enough to see the results they desire. They become complacent, burnt out, and “unmotivated.”

There is too much resistance between you and the routine

More friction between you and the activity makes it easier to skip. Among other excuses reasons:

• Not enough “time”

• Progressing too slow

• Quitting too soon

• Lack of knowledge

• No support or accountability

Most of these can be eliminated with the right mindset and simple systems. You’re going to learn how to overcome each one and have a framework for sticking to your fitness program.

At the end of this article, I’ll outline an example workout program that you can do start today

Let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or dietician. Consult with a medical professional before starting any exercise program.

Step 1: Decide on a specific goal

It is important to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your workouts.

Do you want to lose weight, build muscle, improve your endurance, or feel more energized? 

Having a specific goal in mind will help you stay motivated and focused on your workouts. Without a clear goal, you’re running around without an anchor to give your workout meaning.

Once you have identified your goals, create a plan for how you will achieve them. This may involve setting specific workout days and times, choosing specific exercises or activities, and tracking your progress along the way.

See the previous article below on how to make your goals hyperspecific!

For the sake of this article we're going to be focused on building muscle, with a proper nutrition plan, we can also use the same plan to trim down body fat.

Step 2: Record your progress

No seriously, write down what you do!

Remember quitting last time because you weren't making progress? This is your lifeline.

Listen closely:

You will first make progress on paper before you make progress in the mirror. This bears repeating.

Physical changes take time. Fitness is hard no doubt. If it were easy, everyone would be in shape but the opposite is true.

Being fit is hard and the majority of the population is fat, sick, and overweight. But not you (for long) because you track your progress.

Lets take a minimal example:

It's Monday. I’m performing a bench press on week 1 for 95 lbs.

How many reps do I do? How many sets do I do? How fast do I do the repetitions? How long do I rest?

This can be as simple or complicated as we make it. There are too many variables at play but for the sake of building muscle let’s set a baseline.

i.e. Bench press: 2 sets of 8-12 reps with 90 second rest intervals, 3-4 second tempo for each direction.

You can use this as a baseline and adjust to your preferences over time.

But what do I do next week? Follow this simple protocol of progressive overload on a workout-to-workout or week-to-week basis:

Remember: starting small is important, even if it seems too easy. That's the point. Make it so easy its hard to fail. You want to ingrain the habit first.

Step 3: Start with a minimalist approach

Woah! 6 workouts a week for 2 hours? Slow down buster-brown!

Think for a minute. Can you fit that time slot into your busy schedule? Is this sustainable for 6 months to a year? For life?

Once you reach your goal, you still have to maintain it.

Pick the time of day that has the least amount of friction to get to.

If your workout is 30 minutes and you wake up 2 hours before work, have all your workout clothes ready at the door and make it part of your morning routine.

Another good option is to work out at home. You can get an effective workout with little to no equipment. You just have to know how.

Recommended equipment:

• Adjustable dumbbells

• Pull up bar

• Resistance Bands

• Suspension trainer (TRX)

• Adjustable bench

These aren't completely necessary but they open up a wide range of exercises. Its a worthy investment if you can hack it. Stay tuned for the at-home workout routine below.

Step 4: Choose exercises that work multiple muscle groups

Most people get this wrong by:

Going straight to the “Dreadmill”

Doing endless amounts of crunches in hopes of losing belly fat

Or bicep curling their way to nowhereland.

These exercises have their place but are far from optimal. If we are trying to optimize for time we want to perform exercises that have the best “bang for our buck.”

Multi-joint, compound exercises solve this. These exercises hit 2 or more muscle groups during the same movement.

For example:

A squat will target the quadriceps (front of thigh), hamstrings (back of thigh), and glutes (your butt). There are a few others but these are the ones people usually want to grow or “tone.”

Focus on these and you can get more work done in less time.

Some people will use a leg extension machine till their blue in the face to “tone their legs.” This exercise only works the quadriceps muscle group – often called isolation exercises.

All exercises have their place but remember, we are looking for the best return (progress) on our investment (time and effort).

An example of a good full-body strength training day would include exercises for both sides of the lower body, upper body, and trunk. Like so:

• Leg Press (quad/glutes)

• Hamstring Curl (hamstrings)

• Chest Press (chest/shoulders/triceps)

• Horizontal Row (upper back/lats)

• Shoulder Press (shoulders/triceps)

• Pulldown (lats/biceps)

• Calf Raise (calves)

• Crunch (trunk)

Step 5: Create a timeframe for accountability

Great so you've learned a few of the basics of creating a workout program. Now you get to jump in right? There's one more step. Now here's where I lose people.

It's going to take at least 1 year to see any respectable progress.

I know you were hoping for the "perfect routine" to get you jacked in 2 weeks but that doesn't exist. Unless you have god-like genetics. I sure don't. So let's assume you don't either.

Let's make it easier then. We will be at that 1-year mark (macrocycle) in no time. Look at your program as four 3-month phases (mesocycle), 4-8 week cycles(microcycle), or 2-3 day mini sprints (training days). These are all opportunities to improve, let's make them count with a small commitment.

Start with the first 4 weeks. We'll call this the beginner phase 1. Set goals and milestones that make sense for your current fitness level in this time frame.

Example:

If I bench press 185 lbs for 5 reps, in 3 months, I want to bench 200 for 5 reps. That's a relevant timeframe for most people. A 15 lb increase in that timeframe is great progress. Don't discount these smaller wins. This will keep you motivated during the entire year macrocycle.

You can make progress indefinitely and record milestones at each phase. Many programs will use periodization but this isn't necessary. Progressive overload is enough to make gains over time but you can use this as a plan for future programs as you complete the beginning phases.

I don't want to get too deep into the specifics. This is a minimalist program after all. If you're interested in more depth, we can touch on some of the concepts of exercise program design in a future issue or you can "reply" and ask any questions.

Note: This doesn't include nutrition, cardio, or sleep (equally important) but we can cover that in a future article if the demand is there.

Let's get into a sample workout program!

My credentials:

• B.S. in Kinesiology & Exercise Science 2017

• ACSM Personal Trainer 2017

• 9+ years of training experience

• 5+ years of client training experience

The Minimalist Workout Program

Beginner-Friendly (all skill levels apply)

Instructions:

• Frequency: Perform this routine 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days. I.e. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You can alternate between workouts A and B or add them to your current routine as you see fit.

• Intensity: Choose a weight for each exercise you can complete 8-12 repetitions to momentary muscular failure (or close to it) with good form.

  • If you don't know how much you can lift, simply estimate a conservative amount and give it your best effort.

  • If you exceed 12 reps, use the Progression section instructions.

  • If you complete less than 8, consider reducing the weight by 5-10%

• Reps: You should lift and lower the weight for each set in a slow and controlled cadence (about 3-5 seconds in each direction) for 8-12 repetitions or the desired rep range.

• Rest: Move to the next exercise as quickly but safely as possible

• Progression: Use the progressive overload principle from step 2. Increase workout to workout in this order:

  • Reps: if you reach less than 12 reps on an exercise, keep that weight. Aim for the top end of the rep range next workout.

  • Sets: if you reach the top end of the rep range for an exercise on ALL sets, add a set next workout.

  • Weight: if you reach 3-4 sets on an exercise for the top end of that rep range for each set, add weight to that exercise next workout (5-10% increases)

  • Tempo (decrease/optional): bodyweight exercises can be harder to increase in intensity safely or if you max out your weight stack available you can simply slow down the speed of the rep to make the exercise more difficult.

Gym Workout (A)

Leg Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Bench Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Lat Pulldown (with supinated grip): 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Barbell Shoulder Press: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Bent Over Barbell Row (with supinated grip): 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Optional

Leg Extension: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Leg Curl: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

EZ Bar Skull Crusher: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Barbell Bicep Curl: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Trunk Curl Machine: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Home Workout (B)*

Negative Chin Up (with supinated grip): 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Push Up: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Split Squat: 2 sets x 8-12 reps each leg

Inverted Row (with supinated grip): 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Lateral Raise: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Optional

Wall Sit: 2 sets x 30-90 seconds

Sliding Leg Curl: 2 sets x 8-15 reps

Inclined Close Grip Push-up: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

Dumbbell Bicep Curl: 2 sets 8-12 reps

Lying Trunk Curl: 2 sets x 8-12 reps

*This routine assumes that you have minimal equipment. Investing in a few simple tools goes a long way in your fitness journey. See the list above in step 3

Pro tips:

This workout should only take 30-45 minutes MAX.

If you want to save time:

• Reduce your rest periods between sets (0-90 seconds)

• Superset exercises (perform 2 or more exercises back-to-back with minimal rest)

• Skip the optional exercises or do them on a separate 3rd or 4th day.

Hope this helps! Please reach out via reply or send me a DM on Twitter with any questions!

Happy Lifting 💪🏼

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