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Other/Mixed "Base Fitness" Programming

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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I think Louis Simmons said it best when he said minimalism works if your body works. I like minimalism for my strength and conditioning goals, but it's on a foundation of a ton of corrective work.
 
Noted here, @watchnerd. In my own case given Brazilian Jiujitsu and Muay Thai are lifestyles I pursue, I require minimalist S&C so I don't cut into scarce recovery time. Now, if I ever get more sedentary that means I'd add more stuff to my S&C.
I think this is dependent on why you do both those sports. For lifestyle/fitness, I understand. But if you’re trying to do either full time or compete (with the goal of winning) minimalism is not going to get you there. Part of that is that having a wider variety of sport dedicated exercises assists recovery instead of adding to it.
 
If that's the only substantial activity they do, and we're optimizing for health and longevity, I can't agree.

I've known plenty of guys in the iron game over the decades who only lifted (and lifted big) and had awful health.

Built like refrigerators, could move a ton of weight, but get winded walking up 2 flights of stairs.
I can relate on this. I have desperately sedentary job (software engineer) and trust me, 25 minutes of S&S *is not* all you need. There is a ton of articles about sedentary lifestyle and it's consequences (like Bitter Pills and Being Sedentary | StrongFirst), and few minutes of kettlebell lifting won't save you.

Note that if you are active outside of gym (martial arts, playing balls with kids, manual labor - whatever activity it is), then your situation is entirely different from mine and minimalistic protocol is likely the right thing to do.

I have identified several activities which are necessary complement of any minimalistic routine I pick:
  • walking (easiest exercise with most benefits)
  • dead hang. Not necessarily pull ups, but I like them and can do pretty lot of them without too much effort (my street workout past)
  • rowing. When it comes to upper back health, pull ups are not enough in my case, and it seems like I am not alone: The Best Upper Body Pull | StrongFirst. Note the paragraph about big lats and missing rhomboid. I can feel the difference.
  • hill sprinting. Awesome activity - when I do them regularly, I have higher energy levels, unilateral leg work is a breeze and my ankles are noticeably stronger and more flexible, so it also reduces the risk of injury when running on uneven surfaces, as I often do.
  • handbalancing. This is probably not necessary, but I like it.
 
I think this is dependent on why you do both those sports. For lifestyle/fitness, I understand. But if you’re trying to do either full time or compete (with the goal of winning) minimalism is not going to get you there. Part of that is that having a wider variety of sport dedicated exercises assists recovery instead of adding to it.
Without question minimalism isn't the way to go for competitors at a high level. I mostly do it for the self defense aspects.

rowing. When it comes to upper back health, pull ups are not enough in my case, and it seems like I am not alone: The Best Upper Body Pull | StrongFirst. Note the paragraph about big lats and missing rhomboid. I can feel the difference.

I've been a fan of the Pendlay Row and Murderer's Row (a.k.a. Yates Row) for my routines.
 
I just want to add in an idea on what minimalism is as it gets tossed around a lot. If you look at it as the minimum number of exercises and work to achieve your goals it works a lot better than if you just look at it as a checklist of 1 big pull and 1 big push.

So more of the concept of a minimum effective dose.
 
I have only kettlebells at home, so the choice is gorilla row or renegade row. But my barbell fellows can't praise Pendlay rows enough.

Pendlay rows are great if you have a need for them (i.e. to be explosive in horizontal pulls, like in rowing).

But for general health and fitness, and especially for hypertrophy, regular old barbell rows are better due to higher TUT.

Plus most people who try to do Pendlay rows are awful at doing them properly.
 
If I did have to start the last couple decades of my strength and conditioning over again I’d probably do Simple and Sinister till I hit Timeless Simple 3-4x/week with aerobic roadwork/swimming and some GTG pull-ups as added work.
 
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