The answer no one wants to hear.

On persistence as the path.

What workout program do you do?

It's a question I'm asked at least once a week - in the gym, at a social event, from a reader, from a friend - and what they're really trying to ask is "How do you look the way you do?"

I usually try to satisfy their question with some version of lifting weights, doing sprints, or rowing. This generic response will usually …