0.1 beats 0: Why I Chose Minimal Training Over Perfect Plans

My trainer told me one workout per week wouldn't work. I'd need three sessions minimum to see any results.

He wasn't trying to upsell me. He genuinely believed I was wasting my time. And technically, he was right. More training does produce better results.

But here's what he didn't know. I hate the gym. I can't work out alone. I just won't do it. Once he canceled and I was already there, so I tried working out by myself. Ten minutes later I was in the shower, heading home.

I knew if I committed to three sessions per week, I'd burn out in a month and quit. Then I'd have zero sessions. So I said no. Once per week. That's all I could handle.

That was May 10, 2023. Two years later? I've completed 130 training sessions. Went from 5 pushups to over 40. Multiple pull-ups now. I look better, feel stronger, more confident.

Would I look better if I'd trained three times per week and focused on diet? Absolutely. But if I'd insisted on that from the start, I'd have nothing. I'd have quit.

Here's the math my trainer was using: 3 sessions per week equals results. 1 session equals zero results.

Here's the math I was using: 3 sessions per week, burn out after 4 weeks, equals 12 sessions total. 1 session per week, sustainable for 2 years, equals 130+ sessions total.

The optimal plan you never start is worth exactly nothing. The minimal plan you actually stick with compounds into something you won't recognize in two years.

One workout per week beats zero workouts. One hour on your side project beats zero hours. The question isn't "What's optimal?" The question is "What can I actually sustain?"

Because 0.1 beats 0. Every single time.