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Progressive Overload: The Lowdown


We often hear this term thrown around the gym, and it's a concept I like to introduce to my clients early on in their training. What I am referring to here is the concept of progressive overload. Many of you will have heard of this training principle no doubt, but what I want to do here is introduce the idea of progressive overload to those that haven't come across it, whilst at the same time, help those that have come to understand it in a little more detail. So what exactly is progressive overload? At its core, progressive overload is a specific method of strength and resistance training. The theory behind it is quite straight forward. Simply put, progressive overload aims to see the trainee or athlete gradually increase the stress (think of this as the load or weight in a given exercise) put upon the musculoskeletal system alongside the nervous system. Progressive overload could also refer to the gradual increase of repetitions of a given exercise. Ultimately, the purpose of progressive overload, or as the principle suggests, is that the gradual and continual increase in the total workload undertaken during your workout will stimulate the muscle in the right way for efficient strength and muscle mass gains. Not only does the principle of progressive overload in your training aim to promote the continual advancement of the musculoskeletal and nervous system, but I personally believe it is also a great psychological tool. With the use of a gym diary to record your strength sessions, it serves as a great motivator. You can look back at your improvements with pride knowing that you have put the work in to get to where you are now. This record serves as a testament to where you started and just how far you have come. Never underestimate the stimulation a gym diary can have on your motivation. Personally, putting aside the physical and scientific reasoning behind progressive overload, seeing it on paper really does work wonders. Not only have I encountered this with my own training, but countless times with my clients too. What's the science behind progressive overload? The aim of any strength training programme should ultimately be to improve the athlete or trainee's muscular strength, or intentionally using other specific styles, the particular size of muscle groups. These results are achieved through the strength training itself. Simple right? Sure, the concept is, but let's delve into the science a little deeper. (For those looking to really dig into the science behind progressive overload, you'll find some useful links to various academic journals at the end of this article). The science of strength training suggests that by placing the target muscle group under a higher than normal demand using a heavy load, the human body will start a process of adaptation in order for it to cope with the new stress placed upon it. The first adaptation that occurs is neuromuscular. Great, but what is meant by this? Well, in order for our muscles to contract in the right way, the motor neurons in our body must interact with them in the best possible way. A motor neuron is a type of cell in the brain and spinal cord that allow us to do all our functional movements, like breathe, move and speak. Simply put, motor neurons send commands from the brain to the muscles. Strength training impacts your body by changing the way in which your neuromuscular system, the function of the motor neurons, works before anything else. There is an increase in central drive after training which is linked to an increase in strength and an increase in motor unit (a collection of neurons) synchronisation which means there are more firing at the same time. Also, there is a decrease in force threshold. All of these can be linked to the strength gains in the muscle and happen before the size or strength of the muscle itself changes. When you are consistent with your training sessions, these neuromuscular adaptations will lead into an increase in overall muscle mass and the strengthening of the connective tissues around it. So where does the idea of progressive overload come in to play? The research suggests that progressive overload not only stimulates the muscle in the right way for hypertrophy (muscle size), but also promoted bone, tendon, cartilage and ligament development. Progressive overload has also shown to increase the blood flow to the targeted area of the body during resistance training. Ultimately, this establishes more responsive nerve connections between the brain and the muscles being exercised. In more recent years, studies have continued to discover other potential benefits that can be attributed to progressive overload. It's great for your overall health in general. If you train using this method, you'll find you benefit from a decreased risk of all-cause mortality due to your increase in muscular strength. It's great to know what happens to our muscles as a result of training. But what happens when we don't? It seems obvious. The decreased use of the muscle over time results in an increasing loss of muscle mass and strength, better known as atrophy. Essentially, imagine this as the opposite to hypertrophy. Bad news for you office workers, because the research suggests that on average you guys lose up to a pound of muscle mass each year! The reality is, the human body will only adapt in the right way to support a better quality of life and healthy body if you actually use it in the right way by methods such as progressive overload. So what now? Ultimately, there are countless ways in which we can conduct a strength training session or ongoing programme, each with its own pros and cons. The reason for this article isn't to look at the huge array of training options available, but instead to consider one option that is well researched and is widely know for producing results. What you should take from this...


Keep your body on its toes and avoid that plateau in the gym. If you're stuck in that routine of doing the old 3 x 12 routine every time, then whilst this is better than doing nothing, don't expect your body to continue to grow in the way you might want it to. For your strength and musculature to develop, you need to make sure you are always pushing yourself a little more every training cycle. If you are unsure on what rep ranges you should be using for your type of training, refer back to my article here - How to Lift Weights Correctly: Weight Profiles (https://www.jakegarnerfitness.co.uk/post/how-to-lift-weights-correctly-weight-profiles). When it comes to progressive overload, don't overthink it too much. It shouldn't be a complicated process. Keep it simple and the results will follow. If your diary says, EZ Bar Bicep Curl, 3 x 12 @ 20kg, then consider developing this exercise using the progressive overload principle. Next time you come back to this exercise, if you are training for endurance, try and exceed the 12 reps. Make a note of the new rep range and aim to add another rep on next time. If you hit 15-20 reps each set, up the weight and start this process again. If you are training for strength, if you are hitting 8 reps of the same weight, maybe its time to make that iron heavier and train until you're in that same position. It's in the title. This process is progressive. It takes time. You won't always hit the numbers you want every session, but if you stay consistent, they will go up. Weights and reps should definitely be increased PROGRESSIVELY to avoid injury. Here is a list of further reading I used to help me write this article.




 
 
 

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