Progressive Overload
What is "progressive overload?" It refers to adding positive stress to your workouts over time so your body continually adapts. It could be adding more weight, reps, or sets to your lifts. It could also mean getting better at your lifting form, increasing the duration of your workouts, or increasing time under tension. It's how we get stronger!
Why should I care? If you want to get stronger and gain muscle, progressive overload is *required.* If you are lifting weights and not integrating progressive overload, you will plateau and stall progress.
How can I implement this? If you're doing a fitness program with me, then you're already integrating progressive overload, as I build this into every client's program! Yay! If you're doing your own lifting program, here are a few strategies to consider:
Intensity - Lift heavier weights
Sets - Increase the number of sets you're completing
Reps - Increase how many reps you complete in each set
Rest - When lifting heavier, you should need *more* rest time
Frequency - Increase the number of times you target each muscle group per week
Tempo - Slowing down the eccentric part of your movement adds additional positive stress (for example, in a bicep curl, rather than a 1-to-1 tempo, try a 1-to-3 tempo where you curl up for 1 second and slow down the lowering movement to 3 seconds)
What else should I know?
Form matters - Don't let any progressive overload strategy compromise your form. If you try a heavier weight and your form is weakened, then go back to the lighter weight and keep at it until you can increase weight with excellent form. No one wants an injury!
Slow and steady - Patience is key! Tackle one progressive overload strategy at a time and don't try to alter too much at once. Gains will be slow.
Progress is not linear - You may have weeks where you see big increases, and weeks where you regress or stay stagnant. This is normal. You won't be able to increase the weight you're lifting every single week for forever. Other factors can affect progress, too, such as sleep, menstrual cycle, recovery time, stress, and more.
Plan in phases - I program all my clients' workouts in phases, typically 4 weeks per phase. This allows some repetition each week (for example, repeating the same 3 workouts for 4 weeks in a row), which allows time to master form and progressively overload slowly over time. Each new phase alters sets, reps, and more. If you're winging your workouts, you're wasting your precious time. Utilize a carefully crafted plan specific to your goals.
Track your progress - It's important to track your workouts so you can ensure progress over time. If you're not writing down your weights, sets, reps, etc. start now so you can know how to progressively overload as you move forward.
Here are additional resources on this topic:
https://www.trainheroic.com/blog/progressive-overload-for-newbies/
Podcast: EmPowered Radio, episode dated Dec 8, 2020 titled “Are You Leaving Progress on the Table? Progressive Overload: What it is and How to do it Effectively”
So, how will you implement progressive overload into your next phase of workouts?
