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 resistance training that works by gradually increasing the amount of stress placed on the body.
In the world of fitness, to increase the amount of stress placed on your body, you simply do more of something. You raise the weight of your adjustable dumbbells (opens in a new tab)increase the number of repetitions or increase the intensity of your workouts.
However, before you add progressive overload to your training program, how does this form of strength training work? What is the science behind this? Is there research that shows it works? And how can you gradually and safely increase the amount of resistance?
Read on to find out the ins and outs of how progressive overload training could help you. We’ve done the research, checked the science, and enlisted the help of a fitness expert to give him the advice he needs.
What is progressive overload and how does it work?
To achieve progressive overload, you can gradually increase the stress placed on your body by increasing the duration, number of repetitions, frequency, and/or increasing the amount of weight you’re lifting. You can apply this training principle to aerobic (opens in a new tab) and also anaerobic forms of exercise, such as running.
As with most forms of training, as you get fitter and stronger, your muscles acclimate to the amount of resistance you put on them, as described in Cold Spring Harbor Prospects in Medicine (opens in a new tab). That’s because when you lift weights, you inflict “trauma” on your muscle fibers. And, as a result, the cells around the fibers bind the damaged fibers together, which makes them stronger. This is called muscle hypertrophy.
But why is this a good thing? Like Farren Morgan, head coach of the tactical athlete (opens in a new tab) says, progressive overload helps break down muscle fibers over and over again, which increases muscle mass, which in turn helps push your musculoskeletal system to new extremes.
“Progressive overload is the perfect solution if you need to improve the difficulty of your workout because your body has adapted to the resistance of your workouts and you no longer experience the massive benefits that exercise used to provide,” says Morgan.
What are the benefits of progressive overload?
According to the American Council on Exercise (opens in a new tab)Completing the same workouts over and over again can stabilize your body. An article in the NSCA Performance Training Journal (opens in a new tab) says, “The principle of progressive overload suggests placing progressively greater than normal demands on the exercising musculature.” This allows training adaptation to occur and, adds the article, “No overload, no adaptation by the body.”
AN (opens in a new tab)2017 study published in Sports medicine (opens in a new tab) concludes: “The principle of progressive overload must be respected for people to continually increase muscle size with resistance training.”
How fast should you ‘progressive overload’?
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (opens in a new tab), the progression of your progressive overload will depend on how well trained you are. For novices (those who have no resistance training experience or haven’t trained for several years), the review states that they should complete a maximum of 8 to 12 reps two to three days a week.
While for people with six months or more of consistent resistance training experience, it is recommended that they complete a maximum of 1 to 12 repetitions three to five days a week with an “eventual emphasis on heavy loads.”
It’s important to stick to this, as according to Morgan, a drastic increase in weight or frequency of your training could be “very dangerous and lead to prolonged injury.” He says, “While results may not be noticeable right away, it’s important to keep going and be patient with the process as your fitness levels gradually increase.”
Before beginning your progressive overload workout routine, Morgan recommends making sure you’re properly mastering your workout while performing it properly to prevent injury and avoid putting additional stress on your body.
Simple Progressive Overload Plan
When it comes to progressive overload plans, there is no one size fits all. It depends on your fitness levels and if you have strength trained before. Generally speaking, though, for resistance training, Morgan recommends:
Week 1
Two to three sets of 8-9 reps of bicep curls, squats, and deadlifts.
week 2
Three to four sets of 8-9 reps of bicep curls, squats, and deadlifts.
week 3
Three to four sets of 9-10 reps of bicep curls, squats, and deadlifts.
week 4
Four to five sets of 10 to 12 reps of bicep curls, squats, and deadlifts.
While for those looking for cardio-based progressive overload workouts, Morgan says:
Week 1
A 15-minute run 2 days a week at a moderate pace.
week 2
A 25-minute run 2 days a week at a moderate pace.
week 3
A 30-minute run 3 days a week at a moderate pace.
week 4
A 30-40 minute run 3 days a week at a moderate pace.
What kind of weight should I start with?
As with most forms of fitness, slow and steady is best. Morgan says to start small with weights from 5lbs to 10lbs and gradually increase as the weeks go on.
“While the starting weights may not sound like much, once you start progressive overload training, you’ll notice that the exercises will get harder to perform, especially as the reps and sets continue to expand,” says Morgan.
Then, when you’re ready to ramp up your strength training, the American College of Sports Medicine (opens in a new tab) recommends that a “load increase of 2% to 10% be applied when the individual can perform the current workload by one or two repetitions above the desired number.”
Bibliography:
Kraemer, WJ, Ratamess, NA, and 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, D.C., Ellefsen, S., & Baar, K. (2018). Adaptations to endurance and strength training. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives on Medicine, 8(6), a029769. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a029769
Dankel, SJ, Mattocks, KT, Jessee, MB et al. Frequency: The Overlooked Endurance Training Variable 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 bracket from the American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41(3), 687–708. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
American College of Sports Medicine (2009). Position bracket from the American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41(3), 687–708. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
