Minimaxlist Training: Program Idea

September 23, 2026 | Built Strong, Training

Minimaxlist Training

Minimaxlist training, then…

Well, the original idea was to train and write about minimalist training. But after giving it some more thought, I realized that just because I can complete the training I have prescribed for myself in under an hour, that doesn’t necessarily make it minimalist. Not even when some sessions have taken less than 45 minutes. From one perspective, sure. But when looking at the bigger picture, no. Let me explain how I think about it.

I primarily operate within powerlifting and bench press circles. I have also spent time around and gained some insight into CrossFit, strongman and bodybuilding. What we all have in common are different kinds of truths, beliefs, rules and, perhaps most importantly, fixed ideas about how things MUST be done. There are certain things that MUST be done in a certain way.

You don’t have to agree on what those things are, but everyone has their own. Sooner or later, you develop them. They can change over time, but they are there. It can be anything from certain exercises that have to be included, to having to perform a certain number of sets or reps at a certain weight. It can be how the warm-up should be done, how many days of rest you need, what progression has to look like, and so on.

We don’t have to ignore these things or try to justify them. Instead, I think it is useful to be aware that we all have our own fixed ideas, even when they are based on reasonable principles. So, when I was putting together an “off-season program” for myself, with a general strength-training focus around powerlifting, I had a few rules I wanted to follow:

  • The sessions should be possible to complete in under an hour.
  • Only one working set per exercise.
  • The exercises should cover all the joints.

Looking at the first point, I have managed to complete every session in under an hour, assuming I’m training by myself. At the athletic club, training with my son and other people, it took around two hours. That was partly because I had to look after my son and partly because I was helping other people. However, when I have trained by myself at home in the garage, the sessions have taken around 50 minutes, give or take.

The one-set approach is also good because if you feel dissatisfied with how hard you pushed yourself, you have to live with that and remember it next time. It encourages you to push harder and work closer to failure. I want people to work on strength as well as mobility through all the “primary” joints. That means using longer ranges of motion where you actually challenge the joint and the muscles around it. A typical example is elbows and knees becoming problematic for people who don’t regularly train elbow or knee extension under challenging loads.

The sessions and exercises are as follows, with the understanding that some exercises may be replaced with similar alternatives if the required equipment isn’t available.

Workout 1

  • Box Squat
  • Deadlift
  • Lunges
  • Good Mornings
  • Sissy Squat
  • Leg Curls
  • Sit-Ups
  • Back Extensions
  • Lying Side Leg Raises

Workout 2

  • Bench Press
  • Medium-Grip Bench Press
  • Close-Grip Bench Press
  • Pronated-Grip Chins
  • Military Press
  • Dips
  • Pronated Barbell Row
  • Bench Extensions
  • Barbell Curls
  • Reverse Flyes

Workout 3

  • Box Squat / Squat
  • Stiff-Leg Deadlift
  • Split Squat
  • Good Mornings
  • Leg Extensions
  • Leg Curls
  • Lying Leg Raises
  • Reverse Hyper
  • Seated Abductions

Workout 4

  • Bench Press
  • Medium-Grip Bench Press
  • Close-Grip Bench Press
  • Supinated-Grip Chins
  • Behind-the-Neck Press
  • Push-Ups
  • Dumbbell Extensions
  • Dumbbell Row
  • Barbell Curls
  • Face Pulls

What I do is perform several warm-up sets before the first exercise, and then generally fewer warm-up sets for the remaining exercises. Usually anywhere from 1–3.

For example, the deadlift in Workout 1, after the box squats, has required three warm-up sets so far. Some sessions may require four. After the box squats, you have already activated the same muscles quite well.

Calling all of these exercises minimalist training, even if you are in a gym with a lot of equipment, doesn’t feel right to me.

The program may be adjusted after more people have completed their test runs with it.

A lot of people think of minimalist training purely in terms of equipment. But many people train in gyms where there is a huge amount of equipment available. If you are paying several hundred kronor a month for that gym, I think you should be able to make use of some of it.

You can, of course, work around this by choosing different variations or exercises based on the equipment you have available. So why do I still feel that this doesn’t belong in the minimalist training category? Because there is simply too much of it. You could achieve a very similar effect and very similar results with much less.

That is where the made-up term Minimaxlist Training comes from.

It can be a way for me, and for those of us who aren’t quite ready to commit to more primitive minimalist training, to feel like we are doing things quickly and efficiently while still working the muscle groups properly through several angles and ranges of motion.

The program I am currently running will eventually get a name along the lines of Built 26. For now, it is simply called Built Project 2026.

The program I am currently running, from the end of summer 2026 into autumn 2026, will be available in the Built Strong App shortly.

It will most likely be called Built Project 2026.

For anyone who wants to try the app and the programs in it, you can use this code to get 100 SEK off your first purchase:

Code: aJ3TvSpy