The Daily Minimalist

This program offers the minimum effective dose of strength training that will give you results in the form of better fitness, increased muscle tone, and enhanced strength!

This workout plan requires you to make a daily commitment to yourself. While the time required daily is little, it adds up over time and can make a big difference in your strength and fitness, especially if you are slow, focused, and intentional when you do your sets.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How long is the Daily Minimalist program?
   Ideally, you continue doing the Daily Minimalist program forever, so you stay fit and strong your whole life long! That being said, you may decide to move on from it at some point, and that’s okay. I recommend trying it for at least 6 months to see results, and I would highly recommend trying to make a full year of the program to truly commit to yourself and see it through.
   
   

2. Do I continue adding on reps forever and ever?
   Increase your reps by one every month for the first year. At the beginning of the second year, I recommend dropping your reps back down to one above what you started with the first year. For example, if you began with 3 sets of 5 reps in the first month of your first year, begin the first month of your second year with 3 sets of 6 reps, so you will end the second year with a higher number than the first year. Going back down in reps ensures you don’t burn out, and gives the opportunity to do lower rep sets again with more intention and effort.
   
   

3. What do I do if I miss a day?
   Simply do the sets and reps that you missed the following day. Try not to miss too many days, or it becomes really challenging to catch up!
   
   

4. Why pushups and squats?
   We are going for the minimal effective dose of exercise, and pushups and squats are two basic strength training exercises that target your entire body. You can also do the program with only pushups or only squats, which will still yield tremendous benefits for the entire body.
   
   

5. Can I change which variation I’m using as I go along?
   You are free to modify the variation you are using, as well as adjust the program in any way you choose to. Listen to your body! That being said, be sure you feel really confident with the easier variations of the exercise before you move onto a more difficult variation.
   
   

6. Is this enough exercise or do I need to do more?
   If you only do The Daily Minimalist and nothing else, you will get stronger and fitter. As outlined in the PDF for the program, however, you can choose to supplement the pushups and squats with cardiovascular exercise such as walking and cycling, and/or a few weightlifting workouts per month.