I’m super excited for today’s topic—and if I’m excited for it, it means it’s a technical topic and there’s a high likelihood that I will write way too much about stuff you don’t necessarily care about! With that in mind, I’m going to purposefully keep the topic simple so you can apply it to YOUR workouts and get the results YOU care about! Make sure to stay with me until the end of the post, where I’ll give tips specific to your workout routine—whether you train at 212 1-3 times per week, 212 4-5 times per week, or on your own.
Microdosing Defined
Let’s start with what microdosing is. There are many definitions, but the one I like best is the concept of doing a small amount of work in one day, but doing it multiple times over the week to add up to the total amount you want to achieve.
The easiest way to think about this is to start with an example of a traditional bodybuilding routine. Many bodybuilders will pick one muscle group to lift each day of the week, completely exhaust that muscle group, and then not train that muscle group again until the next week. For example, Monday could be chest day, and the bodybuilder may do 3-5 sets of 10-12 reps of five chest exercises. This is a crazy amount of volume to do in one day, but it works because the bodybuilder won’t train the chest again until the following Monday. They may do legs on Tuesday, back on Wednesday, shoulders on Thursday, and arms on Friday.
Microdosing can be thought of as the opposite of this. One possible microdosing routine would involve doing 2-3 sets of one chest exercise, one leg exercise, one back exercise, one shoulder exercise, and one arms exercise each day, 3-5 days per week. In this example, you still end up doing five chest, leg, back, shoulder, and arms exercises each week, but you only do a small amount each day.
Let me be clear: we do not microdose like this at 212, but this example gives you a great idea of how the concept works.
Benefits of Microdosing
We’ve found the best reason to microdose is because it works best with a variable and inconsistent schedule. For busy professionals and parents, it can be hard to stick to a routine and always train on the days you’ve planned. Microdosing can ensure that you train the entire body in a given week, even if you can only train once or twice that week.
Microdosing can also help prevent training injuries. For example, we’ve used the microdosing concept at 212 for many years with an upper/lower split. On lower days, we may only perform 2 or 3 lower body lifts, so our members are less likely to experience knee or back pain during the workout compared with a workout that only focuses on the legs, which could include 5 or 6 lower body exercises.
We’ve also found that microdosing makes it easier to work around pre-existing aches and pains. If my shoulder is bugging me and the only muscle group we’re focused on is the chest, I’m going to have a really hard time completing that workout and might just skip that day entirely. However, if we’re microdosing an upper-focused day, there will only be 1 or 2 pushing exercises that I may need to modify, making it much easier for me to participate in the workout.
Limitations of Microdosing
Microdosing isn’t perfect, and there are a few limitations to it.
The first limitation is that it isn’t always the most optimal approach for bulking up. There’s a reason that many bodybuilders perform workout splits similar to the one I described earlier—they work for bulking up!
Another limitation of microdosing is that if someone is coming back from an injury, they may need to be more cognizant of which exercises to modify. If I have a previous shoulder injury and I’m on a more traditional bodybuilding split, I don’t have to think much about the shoulder on leg day or back day, and my shoulder may have more time to rest and heal. However, in a full-body microdosing program, I may have to modify at least one exercise every day, instead of every other day in a traditional bodybuilding program.
How to Approach Microdosing for Your Goals
The microdosing approach that will work best for your goals will depend on your training frequency and lifting background.
- If you train at 212 1-3 times per week, you can approach microdosed workouts with high effort. Because your body will have more time to recover from your workouts, you can really push yourself in your training sessions with a low risk of overtraining.
- If you train at 212 4-6 times per week, I recommend that you approach each workout with moderate effort. This is my favorite and most recommended approach because it allows you to train at 212 every day. Moving every day, even at a moderate effort, is a great habit to build because it will lead to better health, optimize your mobility and movement patterns, and keep your health and wellness top of mind.
- If you train on your own and have a variable schedule, incorporate microdosing into your training. If you tend to work out only 1-2 times per week, use a full-body microdosing model. Include:
- Two lower body exercises (one hamstring/glute-dominant),
- One upper body pushing exercise,
- 1-2 upper body pulling exercises,
- 1-3 core exercises.
Aim for 2-3 sets of each exercise.
- Lower Days: 2-3 lower body exercises (1-2 hamstring/glute-dominant) and 2-3 core exercises.
- Upper Days: 2-3 upper body exercises (1-2 pulling exercises) and 2-3 core exercises.
- Cardio– Add in where needed based on your individual fitness goals.
So that’s microdosing in a nutshell! Play around with these suggestions to find what works best for you and the results you’re looking to obtain!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this email is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or nutrition regimen.
