The following post is my Quora answer to the question “Is strength training 3 days a week enough?”
It contains my workout program.
Enjoy.
Here is the answer:
Is strength training 3 days a week enough?
Absolutely, I have found that I’m the most consistent when I work out only 3 times per week, because for me, anything more than this and it just becomes a chore.
You might think that my strength training sessions take long, but no, not at all. I get them done in 30-45 minutes. Here is the current workout program I’m using.
My three-day minimalistic workout routine
Day A (Monday)
Trap bar deadlift – one heavy set of 10 reps, then put the weight down by 10% and aim for 11 reps, then put the weight down another 10% and aim for 12 reps.
Dumbbell row -Follow the same sets as above, but merely drop down to the next dumbbell after each set.
Dumbbell curl – This exercise is performed the same as the sets above. But I only do two sets.
Day B (Wednesday)
Dumbbell bench press – one heavy set of 10 reps, then on the next set, aim for 11 reps with the next lightest dumbbell, then 12 reps with an even lighter dumbbell.
Dumbbell shoulder press- I use the same process as above.
Tricep pushdowns – I used to do 2 sets of these in the same manner I did dumbbell curls, but since I’ve had wrist surgery, they don’t feel good, so I’ve postponed doing isolation tricep exercises for now.
Day C (Friday)
Leg press – one heavy set of 10 reps, then reduce the weight by 10% and aim to get 11 reps, then reduce the weight by another 10% and get 12 reps.
Lat pulldown – Again, follow the same progression as above.
Seated calf raises – do one heavy set of 10 reps, then one lighter set of 11 reps (pause and squeeze at the top of each rep).
Notes on routine
Always do at least 3 warm-up sets per exercise before lifting heavy.
Take 3 minutes’ rest between sets to recover well and build maximum strength.
Eat a high-protein diet with lots of fruits and vegetables (eat mainly whole foods).
Get stronger every workout. Every week that you hit 10 reps on the first set, put the weight up next week, and then when you build to 10 reps with the new weight, increase the weight again. This way, you will always slowly but surely get stronger and build muscle.
Sleep 8 hours per night.
Go for a 30-45 minute walk on your days off from lifting.
Anyway, this is my workout routine, and I enjoy it. Try it, you might too.
This way of training is called reverse pyramid training, and it was popularised by Martin Berkhan from lean gains.
God bless.
I am not a medical professional. Please consult a doctor or physical therapist before starting a new routine, especially if you are recovering from surgery.
One last point I want to mention
Life’s too short to spend hours every day in the gym. If you follow a routine like the one above, you’ll get the biggest roi for your time investment.
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Hello friend, I recently wrote an answer to a Quora question.
And the answer did well, so I thought I would share it here.
Here is the exact breakdown of my Quora answer to the question:
What are your top 10 travel tips?
1. Just book the trip
The best travel hack is to book the damn trip. So many people talk about going places, but never actually do. Don’t talk about booking the trip, just bloody book it. Because if you don’t book it now, when will you? I used to be someone who said I would travel to Rome, as I always wanted to go. It took me years to muster up the courage to actually book the trip. Because I had two wrist surgeries, which meant I couldn’t travel anywhere for over a year, this experience really forced me to book a trip to Rome when my wrist healed. And going to Rome was one of my favourite trips I’ve ever been on.
2. Write a list of what you need (the non-negotiables)
If you’re like me, then you have the memory of a goldfish. So I try to make a list of all the non-negotiable items I’ll need and try not to take unnecessary items because they just take up space.
3. Get travel insurance
If bad things can happen, they can happen when you’re away on holiday abroad, so don’t skimp on travel insurance because if you get into a pickle abroad and get sick/injured and need treatment, you can sometimes have to pay thousands for treatment. Getting travel insurance completely dissolves this risk. On my last holiday, my travel insurance cost me £50, which is pennies compared to the price I’d have to pay if I were critically unwell abroad.
4. Go to places you’re generally interested in (don’t feel like you should go to places just because other people go to them)
With Instagram and social media as a whole, we see people going to all sorts of bucket list destinations, but in reality, it doesn’t matter if they’re bucket list destinations or not; all that matters is that you genuinely want to go to those destinations.
5. Wear comfortable shoes
Last year, when I travelled to Rome, I bought and wore new shoes on holiday. Unfortunately, these shoes gave me awful blisters on my feet, which I needed to get seen by a podiatrist. Luckily, my feet are fine now, but make sure that you’ve tested your new shoes before you go on a trip where you will walk a lot (when I was in Rome, some days I walked over 30k steps).
6. Try to get an early flight there and a late one back to maximise time away
This one is self-explanatory; if you’re travelling somewhere you want to make the most of your time, so try and book the early flight on the way there and the late flight on the way back, especially if you’re only going for a few days.
7. Book the sights that you want to see
When I travelled to Rome, I booked to see the Colosseum beforehand, but I didn’t book to see the Vatican, so I had to pay over the odds for a tour around the Vatican while in Rome. Next time I go somewhere, I will book all the main trips beforehand.
8. Leave some room for adventure and spontaneity
Don’t forget that when you travel, it should be an adventure. Go on a trip down an interesting neighbourhood, live like the locals, and try to learn some of the language. Learning about other cultures helps us learn about ourselves because we can always take things away from how other people live.
9. Don’t live like you normally would
You’re away from home. If you wanted to live as you did at home, why didn’t you just stay there?
10. Get up early
Again, this is self-explanatory. What’s the point of travelling to foreign lands if you’re going to sleep in and waste most of your day?
Here is a picture I took while I was in Rome from the Castel Sant’Angelo.
One final point on how travelling boosts confidence
I found that after my first solo holiday, I grew in confidence massively. I think it was because I very much relied on other people to plan the logistics of holidays and trips, but on this occasion, I had to do it myself, and it was actually really easy. It made me realise I’m capable of a lot more than I think if I’m just willing to try.
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When you come across mental health advice these days, it’s common to see advice peddled such as do box breathing, start meditation, or write down five things you’re grateful for every day, and yes, these methods can have their place, but I’ve found the best antidote for feelings of melancholy is to do one thing, and it’s very simple:
Stay busy.
Try getting up early, going to the gym, working a full day, and filling your leisure time with projects (like writing projects)/ time with friends and family, and tell me if you feel depressed.
I promise you won’t feel depressed at all.
You see, humans are meant to engage with the world.
We’re not meant to be lazy couch potatoes.
The busier you are, the more you’re in a flow state
As of writing this post, I’m in a flow state. I’m completely focused on writing and am thus fully immersed in the present moment.
When we’re fully immersed in the present moment, it’s impossible to feel depressed or anxious.
When we stay busy with things we enjoy, we open ourselves up to experiencing a flow state.
Activities that help me get into a flow state
As I’ve already mentioned, writing helps me get into a flow state, so does reading, working out, listening to music, going on walks, skiing, spending time with friends and family, having good conversations and watching a good TV series or film.
I recommend you get involved in flow states that help others, and also help you make money
I love writing because when I write something helpful, others benefit, and it makes me feel good. I can also get paid for it by writing books, etc.
If writing isn’t your thing, then maybe make videos. The key is to choose a medium you enjoy.
Don’t forget to look after your health to rid feelings of melancholy
I had wrist surgery twice in the space of a year, and it’s safe to say that that was the most mentally challenging period of my life. I had chronic wrist pain, and there was nothing I could do about it.
If you focus on being healthy, i.e., don’t get injured (or minimise the risk as much as possible), make sure you eat healthily and are at a healthy body weight and exercise, you’ll instantly feel better in yourself compared to if you were unhealthy.
The body and the mind are inseparable. When we look after our bodies, our minds benefit.
Get good sleep and have a consistent sleeping pattern
I started feeling so much better mentally when I sorted my sleeping pattern out, and here’s how I did it:
The main reason I find it so easy to get up early and go to bed early now is that I make sure I eat all my meals for the day by 6-7pm.
This was a game-changer for me because I always used to eat really late at night, sometimes past 9pm. It affected my sleep because my body was still digesting food, and I felt bloated when I went to bed.
This tip isn’t spoken about much, but it really helps me. Try eating earlier, and I bet you’ll find it easier to sleep at night.
When I looked into the science behind why this works, I learned that it’s best to align our eating patterns with our circadian rhythm.
What this means is that you eat your meals from when the sun comes up to when it goes down because in hunter-gatherer times we would have only been awake when it was light and we would have slept when it was dark. Because there wouldn’t have been all the artificial lighting that there is today.
It’s amazing how much better you feel physically and mentally when you get your sleeping pattern in order.
Stay busy by going to church
I’m in the process of becoming Catholic, and following the Catholic faith has helped me feel so much better about myself than I ever thought possible.
I no longer hold onto grudges, and I’m much more forgiving.
I try to serve God and others more.
I love the peace I feel when I go to church mass.
I also love the discipline that daily prayer gives me.
The other week, I went to my first Catholic confession, and I felt better instantly
We, humans, have a tendency to hang on to the past. I know I did. Sometimes I would get thoughts pop into my mind, like, ‘Why did you do that, you idiot,’ or I’d feel guilt for some of the times I hadn’t lived up to my own standards (we all make mistakes, we’re not perfect).
When I went to confession, I repented my sins, and upon leaving the confession booth, I felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I carried this weight for years, and now I’d finally let go. My life now feels like a clean slate.
Catholicism has changed my life for the better. I recommend that everyone at least explore Catholicism. I’ve never felt as good in my life as I do now, and it’s because I’m a practising Catholic.
Do this now
Anytime you feel even the slightest bit melancholic, go and do something, such as going for a walk, going to the gym, reading a book, or doing some chores in the house. Whatever it is, go and do something productive that benefits you.
Recently, I noticed that on some evenings I was getting in my head too much, and it was making me feel down, so I’ve started going to weekly Catholic masses, and going to them makes me feel much better in myself.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but the devil makes good use of idle hands, and if you don’t be intentional with your time and do things that benefit you, the devil will use you for his purposes, so to speak, and vices and sin will creep into your life.
When have you been the happiest in your life?
For me, it’s when I’m so immersed in different activities that I stop thinking about myself. And I’ve found it’s almost impossible to be happy when you’re self-conscious. So I try to be so busy that I’m run off my feet. Of course, I give myself time to relax, but even then, I’m active with things such as going on a relaxing stroll or getting lost in a book.
Everyone is so focused on themselves these days, it’s hard not to be depressed. Because depression only ceases when you look outside yourself. But the mind caves in on itself when it becomes too self-focused.
Anyway, this is just what helps me.
But what do I know?
God bless.
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No.1 – Go for a 30-minute stroll outside to blow the cobwebs away.
No.2 – Read books that you’re curious about, you won’t feel depressed when you follow your curiosities, trust me.
No.3 – Workout, there’s no better feeling than getting those endorphins flowing.
No.4 – Journal, write down how you feel so you can get to the root of your problems and solve them.
No.5 – Go to talking therapy; a good therapist can help you untangle your mental knots and help you solve deep-seated issues.
No.6 – Go to church, I always feel like a new person after I’ve been to church MASS. It helps keep me grounded as well as following Catholicism as a whole.
No.7 – Spend time with family and friends. There’s no better feeling than having a belly laugh with family and friends.
No.8 – Start a creative project. I’m a believer that expression is the opposite of depression, and spending time on a creative pursuit can help you get out of your head and become present.
No.9 – Pray, I personally pray 3 times per day, and it helps me get out of my mind and focus on something outside myself, and that something is God.
No.10 – Stop doing things that make you feel like crap, like doom-scrolling social media, watching adult content, and losing your temper. Feel better by subtracting your bad habits from your life (you don’t always need to add habits to your life).
No.11 – Take a holiday because you might be burnt out. Just like the body gets physically tired and run down, so can the mind, so be sure to rest it and give it some downtime to recover.
No.12 – Start being grateful for all the good things in your life. For example, I’m grateful for a roof over my head, money in the bank, supportive friends and family, and the ability to help people all over the world by writing on Quora. When you stop and pay attention, life is pretty wonderful.
No.13 – Get a hold on your addictions. Being addicted to anything can cause us to be left in heavy chains. For example, the person who is morbidly obese is addicted to food and is destroying their health. They can’t switch the addiction button off; they’re trapped. I’m a firm believer that we can all beat our addictions. Reach out to a therapist if you need to, just make sure you break away from the heavy chains of addiction before the addictions break you.
No.14 – Don’t spend time with people who drag you down. I remember reading Montaigne, and he talks about a time when a Doctor got him to spend time with a sick old man when Montaigne was in his youth. Doing so made the sick old man feel better (being surrounded by youth), but it didn’t make Montaigne feel better. The point is: yes, help people if you can; love thy neighbour as thyself; but it’s good to be aware of when people drain the life out of you.
No.15 – Stop focusing on things outside your control. You can’t do anything about them, so stop focusing on them; you’ll only suffer.
I hope these tips help. Life is not good when you’re depressed. I’ve been there, and I guarantee everyone has felt melancholy at times its part of the human experience. Just get better at dealing with it. I feel I certainly have got better at dealing with it over time.
Try getting up early, going to the gym, working a full day, and filling your leisure time with projects (like writing projects)/ time with friends and family, and tell me if you feel depressed.
I promise you won’t feel depressed at all.
You see, humans are meant to engage with the world.
We’re not meant to be lazy couch potatoes.
The busier you are, the more you’re in a flow state
As of writing this post, I’m in a flow state. I’m completely focused on writing and am thus fully immersed in the present moment.
When we’re fully immersed in the present moment, it’s impossible to feel depressed or anxious.
When we stay busy with things we enjoy, we open ourselves up to experiencing a flow state.
Activities that help me get into a flow state
As I’ve already mentioned, writing helps me get into a flow state, so does reading, working out, listening to music, going on walks, skiing, spending time with friends and family, having good conversations and watching a good TV series or film.
I recommend you get involved in flow states that help others, and also help you make money
I love writing because when I write something helpful, others benefit, and it makes me feel good. I can also get paid for it by writing books, etc.
If writing isn’t your thing, then maybe make videos. The key is to choose a medium you enjoy.
Look after your health
I had wrist surgery twice in the space of a year, and it’s safe to say that that was the most mentally challenging period of my life. I had chronic wrist pain, and there was nothing I could do about it.
If you focus on being healthy, i.e., don’t get injured (or minimise the risk as much as possible), make sure you eat healthily and are at a healthy body weight and exercise, you’ll instantly feel better in yourself compared to if you were unhealthy.
The body and the mind are inseparable. When we look after our bodies, our minds benefit.
Get good sleep and have a consistent sleeping pattern
I started feeling so much better mentally when I sorted my sleeping pattern out, and here’s how I did it:
The main reason I find it so easy to get up early and go to bed early now is that I make sure I eat all my meals for the day by 6-7pm.
This was a game-changer for me because I always used to eat really late at night, sometimes past 9pm. It affected my sleep because my body was still digesting food, and I felt bloated when I went to bed.
This tip isn’t spoken about much, but it really helps me. Try eating earlier, and I bet you’ll find it easier to sleep at night.
When I looked into the science behind why this works, I learned that it’s best to align our eating patterns with our circadian rhythm.
What this means is that you eat your meals from when the sun comes up to when it goes down because in hunter-gatherer times we would have only been awake when it was light and we would have slept when it was dark. Because there wouldn’t have been all the artificial lighting that there is today.
It’s amazing how much better you feel physically and mentally when you get your sleeping pattern in order.
Go to church
I’m in the process of becoming Catholic, and following the Catholic faith has helped me feel so much better about myself than I ever thought possible.
I no longer hold onto grudges, and I’m much more forgiving.
I try to serve God and others more.
I love the peace I feel when I go to church mass.
I also love the discipline that daily prayer gives me.
Last week I went to my first Catholic confession, and I felt better instantly
We, humans, have a tendency to hang on to the past. I know I did. Sometimes I would get thoughts pop into my mind, like, ‘Why did you do that, you idiot,’ or I’d feel guilt for some of the times I hadn’t lived up to my own standards (we all make mistakes, we’re not perfect).
When I went to confession, I repented my sins, and upon leaving the confession booth, I felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I carried this weight for years, and now I’d finally let go. My life now feels like a clean slate.
Catholicism has changed my life for the better. I recommend that everyone at least explore Catholicism. I’ve never felt as good in my life as I do now, and it’s because I’m a practising Catholic.
My friend, all of this anxiety and lack of confidence is arising because you’re trying too hard.
What helps me especially when I speak to a crowd or read something out loud to a group of people is to focus on everyone else and on the words I’m saying, but I try not to focus on myself.
Try to become as present in the moment as possible and focus on one word at a time.
A similar thing happened to me with my writing
I used to suffer from writer’s block, and I found it extremely hard to write words on the page. It wasn’t until I stopped trying to write the perfect sentence that the words started flowing from my fingertips.
One of my favourite quotes
“It is not possible to have fun when you try.” – Nassim Taleb
I love this quote because when we try hard to do things, we become just that, a try-hard, and our output seems forced and overcooked.
I know it might seem like very basic advice to not try, but life becomes much more fun when you stop trying, trust me, and follow my lead on this. I guarantee you’ll come to the same conclusions as I.
Think about all the best times you’ve had in your life
I bet these times have occurred when you’re not trying, and you’re completely immersed in the moment, not thinking about yourself.
I’ve experienced some of the best feelings when I’ve been in a flow state while writing, skiing, and having good conversations with friends or reading a good book.
The goal you need to aspire to is to be humble
Many people misinterpret what it means to be humble. A common misconception is that being humble means to think less of yourself, which it doesn’t mean at all; instead, being humble means:
Thinking of yourself less.
The ultimate reason we get anxiety, depression, and become chronic overthinkers is that we focus too much on ourselves, and we become too prideful.
When people suffer from depression or negative thought patterns, their self-dialogue is very much self-focused. It’s common for people to say things like the following to themselves:
“I hate my life.”
“I wish I didn’t do that.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“No one likes me.”
“What if I look like a fool?”
The ultimate remedy is to forget about yourself. Forget about your ego; it doesn’t matter.
I always try to imagine the worst situation, and I always realise that it isn’t that bad
When I was in college, around 10 years ago, I was quaking in my boots at the thought of giving a presentation.
But then I thought, “What’s the worst that can happen? People might laugh at me, I might make a few blunders, but whatever happens, I will learn and grow from it and at the end of the day, even if I completely mess it up, I’ll still be alive and breathing, so however the presentation goes, it doesn’t really matter. Do your best.”
So I did the presentation, and I was congratulated by my teachers regarding the fact that it came out really well.
I’ll finish this post with some wisdom from the Stoic philosopher Epictetus that I try to live by:
“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters.”
People who don’t work rely on benefits and social security.
Next, there are people who work. They collect a paycheck and then go home. They don’t work too hard and are content in their jobs.
Then you get the hard workers. These are the types of people who succeed in organisations and climb the corporate ladder.
The person at the top of the ladder is the person who works hard and smart. He chooses his career based on what he finds personally fulfilling, builds his competence to a level of mastery, and because he’s the best at what he does, his services are in high demand.
Because his abilities are scarce, few people can do what he does, so he can choose whenever he works and command a handsome fee for his services.
I think becoming a hard yet smart worker is the ultimate goal.
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