Sometimes, sticking to the basics and doing them consistently is what matters most for building muscle. That’s the thinking behind a minimalist workout method shared by fitness creator Barbells and Braincells, who has outlined a routine built around three 30-minute sessions a week.

In the caption accompanying his programme, he writes, ‘Three days a week, 30 minutes each. No, it’s not ‘optimal’ for building the maximum amount of muscle, but it will get you strong, muscular, and actually consistent when life’s busy.’

It’s a no-frills approach to building muscle, designed to get the job done without wasting time. The programme focuses on compound lifts that work multiple muscle groups at once, alongside a few targeted movements to round things out.

The ethos behind the method is simple: prioritise the exercises that deliver the most bang for your buck, keep your sessions manageable and focus on getting stronger over time. Here’s how the routine works and how to perform each exercise.

Day 1

Deadlift: 2 sets of 5-8 reps

Day 2

Standing Calf Raise: 2 sets of 6-10 reps

Day 3

Neutral-Grip Pull-Up: 2 sets of 5-8 reps

Squat: 2 sets of 5-8 reps

Skull Crushers: 2 sets of 6-10 reps

Overhead Press

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell at shoulder height with your hands just outside shoulder-width.
• Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and press the bar overhead until your arms are extended.
• Lower the bar under control.

Deadlift

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and the bar over the middle of your feet.
• Hinge at your hips, bend your knees and grip the bar.
• Brace your core and push through the floor to stand, keeping the bar close to your body.
• Finish standing tall before lowering the bar under control.

Biceps Curl

• Stand tall holding a barbell with an underhand grip.
• Keep your elbows close to your sides and curl the bar towards your shoulders without swinging your torso.
• Slowly lower the weight until your arms are nearly straight, keeping the movement controlled.

Bench Press

• Lie on a flat bench with your feet planted firmly on the floor.
• Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width and lower it towards your mid-chest.
• Press the bar back up until your arms are extended, keeping your shoulders stable against the bench.

Chest-Supported Row

• Set an adjustable bench to an incline and lie face down with your chest supported.
• Holding a dumbbell in each hand, allow your arms to hang beneath you.
• Pull your elbows back towards your torso, squeeze your shoulder blades together and slowly lower the weights.

Standing Calf Raise

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, using a stable support for balance if needed.
• Lower your heels into a comfortable stretch before pushing through the balls of your feet to rise as high as possible.
• Pause briefly at the top, then lower slowly without bouncing.

Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

• Grip parallel pull-up handles with your palms facing one another.
• Start from a controlled hanging position, engage your shoulders and pull yourself upwards until your chin reaches the level of the handles.
• Lower yourself slowly to the starting position.

Squat

• Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips. Keep your chest proud and your core locked.
• Sink your hips back and descend into a squat while your knees travel in line with your toes.
• At the bottom of the squat, your thighs should hit parallel or lower and your elbows should come in between your knees. Drive back up, pushing through your heels and tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat.

Skull Crushers

• Lie on a flat bench holding an EZ-bar or dumbbells above your chest.
• Keeping your upper arms relatively still, bend your elbows to lower the weight towards your forehead or just behind your head.
• Extend your elbows to return to the starting position, maintaining control throughout.

If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.

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.