What is progressive overload?
As you start to get stronger and build muscle, sticking to the same weights and routines just won’t cut it anymore. Your body and brain will adapt to the demands placed on them, meaning we need to keep challenging them to continue making progress.
Here’s how you can keep moving forward and ensure you're always making gains.
1. Improving Technique of the Exercise
Perfecting your form not only prevents injuries but also maximizes muscle engagement and effectiveness of the exercise. For instance, when doing squats, focusing on keeping your chest up, knees out, and hitting the right depth can make a world of difference. By improving your technique, you can lift more efficiently and effectively, leading to better muscle activation.
2. Increasing the Weight Lifted
Adding more weight forces your muscles to work harder, stimulating growth and strength. If you’ve been bench pressing 60kg for a while and it’s starting to feel easy, bump it up to 65kg. Gradually increasing the weight keeps your muscles under constant pressure to adapt and grow.
3. Increasing the Number of Reps per Set
More reps mean more time under tension, which is crucial for muscle hypertrophy. For example, if you usually do 3 sets of 8 reps for bicep curls, try increasing it to 3 sets of 10 reps. The added reps will challenge your muscles and encourage further growth.
4. Increasing the Number of Sets
More sets can increase the overall volume of your workout, which is key for building muscle endurance and size. If you typically perform 3 sets of deadlifts, add an extra set to make it 4. This additional volume will push your muscles to adapt to the increased workload.
5. Increasing the Difficulty of the Exercise
Making an exercise more challenging can engage your muscles in new ways and prevent plateaus. If you’ve been doing regular push-ups, try progressing to decline push-ups or adding a resistance band. These variations increase the difficulty and stimulate muscle growth.
6. Increasing the Frequency of Training
More frequent training sessions can lead to more opportunities for growth and adaptation. If you’re hitting the gym 3 times a week, consider upping it to 4 or 5 times. However, make sure to manage your recovery to avoid overtraining.
How about shortening rest times?
When it comes to shortening rest times between sets, it's a tactic that can be useful in certain contexts but isn't something I prescribe for strength and hypertrophy work.
The main objective in these types of training is to lift more weight at a specified volume, ensuring that you maintain good technique and hit your prescribed reps.
Reducing rest times can compromise your ability to lift effectively, leading to poor form and potentially not completing your sets as planned.
If anything, I recommend resting longer between sets to fully recover and perform at your best.
This approach ensures that each set is executed with maximum effort and proper technique at the volume (reps x sets x weight) prescribed, ultimately leading to better gains in strength and muscle size.
Implementing Progressive Overload in Your Training
Alright, dude, let’s talk about how you can actually put progressive overload into practice. It's not just about knowing the theory; you need a solid plan to make it work in your training routine. Here’s how I like to break it down for different goals:
Strength Work
For strength work, a structured approach to increasing volume and intensity is key. Here's a simple cycle to follow:
Week 1: Start with 3 sets of your chosen exercise.
Week 2: Increase to 4 sets.
Week 3: Move up to 5 sets.
Once you hit 5 sets, increase the weight and drop back to 3 sets for the following week. Repeat this cycle to ensure you're continually challenging your muscles and making gains.
Hypertrophy Work
When focusing on muscle growth (hypertrophy), it's effective to work within a specific rep range while keeping the number of sets consistent. This is called the “Double Progression” method. Here's how to approach it:
Choose a rep range, for example, 6-8 reps.
Start with the lower limit, performing 6 reps per set.
Only add weight when you can perform all sets at the top end of the rep range (8 reps).
This method ensures that you're progressively overloading your muscles without compromising form or risking injury.
Skill-Based Movements
Skill-based movements require a different approach since the focus is on mastering the technique and maintaining form under load. Here’s how to implement progressive overload for these:
Keep your reps consistent- for example 5 reps.
Work within a weight range, for example, 120kg-125kg for high bar squats.
Perform your sets within this range until you can complete all sets at the top end (125kg).
Once you can perform all sets at 125kg, move up to a new range, say 122.5kg-127.5kg.
This gradual increase helps improve both skill and strength, allowing for steady progress without overloading your nervous system.
Putting It All Together
Track Your Progress: Use a workout log or app to keep track of sets, reps, and weights. This helps you stay on top of your progression and make informed adjustments.
Listen to Your Body: While progressive overload is about pushing your limits, it’s crucial to pay attention to how your body feels. Adequate recovery and proper form are essential to prevent injury.
Adjust as Needed: Not every session will go as planned. Be prepared to adjust your sets, reps, or weight based on how you're feeling that day. Consistency over time is more important than pushing too hard in a single workout.
By following these guidelines, you’ll ensure that your workouts are always challenging and that you're making consistent progress. Remember, the key to progressive overload is making gradual, manageable increases that push your body to adapt and grow stronger.
