Developing a training program, specific to your unique goals, is one of the most crucial aspects towards a physique transformation. Yet, many fall victim to an ineffective training strategy, never providing the body with newer stimuli in which in must adapt to. Some believe a specific repetition and set scheme will yield the results they so desperately want – a certain pitfall most everyone has experienced. What then is an efficient approach towards training? One that produces objective, measurable results? The most straightforward answer to this seemingly complex dilemma lies in the progressive overload philosophy.
What Does the Term “Progressive Overload” Really Mean?
The progressive overload concept may be familiar to some, but there is a large degree of misconception that surrounds it. Its name suggests that a continually progressive amount of stress (overload) is placed on the body. While this is entirely true, and the bedrock of of the progressive overload ideology, there is vast room for misinterpretation of this notion. It’s rather easy to believe that “progressive amount of stress” translates into continually more weight being used – this only holds true provided certain criteria are met. Maintaining form is a critical component of the progressive overload concept as if it breaks in an attempt to increase weight used or repetitions accomplished, no new stimuli is established. Mechanical advantage, our body’s attempt to recruit other muscles to aid in the movement of weight, must be kept to a minimum for maximal trauma to occur within the targeted muscle. But what does good form really entail? Is it moving in a robotic movement in an attempt to completely isolate the working muscle? No, not at all.
The Necessary Components of Form
In this context of muscle growth, “form” has a specific meaning. The goal of every repetition and set is to cause as much trauma to the muscle tissue. First and foremost, this requires a significant load to placed onto it. But what else can be utilized to elicit a growth response? Time under tension is an interesting concept that has considerable research backing – it appears that muscular hypertrophy is the result of muscular activation and the duration of stress placed on it. What does this translate to? Control the eccentric, or the “negative” portion of the repetition. This small change, alone, will result in considerable muscular gain. Tying in with the progressive overload concept, in which more weight will have to be used, you can begin to see just how taxing and intense this approach to training becomes.
To add to this, try to initiate the repetition from the muscle’s most stretched position. Don’t jerk the weight from here – contract it powerfully, in a controlled manner, followed by a slow eccentric. Repeat for the next repetition, beginning each repetition from the most stretched position. This does not need to be done with every exercise, but be sure to include this tempo during some point of the workout.
Lastly, it’s crucial to understand the functioning of the muscle – how can you expect to change something in which you don’t understand? A classic example is a dumbbell preacher curl: it’s not commonly thought about, but important to know that the bicep’s heads tie in with the scapula. When too much weight is used (or if someone is simply unaware of this connection), the scapula protracts, moving forward. To curl the weight up then becomes a combination of bicep and scapula recruitment, taking away from maximal bicep hypertrophy.
Tracking Your Progress
Once form has been established as the foundation of the training strategy, how do you progress? To truly progress, in an objective manner, it stands to reason that some data must be gathered. Keeping a workout log book is a powerful tool that that ensures progress is continual. If progress halts or is slow, your log book should provide you with all the necessary feedback as to why this is the case. While its essential to log repetitions, sets, and weight used, leave a section for additional notes. In this section, jot down the things that needed improvement during the session. Were rest periods too long? Did you neglect the eccentric portion of the repetition midway through the set? Did you take the muscle to failure, or did you stop short? These, among many other variables within the workout, are ultimately under your control. For true progress to be made, these need to be accounted for – the small accomplishments and improvements you make within the training session will build rather quickly. It isn’t surprising to see strength and physique changes happen within just a few weeks when taking this approach. Most importantly, you will continually learn. You’ll garner a new mindset, one that becomes very good at problem solving – there should be no confusion about how to change your physique once the mentality becomes established.
In Closing
This introduction to progressive overload training hopefully has served you well. I encourage you to focus on the understanding of its theory – these ideas can then be applied to virtually every training program. Doing so ensures your workouts are effective and continually advancing – a surefire formula for success.
Thoughts?