There are many reasons why someone might want to determine the minimum amount of weight training – also known as the minimum effective dose (MED) – they can get away with yet still get some benefit.
The main reasons are often hectic lifestyles or busy schedules that leave little time to train every day, or a lack of motivation to spend hours in the gym. Engaging in shorter, more manageable workouts can make it easier to more consistently stick with a regular exercise regimen in the long run.
Recreational athletes like runners or cyclists or anyone playing a team sport might want to enjoy the benefits associated with resistance training to improve their sporting performance and reduce their injury risk without impacting their sport-specific training.
READ MORE | How to deal with common weight training injuries
Quantifying exercise MED
Thankfully, there is some research available that can help quantify the ideal MED for resistance training.
A review1 conducted by an international group of researchers, led by David Behm of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Andreas Konrad of Graz University in Austria, looked to determine how low you can go with your training frequency, volume and intensity and still get meaningful gains in strength and fitness.
The team looked at findings from original research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that have previously demonstrated the effectiveness of resistance training (RT) on markers of performance and health to “investigate and identify lower than typically recommended RT dosages (i.e., shorter durations, lower volumes, and intensity activities) that can improve fitness components such as muscle strength and endurance”.
Based on the available research, the team determined that the least amount of RT required to see gains is “one weekly session at intensities below 50% 1RM, with < 3 sets per multi-joint exercise”.
When reviewing the literature, higher intensities or heavier loads tended to provide superior results. With regard to the type of training, multi-joint exercises induced “similar or even larger effects than single-joint exercises”.
The caveat to these findings, which were published in the journal Sports Medicine, is that this applies to beginners who followed this approach for at least the first 12 weeks.
READ MORE | Make Weight Training more Effective with Resistance Bands
Not maximising gains
It is also important to differentiate between making effective gains and optimising or maximising gains in strength and fitness, which requires greater frequency and intensity.
Ultimately, your exercise response to weight training increases in a dose-dependent manner, at least up to a point. Beyond that, you will typically start to experience diminishing returns from the time spent working out. Go beyond that and you will eventually hit a training plateau.
Finding the appropriate dose for you depends on multiple factors, including your goals, current strength levels, training history and your responsiveness to specific forms of exercise, which is largely determined by your genes.
READ MORE | Why cardio alone is less effective in helping you lose weight
Time-efficient training
If your goal is to support physical performance in other sporting codes and reduce injury risk, a novel research paper2published in the journal Sports Medicine offered other instructive insights into MED when it comes to weight training for strength and muscle growth.
In terms of the number of sets and sessions needed a week, the researchers determined that weekly training volume is more important than training frequency. They recommended “performing a minimum of 4 weekly sets per muscle group using a 6–15 RM loading range.”
The researchers also determined that “strength training can be made more time-efficient by prioritizing bilateral, multi-joint movements through a full range of motion.”
READ MORE | Strapped for time? Try micro workouts. They’re more than just a training fad…
Specific goals
If your goal is improved health and general fitness, individuals can get away with substantially less time spent training.
In a review3 published in the Current Cardiology Reports journal, US researchers determined that about an hour of strength training a week maximises cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and longevity benefits.
The data also suggested that going beyond two hours a week started to deliver diminishing returns to cardiovascular health, with longer durations attenuating risk reduction benefits or cancelling them out altogether (the researchers suggest that too much strength training might lead to stiffer arteries, or perhaps to chronic inflammation).
READ MORE | Lift weights for the body you have, not the body you want
Individual responses
Ultimately, the MED for resistance exercise and weight training is highly individualised, varying based on numerous factors, such as your age, training experience, and goals.
What we know is that finding your MED is not the most optimal approach to maximise the potential benefits from strength training. In general, exceeding the MED leads to greater progress, up to a point.
However, in most instances, some weight training is better than none. In essence, MED is about finding the most efficient way to achieve a desired outcome, with an emphasis on using the least amount of resources or effort necessary to get the job done.
If finding the best MED for you and your goals is important to you, consulting a certified personal trainer may deliver the most bang from your limited time spent training in the weights room by designing a plan tailored to your specific needs and goals.
References:
- Behm, D.G., Granacher, U., Warneke, K. et al. Minimalist Training: Is Lower Dosage or Intensity Resistance Training Effective to Improve Physical Fitness? A Narrative Review.Sports Med 54, 289–302 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01949-3
- Iversen, V.M., Norum, M., Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. No Time to Lift? Designing Time-Efficient Training Programs for Strength and Hypertrophy: A Narrative Review. Sports Med 51, 2079–2095 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01490-1.
- Lee DC, Lee IM. Optimum Dose of Resistance Exercise for Cardiovascular Health and Longevity: Is More Better? Curr Cardiol Rep. 2023 Nov;25(11):1573-1580. doi: 10.1007/s11886-023-01976-6. Epub 2023 Oct 14. PMID: 37837559.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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