What is Progressive Overload?

A crucial element to any program design is progressive overload. But what exactly does progressive overload mean?

Put simply, progressive overload means gradually doing more and more over time. By applying progressive overload to your training program, you are forcing your body to continue to change by adapting to the increased demands placed upon it.

Progressive overload is important to help overcome plateaus in your training, especially as you move past the “beginner” phase of training and toward the “intermediate” or “advanced” stages of training.

So now that you’ve got a better understanding of what progressive overload means, how do you apply it to your training?

The most common way of incorporating progressive overload to your strength training is by simply lifting more weight each time you lift. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, whilst that might be the most obvious (and exciting) way of applying overload and placing increased stress on your body, there will come a time when you are no longer able to continue safely adding weight to the bar. Look at it this way, if you were to consistently add 2.5kg each week to your bench press over the course of a year, that would amount to an increase of 130kg. In 18 months, you would add 195kg. Even as a complete beginner, where with hard work and training consistency you can make some massive strength gains, it simply isn’t realistic.

So what do you do when adding more weight isn’t an option?

In addition to adding weight to your lifts as a form of increasing training intensity, there are also other avenues you can take. As mentioned earlier, progressive overload means simply doing more over time.

Increase repetitions (reps)

Another form of progressive overload could involve adding more reps per set.

Using the dumbbell bicep curl as an example. In Week 1 you perform 3 sets of 10 reps with a 5kg dumbbell (written as 3 x 10 @ 5). In Week 2, instead of increasing the weight from 5kg to 7.5kg (a 50% increase in weight), you could instead perform 3 x 11 @ 5.

Increase sets

Using the above scenario, instead of performing 3 sets of the bicep curl, you could keep the same weight and the same number of reps but increase the number of sets to 4. This is an example of increasing training volume (sets x reps x weight).

Increase training frequency

Another way to look at overload as it relates to the volume of training is to increase the number of sessions performed over a set period of time, eg. weekly or monthly. An example could include increasing the number of training sessions from 2 x per week to 3 x per week.

Decrease rest periods

Another way of manipulating training intensity is to shorten the amount of rest time taken between sets. Going back to the bench press as an example, instead of resting for 3 minutes between each work set, you could opt to rest for 2:45, increasing the demand placed upon the working muscles to continue to perform the exercise. Keep in mind your overall goal when deciding your rest periods. As a general rule, if you’re looking to increase your maximal strength output, it is advisable to allow longer recovery periods between sets, enabling you to continue to lift as much weight as possible. For hypertrophy and muscular endurance purposes, where complete recovery isn’t as necessary (or even advised) and cumulative fatigue becomes more desirable, you can look at decreasing rest periods.

Increase time under tension (TUT)/adjusting tempo

Increasing the TUT of a muscle relates to increasing the amount of time a muscle is contracted to perform a given exercise. Again, using the bench press as an example, you could choose to slow down the eccentric phase of the movement (the lowering of the bar to the chest), from 2 seconds to 3 seconds, therefore increasing the TUT. Alternatively, for power and speed development, you may look at explosively lifting the bar off the chest as quickly as possible during the concentric phase of the movement.

Increase range of motion (ROM)/perfect technique

Closely related to TUT and tempo is an often-overlooked aspect of progressive overload, which is simply performing any given exercise with better technique or with greater ROM. Even if you were to keep all other metrics (eg. sets, reps, weight) equal, simply looking to improve and perfect your technique is a great way to apply progressive overload to your training. Using the barbell squat as a good example, a way to apply progressive overload may include increasing the depth of your squat. If you find that you are not able to squat to parallel just yet, have a go at increasing your hip, knee or ankle mobility and work toward going to parallel.

So regardless of whether you consider yourself a beginner to weight training, or even if you have been consistently training for an extended period of time, all of these methods of progressive overload can be incorporated into your training regime. As previously mentioned, progressive overload is a valuable tool in helping combat against training plateaus. In the early days of strength training, it is not uncommon to be able to make massive strength gains (“newbie” gains) and being able to frequently add weight to the bar is a luxury. However, as you spend more time in the gym over a longer period, the law of diminishing returns dictates that the same level of progress is unable to continue to occur as frequently. This is where having more tools in your weight training arsenal becomes more valuable.

All this being said, progressive overload does not have to occur every single session for your training to be considered effective. As with almost any aspect of life, progress is not linear, and there will be days where you are better able to execute your training than others. This does not mean you have failed, or that your program isn’t working.

Progressive overload also doesn’t only apply to your strength training. You can take the concept and apply it to almost any other aspect of your life.

Terrified of public speaking? Practice your speech in your bedroom or in front of the bathroom mirror. Then ask a friend or family member to listen while you deliver your speech. Ask for feedback.

Want to learn a new language? Learn one word, then learn another. Then try putting those together in a sentence.

Want to write a book? Start with writing one paragraph. Then write a page.

Want to lose 10 kilos? Start by losing 1.

Be patient and play the long game. There is no finish line, only the journey. Reminding yourself of this and remaining consistent will deliver you the best results in the long-term.