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Less is more than enough ∞
Paul Ingraham • ARCHIVEDMicroblog posts are archived and rarely updated. In contrast, most long-form articles on PainScience.com are updated regularly over the years (see updates page).
I have an article that explains that you probably don’t have to go to the gym as much as you think to build strength. I originally called it “Less Is More,” which got me in a bit of trouble, because it’s too hyperbolic: less training doesn’t produce more benefit (the opposite, in fact), but just surprisingly less benefit. So I changed the title to “Less Is Not Less,” and it stayed that way for some time … tragically missing a terrific play on words, which was finally suggested to me yesterday by helpful reader Bill C: “Maybe a more apt title would be ‘Less is More Than Enough’?” That’s perfect! I do not know why I didn’t think of that, but I’m sure glad Bill did. In particular, it captures the key concept: that doing less than lots at the gym is better than most people realize, and indeed more than enough for most people’s fitness goals.
