When it comes to improving fitness, more isn’t always better, better is better. In fact, golfers often benefit the most from focusing on the minimum effective dose (MED)—the smallest amount of training required to produce meaningful results. This approach not only prevents overtraining but also leaves time and energy for the practice and recovery golfers need to perform at their best.
What Is the Minimum Effective Dose?
The MED is a concept borrowed from medicine. It’s the smallest dose required to produce the desired effect. In fitness, it means doing just enough training to build strength, improve mobility, and increase power—without overloading your body or schedule.
For golfers, the MED approach delivers results without sacrificing the time needed to work on swing mechanics, short game, or mental preparation. It’s the opposite of extreme programs like 75 Hard, which emphasize grueling workouts and rigid schedules that often lead to burnout. Instead, MED focuses on efficiency and sustainability.
Why Golfers Should Focus on MED
- Time Allocation: Golfers need time to practice, play, and recover. Spending hours in the gym every day can detract from skill development and lead to fatigue that impacts performance.
- Injury Prevention: Overtraining increases the risk of injury—something no golfer can afford during the season. The MED approach promotes progress while allowing for proper recovery.
- Performance Gains: Golf isn’t about endurance marathons; it’s about explosive power, rotational strength, and mobility. MED allows golfers to target these areas with precision rather than wasting time on excessive volume.
- Consistency Over Intensity: Sustainable habits lead to long-term results. MED helps golfers stay consistent without overwhelming their schedules or willpower.
Why MED Beats Extreme Programs
While extreme short term programs or challenges may promise discipline and transformation, they often rely on unsustainable levels of intensity and time commitment. Golfers, on the other hand, need a balanced approach that builds strength and speed without cutting into practice time or causing burnout.
The MED approach emphasizes progress over perfection—fitting seamlessly into a golfer’s schedule while delivering measurable gains. It also leaves room to adapt based on competition schedules, injuries, or travel demands.
Final Thoughts
Golfers aren’t bodybuilders or endurance athletes, so their training shouldn’t look like it. The minimum effective dose provides a smarter, more sustainable way to build strength, increase power, and improve mobility—all while keeping time for practice and play.
If you are new or haven’t trained in awhile you may be shocked by how little it takes to see results. Results are what it’s all about, if you have never actually tracked progress outside of doing the workout itself, I encourage you to try. You may be pleasantly surprised with how little training you need and how much time you’ll have left to develop in other areas of your life - on and off the course.
By training smarter—not harder—you’ll see gains both in the gym and on the course. Ready to make the shift? Start with Lift Heavy, Swing Fast to experience the benefits of focused, effective training designed for golfers.
Many athletes see amazing results in as little as 2 workouts a week!
