2×3×3 Training Plan: The Minimalist Workout Routine for Maximum Results

The fitness industry can become overwhelming at times. Every other week, there's a new program you should follow, or there's someone telling you your program sucks. Sometimes it can become so annoying that you just want to throw everything away and stick to the basics.

Do what works, get really good at it, and ignore everything else. That's what this program is. We call it the 2X3X3 because that's what the format looks like. No fancy reason.

It's a minimalist strength and fitness program built on maximizing efficiency and simplicity, exactly what you need sometimes when the fitness world becomes too loud.

What Is A Minimalist Training Program?

A "minimalist workout program" is an unofficial term used to describe a style of training that sticks to the basics. It strips away all that is unnecessary and seeks to maximize the efficiency of a training program.

Perhaps the most famous bodybuilder who followed this philosophy was Mike Mentzer and his low-volume training. Kind-of.

A minimalist training program seeks to provide the most benefits with the least amount of workout. Part of their use is born from the belief that lifting is simple in its nature and has been overcomplicated by the fitness industry.

This is not entirely untrue.

Regardless, you can build strength and muscle using a wide range of reps, volume, and exercise selection. Some research shows new lifters only need 3 sets a week, while others suggest using up to 20 weekly sets is great (Baz-Valle et. al, 2022, and Behm et. al, 2024)

A large factor determining what works for you is your genetics and lifestyle. And sometimes we just want to do the minimum, even hardcore lifters. 

The 2X3X3 Minimalist Program

To combat the craziness, we built the 2X3X3 minimalist program. It has an extremely simple design;

• 2 workouts
• 3 exercises a workout
• 3 training sessions weekly
• That's it.

As such, there are only a total of 6 exercises that are going to hit your entire body. Your only objective is to get really good at the exercises.

To do this, we are going to use some "periodization". We use the term "periodization" loosely, as we simply mean we'll alternate the loading scheme. 

With that said, here is the workout. We'll then review the 6 exercises and the rep scheme.

Session A

• Trap Bar Carry
• Incline Bench Press (Or on Smith Machine)
• Chin-Ups

Session B

• Trap Bar Deadlift (Low Bar)
• Dips
• T-Bar Row Or Seated Row

The 6 Exercises

Here's a summary of the 6 exercises and the rationale behind their use. 

Plus, if you want to swap out an exercise, just do it. Just be sure it's still a compound movement with similar biomechanics.

The only exercise we would say everyone needs is the carry. 

1. Trap Bar Deadlift (Low Bar): Complete Lower Body Workout

The trap bar deadlift is an awesome, full lower-body workout that will hit your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.  We're choosing it over the squat or deadlift simply because it's easier to perform, especially with heavier loads.

We are not saying the squat and deadlift are dangerous. We're simply choosing the trap bar as it's more accessible to more people. Plus, as we're simply interested in improving lower-body strength in a functional manner, there's no inherent reason we need to squat or deadlift.

Many trap bars will have two options for handles: raised handles or lower handles. If you have the ability, use the lower handles.

2. Trap Bar Carry: Total Body Conditioning 

While you're at the trap bar, you're also going to perform trap bar carries. The trap bar carry (or farmer carry) may be the single best exercise that provides a lot of bang for your buck. 

Trap Bar Carries are going to your lower body dynamically while demanding stabilization throughout your core, back, and grip. Plus, it's dynamic in nature and one of the rare exercises that fits the definition of being "functional".

If you have read Set For Set for any length of time, you have probably seen us speak about this exercise before. In truth, we would include the carry in just about any list of exercises that seek to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. 

3. Dips: Build The Chest, Triceps, and Athleticism

Dips are one of our favorite pressing movements. It's an amazing exercise to build your chest and triceps. Plus, we can be a bit cheeky and have you perform triceps dips and chest dips (Gironda dips) to target the muscles slightly differently.

Plus, we think mastering calisthenic strength exercises is key to maintaining athleticism and function. 

4. Incline Bench Press (Smith Machine): Target The Upper Chest and Shoulders

Your second pressing movement is going to be the incline bench press. Now, it's totally up to what variation you want to do:

• Incline Barbell Bench Press
• Incline Dumbbell Press
• Incline Smith Machine

They all work for what we want to do, which is to improve your horizontal pushing power. As the dips will blast your chest and lower chest, the incline press will cover the upper chest and even shoulders.

If we want to cheat with the whole "6 exercises", you can even alter the incline in a structured manner. For example, alternate between pressing at a 30-degree angle and a 60-degree angle. It's a little variation that can help keep things interesting while maintaining that minimalist feel.

5. Chin-Ups: The Best Back Exercise There Is

In addition, we already explained why we love calisthenic exercises, so the chin-up is the back's answer.

Chin-ups are arguably the single best back exercise you can do. They train the entire upper body posterior while also giving your biceps an awesome workout.

Plus, as you become more advanced, you can begin performing chin-up variations such as sternum chin-ups or arched chin-ups (essentially turning the chin-up into a body row).

6. T-Bar Row Or Seated Row: Put Mass On The Back and Strengthen Lower Back

Your second pulling exercise will be the T-Bar Row or Seated Row.

We prefer the T-Bar row as it allows heavy loads for full back development. Plus, it gives your lower back and core awesome isometric stimulation.

However, if you need to, you can use the seated cable row. Or, get cheeky and alternate through them. 

Training Sessions

We're now going to go through how the training sessions will look. As there are only two workouts and 3 training days, you'll simply rotate through them.

Week 1

• Workout A
• Workout B
• Workout A

Week 2

• Workout B
• Workout A
• Workout B

Rep Schemes

As mentioned above, you're going to use different rep schemes for different rep schemes that you'll simply rotate through. The three rep schemes will be:

1. Strength- For strength, you will perform 5 ramp-up sets like 10/8/6/4/Back-Off. A session will look like this;

• Set 1- 70% X 10
• Set 2- 75% X 8
• Set 3 -80%X 6
• Set 4- RPE9 X 4
• Set 5-  75% X AMRAP

2. Hypertrophy- On your Hypertrophy exercise, perform 3 sets in the 6-10 rep range. The only difference is using rest-pause on the last set.

3. EMOM- On your EMOM exercise, use 5-10min EMOM depending on your needs (5min will be sufficient for most people).

For example, here's how the first 3 sessions for Workout A will look.

Session 1

• Trap Bar Carry - Strength
• Incline Bench Press (Or on Smith Machine)- Hypertrophy 
• Chin-Ups- EMOM

Session 2

• Chin-Ups- Strength
• Trap Bar Carry- Hypertrophy
• Incline Bench Press (Or on Smith Machine)- EMOM

Session 3

• Incline Bench Press (Or on Smith Machine)- Strength
• Chin-Ups- Hypertrophy
• Trap Bar Carry- EMOM

The trap bar carry is the only exercise that will be a bit different. Depending on your equipment and room, use the same general concepts, i.e., strength- work up to the heaviest load.

Keep Training Simple

Again, this workout isn't about rigidity. It's about doing what works for you.

There's no reason to make training ultra-complicated. The simplicity of a program doesn't affect its effectiveness, and often, it makes a program more accessible and easier to progress on.

We're not going to say the above program is the best program ever. We are saying that if you progress on the above exercises, you're going to build a massive and powerful physique. 

References

1. Baz-Valle, E., Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Alix-Fages, C., & Santos-Concejero, J. (2022). A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes on Muscle Hypertrophy. Journal of human kinetics, 81, 199–210. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0017
2. Behm, D.G., Granacher, U., Warneke, K. et al. Minimalist Training: Is Lower Dosage or Intensity Resistance Training Effective to Improve Physical Fitness? A Narrative Review. Sports Med 54, 289–302 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01949-3