Principles of Progressive Overload, and Why It Matters…
Have you plateaued in your training? Have you been doing the same 30 minute Peloton spin classes for the last 2 years? Have you been taking the same barre class three times per week with the same instructor for 6 months? All while wondering why you haven’t lost weight or gotten stronger?
Enter…PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD…
The central concept of the principal of progressive overload is to make your workouts more challenging over time by placing greater stress on your musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
Adaptation, physiologically speaking, happens as a result of stress. So if you happen to do the same workout over time, you cannot expect much improvement. You may do so to keep maintenance, but you will not be adding additional stress. So, in general, you must apply a degree of stress to the body.
The progressive overload principle doesn't apply just to lifting weights to increase muscle growth and strength; it can also be applied to cardiovascular fitness programs, creating physiological changes that affect aerobic metabolism and the cardiorespiratory system.
Confused? Here’s an example;
Say you perform a set of biceps curls with your 8 repetition maximum (RM), which happens to be 40 pounds. Over time, you'll get bigger and stronger, however, completing eight repetitions is no longer very challenging.
As your biceps have adapted to the 40 pounds, where do you go now? Do you continue using the same load for the same number of repetitions, or are there changes you should consider making?
If you continue performing that single set of 40 pounds for 8 repetitions, don't expect further gains. There's no reason for your biceps to grow larger or stronger; they're already capable of handling the load. However, your biceps will become bigger and stronger if you place even greater demands on them.
Progressive overload occurs by increasing the intensity. Here are five important ways you can do just that.
Resistance
Repetitions
Volume
Training frequency
Rest intervals
You can include any of these methods in your training, but it's best to focus on just one at a time.
…so, if you have a routine of going to Soul Cycle Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and you do that routine infinitely, you won’t get very far. You must have some movement forward to see gains or change.
