What exactly is progressive overload?

Progressive overload is a fundamental element of muscle development. It is unavoidable and essential for anyone who wants to build muscle and gain strength. However, an exaggerated overload can lead to a bad recovery and increase the risk of injury. Thinking of using this method to build muscle and strength? Here's everything you need to know to find the right balance to gain mass without going beyond your capabilities.

The principle of progressive overloading

The principle of progressive overload is very simple. It is mainly based on the body's ability to adapt to new conditions. Indeed, after a training session, the human body is capable of improving its former physical capacities through the phenomenon of overcompensation. A weight training session is therefore considered as a stimulus whose intensity varies according to the level of difficulty. Thus, when you work in progressive overload, your body has to reach a new performance threshold with each session.

Let's say your goal is to get big biceps. To achieve this, you train with barbell curls. If you lift the same 20kg load each time with the same number of sets, you will quickly stagnate. Your body is capable of lifting this load consistently, so it doesn't need to change. On the other hand, if you gradually increase the load of the bar (21kg, 22kg, 23kg...) your muscles will have more chances to gain volume because they will be forced to adapt.

There is a historical anecdote about this. It seems that this is how Milon of Crotone built his strength. According to the legend, this man lifted a small calf every day. As the calf grew, Milon became stronger and stronger.

The different methods of progressive overloading

The progressive addition of weights is by far the most effective method of improving muscle strength. But there are also other techniques for bulk up and strengthen the construction of your muscles:

• The progression in the repetition of the movement ;
• Increasing the number of series;
• Reducing the rest time between sets;
• Increasing the time under tension (duration of the contraction)

The progression in the repetition of the movement

This method consists of increasing the number of repetitions of each exercise. Thus, the amount of work becomes increasingly important. But be careful! It's not about abusing your body with repeated exercises all day long. You are following a training program established over 8 weeks with 3 sets of squats in 10 repetitions ? From the second week, do the 3 sets of the exercise in 15 repetitions then in 20 during the third week and so on.

The increase in the number of series

Here, it's all about the number of sets. The weights and reps will be kept intact. This technique is very effective for stimulate muscle growth. If your strength training program is the same as the one mentioned in the previous method, your progression may look like this:

• Week 1: 3 sets of 10 reps;
• Week 2: 4 sets of 10 reps;
• Week 3: 5 sets of 10 reps...

Reducing the rest time between sets

The advantage of this method is that it improves muscular endurance. It is thus very recommended to the athletes and those which practise the military developed. To apply it, start by reducing your rest time between exercises by 5 seconds every one or two weeks. This way your muscles will be more solicited and consequently more inflated.

Increasing the duration of contraction (Time Under Tension)

What needs to be done here is gradually increase the amount of time spent on rehearsals while maintaining the same exercise intensity. This overload technique also builds muscle endurance. If you are a high level athlete, you can use it to strengthen your physique.

The principle is simple, instead of spending 8 seconds on a movement repetition, try to do it in 9 seconds the next time. Then increase to 10, 11, 12 or 15 seconds depending on your ability. For example, if you practice the Sissy Squat on a machine, instead of standing up in 3 seconds you can do it in 5 seconds to contract your quadriceps more.

Who can use the progressive surcharge?

If you are a beginner in bodybuilding, you need to go further with almost every session. If you want to improve your performance, both in hypertrophy or strength and endurance, then progressive overloading should become your priority. With progression cycles established for each of your workouts, your muscle gain will be effective.

Progressive overload, tips and safety rules

Even if the principle of progressive overload is very effective for muscle mass gain, it is important to apply it carefully. For this, there are several rules to follow. First of all, remember to change one drive variable at a time. In other words, you either increase the volume, or the intensity, or the speed, but never all three at the same time.

In addition, you should apply the changes gradually and consistently. This way, you will have good results in the long term. As a general rule, it is advisable to increase the volume of work (the number of repetitions and sets) before the intensity (the load or weight). This avoids the risk of poor recovery.

On the other hand, progressive overloading necessarily requires an additional caloric intake, since the effort increases over time. This is why it is usually recommended touse food supplements to compensate for energy expenditure.

Is there a limit to progressive overloading?

Despite its many advantages, the overload technique unfortunately has two major limitations. The first one concerns the workloads used. Increasingly heavy weights increase the risk of injury. Therefore, as your muscles develop, be very careful not to wear out your body prematurely.

The second is the limits of personal potential. No matter how good you are physically, you will eventually reach some sort of plateau that you can't get past. At this level, it is not only difficult to increase expenses, but also to maintain them.

In summary, progressive overloading is the basis for steroid-free muscle growth. It consists of increasing the volume of work, the duration or the intensity of the exercises to lead the body to develop its muscle mass. Unfortunately, this technique is not perfect. If it is not applied correctly, it can lead to significant muscle damage. So don't hesitate to ask a professional coach to accompany you to take full advantage of it.

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