Minimum Effective Dose
Minimum Effective Dose
If exercise was medicine then how much medicine would we need? If it was a tablet then what dose should we take? A doctor prescribing medication, needs to provide enough of a dose to elicit a positive effect. Prescribing too high a dose will likely lead to negative side effects; too little and the issue will persist. The minimum effective dose (MED) concept comes from the medical industry and much like medicine, there is also a likely sweet spot for exercise, where not enough of a stimulus will not effectively achieve the goal or tackle the ‘issue’ while too much can lead to inappropriate development, lack of enjoyment, injury.
MED is defined as the smallest dose required in order to produce the desired outcome. And for many of us, results in the shortest time possible is exactly what we’re looking for. The ultimate goal?! The argument follows that anything above this minimal dose is a waste, using the example that when water is boiled, it’s boiled. Anything else is just a waste of energy.
But there are plenty of instances where the bare minimum might not be enough. In particular when it comes to issues concerning safety – here a margin of safety above the bare minimum would likely be appropriate.
And while results in the shortest time possible would demonstrate efficiency, your ability to perform beyond this point, at certain times, would clearly be advantageous. In sport, it’s not a line to comfortably attach yourself to! The MED is probably better served as the lowest line of a bandwidth within which we exercise. At the other end of the spectrum is the term ‘worst case scenario’. This concept looks at moments of highest demand and implements a training exposure at or near it to develop an ability to meet these demands. So if MED is the lowest line in a training bandwidth, the worst case scenario might be the upper limit.
The trick is to ensure both lines are appropriately placed, considering the negative ‘side effects’ of too high a dose and the lack progress at too low a dose. It’s also clear that as we develop and improve in certain areas of physical fitness, these lines should move. The bandwidth should provide scope to challenge, to advance and progress, should leave room for continued and sustainable effort, and allow for ‘moments’ of reduced training.
All pretty sensible, straight forward stuff. The difficult part is finding the right bandwidth to meet your particular training needs for each training phase. These bandwidths will shift depending on your training state, your previous training exposure and your training plan. An experienced athlete will have a good idea of their bandwidth, others might be well served relying on the advice of qualified coaches.
