What is Progressive Overload Training?

Wondering what progressive overload training is?

Progressive overload is a basic principle necessary to build muscle. 

Progressive Overload is the gradual increase of STRESS placed upon the body during training. Continuously increasing the demands will cause your body to adapt by gains in muscle size, strength, and endurance.

The most common way to implement is by adding more volume over time (increase weight, sets, and reps) 

Hence, why you may always hear “lift heavy” and increase the weight once the last few reps of an exercise become fairly easy.  

But you don't always have to lift more and do more to increase muscle and strength. 

Fun Fact: Your body does not know the weight you are using for each exercise, only the level of tension and stress that is placed on the muscoloskeletal system. So you can increase that stress without increasing the weight.

Here are three ways to build muscle applying the progressive overload principle without adding more weight, sets, and reps

Increased Range of Motion

Elevated Reverse Lunge

Elevated Stiff Legged Deadlift

Feet Elevated Push Ups

Tempo

4-3-1 DB Sumo Squat

3 Second lowering phase Bicep Curl

3 Second lowering Phase on Stiff Legged Deadlift

Constant Tension

Constant Tension Goblet Squats

Constant Tension Glute Bridge

Pause

3 Sec Pause Goblet Squat

3 Sec Pause Push Up 

I hope you found these tips on progressive overload training helpful! To see more fitness tips to build muscle, lose fat, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you can check out my Instagram where I share daily exercise tutorials on my stories!