If you’re short on time – or simply tired of long, arduous, high-rep sessions – doing less may actually deliver more. According to coach Alain Gonzalez, the key to building muscleisn’t endlessly increasing volume, but improving the quality of your work and allowing enough recovery to actually adapt. He says, ‘that’s what happens when you focus on quality over quantity.’
Gonzalez compares training to paddling a leaking boat. Push too hard without managing fatigue and performance starts to drop off. Instead, pulling back on volume and prioritising recovery keeps each set productive and allows you to progress over time. ‘If you want the best return from each set, you need to push your sets to failure or very close to it,’ he says.
His solution is a minimalist approach of two full-body workouts per week, built around foundational movement patterns and performed with high effort. By training each muscle group twice weekly, keeping volume controlled and pushing sets close to failure, you can stimulate growth without accumulating unnecessary fatigue.
The Plan
Gonzalez recommends approaching each session with high effort, aiming to finish sets close to failure, and allowing 48 to 72 hours between workouts. Keep the focus on progressing your lifts over time, rather than adding more volume. This approach may help you build muscle while staying fresher and more consistent.
Rather than centring the programme entirely around heavy barbell lifts, Gonzalez also prioritises stable, joint-friendly compound movements performed with high effort and minimal volume.
Workout 1
Perform 2 sets per exercise (progress to 3 if recovery allows). 6-10 reps for compound lifts, 8-12 for isolation moves.
What to read next
1. Squat Pattern
Leg press, hack squat or Smith machine squat
2. Horizontal Push
Dumbbell press, barbell bench press or chest press machine
3. Vertical Pull
Pull-ups or lat pulldown
4. Hip Hinge
Romanian deadlift (barbell or dumbbell)
5. Isolation Work
Lateral raises, bicep curls or added option of rear delt raises
Workout 2
Perform 2 sets per exercise (progress to 3 if recovery allows). 6-10 reps for compound lifts, 8-12 for isolation moves.
1. Horizontal Pull
Chest-supported row or T-bar row
2. Vertical Push
Overhead press or incline press
3. Hip Dominant
Hip thrust or seated leg curl
4. Squat/Lunge Pattern
5. Isolation Work
Lateral raises, direct tricep work
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.
