Progressive overload is a strength training staple. Without it your body will never change.
Progressive overload is a workout term used to describe the increase difficulty of an exercise that occurs from workout to workout and over time.
It doesn’t matter the task. The human body is quick to adopt. What you once found difficult becomes easy given enough time and the right approach.
To keep improving the body needs new challenges and stimulation. In your workouts there are three main ways to achieve this:
- increase volume
- increase intensity
- increase density
While volume, intensity, and density are the main variables to measure and track progressive overload, they are not the only ones. There are more subtle training variables you can play with to ensure your workouts progress. Some of these other variables include:
- exercise selection
- exercise temp
- range of motion
There variables are harder to measure and are usually reserved for advanced lifters.
Where to Start
Progressive Overload always starts with perfect technical form.
Like anything you tackle in life, the stimulus has to increase in order for you to progress.
You need to push your mind and body to change it.
But not too much.
Start out with an RPE of 7. Or RIR of 3.
Then, each week increase your RPE or decrease your RIR until you hit technical failure. AT with point, add more weight and start the process over.
Not sure what wheat to start with? Take a look at the 1RM Table. Use a Relative Intensity in the yellow zone and work your way up to red,
I recommend a fractional Weight Plate Set. With this you can make small improvements all the time. Sometimes big jumps in weight aren’t doable. Fractional weights let you add a slight amount to your lifts.