Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Jeani Sutton, takes us through the key principles of progressive overload in an exercise program.
Do you follow Instagram workouts? Or enjoy doing a different workout every time you exercise? This can be fun and exciting; but keep in mind that if your goal is to become stronger and fitter, a thought-out and long-term program with progressive overload (explanation to come) is going to benefit you more.
So, what is progressive overload?
Basically, it comes from the body’s ability to evolve. If you think about it, the body’s main goal is to survive, and it does this by learning to adapt. In the realm of exercise, it works like this: When stress is placed on the body (such as lifting weight), the body adapts (by getting stronger) so it can better prepare for the stress (weight) in the future.
If you always keep the same variables such as the number of sets, reps, weight or rest time as the session prior, then there is no need for the body to adapt as it has already adjusted to these demands. This all circles back to our main point… If you want to get stronger, your body needs to be pushed so it can learn to adapt. And how do we achieve this? By changing the variables; sets, reps, weight or rest time.
Let’s give you an example: If every week you are doing 3 sets of 10 reps of bench press at 50kg, your body will reach a point where there is no need to get stronger because it can already lift the weight. Once you reach this point, you will not improve. A variable needs to change to allow the body to adapt and continuously get stronger.
There are many different ways to do this; more weight, more reps, more sets, less rest, more sessions, fewer reps and increased weight, wave loading, and the list goes on. But it can’t always be more and more because it would break us.
Let us introduce you to ‘deloads’. Deloads, as the name suggests, is about reducing the amount of load placed on the body to give it time to adapt and recover after a period of progressive overloading.
Okay, so what does this ACTUALLY look like in a program?
Firstly, there are various ways to do this, and it really depends on your sport, frequency of competitions, athletic development age (and so much more). To help you understand what this might look like, below is an example.
Phase 1: Volume/Hypertrophy phase
– Weeks 1-4
– Higher volume, lower intensity, less rest
– Goal: build your base and lay down some muscle tissue
– Example 3 sets x 8-12 reps
– Deload: 4th week a drop in volume
Phase 2. Strength Phase
– Weeks 5-8
– Moderate Volume, moderate intensity, moderate rest
– Goal: turning the increased muscle mass from the previous phase into strength
– Example 4 sets x 6-8 reps
– Deload: 8th week drop in volume
Phase 3. Strength/Power Phase
– Weeks 9-12
– Increase intensity (while simultaneously decreasing volume to prevent fatigue), lots of rest
– Goal: Maximising strength and power.
– Example 4-6 sets x 2-6 reps
– Deload: 12th week drop in volume
If you’re constantly performing new exercises, although you’re moving your body, your improvement and progress to become stronger can be minimal and slow. Repetition and progressive overload are the most effective ways to help build strength. If you’d like some professional guidance to get you started, our Exercise Physiologists including Jenai, can create an individualised program developed for your specific goals.
