  We present a practical strategy to optimize a set of Hybrid Monte Carlo
parameters in simulations of QCD and QCD-like theories. We specialize to the
case of mass-preconditioning, with multiple time-step Omelyan integrators.
Starting from properties of the shadow Hamiltonian we show how the optimal
setup for the integrator can be chosen once the forces and their variances are
measured, assuming that those only depend on the mass-preconditioning
parameter.
