What is Progressive Overload? According to a 2002 article in Current Sports Medicine Reports (Opens in a new tab)The term refers to a type of strength training that works by gradually increasing the amount of stress on the body.
In the world of fitness, you simply do something to increase the amount of stress you put on your body.Increase the weight of the adjustable dumbbell (Opens in a new tab)Increase the number of contacts or dial up the intensity of your workout.
But how does this form of strength training work before you add a progressive overload to your workout program? What is the science behind it? Is there any research showing that it works? And how can you gradually and safely increase the amount of resistance?
Read on to understand more about how progressive overload training can help. We conducted research, checked science, and with the help of fitness professionals, provided the necessary advice.
What is Progressive Overload? How does it work?
You can gradually increase the stress on your body by increasing the duration, number of repetitions, frequency, and the amount of weight you lift to achieve a gradual overload.You can apply this training principle to aerobic exercise (Opens in a new tab) Anaerobic exercise like running.
As with most forms of training, as you become healthier and stronger, your muscles adapt to the amount of resistance they take – as outlined in the Cold Spring Harbor Perspective of Medicine. (Opens in a new tab).. This is because lifting the weight causes “trauma” to the muscle fibers. And as a result, the cells around the fiber weave the damaged fiber, which strengthens the fiber. This is called muscle hypertrophy.
But why is this good?Head coach of tactical athletes as Farren Morgan (Opens in a new tab) Progressive overload helps break down muscle fibers again (and again) and increase muscle mass, which in turn helps push your musculoskeletal system to new limits.
“Progressive overload is the perfect solution if you need to improve your training difficulty, as your body adapts to your training resistance and no longer experiences the great benefits that exercise has provided. “Morgan says.
What are the benefits of progressive overload?
According to the American Movement Council (Opens in a new tab)If you complete the same workout many times, your body may become a plateau. NSCA Performance Training Journal Articles (Opens in a new tab) “The principle of gradual overload suggests that it progressively imposes greater than normal demands on the exercising muscle tissue.” This allows for training adaptation, and the article states. “If there is no overload, there is no physical adaptation,” he added.
A (Opens in a new tab)2017 study published in sports medicine (Opens in a new tab) Conclusion: “In order for an individual to continuously increase muscle size in strength training, he must adhere to the principle of progressive overload.”
How fast should “progressive overload” be done?
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (Opens in a new tab)The progression of progressive overload depends on how well the resistance is trained. If you are a beginner (no resistance training experience or no training for several years), the review states that you need to complete up to 8-12 iterations 2-3 days a week.
For individuals with more than 6 months of consistent strength training experience, “ultimately focus on heavy loads” and complete up to 1-12 iterations 3-5 days a week. It is recommended.
According to Morgan, it’s important to stick to this, as a significant increase in weight or frequency of training is “extremely dangerous and can cause injury.” He states: “We don’t know the results right away, but it’s important to follow the process and wait patiently, as your fitness level will gradually increase.”
Before initiating a gradual overload of your exercise routine, be sure to properly master your workout while performing the workout in the proper form to prevent injury and additional stress on your body. It is recommended.
Simple progressive overload plan
When it comes to progressive overload plans, one size doesn’t fit all. It depends on your fitness level and whether you have previously received strength training. However, generally speaking, for residency training, Morgan recommends the following:
1st week
2-3 sets of 8-9 repetitions of biceps, squats and deadlifts.
2nd week
3-4 sets of 8-9 iterations of Bicep Curls, Squats, and Deadlifts.
3rd week
3-4 sets of 9-10 repetitions of biceps, squats and deadlifts.
4th week
4-5 sets of 10-12 repeats of biceps, squats and deadlifts.
For those looking for a cardio-based progressive overload workout, Morgan says:
1st week
Running for 15 minutes 2 days a week at a moderate pace.
2nd week
Running 25 minutes 2 days a week at a moderate pace.
3rd week
Running for 30 minutes 3 days a week at a moderate pace.
4th week
Running 30-40 minutes 3 days a week at a moderate pace.
What weight should I start with?
As with most forms of fitness, it’s best to do it slowly and steadily. Morgan says we need to start small, weighing 5 to 10 pounds, and build on this gradually over the course of the weeks.
“The initial weight may not seem that much, but when you start progressive overload training, you’ll find that exercising becomes more difficult, especially as the technician and set continue to grow.” Says Morgan.
Then, when you’re ready to increase strength training, the American College of Sports Medicine (Opens in a new tab) It is recommended that you increase the load by 2% to 10% if the individual can repeat the current workload 1-2 times the desired number of times.
References:
Kraemer, WJ, Ratamess, NA & French, DN Resistance training for health and performance. Curr Sports Med Rep 1, 165–171 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11932-002-0017-7
Hughes, DC, Ellefsen, S., and Baar, K. (2018). Adaptation to endurance and strength training. Cold Spring Harbor Perspective in Medicine, 8 (6), a029769. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a029769
Dankel, SJ, Mattocks, KT, Jessee, MBetal. Frequency: Overlooked resistance training variables to induce muscle hypertrophy? Sports Med 47, 799–805 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0640-8
American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Position stand of the American College of Sports Medicine. Progressive model of resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 41 (3), 687–708. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Position stand of the American College of Sports Medicine. Progressive model of resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 41 (3), 687–708. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
