We all know that life is a balancing act. Between work, family, travel etc. it can be hard to fit your training in your schedule. However, I’m here to tell you that there is still hope! That hope comes in the form of micro-dosing.
What is Micro-dosing?
Micro-dosing is a method of organizing training into shorter, more frequent sessions rather than longer sessions each week. Sometimes called micro-loading, it evolved out of the medical theory of minimal effective dose.
Simply said, micro-dosing is the minimum amount of training needed to get the desired training effect.
This training structure is commonly used in sports that require lots of travel and have a lot of competitions each season.
For example, major league baseball teams play 162 games every season. That makes scheduling strength training extremely hard to do between game days and travel days. So rather than trying to carve out an hour or two a few times each week, many teams will train for 15-30 minutes after a game, 4 or 5 times per week. Micro-dosing allows them to maintain training intensity and frequency without undue fatigue.
Outside of a team setting, this form of organizing training makes a lot of sense for busy people who still want to make gains but can’t fit in long training sessions. Nearly all of us can find 20 minutes a day to get a quick workout in.
What it looks like
Below is an example of how you can take a normal two-day split and chop it up into a micro-dosing split. The same exercises, sets, and reps are included in both. However, the micro-dosing plan can actually be done in a slightly shorter time because you can cut out some of the rest between exercises.
| 2 days per week | Micro-loading 4 days per week | ||||
|
Day 1
|
Back Squat | 3 sets of 5 reps |
Day1
|
Back Squat | 3 sets of 5 reps |
| Lateral Lunge | 3 sets of 6 reps each side | Shoulder Press | 3 sets of 5 reps | ||
| Shoulder Press | 3 sets of 5 reps | Farmers Carry | 3 sets of 45 seconds | ||
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 sets of 6 reps each side |
Day 2
|
Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 sets of 6 reps each side | |
| Farmers Carry | 3 sets of 45 seconds | Lateral Raise | 3 sets of 5 reps | ||
| Hanging Leg Raises | 3 sets of 10 reps | Hanging Leg Raise | 3 sets of 10 reps | ||
|
Day 2
|
Deadlift | 3 sets of 5 reps |
Day 3
|
Deadlift | 3 sets of 5 reps |
| Single Leg RDL | 3 sets of 5 reps each side | Lateral Lunge | 3 sets of 6 reps each side | ||
| Chin Up | 3 sets of 5 reps | Single Leg RDL | 3 sets of 5 reps each side | ||
| Bicep Curl | 3 sets of 10 reps |
Day 4
|
Chin up | 3 sets of 5 reps | |
| Lateral Raise | 3 sets of 10 reps | Bicep Curl | 3 sets of 10 reps | ||
| Russian Twist | 3 sets of 15 reps each side | Russian Twist | 3 sets of 15 reps each side | ||
| TOTAL VOLUME | 246 Reps completed | TOTAL VOLUME | 246 Reps completed | ||
| TOTAL DURATION | 120 Mins | TOTAL DURATION | 100 mins | ||
One thing to consider when starting a micro-dosing plan is how much of a warm-up you need.
Since time is limited, an efficient warm-up is key. I usually recommend about 5 minutes of general cardio and range of motion movements followed by a couple of warm-up sets for your strength exercises.
In conclusion, if you are trying to find a way to fit your training into a busy schedule, micro-dosing might be your answer. Give it a try!
About the Author
Alex Wetmore is the director of online coaching for Off The Mountain and earned his Ph.D. in sports physiology & performance from East Tennessee State University. He has worked with athletes at all levels from youth to Olympians. Alex uses his understanding of physiology to help others thrive, on and off the mountain.
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