​Earlier this week, I told you how I don't immediately call "not having time to exercise" an excuse.

Because many people, like my new Spanish teacher who inspired that email, seriously overestimate how much time they need to devote to exercise to get results.

That's why I prefer to get curious before I throw out the "excuse" label.

That's lazy and short-sighted.

I also told you how I sent her a free two-day routine that only requires her to train twice a week for 30 minutes.

(Want me to send you a copy, too? Just reply to this email with the word "PROGRAM" and I'll send you the link.)

A few people replied to that email with the same response as my Spanish teacher:

That's really enough?

Generally, yes, thanks to the Pareto principle—otherwise known as the 80/20 rule.

The idea is that you get 80% of your results from 20% the things you do, and this can be loosely applied to exercise:

• When you go from not consistently training to doing even 4-6 hard sets per muscle group per week: you get a TON of benefits (the 80%)
• If you increase your weekly sets, it can obviously be additionally beneficial. But thanks to the law of diminishing returns, the benefits level off (the remaining 20%)

Naturally, the math isn't this cut and dry.

Going from two days to three days, for example, can definitely produce better results. So can going up to four in some cases.

(Very rarely do I have a client do five days.)

But it's insane to let this stop you from committing to two days, first,* and getting a good chunk of the benefits (the 80%) that training has to offer.

*Especially if you haven't consistently trained, hard, two days per week, for at least a few months without missing any sessions. Which describes well over 90% of people.

I want to re-emphasize that you need to be training HARD for everything I said above to be true.

​Scroll halfway down this email for a seven-question training intensity audit that most people don't pass.

Even people who go to the gym every week.

Sam

P.S. Again, if you want the free two-day routine I sent my Spanish teacher, so you can leverage the Pareto principle, too:

Just reply to this email with the word "PROGRAM."

I'll send it right over.