A Lesson On Minimalism From The Film Drive
Drive is one of my favorite films! The beautiful cinematography, well placed retro music, and Ryan Gosling’s amazing yet understated performance. The whole movie came together perfectly. I felt like I was being taken on a ride through Los Angeles, moonlighting with Gosling.
The realism and minimalistic nature of the film are all reasons for why it resonated so deeply with me. Ironically, the first time I watched Drive I left the theatre in complete and utter disappointment. It wasn’t until I watched it a second time that all of the reasons for disliking it, became reasons for loving it.
Now you might be wondering why the heck I am talking about the film Drive. Well the connection I am trying to underline is the emphasis on minimalism. From sheer simplicity; each line, each picture, each scene and each moment became infinitely more powerful. The same way the movie Drive was constructed and carried out is how I approach developing my physique.
If you take a look at many of the articles and workout routines contained here, on kinobody, you may have noticed a minimal number of workouts, exercises, sets and reps. More often than not, my routines fit the premise of 3 strength workouts per week with 4-6 exercises per session of 2-3 work sets.
Granted, for some isolation based movements I perform 4-6 sets, but I digress. The point being, the overall theme as expressed through my training mentality and workout routines is minimalism. In this article I wish to uncover the truth behind minimalistic training and why the hell you should embrace the old adage, less is more.
What is the incredible power of minimalism?
Before I can even ask you to comprehend my way of lifting, it essential that you understand the meaning behind minimalism.
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts
How does this apply to lifting? Well basically what I am doing is stripping down strength training to the absolute essential. It is only by eliminating the unnecessary that the effective truly becomes effective. For example; two of my favourite lifts are weighted chin ups and the incline bench press.
I consider these to be my core upper body movements. Now the power of these two movements is tied tightly to your progress with them. It doesn’t matter if your chest and back feel torn to shreds, if you’re not adding weight then the exercises are useless.
This is exactly where minimalism comes in! A back and biceps workout consisting of weighted chin ups, t-bar rows, cable rows and dumbbell pull overs + barbell curls, preacher curls, incline curls, cable curls…. might look good on paper, but it’s not! All of that volume just diluted the effectiveness of your core movement, weighted chin ups.
I’ll bet dollars to dimes you’re not getting stronger on that routine. Admittedly, you might get some good sarcoplasmic, volume based growth for a few weeks. However, all good things come to an end unless you add some weight and make that bar bend!
From a long term strength and growth standpoint you’d be much better off with weighted chin ups, maybe one extra back exercise, plus a direct biceps movement. With this workout you’ll be able to add 2-3 lbs to the chin up belt each session.
In a matter of months you’ll be chinning 100+ lbs for reps and I would stake my reputation that your back and arms would be nothing short of jacked at that point. Unfortunately, some people let their impatience get the best of them. So they add more sets and more exercises and expect better results. Nothing changes except for sorer muscles and slower strength and muscle gains.
Can you really make gains with such low volume?
Superhero Physique – Here I come!
Hell yah you can! I don’t train this way because I’m lazy, far from it. I’ve adopted minimalistic lifting 18 months ago because it’s the more effective way to train. In a similar light Bruce Lee discovered that the key to becoming a better martial artist was to embrace simplicity and steer the hell away from the complex!
Mastering a few basic moves served more useful than trying to learn every technique under the sun. This is what led Bruce to adapt his rigid gung fu to a more adaptable, more practical concept.
Not to over glorify what I’m doing, but I have discovered that the more effective way to gain strength and build muscle, is to hack away at the unessential and strive for improving the strength of my core lifts, above all else. Second to that, I see if I can add a bit more volume to increase muscle growth without impeding strength gains. This very process has led me to the following guidelines
- 3 lifting sessions per week
- 2 day split (Chest, Delts, Tri’s / Back, Bi’s, Legs)
- 4-6 exercises per workout
- 2-3 work sets for heavy, strength based movements (reverse pyramid training)
- 4-6 sets for superhero pyramid training (constant weight, descending reps)
Want To Learn My 3 Most Recent Training Gems?
I would now like to share a few new realizations I have made in the past few months that have significantly improved my physique.
1. You can actually train shoulders with more volume
I have been able to successfully perform a high amount of volume on shoulders without impeding recovery or strength gains. The result has actually been a solid increase in shoulder size and roundness. If you’re performing heavy incline presses, shoulder presses and dips the anterior deltoid is getting plenty of work.
Doing direct anterior exercises is pointless. The key is to hammer out volume on the medial and posterior head! I am currently doing 6 sets of lateral raises or upright rows on my chest, delt and triceps workout and 6 sets of face pulls (rear delts) on my back and biceps workout. I must say, I am getting a lot of compliments on my shoulders.
2. Take it easy on the triceps
It is very rare in life that we are required to perform a pure triceps extension. Think about it, It just doesn’t happen. The triceps are designed to assist the chest and shoulders in pressing against resistance. Therefore the triceps are going to get the best benefit from compound presses; incline bench, shoulder presses , dips and close grip bench. This is what the triceps are truly designed for.
As a personal anecdote I was struggling to make progress on my weighted dips. Once I stopped doing rope extensions at the end of my workout I was able to add 5 lbs to dips each workout. Eventually I decided to add rope extensions back in and sure enough my dip strength plateau’d and started to retract.
I quickly came to the realization that direct triceps work was causing more harm than good. I haven’t done any direct triceps work in a couple of months and my strength and muscle development is the best it’s ever been!
Just remember, if you’re doing plenty of benching and shoulder pressing then you don’t need any direct triceps work. If you’re paranoid about your triceps then just make sure you’re either doing weighted dips or close grip bench. Trust me, the superior strength gains will more than make up for any reduction in training volume on the triceps.
3. Don’t Listen To The Haters: You Have Permission To Curl!
Unlike triceps extensions, the biceps curl is actually a very functional movement. Very often are humans required to curl their arm up. Whether it’s lifting an object up to the shoulders, holding someone in a clinch, resisting against an arm bar…. the list is endless! We are designed to curl and this anti curl movement has got to come to a complete end.
It’s actually ridiculous. I have yet to see someone with great biceps development that doesn’t curl. Currently on my back and biceps workout I am doing heavy incline dumbbell curls and high volume, superhero pyramid style cable curls. My biceps have never been better! The tape measure is stretched to 16.5″ cold and this direct biceps training has had no negative effects on my chinning progress.
Be Like Drive! Take On Minimalism And Change Your Life
I challenge you to take on minimalism. Let go of any irrational fears of losing muscle or wasting away. It will not happen. Instead you will gain strength at a superhero rate and muscle growth will follow predictably.
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
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Do you think close grip bench is an effective chest building exercise, in conjunction with dips or incline bench? I’m thinking of subbing out regular flat bench for close grip bench!
Yeah close grip is an awesome exercise. But I usually swap dips with close grip. So I might do 2 months of dips and then 2 months of close grip.
Hey Greg!
Just wanted to say I think this post belongs to the “Best of Kinobody” section! :)
Cheers!
Great point!
I have just discovered your plan and have been reading everything I can find. It’s all very inspiring! I noticed that only men are on your success stories (unless I am missing some), is your program one that works for women as well?
Yes it works for women but the marketing and message is directed towards men. I’m working on starting to have a womens sections.
So you think should skull crushers should be taken out if im incline benching and shoulder pressing?
You can keep them in. But you may do better with a less intense triceps movement like cable pushdowns.
Greg on your workout that you posted in the comments. The first two of the workout RP and the rest SPT? Or how is it setup?
That’s the idea, or you may do one RPT and one SPT.
Hey Greg, great and inspiring stuff.
I was wondering about upper-chest targeting techniques. It seems to be a common problem, and I myself have out many hours into inclined pressing movements to try and fill my chest but while I now incline 225×5, mostly the outer and lower pec is developed–I think it might even be worse after switching from the flat bench a few years back. Question: could it be that dips would fit the top out? Goes against mass bodybuilding common knowledge, but then again a lot of kinobody does and it might make sense to try something new. A post of yours in which you mentioned pressing with your elbows tucked in intrigued me, and I wonder if focusing on the press “up” would engage the upper portion of the chest–thoughts?
Sometimes having really great chest development is more a matter of body fat. If you’re higher in body fat then you can store fat in your chest which can throw off the proportion. Get down to 10% body fat or less and the chest really starts to take on that masculine appearance. Of course, focus hard on incline supplemented with heavy dips or close grip bench.
I’m at about 12% now and last summer even around 9% it was an issue as well. I think I’ll start using dips and test that out… thanks!
In Superhero you mention Tricep extensions. Would you recommend dropping them for that routine?
Thanks man.
Within the context of the superhero workout they should be fine. However, if you’re doing 3 or more pushing movements in one workout, additional triceps work is counter productive from my experience.
Hey Greg, great article as always! I’m following the strength and density workout in your muscle building course and this article has prompted a question….
I need to do some extra shoulder work: rather than doing the shoulder specialization routine from the manual, can I stick to the basic strength and density workout and just increase the number of sets for lateral and bent raises? This would allow me to keep the incline press in the workout (which i’d prefer) ?
Thanks bro
Yes that is a good option.
thanks :)
Hey Greg what do you think of ez bar concentration curls?
I want to shift barbell curls with concentration curls.
3×10 2 minutes pause and add 2.5 lbs when i can do all sets with 10 repetition followed by cable curls 3×12
Whic one is better rope attachment or normal cable?
Rope attachement is better for the outer head of the biceps, regal is better for the inner head. I recommend you use the biceps exercises that hit you the hardest. For me that’s standing barbell curls, incline dumbbell curls and cable curls.
Hey man do you reccomend doing deadlifts on this workout, are they good or bad for you?
You can do deadlifts on Workout B with back and biceps.
Hi Greg, love the articles as always.
I’m facing a dilemma and you’re the best to ask for advice. I’m 16, 126 pounds and my waist is around 28.5. I have visible abs and muscle definition, and think i would benefit adding some muscle on my frame. However I HATE the remaining fat i have around my waist, it just ruins my whole physique. Would you suggest I lean up before following visual impact/your muscle building routine or focus to get leaner in the weeks leading up to summer? I really don’t like the fat and would prefer for it to be gone sooner. Any advice?
Thanks.
You’re 16, 126 lbs with a 28.5″ waist. I wouldn’t recommend dieting. Focus on building muscle while remaining lean. Your physique will correct itself in time.
Thanks. Also what intrigues me, is after 6 months of doing Visual impact OR your strength and density routine, what my physique will look like at the end of them?
Good question! I reckon the physique’s won’t differ much. Both programs are aimed at a similar aesthetic ideal.
Hmmm. Personally I prefer your strength and density course over visual impact. I just want to make sure i build the necessary size (what phase 1 is for).
What kind of butter do you use for the meal you listed in your muscle building program? I’m trying to eat naturally to maximize my recomp effect.
Grass fed, if possible. Otherwise regular supermarket butter.
Does it make sense to continue taking creatine when cutting and following ur strength routine or am just throwing away money….
If you’ve been taking creatine then keep taking it when cutting. It will help you maintain strength and muscle. If you haven’t taken creatine then save it for sometime when you’re not cutting.
Right now my max squat is around 275 and dead is 315 at a weight of 170 so I ‘m not that strong. I use 5 3 1 so I for example I ‘m on week 1 for dead and my final set was 280 for 5. So far my thighs stay around 22 inches So I can wear straight leg pants in a 32 waist 30’s are too tight in the legs but no would accuse me of having ‘thunder thighs’
Okay cool! 22″ at 170 sounds about perfect to me. My legs are around 23.5-24″ and this is from very limited leg training for the past 2 years. This seems to be where my legs have normalized at. No doubt, with more training I could add 2-3″ but that would look awful.
When you’re hitting 275 for 5 reps on squat the legs may start to get bigger. As well, when you’re at a 400 lbs deadlift your glutes and hamstring may start to get a little too big. It all depends though. I’ve just found that people that squat and deadlift heavy, even for sets of 2-4 reps, still add a significant amount of bulk once they get to the advanced level of strength.
Greg, have you had any experience with rest pause (RP)/ myo reps? Was wondering what your opinion was on RP compared to RPT. It is a small modification I have made to your program because I need to get out of the gym inside an hour.
So I pretty much use RP on the heavy compound exercises, 6-8 reps for the first set and then rack the bar for 30 secs, do another 2 reps, rest 30 secs, another 2 reps, rest 30 secs, another 2 reps etc. I always stay away from failure on all sets though so when the last 2 reps start getting too hard I end the exercise.
Then on isolation exercises I’ll do similar but higher reps (10-12 on the first set followed by 20 sec breaks and 3-4 rep ‘myo rep’ sets).
What do you think? To be honest I’m cutting atm so have only been doing the first half of that but my strength is still climbing even in deficit but i want to add the higher rep stuff when it’s time to lean gain again.
I’ve recently been incorporating rest pause into my training. However, I prefer to use it for assistance movements later in the workout. The first component of my workout (usually first two exercises) is for heavy, performance based lifting (RPT sytle). This is where I take long rest periods and strive to hit a small personal record. I treat rest pause similarly to standard pyramid with descending reps. The goal is to really fatigue the muscle and get a maximum number of ‘effective reps’. So for shoulders I might do a heavy standing press (RPT style) and then rest pause on lateral raises or upright rows (12 reps + 5 sets of 4 with 10-15 seconds rest between sets).
Cool, I think I’ll give that a shot. Was just reading some stuff from Borge Fagerli and seems he is in agreement with you. For heavier work (under 8 reps) he prefers dropping the weight after the first set to get in more volume but not stress the cns too much and use RP/myo reps for 8-9 reps and over.
So do you think it is useful to combine these two ideas on each muscle group while on a cut or RPT training on the big compounds is enough? I’m just feeling a little flat and missing that full muscle pump that lower reps don’t give. Probably just all in my mind though and more to do with lower carb intake.
Yes it’s a brilliant way to train.
You can do that when cutting but only if you’re doing a slow cut. If you’re going to low in calories and carbs then it won’t work very well.
Hey Greg,
Nice site I enjoy reading your posts. One comment though, I too have read a lot of Rusty Moores blog but I think he is wrong about squats and deads. In my experience and looking at the science legs grow like any muscle group. Sure if you do high reps you get big legs. Myself I do squats or deads every couple workouts for over a year and have no huge size gains but they have made me stronger overall. If you keep the reps low they will just get stronger without getting bigger. Like you I say high reps for shoulders though I will try some high rep biceps for fun after reading your article. Nice job on your physique.
Hey Fred!
Those are some good points. I do agree with you but I think this can be very individualistic. For a while I tried to see if I could develop lean and fit legs doing very low rep leg training. I’m talking about 2-3 sets of 3 reps for squats. Sure enough, my legs filled out and were chaffing. For a lot of other guys this may not be an issue. Some guys can build lower body mass easier than other guys. Rusty and I belong to the group of guys that get big legs fast from training.
What’s important is that you have found what works for you. You can handle the heavy training without your legs blowing up. Now i’m curious to know how much you’re squatting. If your lifting 1.8x bw for 3-5 reps on the squat then I would be pretty surprised if your legs and glutes were’nt becoming very big.
Thanks for responding… I’ve been using your muscle building course for about a month now & am making steady gains. However, im still battling belly buldge. I’m 5’9 and 162 pds but skinny fat. Im using your recomp protocol but work alot of hrs and only have time for strength training and not cardio. So my question is can i get lean strength training while not doing much cardio? My diet is pretty dialed in im using the primal diet from marksdailyapple.com and have been for a few months. Just cant seem to shake this belly bro.
You can get leaner without cardio. If you’re over 12% body fat I would recommend doing a straight cut. Eat at a 20% calorie deficit 5-6 days per week with 1-2 higher calorie days.
Hey Greg
I have developed Golfers elbow – I have a pain in the right inner elbow when performing weighted chins. This is crazy frustrating as I was making some great gains.
Can you recommend an alternative exercise whilst this problem heals?
Also I notice your A B routine above does not include legs…I still want to train legs so would you recommend a four day split or keeping to three days and incorporating squats?
Cheers
J
Hey J
Do lat pull down for now until your elbow heals. Alternatively you can do cable rows. When you start back up with weighted chin ups, go lighter and for higher reps. I wouldn’t go below 6 reps for a while. The heavier weight can be more strenuous on the elbow.
I’d recommend doing 1-2 leg lifts on the Workout B.
Cheers Greg.
Great progress mate. What’s your training and non training macros looking like whilst you’re increasing in size.
When lean bulking I’m not too concerned with hitting an exact macronutrient intake. I just aim to get sufficient protein, lots of carbs and keep fat low to moderate. I make sure to hit 160-200g of protein, 70-80g fat and 350-450g carbs. I’m a lot more relaxed with my diet when bulking. My main things is to make sure I don’t go overboard and spill over.
Would this work for a tall guy (6’5″) who has trouble keeping on muscle when out of the gym?
Definitely! The rules don’t change whether you are 6’6 or 5’6. Granted, you will have to add quite a bit more muscle to have the same effect as a shorter guy. For example, gaining 10 lbs of muscle on a short guy is a lot more noticeable than 10 lbs of muscle on a tall guy. That’s just something you’re going to have to deal with for being so tall.
Hey Greg!
my upper abs look irregular. they dont shape like squares. how can i address this?
thanks! :)
You can’t change the overall shape and structure of your abs. You can only make them bigger and/or reduce the fat around them increasing visibility. Don’t become obsessed over the genetic structure of your abs. Seriously! My abs are staggered but I couldn’t careless. As long as you have the abs, you’re set!
Hey greg,
I workout in the mornings in a fasted state and follow intermittent fasting, i.e. My first meal is 5-6 hrs AFTER my morning (fasted state) workout. Is this alright? or should I move my workout to the evenings, in between my 2 meals?
Cheers
That’s perfectly fine.
when do you do cardio?what do you do on your rest days?
I do 30-40 minutes of cardio on my rest days. This is usually a mix of walking/running (2 min walk, 1 min run), jump rope and elliptical. I do whatever I feel like and aim to burn 400 calories.
Hi Greg, I just got two questins after reading your post and watching your youtube video. 1) What alternate exersice than weighted dips can I do? 2) How many sets do you do on the reverse pyramid training exercises? Because you montioned in another comment to do 3 sets on the Incline Bench (no pyramid) but in your video you said otherwise.
Fantastic blog and inspiration!
1) Close grip bench press
2) For RPT I do 3 sets. For standard pyramid (same weight, descending reps) I do 6 sets. Sorry I didn’t make that clear.
Greg, do you incorporate cardio into your routine? You seem to have lost quite a bit of fat from ur last video.
Yes I do cardio! Usually 3-4x per week for 30-40 minutes per session. There are a few benefits from cardio.
1. In a cardio session I usually burn 400-450 calories. This gives me a lot more room in my diet.
2. I like to be all around fit so doing cardio keeps my stamina and conditioning up.
3. I don’t do any direct work for my legs so Jumping rope and hitting the treadmill keeps my legs very fit.
4. I like to keep my diet pretty high in carbs so being active everyday greatly enhances my ability to tolerate high amounts of carbs well.
Greg, gotta say well done. Great article and holy shit you jacked up!! Great inspiration thank you very much for all the great info.
At my gym the smallest plates are 1.25kg, so would adding 2.5kg to my bench every workout be too much? Cheers
You can alternate between adding 2.5kg to one of your 3 sets. Start with loading your third set, the next workout your second set and the following workout your first set.
Cheers bro
Do what exactly is your workout looking like over a week?
Lifting 3x per week
Workout A
Incline Bench – 3 sets
Standing Press – 2 sets
Dips – 2 sets
Upright Rows – 6 sets (pyramid)
Hanging Leg Raises – 3-4 sets
Workout B
Weighted Chins – 3 sets
Incline DB Curls – 3 sets
Cable Curls – 6 sets
Face Pulls – 6 sets
Dip Bar Leg Raises – 6 sets
Greg, what is the rest period between sets and also between different exercises?
It depends! For heavy, compound movements I rest 3-4 minutes between sets. For isolation based exercises I may only rest 30-60 seconds.
Hi Greg,
Keep up the great work! Why did you stop doing hang cleans?
Just taking a break from hang cleans. Getting most of my leg work jumping rope and running intervals on non lifting days.
What about traps Greg?
For a lot of people, traps don’t require direct work. You will build them perfect proportioned with heavy chins, shoulder presses and lateral raises. If you really want to bring the traps up fast, I recommend hang cleans for 6-8 reps per set! These are amazing for building up the traps. If you can get up to some decent weight, 185 lbs for 6 reps, you’re traps will be totally jacked!
Let me ask you something. I bought your book when it came out and absolutely love the training approach. But I have a lot of trouble improving on my chins if I add weight (2.5lbs) to a set I loose reps on the others. What should I do?
Try just adding weight to half of your sets. So add 2.5 lbs to your second and third set first. The next workout only add 2.5 lbs to your first set. Keep alternating like this.
I’m doing it only one set per workout and still having trouble. Which is weird because I’m having almost a linear progression in my other exercises. I’m getting 8+ hour sleep at night, diet is high in carbs, water intake about 80 ounces a day. So any other recommendations?
Hmmm! Looks like weighted chin ups are a stubborn exercise for you. I recommend switching up the rep range or hand position.
So either do hands facing each other grip or lower the reps to 3, 4, 5.
Thanks, never crossed my mind lowering the rep range. I really appreciate taking your time answering.
I love seeing someone else who is pumped on minimalism. Not only does it enhance muscle building, it makes the whole workout more focused and enjoyable.
Thanks for sharing your experience with direct triceps work. I’ll give it a try.
Shit..Your starting to look like a young Reg Park! I hate you. You suck…yeah, I’m jealous ;)
Hi Greg!
im also doing minimalistic training and am getting great results. i have one problem though. my right arm is bigger than my left arm. this irritates me a lot. how can i make them even?
thanks in advance!
If you haven’t been training for at-least a year it’s very common for your dominant arm to be bigger. It will take time to balance this out. I recommend using dumbbells for training your arms that way each arm gets equal work.
When you are gaining strength, are you feeling fatigue also? Because, I know that it is possible to gain strength without gaining muscle like Rusty Moore and Pavel Tsatsauline says, but you gain strength while also gaining muscle…
Yes, I train for strength and muscle gains. This means keeping the reps a bit higher, 4-10 reps. As well, taking each set closer to failure, 1 rep shy.
If you want strength without hypertrophy then reps should be very low, 2-4 reps. And you should stop 2-3 reps before failure.
Great article Greg!
i have a question. what is your exact ab workout and how often do you train them?
thanks in advance!
PS: you got an awesome superhero physique!
I train abs about 3x per week. I alternate between doing hanging leg raises and dip bar leg raises. Sometimes i’ll also do the abs wheel rollout. Usually i’ll do 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps.
When I watched Drive I wanted to fight someone it had me so pumped up! Another great article man. Also your pictures are impressive man. You’re an inspiration and proof that it is possible to maintain a great physique year round!
Don’t sweat the small stuff in other words. Your muscle building course has really helped me focus. I’m one year out, today as it happens, from my 50th birthday and I am fitter, stronger, and slimmer today than any birthday before this. I find this minimalist approach allows me to focus on key movements without risk of injury that can come with too many ancillary isolation moves.
Love it!
Minimalism = measurable results.
Lookin’ yoked dude. You’ve really put on some quality mass there.
Greg,
I’m a big fan of minimalist workouts also. Pull ups, dips, and incline press are the foundation of my training. I like the idea of focusing on progression because you can actually see the improvement in strength when you do the same exercises over and over. You didn’t mention abs in your splits. Do you do those at the end of your workouts or separately on rest days?
Alykhan