Building a Sustainable Training Habit

I used to treat training as something I did in intense bursts: a few weeks of focus followed by months of inconsistency. The shift came when I stopped optimising for short-term results and started optimising for repeatability.

Now, I aim for sessions that I can sustain even on low-energy days. Simple compound lifts, short conditioning work, and a focus on sleep and recovery have made training feel like part of my identity instead of a project.

The framework I use is simple: define the minimum viable session for a bad day, and let good days exceed it. On a bad day I squat, bench, and leave. That counts. It keeps the streak alive and the habit intact.

What kills most training habits is the all-or-nothing mindset. You miss one week and the streak breaks, so you feel like you have to restart. Instead, treat it like a ratchet — you can never fully go back, only slow down.