16/11/2023
I often argue that it makes sense to adopt minimal effective dose (MED) as a guiding principle for most people when training. But it is not without context.
What is MED?
MED stems from pharmacology - āthe least amount of something administered to achieve the desired responseā. The term has been adopted and used in the applicationĀ of training stress, as training is a stimulus we apply to seek out adaptation. Simply put, you ask yourself āwhat is the least amount of work I need to perform in order to see an improvementā. At the other end of the spectrum we have maximal tolerated dose, or in training terms āmaximal recoverable volumeā. That essentially means āwhat is the most training stress I can perform to which I can still recover from and improve?ā
Essentially all of our training should exist between these two points. Training needs to be challenging enough to at least move the needle, but not so much that it leaves us wrecked unable to sustain the work.
The primary reason I like MED as a guiding principle is because it helps with compliance. Too often people set themselves unrealistic schedules, or have this belief more is always better, and so they full send it - 6 week programmes to no where. The harder it is, the more time consuming it is, the more it will challenge your ability to stay consistent. And consistency wins the race. Logically, why not just start small and see what improvements can be made without huge sacrifice?
MED also follows the laws of stress adaptation more appropriately; progression should happen after adaptation, not before it I.e how do you know what you can tolerate without graded exposure over time? Additionally, the more you ramp up the training stress, the more everything else in your life needs to be managed / appropriate to facilitate it. Stress fills the same cup.
MED also however isnāt a justification for sandbagging it. It doesnāt mean easy. The emphasis on the word 'effective'. For example, if you dedicate 3hrs a week to get some training sessions in, you absolutely should be leveraging enough intensity in those sessions. RPE 4/10s all the time is minimal, not effective.
