Progressive Overload Principle

Anyone who trains has probably heard the words “progressive overload”. If you haven’t heard these words you will certainly have heard some expression or explanation about this overload.

What is the progressive overload principle?

This principle is, I would say, the most important trigger for muscle hypertrophy (increasing muscle mass). It is the basic principle which supports both the increase in strength and the increase in muscle mass. It is the secret to obtaining a constant evolution in results.

In general it is a method which consists of gradually increasing the stimulus applied during training.

Overload and Progress

Overload is a stimulus that is placed on the body (in this case training). It must be challenging and above the normal capacity of the individual to be able to generate adaptations in the body.

Notice that if we repeat the same stimulus constantly the body will adapt to that same stimulus and there will no longer be overload. This is where “progression” comes in.

Then, that stimulus should gradually increase as adaptations occur in the body training after training. Only in this way will the body always be overloaded and only in this way will it be possible for the body to evolve.

It will only be difficult the first training sessions

When you started training I’m pretty sure someone told you “it only costs the first few workouts” or something like that. Well, that idea is wrong. The training has to “cost” always and it “costs” due to this progressive overload. 

It only stops costing if you constantly repeat the same training with the same loads because the body will get used to that stimulus. After getting used to the stimulus, if you keep doing it, there will be no evolution. 

As Einstein said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”!

Progressive Overload Principle

This principle states that the stimulus should be increased progressively after training. So that the training is always challenging and is capable of generating new adaptations in your body. Remember that as you develop, your ability to evolve will diminish. Training should continue to be challenging and stimulating for your body, even if it is not so overloaded.

This is visible in more experienced athletes where we notice that the progression is slower. It is common for more experienced athletes not to be able to progress in every workout. It is not even necessary. If you don’t progress it doesn’t mean that the training won’t be able to generate adaptations. Sometimes a workout that generates overload today, after 1 month can still generate overload.

The training should just continue to be challenging and stimulating for your body even if you don’t overload it as much.

Applying the Progressive Overload Principle

Training volume is essential to increase muscle mass. So, to continue to evolve it is necessary that this training volume is gradually increased according to your capabilities. This is where the principle of progressive overload comes in. 

So, to put the progressive overload into practice it is necessary to alter some variable in the training so that the training volume increases. 

These are some of the variables that you can manipulate to apply progressive overload:

• Load: Increase the load for the same repetitions
• Reps: Perform more repetitions with the same load
• Series: Perform more series with the same reps and load
• Less Rest Time: Decrease the rest time between sets
• Technique: Improve exercise performance with the same load
• Range of Motion: Increase the range of motion for the same load.
• Frequency: Train the muscle more often during the week.

As you can see, overload is not just about putting more weight on the bar. In all these ways it is possible to increase the overload during your workout so that you keep progressing. Just choose one or two variables to make your training session by session more challenging. 

Don’t forget that the training log is very important so that you can be sure that you are progressing with the overload!

Now all you need to do is apply the progressive overload to your workouts to continue your progress!

Have a good workout!