What is "Progressive Overload"?
Progressive Overload is the process of challenging your muscles more over a period of time. Making them work harder than they did the last time you were in the gym.
How Do I apply it to my training?
Regardless of what exercise you are doing your goal each and every time should be to do more work, which can happen in a variety of ways. Below I will outline the most common ways that you can apply progressive overload.
Lifting the same weight with a greater range of motion. If you have been doing squats with 135lbs, but not going down to parallel, then the next workout you could stick with 135lbs and go to parallel or lower.
Lifting the same weight with more control and emphasis on the muscle. Try to control the whole movement rather than swinging or using momentum to complete the lift.
Lift more weight!
Lift the same weight, but complete more repetitions.
Lift the same amount of weight, but do it in less time, ie shorten your rest periods between sets.
My Personal Preference
Personally, I try to keep it as simple as possible when I work out. Let's say when I am doing an exercise I am aiming to complete 8-12 reps on each set. I pick a weight that I can do no more than 12 reps with, but no less than 8 (you may have to do some experimenting to find the right weight). Once I hit the top number in my rep range, 12, I attempt to move up in weight. For the most part if you are fairly new to lifting, you will make great gains following this formula.
Let's play out a scenario so you can see how progressive overload works...
David likes to lift in the 8-12 rep range as well. Previously David's bench press sets have looked like this:
Set 1 - 185lbs x 10
Set 2 - 185lbs x 9
Set 3 - 185lbs x 8
He has not hit 12 reps yet with 185lbs, so he just sticks with that weight and tries to increase the number of times he can lift it. Next week David comes in and his sets look like this:
Set 1 - 185 x 12
Set 2 - 195 x 10
Set 3 - 195lbs x 8
David hit the top number in his rep range on his first set, so he knew he could move up in weight. This is how you should approach your workouts.
Things to keep in mind:
You will not be able to add 5-10lbs every single week. Your body isn't a machine and should not be treated like one. Strength happens in waves rather than a straight line.
The amount of improvement you have WILL slow down at some point and you will have to adjust in other ways.
Form should never be sacrificed to add more weight. You should keep flawless form on all of your exercises regardless of the weight.
If you have stalled in strength on your lifts for more than 2-3 weeks you may need to check your diet. You may not be eating enough to support new muscle growth or it could be that your body just needs rest and time to recover from all the stresses of lifting heavy.
If you are trying to lose weight and you are in a caloric deficit, it will be much more difficult for you to progress on your lifts. Your body is not getting enough calories to fuel your workouts. When you are dieting your main focus should be to maintain your strength.
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