I've always viewed weight-training like brushing teeth: spend a small amount of time each day for big payoffs in the long run. Now to be fair, I optimized for this by putting a squat rack in my basement along with second-hand weights.
My philosophy has always been, if I'm [in the gym/in the basement] longer than 45 minutes working out, I'm doing it wrong. For me personally this counts warm-up sets.
I have seen payoffs, mentally almost more than physically. Without going into details, I've been in a legal battle for a while (nothing criminal) and lifting is a great way to blow off steam.
Physically, if you "eat right" you see results very quickly at first, and then more slowly as time goes on. Diet is the most important part if you're looking for physical results. You could lift with proper form for years and years, following every program under the sun. If your diet sucks, you're wasting your time if aesthetics if your goal.
