Stop Chasing the 'Perfect' Workout Routine: Why Consistency Beats Complexity
By Remi — You don't need a meal plan. You need someone who actually explains why. ·
The Trap of the 'Optimal' Program
If I had a nickel for every time someone walked into my office in Toronto with a spreadsheet printed out that looked like it was designed for an Olympic decathlete, I’d be retired on a beach in Jacmel. Look, I get it. You want results. You’ve seen the influencers, you’ve read the forums, and you’ve convinced yourself that if you just find that perfect workout routine—the one with the specific rep schemes and the complicated supersets—everything will click.
Here’s the truth your brain already knows but your ego is trying to ignore: the "perfect" workout routine is the one you actually do. Not the one you dream of doing, not the one that takes you two hours to log, but the one that fits into your life without making you want to quit existence within a week.
Biology Doesn’t Care About Your Spreadsheet
In my Master’s program, we spent a lot of time dissecting the physiological mechanisms of hypertrophy and strength. It’s fascinating stuff. But the biggest takeaway wasn't about the angle of a bicep curl; it was about the principle of biological adaptation.
Your body is a survival machine, not a math equation. When you move, you put stress on your system. If that stress is slightly greater than what you did last time (that’s progressive overload, which we’ve talked about before), your body adapts to make the next session easier. That’s it. That’s the magic. You don’t need a "bro-split," a "push-pull-legs" hybrid, or a high-intensity interval training circuit that leaves you puking in your garage to make progress. You need to provide a stimulus that your body can recover from and then do it again consistently.
The Haitian Kitchen Approach to Training
Growing up in a Haitian-Canadian household, food was community. It was loud, it was messy, and it was never about "optimizing" macro-nutrients on a calculator. It was about sustaining the people you loved so they could keep going.
I treat training the same way. A workout routine shouldn’t be a rigid cage you lock yourself in. It should be a tool that serves your life. If you’re a parent, a student, or someone working 50 hours a week, your routine should be flexible enough to bend when life gets chaotic. If you have four days to train, great. If you have two days plus a walk at lunch, that’s also a routine.
Stop trying to outsource your intuition to an app. Ask yourself: Why am I doing this movement? Does this feel like it’s building me up, or is this just making me feel like I’m being punished for eating dinner last night? If your routine feels like a burden, you’re doing it wrong.
How to Build a Routine That Actually Sticks
If you want to build a sustainable routine, stop thinking about "exercises" and start thinking about "movement patterns." You don't need a hundred variations of a chest press. You need a push, a pull, a hinge, a squat, and a carry. That’s the foundation.
Here is how you actually build your own routine:
1. Audit your calendar, not your ego. Be honest. How many days can you commit to for the next three months? If it’s three days, it’s three days. Don’t write a five-day plan that you’ll inevitably bail on by Thursday.
2. The 80/20 Rule. Spend 80% of your time on the boring, foundational compound movements (squats, deadlifts, presses, rows). Save the fancy stuff for the last 20% if you happen to have the energy.
3. Track, but don't obsess. Tracking your weights is useful for knowing how to progress, but if you find yourself getting anxious because you missed a set or didn't hit a personal record, throw the notebook away for a week. Your mental health is part of the recovery equation, too.
4. The 'Why' Factor. If you don't know why you're doing a specific exercise, ask. If you're doing it because a fitness model says it's the "secret to lean abs," delete it. If you're doing it because it strengthens your back so you can carry your groceries without pain, keep it.
The Bottom Line
I work with people who want to be strong for the long haul. I don’t care if you have the "best" workout routine. I care if you’re still moving in ten, twenty, or thirty years. I care that you’re moving in ways that make you feel capable, not depleted.
We’ve been sold this idea that fitness is a destination we reach through suffering. It’s not. It’s just another part of your day, like brushing your teeth or calling your mom. Keep it simple, keep it humble, and for heaven's sake, keep it enjoyment-based.
If you’re stuck in the weeds of over-complicating your training, I’m here. Reach out, let’s look at your calendar, and let’s figure out a way to make movement feel like something you get to do, not something you have to do. Drop a comment below or send me a message—I’d love to hear what your "non-negotiables" are for your training. Let’s talk.