09/17/2026
For high achievers, the word “minimum” can immediately sound like lowering your standards to be mediocre.
You picture the coworker who shows up late, leaves early, spends half the day on their phone, and only kicks it into gear when a major deadline forces them to.
That’s the bare minimum. It’s not the same thing as the minimum effective dose.
Let’s say you normally train four days a week, but work, family, travel, and everything else are piling up. During that season, your minimum effective dose might be two workouts a week.
Two may not be ideal, but it may be enough to maintain some strength, keep the habit going, and prevent you from feeling like you completely fell off and need to start over later.
You’re still putting a deposit in the bank. It may not be as much as you’d like right now, but it isn’t zero, and that’s why it’s still effective.
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