Minimum Effective Dose

I can vividly remember starting out as a personal trainer in my first proper job working in a gym- 23rd of March 2009, at Fitness First Tuggerah on the NSW Central Coast. For weeks our development training had drilled into us- with a new client you’ve got to open up the bag of tricks, pull back the curtain so to speak and give them everything straight out of the gates.

A wow session they called it.

Cut the waffle away and what it essentially meant was flog the unsuspecting new client to death. When they were gassed with little or nothing left to give, the role of the trainer was to draw on the reserved energy to push that little extra out.

After four or five conversations after these sessions it became apparent that someone new to the gym who was quite content with improvement rather than bone jarringly tough, borderline insane training sessions- that this method of training yielded little to no value for the client. 

Of the five, one signed up to ongoing training the rest- “This just isn’t for me sorry”. Funny that. It was abundantly clear that something had to change and more than likely that something was me, it wasn’t entirely my fault, it was a gaping lack of awareness across the industry as a whole. It turns out that not everybody wants a six pack, to be a contender for the fittest on earth, the next Mr Olympia or the worlds strongest woman- shock horror, right?

 

Over the years I took a blended approach, I would listen to exactly what you wanted to achieve and mix that with what you needed. We met at the point you were on day one and steadily moved forward from there. The same tool kit was available, this time we only used the first compartment- as a team, when starting out you needed the minimal effective dose. Something that got results, but without destroying you. My contribution was finding what that minimal effective dose was and planning its evolution over the coming months.

Why bother with high intensity interval training, albeit incredibly effective when used appropriately, when your aerobic system is lacking development first? Why try to incorporate Olympic lifts into your programming such as the snatch or clean and press when you’re struggling to maintain scapula/shoulder stability through more simple movements.

 

Where years ago we were taught to show off the fancy, party tricks- now what separates the best coaches from the rest of the pack is the ability to provide what works. Over time, work, skill development and practice what you need shifts more towards what you want. This is where structural balance (panel beating a busted body) progresses toward muscle gain or strength training amongst others.

It is important to remember, regardless of the specific goal that you have in mind when starting an exercise program that good health (what should really be number one priority right next to the goal) isn’t at all like a roast, where once it’s cooked it is pulled from the oven, stick a fork in it and throw a couple chef’s kiss’ to the crowd. It is something that always requires attention. That doesn’t mean flogging to death daily but it needs work, something to remain sharp. Whether it’s a run, an extra serve of vegetables, a little meditation or a combination of these and the myriad of other items that benefit health will depend on you and what you’re looking to achieve.

With that constant need for a tune up, so to does the minimum effective dose change. First day in the gym what is enough may simply be a light sweat, some new movements and a couple stretches to loosen some tight hips. Three months in it’s likely day ones difficult is day 90’s warm up. Now it’s more specific programming incorporating progressive overload rather than skill acquisition. The reality is that there is always something that can be improved- a new movement learnt, body composition, strength, power, sporting ability and so much more with opportunities for tangents and course direction changes at every corner.

 

 

Rewinding to day one, the beginning- minimum effective dose. An opportunity to learn the basics, develop and build on new habits. It is your opportunity to lay a platform that essentially becomes your base and the wider that base is, the higher you’re able to build.

Take it from a guy who’s tried to do everything all at once, a guy who has seen many people try to do it all at once that doing it all at once rarely works. It rarely lasts not always because it’s too hard, it rarely works because it’s too much. 

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