EPISODE · Jul 23, 2026 · 58 MIN
#489 Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis - The Minimum Effective Dose for Muscle Building
from Lift Free And Diet Hard with Andrew Coates · host Andrew Coates
Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis returns to explain what the research says about the minimum effective dose for muscle growth, strength, health, and long-term physical independence.In this episode, we discuss:• The minimum amount of training required to build muscle• Whether minimum-dose training produces meaningful real-world results• How inactive and metabolically unhealthy people respond to resistance training• Where diminishing returns begin as training volume increases• Minimum effective dose training for everyday people• Minimum-dose training for serious lifters• Whether people accurately estimate reps in reserve• Training close to failure in high and low rep ranges• When you should and should not train to failure• Whether machines are enough for older adults• Building muscle and supporting bone health as you age• Fatigue, recovery, and the reality of overtraining• Genetics and realistic expectations• Why consistency matters more than training secrets• Pak’s new book, Train Smarter, Not Longer• And much moreFollow Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis on Instagram:@dr__pakCHAPTERS01:05 Minimum Effective Dose04:34 Research-Based Volume Targets05:48 Training Close to Failure08:27 Fractional Sets Explained11:06 Low- vs. High-Volume Training16:22 Minimum-Dose Training for Real Life20:08 Rep-Range Absolutism26:24 Fatigue and Overtraining Myths30:03 Injury Risk and Training Workarounds32:29 Minimum-Dose Training for Seniors33:21 Results From 20 Minutes Per Week37:11 Machines for Safe, Hard Training38:34 Larry’s Recovery Update42:41 Estimating Reps in Reserve45:10 Does Anything Actually Matter?49:18 Genetics and Realistic Expectations53:15 Consistency Beats Training Secrets57:38 Pak’s Book and What Comes NextSUPPORT THE SHOWIf this episode helped you rethink how much training is actually required to make progress:• Subscribe and check out more episodes• Share the episode on social media and tag @andrewcoatesfitness• Send it to someone who thinks they do not have enough time to trainFOLLOW ANDREW COATESInstagram: @andrewcoatesfitnesshttps://www.andrewcoatesfitness.comPARTNERS AND RESOURCESRP STRENGTH APPUse code COATESRP:https://www.rpstrength.com/coatesJUST BITE ME MEALSUse code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off:https://justbitememeals.comMACROSFIRST — FREE PREMIUM TRIAL• Download MacrosFirst• Begin setting up your account• When asked, “How did you hear about us?” enter: ANDREWKNKG BAGS — 15% OFFhttps://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676VERSA GRIPPShttps://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoatesTRAINHEROIC — FREE 90-DAY TRIAL• Visit: https://www.trainheroic.com/liftfree• Reply to the email you receive or email [email protected]• Let them know Andrew sent youL1 BIOMECHANICS AND ASSESSMENT COURSEUse code COATES:https://pro.activelifeprofessional.com/assessmentworkshopevents
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#489 Dr. Pak Androulakis-Korakakis - The Minimum Effective Dose for Muscle Building
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