Irfmeister’s Minimalist Workout Routine
I worked out through my college, master’s, and PhD years. I started with weightlifting, gym-bro style, with a lot of bro-science thrown in about everything: breathing, pacing, loading/deloading. My life changed for the better when I discovered the Bodyweight Fitness (BWF) subreddit. I started following their recommended routine (RR) sometime during my PhD, and it saw me through. Mind you, this all happened a decade ago, and I don’t know the latest state of affairs in the community.
The recommended routine, and the surrounding body of knowledge that BWF put forth, essentially changed how I worked out. I learned about functional fitness and compound exercises, and through years of practice, got quite strong. There was one problem: the RR was too long. I was struggling to finish it in close to an hour. After I had kids and got an industry job, working out became harder — more so after my divorce, when I had two little kids I couldn’t leave home alone.
The solution I came up with was to shorten the workout to bare necessities. I cut about 80% of it, reducing it to a form I could finish in 20–30 minutes a day. The only equipment I used was calisthenics rings hung from the stairs. I followed this program four times a week for over five years. It kept me in decent shape and let me complete a number of obstacle course races (OCR). Here is my program:
| Day | Stretching | Core | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Shoulder Rolls Wrist Mobility Cat/Camel | Hollow Body 1min Arch 1min | Diamond Push-ups 3×8 Handstand Push-ups 3×8 |
| Tuesday | Shoulder Rolls Wrist Mobility Cat/Camel | Forward Plank 1min Reverse Plank 1min | Ring Rows 3×8 Ring Pull-ups 3×8 |
| Wednesday | – | Run 5K | – |
| Thursday | Shoulder Rolls Wrist Mobility Cat/Camel | Hollow Body 1min Arch 1min | Diamond Push-ups 3×8 Handstand Push-ups 3×8 |
| Friday | Shoulder Rolls Wrist Mobility Cat/Camel | Forward Plank 1min Reverse Plank 1min | Ring Rows 3×8 Ring Pull-ups 3×8 |
| Saturday | – | Run 5K | – |
| Sunday | – | Rest | – |
I sometimes would squeeze in side planks in there, admittedly the program was neglecting the lower body. I guess I skipped a lot of leg days, if you don’t count those runs. Somewhere along the way I came across the “Busy Dad” workout — it seemed like it should’ve been exactly what I needed, given the timing of my life, but it just didn’t click for me. I stuck with my own stripped-down version instead.
What did I learn from working out like this for years? The biggest lesson was that consistency trumps fancy programs and equipment. I did the same exercises day in and day out, for years. While eventually I hit a plateau, I was able to retain a lot of strength through minimal effort.
My kids are now older, and I joined an amazing fitness community, so this program is becoming a thing of the past. I just wanted to record it here.
