Barbell Logic Com Minimum Effective Dose A Practical Approach

Minimum Effective Dose: A Practical Approach for the Early-Advanced Trainee
By: Hari Fafutis, SSC
As a trainee becomes more advanced in his training (by making progress on a weekly or monthly basis) the
programming aspect becomes the next biggest potential obstacle that may hinder his progress, assuming that his form
and consistency are good. The basic premise of Minimum Effective Dose programming is that you change one variable
at a time as you start to see that a given lift is about to plateau under its previous scheme. This allows you to detect the
effectiveness of any given variable that you change. Below, I will describe my own training background as the basis for
MED programming. After 5 months of MED methodology, I can only say that the results of small changes from my
coach, Matt Reynolds, were very satisfying.
Minimum Effective Dose: A Practical Approach for the Early-Advanced Trainee

If you have been training for quite some time (1 year and/or more), you have probably encountered many di erent programming strategies
each claiming to be the best way to get stronger. For the serious strength athlete, it almost seems like a programming discussion amongst
friends, peers, or even strangers is becoming as taboo as discussions of politics, religion, and diet. Programming de nitely deserves an
honorable place for an intellectual discussion, since it’s a fascinating topic that entails both science and art, and it is also a challenging yet
satisfactory task for the coach who embraces the assignment with professionalism and a systemic perspective. But it doesn’t necessarily
have to be a compromising topic.
Despite the di erent attitudes and biases towards programming, SSOC is a place that likes to “use the best of both worlds,” implementing
concepts from di erent places. With already more than a thousand clients under our belt, the online coaching platform has allowed us to
test and demonstrate di erent concepts’ e ectiveness with real results. SSOC not only has been able to nd a strategic programming
synergy by 1) using the basic scienti c principles behind the physiological phenomenon we call adaptation, 2) intelligently using
programming concepts from di erent elds, and 3) re ning this whole topic with contributions from excellent coaches around the globe
with actual experience in the trenches, but it also has come up with a simple method that embraces the potential complexity of a given
program with a more digestible, less overwhelming process. And this may as well be the piece of the puzzle that’s been missing ever since
Milo decided to start lifting a calf, and potentially the start of a practical conversation that doesn’t need to be elevated at the level of a
political ght.
We call this approach the Minimum E ective Dose (MED) (for a deeper understanding of the dynamics behind this method, please click here
to read Reynolds’ original articles, part 2). The basic premise is to change one variable at a time as the coach starts to see that a given lift is
about to plateau under its previous scheme. This variable may mean just to add another set, or to do more reps for a given set, or to add in
another exercise to the program. The biggest advantage is that this method doesn’t change multiple variables or use a radically di erent
program for the trainee to keep on making progress. Though big changes in programming can work, the downside is that we won’t know
exactly which changes caused the progress to be made, and which didn’t. Minimum E ective Dose (MED) allows the coach to detect the
e ectiveness of a given variable, because he changes one variable at a time.
As a trainee becomes more advanced in his training (by making progress on a weekly or monthly basis) the programming aspect becomes
the next biggest potential obstacle that may hinder his progress, assuming that his form and consistency are good. This is why the topic is
relevant for more advanced trainees, and this is also a great time to hire an experienced coach who can guide you in this di cult -but not
impossible- process. I should know because that is exactly what I did.
My Experience with MED Programming
Exactly at this point in my training career is when I reached out to Matt Reynolds (SSOC Owner and Coach) to help me with my
programming. This was also the time when Matt and SSOC nailed down the nishing touches of MED, and thus coach Reynolds decided to
use me as his guinea pig to try out these concepts. I had just come out of intermediate programming, a slightly more di cult MED task than
one for a trainee who just came out of a Novice LP, but yet still simple enough for a smart coach.
After 5 months of MED methodology, I can only say that the results were very satisfying, especially for a guy like me who had been stuck
with a 500-lb squat for almost a year after having gotten used to making progress on a weekly basis (and I never stopped training over the
course of that plateau-year). How good were these results? Let’s present the numbers before starting with SSOC, and after 5 months with
SSOC:
Lift Previous PRs (before SSOC) PRs after 5 months with SSOC Percentage of Increment
Squat 502 525 4%
Press 238 270 12%
Deadlift 562 575 2%
Bench Press 350 375 6%
In the following paragraphs, I will present the background, methods, and MED changes that Matt Reynolds implemented into my
programming with the goal of increasing my strength.
The rst thing coach Reynolds did, was to take a look at my previous training history. I was just coming out of recovery from a wisdom tooth
extraction coupled with a fever that lasted for two weeks. After that, I ran a brief classic LP to get back to previous weights. I started to
approach the limits under this program with the squat and DL, and the press and bench press were still progressing under LP, so I began to
modify the program for the DL and the squat under a Texas Method style. The last week of training without SSOC looked like this:
Monday Wednesday Friday

Squat 4×5 (volume day) Squat 2×5 (light day) Squat 1×5, 1×5 @90% (intensity day)
Bench Press 3×5 (LP) Press 3×5 (LP) Bench Press 3×5 (LP)
DL 1×5 (intensity day) Chin-ups (light pulling day) DL 2×5 (volume day)
And at that point, Matt Reynolds took over my programming. I was in a situation where that scheme wasn’t enough stress for me to drive
up the progress. One of my biggest problems actually was that I stayed with an intermediate program for longer than I should have. Before
the wisdom tooth surgery, I ran a 4-day split Texas method program for a year and a half. The last weeks of this program consisted of cycling
the intensity days with triples, doubles, and singles. This is what the 3-week cycle looked like:
Week 1:

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Press 2×3 (New 3RM) DL 3RM BP 2×3 (New 3RM) Squat 2×3 (New 3RM)
Bench Press 5×5 (Volume SQ 5×5 (Volume Press 5×5 (Volume Sti Legged Deadlift 3×5 (Volume
Work) work) Work) Work)
Dips Chin-Ups
Week 2:


Dips Chin-Ups
Week 3:


Dips Chin-Ups
I executed this 3-week- cycle multiple times, hitting a new PR for a given rep scheme every three weeks, but as I explained in the last
paragraph, this intermediate program was about to nish working for me; everything was just very heavy. Matt went through my log to see
what I did before the wisdom tooth removal and after the recovery.
Following the MED philosophy, he decided to come back to the 3 week cycle, except that this time, he changed a few things: On the intensity
day, there was just one heavy set, and then a back-o set for as many reps as possible (AMRAP) for the bench press, and also back-o sets
for the press, squat, and deadlift for 5 or 3 reps (the details of this can be found on the table below). The second change was that he added a
little more assistance work for my upper body. A smart observer can detect that these minimum changes allowed for more stress to be
applied under the same scheme I was doing, without completely altering a program that worked so well before. The rst cycle was actually a
small deload for the intensity days, but during the second cycle, PRs started to show up, especially on my presses and bench presses. The
outline for the 3-week cycle with the additional AMRAP sets and assistance work looked like this:
Week 1:


DL 1×5 BP 1×5, 1xAMRAP @70% SQ 1×5, 1×5 @ 93% Press 1×5, 1×5 @ 95%
SQ 4×5 Press 5×5 DL 3×5 BP 5×5
Barbell Rows 3×8 Chin-ups
Lying T. Ext. 3×10 Dips
Week 2:


DL 1×3 BP 1×3, 1xAMRAP @80% SQ 1×3, 1×5 @ 92% Press 1×3, 1×5 @ 92%
SQ 4×5 Press 5×5 DL 3×5 BP 5×5
Week 3:

DL 1×1, 1×3 @ 91% BP 1×1, 1xAMRAP @85% SQ 1×1, 1×5 @ 90% Press 1×1, 1×5 @ 90%
SQ 4×5 Press 5×5 DL 3×5 BP 5×5
We ran this cycle 3 times in a row, and PRs started happening by the second cycle. During the third cycle, almost all of the lifts for any given
rep scheme were new PRs. The following comparative table shows the heavy singles from the third week of the rst cycle, and the heavy
singles from the third week for the third cycle:
Exercise Week 3, First Cycle Week 3, Third Cycle % Increase

Squat 475 505 (PR) 6%
Press 230 255 (PR) 10%
Deadlift 515 570 (PR) 10%
Bench Press 320 365 (PR) 12%
This was a very smooth transition into my rst advanced programming block, and hitting PRs was quite a surprise for me, since I didn’t think
the simple tweaks of adding in more sets after the heavy set on intensity-day, plus a little more work with assistance exercises would be
enough to drive the strength adaptation up. And as I told Matt, I think these back-o sets really were the key to this progress, since they
allowed for more volume to accumulate, but with a weight that wasn’t as challenging as the intensity weight of the rst set.
The next logical step to follow was of course to add more stress. But the problem was that the week was already full of stress on any given
training day. The solution? Enter Block-programming.
All Roads Lead to Block Programming

Photo: Nick Delgadillo
I was again at a point where I needed more accumulated stress in order to drive a new strength adaptation up, while at the same time more
recovery-time was needed since the additional added stress forced me to recover over a longer time span. This means that the volume
accumulation phase, the recovery phase, and the adaptation phase all had to be longer. Whereas before, this used to be all happening in the
time of 1 week, block programming organizes these phases over times of 1, 2, 3, or even more months. Since this was my rst block, a simple
block of 2 months was enough time to run a cycle with everything I needed to keep on getting stronger (Why use a 4-month block, when a
simpler 2-month block works as well?).
The good part about this is that the program didn’t have to change drastically from what I’ve been doing before. We stayed with the same 4-
day split scheme, but now the volume and intensity were manipulated di erently.
An advanced block of training is designed to accommodate two basics phases; volume accumulation phase and realization phase (and
there’s a transmutation phase, and a recovery phase in-between these primary phases, which will be explained here in a bit), with the latter
hopefully providing new PRs at the end of the cycle.
Basically speaking, the rst couple of weeks will usually consist of a lot of volume work (for instance 5 sets of 5 on the squat). Then, as the
weight starts to get heavy to complete 5 sets of 5, the volume starts to drop. This phase uses more weight, and slightly less volume
(following the example of the squat, the scheme at this point looks something like 4 sets of 4), and it is called the Transmutation phase. This
process will also last a couple of weeks, and the weight on the bar will keep on getting heavier and heavier, whereas reps and sets will start
to decrease (something like 4 sets of 3). After this phase where everything feels heavy (because there’s still some fatigue present from the
volume accumulation phase), there’s usually a deload week, where the weight to be lifted and the total volume decrease compared to the
previous weeks of work (something like 3 sets of 3).
The original “intensity” day from the Texas Method I was previously doing wasn’t removed from the program, I actually did heavy singles
before the volume work, and as with the volume weights, the single became heavier on a weekly basis. The rst week consisted of a single at
about 84% of my most recent 1RM, and that percentage increased weekly.
After the deload week came the realization phase. Here, on the rst week, I did a heavy single at around 97-100% of my 1RM, and then a
couple of back-o sets (like 2 sets of 3) with about 12% less than the previous single. This week helps to “test the waters” and to keep on
dropping that volume from the last week’s so that recovery happens, and the adaptation nally shows up. This week is glorious, since the
trainee is actually able to feel the progress, because those heavy singles usually feel light (or at least easier than before), and this allows the
lifter to gain some con dence for the last week in the cycle, where the idea is to achieve new PRs, new 1RMs.
This is the general outline for an advanced block of training. The heavy single and the volume work are completed in one session. Since this
is a 4-day split, there’s usually another day available to program the same lift that already used volume and intensity. And here’s where
usually a new variable is also introduced, typically in the form of an assistance exercise. Following the squat example, the second “squat-
slot” could consist of something like a paused squat, or a pin squat, or any other squat variant. This is usually done for fewer sets and fewer
reps, and since an assistance exercise is lighter by de nition, fatigue doesn’t accumulate excessively. Additionally, the assistance exercise
usually attacks a weak point that the lifter seems to struggle with (for example, paused squats help to improve the tightness of the posterior
chain at the bottom of the squat, something that tends to become di cult to maintain as the weights get heavy).
Though this program de nitely is more complex than the previous one, the basic elements that have been helping me increase my strength
throughout my training career are still present in this new scheme. So, the program is actually not something entirely di erent. For this case,
the MED changes de nitely consisted of more than 1 or 2 changes, but in principle, the mechanism is still very similar. The description of the
program I just presented, is only a simple overlook of what I did since the purpose here is to demonstrate how the MED philosophy is put
into practice by a professional, but individual di erences need to be considered when designing a medium-term program like this one.
This 2-month cycle was by no means easy to complete. The volume and transmutation phases are probably the hardest things I’ve been
through in my training career—everything was heavy, and this process required a lot of focus and tenacity. The end of the tunnel wasn’t
ever seen here. I actually reached moments of self-doubt because everything felt very hard, and I couldn’t see how such a hard program
would allow me to lift more weight in the future since I was already struggling to nish the sets and reps at this phase! I think the key to my
success was trusting both my coach and the process itself.
It was also important to anticipate that bad days would be present during training and know that running away from them is not an answer.
The best solution is to get under the bar and nish the prescribed sets and reps. At the end of the workout, I always felt better and good
because I managed to nish something di cult despite what my current emotional state was. There was also a time where I got very sick
with a virus that had me lying in bed for three days, but I managed to complete the training sessions at the end of the week. I also traveled
on another week, and there were multiple days where my sleep and nutrition weren’t optimal. Despite these obstacles, I managed to
complete all of the workouts, and I was impressed at learning how resilient the body can be despite all of the stressors that you can throw at
it (life happens, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care of your nutrition, sleeping habits, and life stressors outside the gym).
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that training properly for strength isn’t necessarily a complicated process, it is actually quite simple
when one uses tools such as the MED philosophy. However, this simple process of strength acquisition is hard. Hard in the sense that it
requires a lot of personal e ort, commitment, self-responsibility, and resilience. The doors are open to anyone who’s willing to put in the
work to get stronger; everybody’s welcome, but not everybody is willing to make it happen.
Below is the general template I used with coach Reynolds for my rst block of training as an advanced trainee. Below is also a table with my
PRs at the end of the cycle.
Week 1: Accumulation


Bench Press: Deadlift: Press: Squat:
84% x 1, 75% 5 x 5 82% x 1, 73% 3 x 5 84% x 1, 75% 4 x 5 84% x 1, 75% 5 x 5
Seated Press: Bench Press (3-count pause): Close-grip Bench Press: Paused Deadlift:
3 x 5 @ RPE 8 5 x 3 @ RPE 8 4 x 5 @ RPE 7.5 6 x 3 @ RPE 7
Tempo Squat:
Accessories Accessories
6 x 2 @ RPE 6.5


86% x 1, 77% 5 x 5 85% x 1, 76% 3 x 5 86% x 1, 77% 4 x 5 86% x 1, 77% 5 x 5
3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 5 x 3 @ RPE 8.5 3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 6 x 2 @ RPE 7.5
Tempo Squat:
6 x 2 @ RPE 7


89% x 1, 90% 5 x 5 89% x 1, 80% 3 x 5 89% x 1, 80% 4 x 5 89% x 1, 80% 5 x 5
3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 5 x 3 @ RPE 9 3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 6 x 2 @ RPE 8
Tempo Squat:
6 x 2 @ RPE 7.5
Week 4: Transmutation


92% x 1, 83% 4 x 4 92% x 1, 83% 3 x 4 92% x 1, 83% 4 x 4 92% x 1, 83% 4 x 4
3 x 5 @ RPE 9 5 x 3 @ RPE 9 3 x 5 @ RPE 9 6 x 2 @ RPE 8.5
Tempo Squat:
6 x 2 @ RPE 8
Week 5: Transmutation


95% x 1, 86% 4 x 3 95% x 1, 86% 3 x 3 95% x 1, 86% 4 x 3 95% x 1, 86% 4 x 3
Press Lockouts: Floor Press: Paused Bench Press: De cit Deadlift:
3RM, 4×3 @ 92% 3RM, 3×3 @ 92% 3RM, 4×3 @ 92% 1 x 3 @ RPE 8, 3×3 @ 92%
Pin Squat:
5 x 2 @ RPE 7
Week 6: Deload


93% x 1, 85% 3 x 3 92% x 1, 85% 1 x 3 93% x 1, 85% 3 x 3 92% x 1, 85% 3 x 3
Press Lockouts: Floor Press: Paused Bench Press: De cit Deadlift:
1RM, 3×3 @ 92% 1RM, 3×3 @ 88% 1RM, 3×3 @ 90% 1 x 1 @ RPE 9, 2×3 @ 90%
Pin Squat:
3 x 2 @ RPE 7.5
Week 7: Realization


97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3 97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3 97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3 97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3
Press Lockouts: Pin Squat: Floor Press: De cit Deadlift:
1RM, 90% x AMRAP 1RM, 88% x AMRAP 1RM, 90% x AMRAP 1RM, 90% x AMRAP
Week 8: Realization (PR Week)


1RM, 85% x AMRAP 1RM 1RM, 85% x AMRAP 1RM, 88% 2 x 3
Press Lockouts: Squats: Floor Press: De cit Deadlift:
1RM, 90% x AMRAP 4×2 @ RPE 7 1RM, 90% x AMRAP 1RM, 90% x AMRAP
Comparison of PRs before and after advanced cycle:

Exercise Previous PRs PRs after cycle % Increase

Squat 505 525 4%
Press 255 270 5.5%
Deadlift 570 575 1%
Bench Press 365 375 3%
Hari Fafutis is the rst and only certi ed Starting Strength Coach in Latin America. Hari nished
his studies with a Bachelor of Science and a Specialty Degree in Industrial Engineering from the
Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara. He currently lives in Guadalajara where he
works as the Operations Manager at a furniture and educational toy manufacturing company. He
also owns a small strength facility where he coaches trainees of all ages, with the advantage of
being the rst Strength Gym in Mexico. Hari is also translating the Starting Strength literature
into Spanish.
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READ: Strength Training For the Low-Priority Lifter

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Minimum Effective Dose: A Practical Approach for the Early-Advanced Trainee

By: Hari Fafutis, SSC

Minimum Effective Dose: A Practical Approach for the Early-Advanced Trainee

Monday Wednesday Friday

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Exercise Week 3, First Cycle Week 3, Third Cycle % Increase

All Roads Lead to Block Programming

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

84% x 1, 75% 5 x 5 82% x 1, 73% 3 x 5 84% x 1, 75% 4 x 5 84% x 1, 75% 5 x 5

3 x 5 @ RPE 8 5 x 3 @ RPE 8 4 x 5 @ RPE 7.5 6 x 3 @ RPE 7

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

86% x 1, 77% 5 x 5 85% x 1, 76% 3 x 5 86% x 1, 77% 4 x 5 86% x 1, 77% 5 x 5

3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 5 x 3 @ RPE 8.5 3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 6 x 2 @ RPE 7.5

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

89% x 1, 90% 5 x 5 89% x 1, 80% 3 x 5 89% x 1, 80% 4 x 5 89% x 1, 80% 5 x 5

3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 5 x 3 @ RPE 9 3 x 5 @ RPE 8.5 6 x 2 @ RPE 8

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

92% x 1, 83% 4 x 4 92% x 1, 83% 3 x 4 92% x 1, 83% 4 x 4 92% x 1, 83% 4 x 4

3 x 5 @ RPE 9 5 x 3 @ RPE 9 3 x 5 @ RPE 9 6 x 2 @ RPE 8.5

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

Press Lockouts: Floor Press: Paused Bench Press: De cit Deadlift:

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

93% x 1, 85% 3 x 3 92% x 1, 85% 1 x 3 93% x 1, 85% 3 x 3 92% x 1, 85% 3 x 3

Press Lockouts: Floor Press: Paused Bench Press: De cit Deadlift:

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3 97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3 97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3 97-100% x 1, 88% 2 x 3

Press Lockouts: Pin Squat: Floor Press: De cit Deadlift:

Week 8: Realization (PR Week)

Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday

1RM, 85% x AMRAP 1RM 1RM, 85% x AMRAP 1RM, 88% 2 x 3

Press Lockouts: Squats: Floor Press: De cit Deadlift:

Exercise Previous PRs PRs after cycle % Increase

READ: Strength Training For the Low-Priority Lifter

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