When time is limited, getting the most from your training becomes even more important. And while it’s easy to assume that more exercises, sessions and training methods will build more muscle and deliver better results, a simpler approach can make it easier to consistently tick off the boxes that matter. That’s the focus of coach Markus Frison’s five-point training system.

For 20 years, Frison trained at the highest level, from national-level cycling to competing in HYROX Elite 15. But after stepping away from elite sport, starting a second company and spending more time with his family, training for 20-plus hours a week was no longer realistic – or desirable.

‘After stripping everything back over the last year and testing what actually mattered, I landed on five things – only five,’ says Frison. ‘These five things keep me strong, lean and athletic in my 30s. And the best thing is they don’t require me to live in the gym anymore.’

In a YouTube video, he explains the five methods that made the cut.

1. Simple Strength Training

Frison’s foundation consists of basic bodyweight movements including pull-ups, dips, push-ups and squats.

‘Train these two to three times per week at least. Your focus should be to get stronger at them over time. Focus on simple movements that cover your whole body,’ he says.

While adding load is one route to progressive overload, building muscle ultimately comes down to creating enough muscular tension and progressively challenging your muscles over time. Frison favours compound bodyweight exercises because they allow him to train multiple muscle groups without filling his sessions with additional isolation work.

‘Ignore most of the assistance work, like curls,’ he says. ‘You can invest your time better.’

2. Heavy Carries

Frison’s second essential is simple: pick something heavy up and walk with it.

Farmer’s carries, suitcase carries and sandbag carries challenge your grip and trunk while forcing you to maintain good posture under load.

‘Especially heavy carries build the kind of strength and endurance that actually matters,’ says Frison. ‘They build your posture, your core and your grip.’

He also uses carries as his primary form of isometric training, since your trunk, shoulders and grip have to maintain constant tension while the rest of your body is moving.

3. Weighted Rotations

‘Everyone is training and living in one plane – forwards, backwards, up and down,’ says Frison. ‘They never train their body to move under load the way life actually demands.’

Most gym programmes consist largely of movements performed forwards, backwards, up and down. Frison argues that rotational strength deserves just as much attention.

He uses loaded kettlebell rotations, although cable rotations, landmine rotations and medicine-ball throws are all effective alternatives.

4. Endurance Training

Frison recommends making low-intensity aerobic work a regular part of your programme.

‘We could be running. We could do burpees. We could do weighted walking, swimming, biking – whatever is accessible for you. Do some kind of low-intensity work, zone two basically, for 30 to 60 minutes, maybe once or twice a week if you have the time.’

He also suggests occasionally adding higher-intensity conditioning to the end of your strength sessions.

Improving your aerobic fitness helps you recover more efficiently between repeated bouts of exercise, making it a valuable foundation whether your goal is strength, endurance or simply better overall fitness.

5. Plyometrics

Finally, Frison includes explosive exercises such as jumps, bounds and other short, fast efforts.

Power naturally declines with age, particularly if we stop exposing ourselves to explosive movements. Plyometric training is one of the best ways to preserve that quality alongside more traditional strength and endurance work.

‘Explosive training keeps your nervous system sharp,’ says Frison. ‘This is what keeps you moving, feeling like an athlete, even into your 40s and 50s.’

How to Put the 5 Together

Strength and endurance form Frison’s year-round foundation.

The remaining three elements – carries, rotations and plyometrics – are rotated through four-week training blocks.

‘In one four-week block, you focus on carries. In the next one, focus on rotations. And in the block after that, you focus on your plyometrics.’

Over 12 weeks, all five qualities receive dedicated attention without making every session unnecessarily complicated.

‘Across a quarter of the year, you train all of them,’ says Frison. ‘Across a year, you become exceptionally good at all three without burning out or making training too complicated.’