The Minimum Effective Dose of Strength Training

September 24, 2024 Brian Comly

Updated: 9/30/24

“The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.”

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

Back in my college days, it felt like my weeks lasted 10 days. I went to class, studied hard, hung out with friends, and even worked part-time. But still, there always seemed to be so many hours in the day. So I spent many hours a week running, biking, and lifting—many more hours than I needed to do any of these.

Fast forward and now each day feels 18 hours long and timing a workout around a sleeping kid is as successful as a coin flip.

Over the last decade, I’ve learned to train smarter and not harder. I’ve limited the chronic cardio and discovered how to get the most bang for my buck through each rep of the barbell with the minimum effective dose of strength training. The hardest part, though, was changing my mindset. It took a long time for me to learn that less is more. I had ingrained the thought that I needed to do as much as I was doing to even maintain my fitness and that if I did less I would lose what I worked for. I ultimately realized that this “less is more” approach proved successful by looking at the results. Now I’m as strong as my 20-year-old self and with only a fraction of the time lifting those weights.

Strength Training Benefits

There’s no shortage of evidence on how important it is to lift. Studies on lifting (often referred to as strength training and resistance training in the literature) show that it prevents osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and low back pain. It improves insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, blood pressure, GI function, and body fat. And downstream from these factors lie metabolic diseases such as hypertension and heart disease. Plus, lifting decreases the risk of cancer and diabetes (in just 30 min a week).¹ ²

It also improves your brain health. Strength training enhances memory, executive function, the quality of your sleep, self-esteem, and it helps to manage your anxiety and overall mental health. ²

And the cherry on top is that you’re not only stronger and have more muscle mass but you look better.

The benefits of lifting don't discriminate either. Whether you're a male or female, young or old, weak or strong, or athletic or a motor moron, you will become healthier. Simply moving heavy things periodically can profoundly improve your quality of life.

So what’s the catch? Effort and discipline.

If the benefits of resistance training were captured in a pill then everyone would take it but since it requires exertion and the slightest bit of know-how only about 30% of adults do it.

So how do we get you lifting? First, let’s dispel some myths and get the excuses out of the way. In general, lifting isn’t bad for your joints, your back, or your heart. You don’t need machines or benches, you don’t need a gym, and you don’t even need heavy weights. Most importantly, you don’t need to spend 45 minutes in the gym 5 days a week to reap the rewards. You can achieve the minimum effective dose of strength training in significantly less time.

This last point may be the most important factor and one we’ll dive into today. Sure, there are people who spend hours in the gym each day but that’s not necessary. You can attain the benefits of lifting by getting under heavy weights for as little as 20 minutes twice a week.

The Minimum Effective Dose

I first came across the idea of the Minimal Effective Dose (MED) when I read Tim Ferris’ book, The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman (here are some other takeaways from the book). He defines it as the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome. To illustrate this point, he writes:

“To boil water, the MED is 100°C (212°F) at standard air pressure. Boiled is boiled. Higher temperatures will not make it “more boiled”. Higher temperatures just consume more resources that could be used for something else more productive.”

There’s a window of success with all endeavors and the MED is finding the very beginning of that window. As we move beyond the other end of the window we are not only wasting time and energy but are being counterproductive and hindering our progress.

The MED can be understood in many things: caloric intake, cardiovascular health, productivity, meditation, sleep, supplements, medications, sun exposure, etc. This post will focus on strength training. From this standpoint, the MED means the least amount of time spent lifting weights to achieve the health (and aesthetic) benefits.

This does not mean the least amount of effort. The MED often means you’ll need more effort for a shorter period, however, it stops short of leaving a sweat puddle on the floor when your timer hits the 20-minute mark. It also doesn’t mean the optimal amount of lifting. Lifting more than this amount will provide greater benefits but the ideal amount is very individualistic.

So how do you lift efficiently without compromising effectiveness?

What is the Minimum Effective Dose for Strength Training?

There are four general parameters to lifting:

Times per week (frequency)
Sets and reps (volume)
The amount of force you use (intensity)
And the rest time between the sets.

Science being science quantifies each area to determine the factors needed for each to determine the MED of strength training.

Frequency

For strength

Research on untrained but healthy older adults shows that it’s possible to “maximize voluntary strength” in as little as two days of strength training a week.³ A separate study on well-trained men concluded that you can train as little as twice a week to achieve “significant increases” in strength.⁴ And a study on powerlifters concluded that you can train as little as once per week to improve strength (as long as the intensity of the workout is high enough).⁵ So whether you’re untrained, well-trained, or a powerlifter the MED for strength is 1-2 days a week.

For hypertrophy

If your goal is to gain muscle mass (hypertrophy) then you’re also in luck. Research shows that you can train as little as once a week as long as you get enough volume in your workout.⁵

For maintaining

If you’re simply looking to maintain those goals, a study, found that younger individuals can preserve muscle mass and strength by doing just one strength training session per week with one set per exercise, as long as they maintain a challenging intensity. Older folks need to train twice a week with two to three sets per exercise to achieve the same results.¹⁰

Volume

The research shows that you can achieve these strength and hypertrophy goals with a variety of combinations of sets and reps. These ranged from 2-3 sets per exercise (7-9 reps) to 3-6 sets (1-5 reps) to a single set of 6-12 reps.³ ⁴ ⁵ These studies kept the workouts simple with basic, compound movements and as few as 3 lifts in a workout.⁵

While it’s possible to lift lighter loads for more reps in order to gain strength, the goal here is to do the minimum amount. Since the goal is to soak up the benefits in as little time as possible then a heavier load with less reps will be more efficient.

Intensity

Intensity appears to be one of the most important factors in achieving strength gains with limited frequency.³ ⁴ ⁵ The research concludes that the MED for strength training ranges between 70%-85% of the 1 rep max (1RM) for loads. Using “working sets” (any set taken to failure) is more important for the trained person versus the untrained person.⁷ The untrained person benefits from a focus on technique and dropping the weights a few reps short of failure.

Under the FAQ below I break down how exactly to determine your intensity and 1RM. But the long and short of it is don’t let all of these numbers get in the way of the true purpose of intensity: make it hard. Use as much grip force as you can (which transfers more muscle contractions through the rest of the body) and lift the weight like it’s the heaviest thing you’ve ever lifted.

Given that the intensity is higher than the average workout, you should do a sufficient warm-up before exercising in order to avoid injury and get better contractile activation for improved performance.

Rest

The perfect amount of rest time tends to vary based on training age, fiber type, and genetics.⁸ The research shows that “When the training goal is muscular hypertrophy, the combination of moderate-intensity sets with short rest intervals of 30-60 seconds might be most effective due to greater acute levels of growth hormone during such workouts.” ⁹ And a systematic review and meta-analysis showed that 1 minute was appropriate to have the “greatest and most rapid effects” on strength.³

Takeaway

You can get a very effective strength training workout in 40 minutes a week spread out over 2-3 sessions. Make sure to use heavier weights and perform compound (bilateral, multi-joint) movements to maximize your efficiency. The lifting routine below is the minimum. If you have extra time then throw in another set or another exercise. If you have an extra day, take advantage of it.

To reap the benefits of the MED, it’s important to establish a routine, start with a warm-up, and focus on good form. If you hate doing deadlifts then stop doing them. If you love doing pull-ups then do more of them. Tailor the workout to you, be consistent, and embrace the grind.

The Minimum Effective Dose Strength Training Guidelines

Pick one exercise from each category (push, pull, legs) per day of lifting.
Warm up then do 2 sets of 6 reps of each exercise.
Use 70-85% of your 1RM. Do the last set of each exercise to failure (with good form).
Rest 1 minute between sets.
Lift 2 times a week.
Take at least 2 days off between these exercise days.
Total time: 20 minutes (including rest breaks and a 3-minute warm-up).

Push

Chest Press
Overhead Press
Incline Chest Press

Pull

Pullup
Bent Over Row
High Pull

Legs

Deadlift
Squat
Lunge

FAQ

How do I know my 1RM?

Your one repetition maximum (1RM) is the most amount of weight you can lift in a given repetition of any exercise. It’s a strength standard to gauge consistency within your workouts Your 1RM for a back squat is not the same as a 1RM for a chest press. Each exercise has its own max. Don’t try to determine your one rep max by truly maxing out with the most weight you can lift. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze with the risk of injury. Break down the numbers instead (or skip to the calculator below the equation).

There are a variety of ways to calculate it but they all come out to similar numbers. One of the most popular formulas is the Brzycki formula:

Weight × (36 / (37 – number of reps))

For example, if you squatted 150 pounds for 5 reps, you would use the Brzycki formula to estimate your 1RM as follows:

150×(36/32)=169

So, 169 pounds would be your estimated 1RM. To find an appropriate weight for working sets at 80% of your 1RM, calculate:

169×0.8=135

This means you’d aim to perform 2 sets of 6 reps with around 135 pounds for the squat.

Or you can just use this calculator. I track my workouts through the FitNotes app which automatically calculates my 1RM and percentile breakdowns for each exercise.

What if I don’t have access to a gym or heavy weights?

No problem. You don’t need to rub elbows with bodybuilding bros to get the benefits of lifting. Simply use the heaviest weight you have (yes, the 10-pound dumbbell will do). Instead of 6 reps per set, shoot for higher reps a few reps short of failure per exercise. For example, if you’re deadlifting that light kettlebell then pump out 50 reps instead.

If this high-rep approach isn’t your cup of tea then experiment with what is.

What if I don’t have time?

If 20 minutes a couple of days a week is too much, go the microworkout route instead. Set a timer for every 30 minutes and knock out a set or 2 of each exercise. Do pull-ups from that door frame bar or squats with the kettlebell you have. Adjust your environment so that these things are close to you when that timer goes off so that you actually do them.

How do you maximize your time under weights? What is your favorite exercise to get the MED benefits of lifting?

Related:

See this form in the original post

References

Momma, H., Kawakami, R., Honda, T., & Sawada, S. S. (2022). Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-105061
O’Connor, P. J., Herring, M. P., & Caravalho, A. (2010). Mental health benefits of strength training in adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 4(5), 377–396. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827610368771
Borde, R., Hortobágyi, T., & Granacher, U. (2015). Dose–Response relationships of resistance training in healthy old adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.z.), 45(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0385-9
Androulakis-Korakakis, P., Fisher, J. P., & Steele, J. (2020). The minimum effective training dose required to increase 1RM strength in resistance-trained men: A systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 50(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01236-0
Androulakis-Korakakis, P., Michalopoulos, N., Fisher, J. P., Keogh, J., Loenneke, J. P., Helms, E., Wolf, M., Nuckols, G., & Steele, J. (2021). The minimum effective training dose required for 1RM strength in powerlifters. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.713655
Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., & Krieger, J. (2018). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(11), 1286–1295. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2018.155590
Nóbrega, S. R., & Libardi, C. A. (2016). Is resistance training to muscular failure necessary? Frontiers in Physiology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2016.00010
Suchomel, T. J., Nimphius, S., Bellon, C. R., & Stone, M. H. (2018). The importance of muscular strength: Training considerations - PubMed. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 48(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0862-z
de Salles, B. F., Simão, R., Miranda, F., Novaes, J. da S., Lemos, A., & Willardson, J. M. (2009). Rest interval between sets in strength training - PubMed. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 39(9). https://doi.org/10.2165/11315230-000000000-00000
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