Ep. #1002: John North on Minimalist Training Programs

How little training can you get away with while still making progress or at least maintaining what you’ve already built?

There’s been a recent trend in the fitness space that more training volume is better. That’s great if you have lots of time to train, but not everyone wants to spend as much time as possible in the gym.

In fact, many people want to know how to optimize their training so they can get more out of less.

So, how little training can they get away with? The answer is that it’s less than many people think, and that’s what you’re going to learn about in this podcast.

Returning to the podcast is John North, and we’re discussing minimalist training and time-efficient workouts. In case you’re not familiar with John, he and I have been working together behind the scenes for years on articles, books, podcasts, and other content. In fact, he’s the Director of Content for Legion.

He’s also completed over 100 triathlons and cross-country, cycling, and adventure races, has squatted and deadlifted over 400 pounds and bench pressed over 300 pounds, and has researched and written for over a dozen organizations, including the National Institutes of Health. So he walks the walk and know a thing or two about both endurance and strength training, and helping people get into the best shape of their lives.

In our discussion about minimalist training programs, we chat about . . .

- Quality versus quantity when it comes to your workouts

- The “minimum effective dose” of training depending on your goals and experience level

- How to program short workouts and create effective minimalist programs

- Training frequency and splitting up longer workouts into shorter daily sessions

- How much training is needed to maintain your physique

- And more . . .

So, if you’re curious about how much training you really need to do to make progress or just maintain your size and strength, and how to program minimal workouts, you’re going to enjoy this podcast!

Timestamps:

(0:00) - Join my podcast giveaway! http://muscleforlife.show/giveaway

(6:10) - Could you do 15-30 minutes of strength training per day and still produce decent results?

(13:18) - Is there significant benefits to training seven 15 minute strength training workouts as opposed to doing two or three longer strength training workouts?

(20:17) - What is that threshold range?

(35:09) - How would you program shorter workouts?

(39:28) - If you’re working out 3 days per week, do you recommend a full-body or split routine?

(1:02:36) - Is there anything you would like to add?

(1:18:54) - Where can people find your work?

Mentioned on the show:

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