Virtus Blog

Tips, guides, and insights to help you train smarter.

The Stoic Evening Review: Seneca's Nightly 3 QuestionsVideo
Mindset

The Stoic Evening Review: Seneca's Nightly 3 Questions

Seneca audited every day before sleep using three questions borrowed from Sextius. What the Stoic evening review is, and how to run it in four minutes.

2026-09-107 min read
The Planning Fallacy: Why Your Goal Deadline SlipsVideo
Goals

The Planning Fallacy: Why Your Goal Deadline Slips

Students predicted 33.9 days for a thesis and took 55.5. Even their worst case was optimistic. Why deadlines slip, and the estimating method that fixes it.

2026-08-298 min read
Process Goals vs Outcome Goals: Which One to TrackVideo
Goals

Process Goals vs Outcome Goals: Which One to Track

Outcome goals tell you where you are going. Process goals are the only part you control. Here is how to pair them and which one belongs in your daily tracker.

2026-08-217 min read
The What-the-Hell Effect: Why One Slip Becomes a MonthVideo
Habits

The What-the-Hell Effect: Why One Slip Becomes a Month

Breaking a rule costs almost nothing. Reacting to it costs everything. The research on the what-the-hell effect, and why self-compassion beats guilt.

2026-08-197 min read
How to Set Goals That Work: Specific and Hard WinsVideo
Goals

How to Set Goals That Work: Specific and Hard Wins

Across 35 years of research, specific and difficult goals beat do-your-best by effect sizes of .42 to .80. Here is what that means for how you write yours.

2026-08-138 min read
How to Practice Stoicism Daily: Training, Not ReadingVideo
Mindset

How to Practice Stoicism Daily: Training, Not Reading

The Stoics called it askesis: training. Reading Meditations changes nothing alone. What daily Stoic practice consists of, and how to run it.

2026-08-127 min read
How to run the 5/3/1 Boring But Big programVideo
Programs

How to run the 5/3/1 Boring But Big program

Jim Wendler's most popular 5/3/1 template. Heavy 5/3/1 waves on the main lifts followed by 5 sets of 10 at 50-60 percent for size. 4 days per week in 4-week cycles.

2026-08-1110 min read
How to run the Arnold Blueprint to Mass program
Programs

How to run the Arnold Blueprint to Mass program

Arnold Schwarzenegger's 6-day golden-era split: chest and back, shoulders and arms, and legs each hit twice per week with high-volume pyramid sets.

2026-08-1113 min read
How to run Arnold's Golden Six programVideo
Programs

How to run Arnold's Golden Six program

The full body routine Arnold Schwarzenegger built his early physique on. Six exercises, 3 days per week, sets of 10, and a simple rep-based progression rule.

2026-08-1110 min read
How to run the Bro Split programVideo
Programs

How to run the Bro Split program

The classic 5-day body part split. One muscle group per day, chest, legs, shoulders, back and arms, with double progression in the 8-12 rep range.

2026-08-1111 min read
How to run the Burrito But Big program
Programs

How to run the Burrito But Big program

A twelve week hypertrophy adaptation of GZCL General Gainz: eight weeks of climbing rep targets at a weight you own, then a four week anchor where the reps fall and the singles behind them grow.

2026-08-1112 min read
How to run the r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine
Programs

How to run the r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine

The classic full-body bodyweight strength routine. 3 days per week, three paired progression ladders plus a core triplet, no gym required.

2026-08-1112 min read