Think “progressive overload” only means lifting heavier weights until your legs turn into jelly? Well think again, girl!!
Sure, stacking on more weight is a no-brainer for getting strong, but what if I told you switching up how you move that weight is where the REAL magic happens? If you’re the one who’s running out of ideas or thinking “OMG, I literally can’t lift any heavier", don’t panic. This blog is just for you!!
Let’s break down what progressive overload ACTUALLY means and all the fun ways you can challenge your muscles without touching a heavier dumbbell!
More reps, baby!
So here’s the kicker — adding weight might be #1, but adding repetitions with the exact same weight is right up there next to it. It not only helps you get stronger, but it builds crazy endurance, too! You’re allowing your muscles to work longer under demand!
If you crushed 10 reps with 15 pounds last week, set your goal for 11 or 12 reps this week!
3 sets? let’s make it 4!
You will OFTEN hear me say that you should at least be doing a MINIMUM of 3 sets per exercise, but increasing to 4 or even 5 sets??
THAT, my friend, is how you crush your PRs!
That extra set adds more total volume to your workout, giving your muscle tissue new reason to adapt and grow.
bigger range of motion = better gains
It’s important to focus on getting a bigger range of motion because it’s essentially going to stretch out that muscle over a longer distance.
Whether it’s deepening that squat or stretching those dumbbells all the way out…. a bigger distance makes your muscles work harder.
As I’m ALWAYS telling people, “the bigger the range of motion, the better the gains!”
feeeel the burn!
Let’s talk tempo and how we want to be super intentional when it comes to it. Take a slow 3-4 seconds on the lowering phase (or eccentric phase) to put extra time under tension on that particular muscle.
Going slow helps in getting things under control, while also driving amazing strength gains…. all without putting your finger on a heavier weight.
I promise you WILL feel the burn! No pain - no gain, right??
Shave off that rest time!
There is no set time limit of how long you should be resting between sets — it’s pretty much you go back at it when you feel like you can knock out however many repetitions for the next set!
What you could do to help you with your progressive overload is shorten that rest time by just a smidge. Doing the same work in less time builds incredible stamina and conditioning!
Don’t lose it.. log it!
The biggest thing is that you want to have a structured routine at least for a set period of time to help you reach your goals. Because let’s be real.. if you walk into the gym all willy-nilly or you’re changing things up too frequently, you’re not going to be able to see the progressive overload that you want.
One of the really important things when you are trying to stick to a structured routine is tracking your workouts! You can be old-school, have a pen and paper or a notebook to write these things down, but I find it SO much more helpful to log it right in my phone with Notes App!
Here is the exact information to log every single time:
The Date
The Exercise
The Weight
The Number of Repetitions
The Number of Sets
Even though you think “I’m never going to forget this” the next time you’re in the gym, it’s inevitable that there are things you’ve forgotten. TRUST ME! :)
Keeping track of it this way is SUPER helpful. Plus, you can track the actual progress you’ve achieved over a period of time!
If you feel overwhelmed when you walk into the gym and you don’t know how to create a structured routine for yourself, that’s where Inspire Fitness Training can help you!
We offer six-week programming, so you will be able to see and have progressive overload incorporated into your exercises! You can better see results of getting stronger and building more muscle without any of the gym confusion and guessing.
Are YOU ready to stop going in willy-nilly and start seeing real results? Let’s get you started TODAY!
