How I Built an Aesthetic Body While Training Less (7 Secrets)

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Is it really possible to build an aesthetic body while training less?

I asked myself this 2 years ago, over a decade into my fitness journey.

And since then -

I've managed to build more muscle and strength than I ever thought was possible.

Working out just a fraction of the time most people spend in the gym

This gave me more time and energy to spend on things I enjoy…

• Making videos like this

• Reading books to improve my life

• Meal prepping to improve my health

• Spending quality time with my partner

• Trying new recipes (and all of this while working full time)

And it's honestly changed my life.

So in today’s letter, I wanna share with you 7 key Minimalist Training principles for building an aesthetic body while training less that you can apply even if you’re just starting out!

First, what is Minimalist training?

It's a style of training that focuses on two main ideas

1. “Less is more” and

2. “Quality over quantity”.

Rather than working out for hours a day and trying to maximise your results in the short term and risk burning yourself out.

Instead you can workout for say 10, 15, 30 minutes a day and still make gains.

And a lot of people will say no it's not possible but as with anything -

“It's not about what you do, it's how you do it.”

Which brings me to the first principle.

#1 Create Your Strategy

When I first started minimalist training I went from training 60-90 minutes a day, 5-6 times a week down to 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week

It was an easy decision.

Because since working full time and getting into a relationship and now married I just didn’t want to feel super tired all the time

Nor did I want to be spending a big portion of my spare time in the gym.

In other words, I knew what I wanted.

But if you’re just starting out and you don’t know what you want, your goal could be as simple as working out 2-3 times a week with the goal to improve 1% each week

Like lift a slightly heavier weight or 1 more rep than last time.

You also want to start thinking about the best time and day to train.

Because with minimalist training, the upside is your workouts are now shorter so you have greater flexibility with when to workout

But the downside is that it doesn't make it that much easier to actually get your workout in.

For me, I find that training first thing in the morning for 10-15 minutes a day, every day, works best because it gets the blood flowing and it sets up my entire day.

It's also when I have the most energy for pushing heavy weights and it's also at a time where I'm most likely to get it done as opposed to after work.

For you, it might be different.

So start thinking about your strategy by answering these 3 simple questions -

1. How long do you want to workout for each day?

2. How often do you want to workout each week?

3. What days and times do you want to workout?

Keep in mind, this is just a way to figure out your plan of attack, not a way to guarantee results.

And that’s where this next one comes into play.

#2 Imperfect Consistency

For a good decade, consistency meant having to workout on the same days, every week.

For example, if I worked out on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, then every week needed to be Monday, Wednesday, Saturday

And if I didn’t, then I’d feel extremely guilty and beat myself up about it

This meant I then had to play catch up.

Like if I skipped a couple days, I needed to make sure that I still get 3 days in this week.

And you can imagine how tiring that might be

This fucked me up because over the past 10 years, I was constantly burning out

And it was only 2 years ago when I started minimalist training did I then open my mind up to being able to work out on a “when you can” basis.

I stopped looking at my schedule as 7 day blocks but instead a series of free-flowing days.

This completely transformed not only my body but also my life and since then, I’ve burnt out 0 times.

Although, I have been close to burning out and later I’ll tell you how I deal with that.

And so you’ll want to workout in a way that's actually sustainable

A way where you can work out for the next two decades, if not your entire life, and continue making gains

And you can do this by adopting what I call “imperfect consistency”.

If not today, then tomorrow, if not tomorrow, then the next day.

But now that you have a better idea of how to stay consistent without burning out, let’s dive into some minimalist training hacks for maximising your gains in less time.

#3 Minimalist Training Hacks

• Myo Reps

• Drop Sets

• Supersets

These 3 things completely changed the game when I first started Minimalist Training.

I knew what some of these were but I really wasn't making use of them

And little did I know there's this window of time where every rep becomes highly effective

For example, myo reps

After your last set of say bicep curls, you’ll rest for about 4 seconds and then do as many reps as you can 

even if it's just one rep

that one rep will be more effective than any one rep during your regular sets

Let's call this one mini set, you'll then want to repeat this for at least three mini sets.

And this is something I highly suggest you include in your workouts because you can expect to make more gains without really adding more time to your workouts 

Or better yet, you can replace a regular set with myo reps

So say you were doing 3 sets of bicep curls, it would then become 2 sets + myo reps.

I talk more about these hacks or techniques in one of my last videos.

So we now have 3 highly effective training tools, however without this next one, its almost impossible to make consistent gains, stay motivated and achieve long term growth.

#4 Elevate & Grow

When I first started bench pressing, I kept doing the same weight

I saw some results. Maybe it was just a pump.

But with minimalist training, you’re doing a much lower volume (aka sets and reps)

And so every single rep counts.

But there was this one thing that catapulted my results

Not only did it boost my confidence but it also made me motivated and excited to keep improving

This one thing allowed me to “see” the progress whether physically or in the form of numbers.

And so I encourage you to start writing down what you do during your workouts

Weights, sets and reps.

Track, improve, fail, learn, lift and repeat.

But to build an aesthetic body is more than just muscles in the mirror. In other words, it’s only just one side of the coin.

#5 Build From The Inside Out 

Building an aesthetic body makes you more attractive.

But if you only work on what you can see, like your muscles, your hair, what you wear

And you ignore what you can’t see, your heart, lungs, brain and so forth

Then it’s only a matter of time until the truth comes out.

It's like if you were to ignore that weird rumbling sound in your car, one day you’ll pay the price.

And just like in life, ignoring the need to work on your overall health or any signs of bad health, you’ll end up spending more time fixing problems than actually living your life.

And with adopting minimalist training, you get more time back into your life

So it pays to use some of that spare time to educate yourself on health and nutrition and then apply that knowledge. Keep in mind, the learning never stops.

But here’s a few things I’ve learnt over the past decade that I think everyone should know - 

As a general rule, eat foods that are lower in calories but higher in nutrition

These are typically foods that grow in the ground, they make you feel good and they also give you longer lasting energy throughout the day

Not like the instant energy you get from coffee and then crash soon after.

It also allows you to eat more while staying leaner, without restricting yourself to small portions that then causes most of us to binge.

As for protein, you wanna make sure you’re getting at least the bare minimum for a healthy functioning body

Which is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight or 0.36 grams per pound per day

And despite bodybuilders claiming a higher amount of protein, I’ve been able to build muscle even with this lower amount.

(Any more is a plus!)

So to better optimise your body, health and mind - build from the inside out.

But this doesn't mean you’re never going to run into problems. Which leads me to the next point.

#6 Find Your Balance

Even with Minimalist Training, there's going to be times when you feel like you’re on the verge of burnout.

And that’s perfectly normal.

Because you’re never “just working out”.

• Dealing with “life”

• Working or studying full time 

• Or simply trying to pack more into your days.

And your engine can only stay running for so long.

So what happens when you ignore signs of burnout?

It's going to get worse and lead to something more serious, right?

One thing I’ve found helpful in the last few months is a product called Whoop.

(not sponsored)

It’s basically like having a personal coach on your wrist. One great feature is that it gives me a daily indication as to whether I should be resting or pushing myself to be more active or even how hard I should be working out.

But also, I've gone over 10 years without using such a device and so it's not exactly a must, but it definitely takes the guesswork out of trying to balance work, leisure and rest.

And so whatever problem you find yourself dealing with, whether it's a tight muscle, or you feel overworked, or exhausted, don't make the mistake of just fixing the “symptom”

Instead, try to find the source of the problem and attack that.

Because you can’t fix a leaky tap by mopping the floor.

So if you feel something’s off despite a good night's rest, try having a more restorative day.

Sooner or later, you’ll find your balance.

Last but not least, this last one’s by far the most important - here’s why.

#7 Invest In Yourself

If I said - “invest in yourself”.

What comes to mind?

Perhaps allocating time, effort, or money, towards personal growth, development, and well-being.

You see, for most guys, a 30 minute workout is not just 30 minutes.

Think about the time it takes for you to get to the gym, wait for a bench, catch up with that guy you don’t even like, talk to that hot chick at the counter, not to mention having to put up with that guy who consistently hogs the cables.

All up a 30 minute workout then becomes, say, 60 minutes.

Here’s the thing -

Let's say you workout for 30 minutes a day, 4 times a week.

That’s 2 hours a week.

But really, you’re spending 60 minutes a workout. This then becomes 4 hours a week.

In a year, that's over 200 hours. In a decade, that’s 2,000 hours.

But what if you could halve that?

What if you could make a 30 minute workout actually become 30 minutes?

How would that change your life?

What I’m trying to say is, there’s a simple solution that costs only a couple hundred to a thousand dollars which, on average, really equates to about a week’s wage

And a lot of people will say - “I just don’t have the money”.

But remember, time is finite and money can’t buy time.

So a simple solution like investing in just a barbell and weights

Or two adjustable dumbbells, a few rubber mats and a foldable bench…

This completely transformed my life.

So I highly suggest you consider ways to invest in yourself and protect your time.

After all, that’s the whole point of adopting minimalist training right?

So these are the 7 key minimalist training principles that have helped me build an aesthetic body while training less.

And hopefully you found value in at least one of these.

Start with one or all and slowly add another tool to your toolbox and watch your body health and mind transform.

“Tiny actions lead to insane results over time.”

I hope you enjoyed this one, if you did and you want to keep in touch, join my brand new Patreon community here (Part-Time Bodybuilders) for $1 and get direct access to me, free workout programs and other like-minded individuals.

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Speak soon,

Anthony Minimal