Grease The Groove Principle
30 August 2026
In the past few weeks I have listened to several podcasts with Pavel Tsatsouline (Tim Ferriss and Huberman Lab). These podcasts, much more so than most ones I listen to, were packed full of wisdom. Pavel seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge about seemingly every aspect of strength training and is able to attribute each finding to a specific person or study from memory. He also is very clear about what is known and what is just theorized which is so refreshing when it seems like a lot of podcast experts overstate their expertise and what they know.
As I was listening I found myself so drawn to his philosophy about training and how it counterbalances the gym bro culture that seems to dominate the majority of online fitness information—specifically how he focuses on strength, flexibility, and endurance over aesthetics and muscle size. Around the same time as I listened to this podcast, I saw a video of Dr. Mike (a bodybuilder YouTube guy) completing an army fitness test. His lack of coordination, flexibility, endurance, and even strength compared to the army people much lighter than him was astounding. I had watched a few of his videos in the past talking about the "optimal ways to build muscle," but after seeing where that type of training leads I began to be much more receptive to other methods of training.
Pavel's philosophy fills that gap. He advocates primarily for developing a strength practice instead of trying to work yourself out. The core feature of his philosophy is strength first: strength is the mother quality of all athletic performance, even endurance. The best way to develop strength is through what he calls "greasing the groove" which he articulates through these key principles:
- Moderately heavy load (heavy enough to respect but not to fear)
- As often as possible (many sets per week)
- Always fresh (never go to failure and rest a lot)
In practice:
- Choose a moderately heavy load (80-85% of 1RM) in 1-3 movements (no more than 3)
- Lift it for half of the possible reps you could do with it (if your max was 8, only do 3-4)
- Do many sets in a workout (minimum total reps per session is 10, ideal is 20-25)
- At sets of four, this looks like 5-6 sets in a session
- Rest at least 10 minutes between sets of the same movement
- i.e. set of squats, rest 5 minutes, set of pull ups, rest 5 minutes
- During this rest time incorporate active rest where you're walking around and shaking off muscles
- Never go to failure and never leave the gym exhausted. The training sessions are a strength practice, not a workout.
Pavel also outlines an alternative way to grease the groove which is to choose 1-2 movements and to do many submaximal sets throughout the day. For example, do 5 pull ups ever time you walk past a pull up bar in a doorway. While most people are more limited in what movements they can do in their daily routines like this, he argues that it can be even more effective. Some suitable movements: pull ups, push ups, one-arm push ups, hand grippers, single leg squats, kettlebell work.
I highly encourage you to listen to the Huberman Lab podcast episode with him for the explanations and evidence behind all of his training advice. The episode is long (~4hrs) but packed with useful information.
As I was trying to implement greasing the groove into my daily routine (I bought a hand gripper to use throughout the day) and in my gym training sessions, I tried to think of other areas where I could apply the philosophy. Short submaximal sessions spread throughout the day seems to be the ideal way to structure practice in many different areas, from learning to instrument practice.
The first places I implemented it were in reading and journaling. I had created a consistent reading and journaling habit before bed for the past 3 months, but I hadn't been able to expand it to filter into the rest of my day. Thinking about approaching reading and journaling through a grease the groove lens—a few mini sessions throughout the day where I always stop before I'm ready to be done—makes accumulating volume in each habit less daunting. I think stopping before you're ready is key. There's a famous Hemingway quote about stopping mid sentence so that it's easy to pick back up later and you don't deplete yourself, which gets at a similar idea. I haven't been stopping mid sentence but just before I'm ready to be done. Approaching writing this way makes me more excited about the next session where I can pick back up where I left off.
Approaching reading this way and making the reading app displayed prominently on my phone has allowed me to replace some of my previous social media or news habits where I would either check the news or open social media if I had 5 minutes to wait. By making the default reading but never forcing myself to read more than I want, I've been able to read a lot more throughout the day while also enjoying it more.
The thing about reading, though, is sometimes I'm not in the mood for it. For the times I previously would have mindlessly scrolled or put on a random video to zone out to, reading is not a 1-1 replacement because it requires a lot more concentration. In these moments, instead of forcing myself to read, I've just gotten more comfortable with doing nothing.
Since trying this out, I realized that I almost always had the urge to be doing something while eating (watching a video, reading and article, etc.). When I limited myself to either reading or sitting there, the times when I just did nothing felt remarkably freeing. The task of finding something to watch or read every time I sat down meant that I felt like I couldn't relax until I was sufficiently stimulated. I have enjoyed the simplicity of having less occupying my attention.
The final area that I've implemented Grease the Groove is in piano practice. I am a mediocre piano player, having played for years, but never very seriously. Since stopping consistent lessons, I have slowly started to practice less and less which makes starting again even more challenging. By limiting my expectations to just sitting down for a few minutes 1-2 times per day, I have increased the overall amount of time I practice per week even though the sessions themselves are much smaller. The small chunks throughout the day also is just a better way to practice. The breaks in between each session allow for more progress overall than if the same amount of time was spent all at once.
The final piece of the Grease the Groove philosophy is to make all of the things visible and impossible to ignore. I have my journal sitting on my desk at all times, my kindle widget displayed prominently on my home screen, a hand gripper on my dresser, and always keep my keyboard plugged in with my sheet music open.
Since I've implemented this new way of thinking about my priorities, moments where I have nothing else to do are channeled towards either reading a book, journaling, piano practice, or simply doing nothing. For each specific task that I want to repeat often, I make sure that it's displayed prominently so my default becomes to pick it up. I have a kindle widget displayed in the middle of my home screen, a hand gripper on my dresser, my journal always on my desk, and my keyboard sitting right outside my room so I have to pass it every time I leave. Limiting myself to these options has removed a surprising amount of stress that I didn't even know I was carrying. All options are visible to me, but I also feel no pressure to do any of them. Just sitting and thinking is always a fallback. I never have to force myself to do anything, and only grease the groove when I genuinely want to.