How to build lean muscle with only 2 short workouts per week

“Finally,” I thought, “I can train the way I used to, this dad bod sucks.”

4 years ago, during the pandemic, I landed a dream job as a machine learning engineer. A year of hustle paid off. My income doubled and my family life became stable after a deep depression.

But after it was over, I was 20 lbs overweight. Never have I felt so heavy (and ashamed).

I wanted to go back to my college body prime.

“How the hell can I train for over an hour 4-5 times per week like before?” It felt impossible with a second kid on the way and a new job.

So after a bit of digging, I found the method I was looking for.

Enter HIT or High Intensity Training. No, not HIIT that’s high-intensity INTERVAL training. I don’t use that one. Why? Because this method is superior.

What is HIT?

High-intensity training is a mindful movement method where you perform single set for each muscle group to momentary muscular failure.

This doesn’t mean throwing weights around or using bad form. Instead, you lift the weight in a controlled manner, spending 40 to 90 seconds on the entire lift until you reach failure. You choose a weight that allows you to do that and repeat for each muscle group.

That’s it.

Repeat every 4-5 days or twice a week and you don’t have to spend another second in the gym.

My results

I built my physique through traditional or high-volume training during college when I had plenty of time and few responsibilities. But now, as a father, my priorities have shifted.

I don’t know about you, but I value spending time with my family, and I use a home gym to save time. So I tried HIT because it promised sustainability.

Lo and behold, I lost those 20 lbs in 4 months. Not bad, but here’s the amazing part.

I’ve kept the weight off ever since. I’m now at a solid 174 lbs at 5’11”. But I won’t lie, I don’t have as much muscle but I like this happy medium. Since then I’ve adapted HIT within my routine to form a hybrid approach that’s worked for me and my clients. You can see it here for yourself.

So yes, it works. But how? Let me explain shortly and efficiently (HIT style), so you judge for yourself whether it’s worth it.

How HIT works

HIT efficiently builds muscle, strength, and cardiovascular capacity (and burns fat). If you do it correctly, it recruits muscle fibers in sequential order—from slow-twitch to fast-twitch. By the time you reach failure, you’re stimulating the high-threshold motor units (the same ones used in heavy lifting). This is important for building lean muscle.

And trust me, even if you don’t want to look like a bodybuilder, you want more muscle. Why? Muscles increase your metabolism, so you can eat more without getting fat.

Plus, your body has genetic limits and shape. Unfortunately, you can’t fully control your body’s appearance but you WILL look 10x better with a more muscular frame and a low body fat percentage.

Evidence for HIT’s effectiveness

If you’re curious I recommend these two books on why HIT is effective for full-stack functional fitness.

• The New High-Intensity Training by Ell Darden

• Body by Science by Doug McGuff

Compared to “normal” training

After 12 years of training and research, I can tell you with 100% confidence. The way most people train uses the fluff of the fitness industry.

It typically involves three sets of 10 reps or similar protocols with multiple sets. The advantage is that it ensures you’re stimulating the muscle.

However, the downside is that it’s not time-efficient. Most people spend over an hour in the gym, four to five days a week. For someone who doesn’t want to live in the gym, this won’t work.

You’ll stop going to the gym because there’s too much time commitment. Friction is the enemy of focus. You’ll lose willpower because of wasted effort trying to get fit with little to no results.

On top, the influencers promoting this philosophy are most likely on steroids or selling ineffective supplements.

So if you hate wasting time but still want to look like a Greek statue, I have a program for you. I invite you to try it out for yourself. You can download the program here for free as a subscriber.

What’s the catch? To be transparent, I want to help a few people get in shape.

In the past, I’ve had much success both personally and with my clients using both methods. So depending on your goal, you can build maximal muscle, lose fat, or simply feel like the boss of your life.

Your choice.

Stay clear, calm, and creative,

Brand Marz.

P.S.

You can get great results in less time using my hybrid minimalist approach.

Traditional exercise leads to overuse injuries, energy drains, and wasted time that could be spent on your family, hobbies, or business.

Try this free program I developed after decades of study.

And let me know what questions you have.