Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues, and so it holds a very special place in Stoic philosophy. The definition is rather simple: moderation in everything that we do, including moderation itself.

To understand why this virtue is so important, let’s work through a practical example. Specifically, let’s talk about training and exercise in the gym.

Consider the strength athlete who wishes to become stronger over days, weeks, months, and years of training. They go to a coach and request a training plan and guidance. The coach then has a few decisions to make:

1. How often do we exercise?
2. How long is each exercise day?
3. Which groups of muscles should we focus on during each training day?

Luckily for the coach and the athlete, we have a large repository of programs, studies, and anecdotal experience to guide these decisions. But note something crucial: for every question of “How many days per week should we train?” there is an equal and opposite question: “How many days per week should we rest?”

Both are fundamentally the same question, since we have a finite number of days in the week.

Let’s examine the extremes.

On one end, if you want to get stronger and your coach prescribes zero training days per week and seven rest days, then you simply never train. Under this plan, it is very unlikely that you will make any progress. Why? Because you’re not putting in the required work.

Now, let’s consider the other extreme. Suppose you work out every day of the week. Or to go even further, let’s say you have two strength workouts every day, for a total of 14 training sessions per week. To the untrained eye, this might look impressive. More training must equal better results, right?

However, that is not the case. Your body needs time to recover from the work. Without rest days, you do not give your muscles and nervous system the opportunity to repair, adapt, and come back stronger. Training breaks you down; rest builds you back up. Without rest, you quickly enter a state of overtraining, fatigue, potential injury, and stagnation.

And so we have two extremes: never working out at all, and working out too much. Both lead to the same result: lack of progress.

A good rule of thumb for most people is anywhere from three to five strength training days per week, depending, of course, on your goals, your capacity for recovery, and your level of expertise in the gym.

This is what we call the happy medium. In other words, this is what we call the practice of temperance.

Temperance is so important because it keeps us between extremes, and extremes are rarely good. Zero training days is not great for strength growth, nor are 14 training sessions a week. One is too little training, and the other is too much. The optimal place is somewhere in the middle.

And that’s the key lesson about temperance. It keeps us away from extremes. It ensures that we don’t become unbalanced in any aspect of our life. Temperance is not about living a boring life or denying yourself ambition or drive. It is about knowing how to moderate your efforts so that they remain sustainable and effective.

The Stoics believed that virtue was found in alignment with nature. And nature is balance. A tree that grows too quickly becomes fragile. A tree that never grows remains stunted. The wise tree grows steadily, rooted deeply, bending in the wind but not snapping.

Likewise, in your life, remember that temperance applies to everything. Food. Work. Rest. Socializing. Even personal growth. Too little effort and you stagnate. Too much effort and you burn out.

What is the proper limit to a person’s wealth? First, having what is essential, and second, having what is enough. - Seneca, Moral Letters, 19.15

Temperance allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labour without turning them into poisons. It allows you to train hard enough to get stronger, but not so hard that you injure yourself. It allows you to eat enough to be nourished, but not so much that you become sluggish. It allows you to work with intensity, but not to the point where you sacrifice your health, your relationships, or your integrity.

In the end, temperance ensures that you remain on the path. It does not limit your progress—it enables it. Because progress requires you to keep showing up. And you can only keep showing up if you are not injured, burned out, or overwhelmed.

Temperance is the quiet strength of moderation. It is the virtue that keeps us in harmony with ourselves and with nature. Practice it well, and you will find that your efforts in the gym—and in life—bear far greater fruit than you could ever force out of them.

Brandon is most well-known for his podcast, The Strong Stoic Podcast, where he discusses philosophical ideas both solo and with guests. He also coaches individuals to help them be their best selves, writes articles, plays music, manages projects, and several other things.

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