Spartan Life Articles of the Year

Going Minimal: The Driving Theme in 2018

This year on Spartan Life many of our most popular articles had to do with what many consider is the heart of the Spartan training philosophy: Go minimal. Less is more. Or perhaps least is best. Bodyweight exercises that have been around since, well, forever, like pull-ups, push-ups and burpees (burpees being the relative newcomer) continue to be central to what turn out to be our most popular articles. In one our most popular column, Jason Jaksetic's Countercultural series, he shared insights into how a time he lived with a minimal amount of clothes, space and training gear (except for just finding stuff to push up a mountain, like a boat) and even a minimal amount of heat (a few minutes in front of a wood-burning stove were cherished) turned out to be both some of the hardest days of his life but also (ironically enough) the most enjoyable.

Again in the spirit of going minimal, Joe De Sena's contributions continue to drive interest and conversation. Included below is a simple circuit workout that may be the ultimate no-excuses workout: Train for pretty much an Spartan event you can find on the calendar with this single do it anywhere/anytime workout.

Another one of our strongest pieces from 2018 was penned by Clint Carter, a profile on Spartan Thomas Yoxall, a photographer who went through a series of ups and downs characterized by trauma and heroism.

Finally, Spartan Life contributor Siobhan Colgan took ahold of some new and alarming research on the subject of how much time kids are spending outside with her article, "Are Prisoners Better Off Than Our Kids?"

Related: Good Old Bad Days

Again, a minimal motif carries through all of the stories: What you need to get into the best shape of your life; what will help you get up from rock bottom; what's a great way to raise your kids and what's a simple, powerful way to live.

Stay with us in 2019 when we'll continue to probe the answer to a lot of questions: What you most need you already have.

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The Spartan Editors

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