Get more by doing less

Why doing less in the gym will get you better results.

Fitness has always been “If some is good then more is better” the age-old mission statement is not just the nature of the beast but say a lot about the people that are in fitness. The fitness crowd generally attracts the disciplined, push till you got nothing crowd. I know I was one of them! Or if that isn’t you the beginner who comes in like a bat out of hell as goes all in until they are all out!

For my 26-year weight training career 25 of them was spent trying to do more not less. I figured if I could do more, than the body has to respond. Doing less is for the weak.

The problem for me and for everyone else who has that mindset is that your body does not have an infinite recovery ability. For us mortals constant state of over training not only leads potential injury, sickness and stagnation of progress, it can lead us to going backwards.

I don’t know if you think like me, but I would rather sit on the couch and Netflix and chill and go backwards with my fitness progress then weight train and regress. Which sounds like the better option.

The 80/20 rule is an excellent measurement for a minimalist this melts away all the inefficient habits and work that is yielding weak results and focusses on the work that yields the most results. What is the 80/20 rule you ask? The 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is an aphorism which asserts that 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event. In fitness, a goal of the 80-20 rule is to identify inputs that are potentially the most productive and make them the priority (1).

This mean that if all you did was focus on the top 20% of things you do you will almost yield those same results as if you did all 100% of things.

For example, Let's say your workout looked like this:

Bench press 3x10

Deadlift 3x10

Pec fly 3x10

Lat pulldown 3x10

Dips 3x10

Seated row 3x10

Shoulder press 3x10

Side raises 3 x10.

Tricep press down 3x10.

Bicep curls 3x10

Right here you have a typical upper bod workout. There are 10 exercises this would typically take around 45-90 mins dependent on rest. If we implemented the 80/20 rule that means you would have to pick the top 2 exercises that yield that most results. In this case it would be the bench press and deadlift for all round most bang for your buck so to speak.

If you went to your next workout with this in mind your minimalist workout would look like this:

Bench press 5x12,10,8,8,6

Deadlift 5x12,10,8,8,6

This workout would take a third of the time and you would even save time not having to move exercises etc. The benefit of this is you're not wasting time doing a lot of volume and getting maximum results in the shortest amount of time. You need to remember that 99.9% people don’t care about being the biggest, most aesthetic person on earth so the 8 other exercises would not be necessary.

What is even great about this is:

1. It makes it simple. Two exercises that's it! Walking into a gym knowing you only have to do two exercises makes the whole process less overwhelming.

2. It limits choice. Ironically making too many choices can lead you to making no choice at all. Limiting choice can improve our chances of actually making a decision and then staying committed to that decision. We put mental blinkers on and fully commit to what is in front of us.

3. It saves time. Why waste and extra hour in the gym when you could be spending that doing other activities e.g., spending time with family or relaxing etc.

4. It helps keep you from overtraining. One little talked about subject is the all or nothing attitude. Anecdotally I have noticed in my career that if someone isn't moving forward, they quit completely. Having a manageable workload appropriate to your level of training is essential to long term compliance.

5. Gets you out of the sympathetic state (stressed state) and sooner into your parasympathetic state (relaxed state) This means more rest and more your body can rest and grow.

Overall, this may seem like an extreme idea but if you look at gyms around the world you will find a large majority of people looking for and trying to execute the short cut. Over complicating a very simple process with complicated and fancy routines. As the old saying goes “A lot of people can’t see the forest through the trees!”.

Before you throw this idea away as too simplistic have another look at all the routines that you have ever done and ask yourself what worked? I almost guarantee that it was the simplest of routines.

I leave this blog with one of my favorite quotes:

“When you're hungry eat your rice, when your tired sleep; Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean.”

References

1. “80/20 Rule” https://www.investopedia.com/terms/1/80-20-rule.asp