Many people struggle to maintain a consistent exercise and diet routine, leading to stalled progress and frustration. However, a brilliant tip for sticking with a fitness plan can be found in an unlikely place: the mind of Jerry Seinfeld.
The "Chain Method" for Fitness Consistency
Jerry Seinfeld, decades ago, when he was a touring comedian and the Seinfeld show was new to TV, shared his "Chain Method" for staying consistent. He advised a young comic to write every single day to become better. Seinfeld described hanging a big calendar of a whole year on the wall. On every day that he writes, he marks that box with an X. After a few days you have a chain that continues to grow longer. Now your job is to simply never break the chain.
This technique, originally designed for writing jokes, can be effectively applied to fitness. By marking each day you hit the gym with a satisfying red X on a wall calendar, you create a visual representation of your progress. The goal then becomes simple: don't break the chain.
Consistency is key to dropping body fat and building muscle. Sticking to your program every single day allows you to build the chain and see the results.
Seinfeld's Personal Fitness Practices
In a conversation on The Tim Ferriss Podcast, Jerry Seinfeld emphasized the importance of physical fitness and mental well-being as practices that feed into his comedy writing. He stated, "Exercise, weight training, and transcendental meditation, I think, could solve just about anyone’s life."
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Seinfeld believes that weight training provides necessary stress for the body, building resilience in the nervous system. He considers transcendental meditation the "absolutely ultimate work tool," offering stress reduction, energy recovery, and concentration fatigue solution. Concentration fatigue is something Jerry experiences constantly because he is a standup comic. Whether it’s writing or performing, his brain and his body, which is the same thing, are constantly hitting the wall. And if you have that in your hip pocket, you're Columbus with a compass.
At 66, Seinfeld's training regime includes three weight sessions and three HIIT cardio sessions per week. He admits that it can be physically challenging, saying, "There are a lot of days where I want to cry instead of do it because it really physically hurts." He uses these routines to combat depression, a feeling he dislikes, finding that both exercise and writing, despite being brutal, are effective in keeping it at bay.
The Importance of Structure and Routine
Seinfeld treats his writing sessions like workouts, setting clear targets, time limits, and a "reward" at the end to prevent fatigue or burnout. He likens it to hiring a personal trainer, emphasizing the need for defined session lengths. "It’s like you’re going to hire a trainer to get in shape, and he comes over, and you go, 'How long is the session?' And he goes, 'It's open-ended.' Forget it. I'm not doing it. It's over right there," he said. "You've got to control what your brain can take. OK? So if you're going to exercise, God bless you, and that's the best thing in the world you can do, but you got to know when is it going to end. 'When is the workout over?' 'It's going to be an hour.' 'OK.' Or 'You can’t take that? Let’s do 30 minutes.' 'OK, great.' Now we’re getting somewhere. I can do 30."
Overcoming the Initial Hurdle: The First 10%
Stephen, writing on Matthew Hussey's blog, highlights the importance of overcoming the first 10% of any challenging task. He notes that this initial phase is often the most dreaded and avoided, leading to procrastination through distractions like TV, overeating, or pointless conversations.
Jerry Seinfeld said that the ability to wake up and lift those first few weights every day is what separate those who were once great from those who remain great in the long-term. Most people never become great. Others achieve great things but become complacent and slip down the hill again. They stop wanting to do the grind of pushing through that first 10% of hard work everyday. And I don’t blame them. That first 10% is the sour-spot of any goal. It’s the part we dread and put off and do anything to distract ourselves from - watching TV, gorging on food, or yakking on pointless Skype conversations - we all find avoidance activities to hide from those first painful minutes of any difficult task. People who are all talk generally find that 10% too horrific, too intimidatingly arduous to push through, and so they never even get moving in the first place.
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To combat this, he suggests focusing on achieving that initial 10% every day. By clearing this first hurdle, you propel yourself down the road of progress. Progress doesn’t feel like a lot when it’s happening, but when you add up the days and hours and minutes of progress, that’s what your achievements essentially amount to: How many progress hours did I clock up this year?
Practical Application: Meeting Fitness Goals
Applying this principle to fitness, Stephen suggests taking immediate action. Instead of planning elaborate workout routines for the future, focus on what you can do today to move closer to your goal.
They might go buy running shoes, write out a nutrition plan, and set goals for themselves with a detailed schedule for next month. Make that work.” You’d then have to slip on your beat up trainers, run around the block, start doing press ups in your bedroom, find the nearest jungle gym and do 10 pull ups, walk an extra 2 miles around your office…suddenly you’ll have made progress. You’ll have completed your first workout. Now you just need to overcome first 10% done again tomorrow. That fight will come everyday. You’ll never want to do that first 10%. It will always seem grueling, unfair. Everyday the clock resets and you have the fight over again. Just beat that first 10%. Then beat it the next day. And the next. In 6 months, your life will improve by 90%. Come back to this article then and tell me all about it. I’ll do the same.
The Benefits of Weightlifting
Even though Jerry doesn’t lift weights in the show, he does it 3 times per week for an hour in his current life.
Lifting weights is beneficial regardless of age, gender, or background. It helps build lean muscle, boosts metabolism, improves bone density and joint health, strengthens connective tissues, and enhances mental health.
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Common concerns about weightlifting, such as the fear of women becoming bulky, are unfounded. Women typically don't have the testosterone levels required for significant muscle bulk. With proper technique and progression, weightlifting is a safe and effective form of exercise.