Brad Schoenfeld on the Science of Time-Efficient Training

September 22, 2021

Most of us lead busy, hectic lives and we have to face the fact that we’re doing to die with a long to-do list. “Ain’t nobody got time for that,” after all.

So it’s no surprise that when life throws you a curveball and your time is suddenly strapped, your training might have to take a backseat.

Other times it’s not obligations that get in the way, but perhaps you just want to spend less time in the gym so that you have more time and energy to devote to other pursuits.

Or maybe you’re someone who’s just getting started in the gym and doesn’t want to devote hours every week to getting fit.

No matter the reason, the good news is you can easily maintain (or even gain) muscle and strength with surprisingly little training.

In this podcast, I interview Dr. Brad Schoenfeld, who recently released a narrative review of what the scientific literature says about time-efficient training.

That is, Brad and his colleagues evaluated the research to determine the most effective way to strength train with the least amount of time.

Brad practically needs no introduction, but in case you’re not familiar with him, he’s an internationally renowned fitness expert, author, educator, lecturer, and researcher, who’s published over 200 peer-reviewed research articles on exercise and sports nutrition. He’s truly an authority on all things related to body composition, hypertrophy, fat loss, and natural bodybuilding.

So, if you’re someone who wants to learn how to get the most out of your training with the least amount of time in the gym, or you’re an optimizer who wants to train as efficiently as possible, definitely listen to this podcast!

Lastly, if you want to support the show, please drop a quick review of it over on iTunes. It really helps!

Timestamps:

7:23 – How do you maximize muscle growth while minimizing time spent in the gym?

8:22 – How little training can you do while still making gains?

12:54 – What’s the minimum amount of training to maintain muscle you’ve already built?

17:48 – How do you program a minimalist routine? How do you get the best results with minimal time in the gym?

20:59 – How many sets should you do?

24:22 – How do you count the direct and indirect volume with multi-joint exercises?

28:48 – What movements should you include in your routine?

40:38 – How long should you rest between sets?

46:35 – How should you pick the number of reps to do on a particular exercise?

48:52 – How should you use drop sets?

49:46 – How do you count drop sets?