Republished with permission, originally published on Lift.

We’re thrilled to introduce LIFT by Anne Marie Chaker, an inspiring newsletter on Substack designed to help women reclaim their physical and inner power.  

If there’s one habit I’ve got that’s as steady as brushing my teeth, it’s this: I go to the gym. As a bodybuilder, lifting weights has become something I do almost automatically. Heading to the weight room is right up there with showering and flossing. 

Hoisting cold metal bars to my back again and again isn’t glamorous. It isn’t something I’m dying to do. (Even writing this is my way of procrastinating going to the gym). 

Most days, I’m not in the mood. Some days, I dread it. So, I make a deal with myself: I’ll just do a shitty workout. I’m talking the bare minimum—something that feels like the lamest version of what I could be doing. Just enough to get me in the door.

Sometimes, just moving is the win. And here’s the magical thing. That little bit of movement? It often turns into something more. I might walk in thinking I’ll only do a couple of half-hearted reps, but by the end, it’s always more than that, and I always feel better than when I walked in.

How I Tackle a Half-Assed Workout

Here’s how it goes: I’ll start by hitting the sauna to warm up my muscles and stretch a bit. Nobody is ever in there. I might listen to music, I might not. I don’t overthink it. I just let my body tell me what feels right for a few minutes. Then, I drag myself upstairs to the weight room and give myself permission to “just do something.” Anything. I’m serious—zero expectations. 

You know what I find? When I stop trying to be perfect and just do the thing, even if it’s “shitty,” I end up feeling good. And if I’m honest, a 20 percent effort is still way better than doing nothing at all.

The Problem with the “Wellness Space”

Sometimes, the whole “wellness space” drives me up the wall. It looks exhausting, designed to make everyone feel inadequate. I grow weary of influencers acting like they’re Rocky Balboa grunting out killer reps, or the check-me-out Lulu set strutting around with full lashes and matching tops and bottoms. I’m sick of having to trip over tripod after tripod to find the equipment I need. Once, in the women’s locker room, I had to ask someone to stop with the selfies because I was trying to get dressed without ending up in her Instagram story.

One Set is Enough?

Here’s something I learned while researching for my book that blew my mind: It turns out, you don’t necessarily need to do three sets to get results. Some studies have shown that even doing one set of an exercise can give you pretty much the same benefits as doing three—especially for beginners or those training for general fitness. 

For most people, a single set of 12 to 15 repetitions with a proper weight can build muscle as effectively as three sets of the same exercise, according to Mayo Clinic. In another study from 2014, researchers found that older women saw similar strength and muscle gains whether they did one set or three. Still, exercise scientist and researcher Brad Schoenfeld cautions against any absolute rule of thumb. “There is no such thing as ideal,” says the professor at Lehman College in New York in an interview with me over the weekend. “Due to a combination of genetics and lifestyle, some people respond as well to lower volumes [of sets] as higher volumes. Other people need higher volumes.” The mix of exercises chosen can also make a difference, says the author of the Science and Development of Muscle Hypertrophy.

When Less Really Is More

So, sure: I typically do three sets because it’s what I’m used to, I want to aim for the optimal option, and I frankly like the way it feels. But on days when I’m low on energy or time, I remember that even one set can be effective.

And while we’re here, let’s bust another myth: that you need to strength train every day. I’m not one of those people who brags about working out every day or even five days a week. I strength train four days a week, and honestly, that’s plenty. 

According to the Department of Health and Human Services Activity Guidelines, adults should do 2.5 to 5 hours a week of moderate-intensity exercise or 1.25 to 2.5 hours a week of vigorous-intensity activity. That might look like a mix of walking, some HIIT classes, or other combination of higher and lower-intensity activities each week. 

The guidelines also recommend at least two resistence-training sessions per week.

A more rigorous schedule may be more suited to advanced lifters, but for the rest of us, that is plenty. The goal is to get progressively stronger over time, rather than overdo things in one session and not be able to return to the gym so easily. Recent research from Schoenfeld that analyzed studies on workouts of multiple exercise sets shows that training a muscle group just once a week showed similar effects to more frequent sessions.

In other words, you can make gains without spending hours at the gym every day.

The Long-Term Approach

Truth be told, there are a million other things I’d rather do than head to the gym. I could organize the closet, blow dry my hair, call my mother, paint my nails. But I don’t let myself use those distractions as an excuse. 

I love fitness. Day to day, I look at it as my me time and I approach it as a long-term game. And since I don’t want to burn out,  I stay consistent, and–this is important–I respect my limits. For me, lifting is a way to reconnect with myself: it’s my “why.” It’s the time when I feel strong, when I’m focused, when I know that I’m taking care of myself. I visualize whatever’s bothering me as the weight I’m lifting, and I channel that energy into the barbell. And after every lift, I feel that rush of endorphins. 

Final Thoughts: Showing Up Matters

Did I push myself to my limit? No. Did I sweat buckets? No. Do I make Huberman-esque calculations on VO2s and percent of 1 RMs before approaching each workout. No.  Do I look like Jennifer Aniston in the new P.volve ad campaign? Definitely not. But I showed up. And that’s really the main thing.

About Anne Marie Chaker
Anne Marie is a seasoned Wall Street Journal reporter turned professional bodybuilder. Her unique journey combines award-winning journalism with a passion for strength and wellness. In spring 2025, her highly-anticipated book, LIFT: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives (Penguin Random House), will debut.