System overload with progressive overload

Training and exercise are just vehicles that help deliver us to a desired stimulus adaptation..

Just like cars with different size gas tanks, different cars can get us to our desired location faster or slower. We can influence our speed by practicing , proper form and technique, our recovery, and lastly proper programming.

Our proper program is highly determined by a few acute variables. These acute variables are Frequency, volume, intensity, rest, duration, reps, sets, and Tempo. All of these variables fall under the umbrella of progressive overload.

Progressive overload is a constant stimulus that challenges the body to adapt. The variables Frequency, volume, sets,reps, duration, rest, and tempos are levers that help challenge the body from week to week month to month and year to year.

In order to grow year to year we have to implement progressive overload strategically. It doesn't have to be complicated at all. They're 7 levers we can pull to utilize progressive overload.

Progressive overload method #1 Increasing the weight on the bar.

A way to make our sessions is to increase our intentions and efforts by working against heavier resistance. If we do week 1 at 3x10 @ 225lbs, then next week we could do 3x10 @ 230lbs. This approach is great if we are finding the weight isn't challenging to us anymore.

Unfortunately we can only add weight to the bar so long before we have to try a new approach. We will see technique suffer and the intended stimulus is usually disbursed into other body parts via momentum. This leads us into progressive overload method #2.

Progressive overload method #2 Increasing the reps.

Increasing the reps in a set extends the life of the set a little longer. The benefits of extending the sets, is we get more time under tension and more volume on the muscle. If we find 3x10 @ 100lbs is easy after week 1, we could do 3x12 @ 100lbs on week 2. We get 6 extra reps on week 2 and lift more volume. Wk1 3x10x100=3000lbs wk2 3x12=3600lbs. That's 600 extra pounds lifted. This leads us into method number 3.

Progressive overload method #3 Increasing the number of sets.

We already saw that just Increasing the reps by 2 we ended up getting 600lbs of volume. Sets do the exact same thing, just to a greater degree. We can build better tolerances, and movement efficiency with moderate volume.

Here's an example going back to our 3x10 on wk 1. Wk1 3x10@100lbs =3000lbs. Wk2 4x10@100lbs =4000. Just adding in an additional set gave us a 1000lbs difference between week1 and week2 in volume.

If higher volumes don't align with your goals we can use progressive overload method #4.

Progressive overload method #4 Slow or Fast Tempo.

I can always tell when my clients are using a weight that's light because they're lifting it faster than the millennial falcon going light speed. Speed can be used as a tool if the application is appropriate. You have to have earned the right to use explosive power and high rates of force development. My coach Phil Daru says "you can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe. " This just mean without stability we can't be as thoughtful with our expression of power.

Power and force are yin and yang. I have clients who also start extremely heavy and struggle on rep 3 out of 10 and the weight is moving slowly.

Moving weight slowly can also be a great tool if it's aligned with your clients Goals. I use slower tempos to do a few things. I use slow tempos to help build movement awareness. The slower they go the more they feel the tension and organization of their bodies.

We can organize our bodies to also build an extreme amount of tension and keep that muscle under tension. I have seen clients experience Elevated mind muscle connections just by slowing a movement down and feeling the movement and spending time learning how to do it properly.

This brings us to progressive overload method #5.

Progressive overload method #5 Decreasing rest time.

Imagine being asked to hit 100% of your 1 rep max and only having 30 seconds rest and attempt it again. That doesn't sound like a fun time right? That's the intensity that's brought when we decrease rest time. We have an insufficient rest time and higher output.

This can be a great approach when we're looking to build up density. That's a fancy word meaning we get more done in less time. If we spend less time resting and more working we could get more done.

Sometimes time is pressing so reducing your rest is a great approach to maximize your time in the gym. We can also use progressive overload method #6.

Progressive overload method #6 Increasing Frequency of a movement or muscle

If I'm pressed for time, choosing another day to hit a muscle allows me to spread my sets and reps into a few days. I feel like this approach allows me to hit a movement or a muscle with adequate volume and keeps intensity high because there's rest days in between the two days. A perfect example is I hit 10 sets of chest on Monday, and on Thursday I hit another 10-12 sets for a weekly volume of 22 sets on chest. Imagine trying to do 22 sets in one session. That's extremely high volume and your sessions would take for ever in duration.

That leads us to progressive overload method #7.

Progressive overload method #7 Increasing or Decreasing session duration.

Our energy is budgeted out just like anything else. We only have so much currency we can dedicate to training. Spending 3 hours in the gym is unnecessary. At that point are you really able to give 100% or focus truly on the task at hand? Sometimes extending the session duration is optimal because you can plan for longer rest periods if you're strength training, or maybe splitting up conditioning and strength in the same sessions.

Shortening session duration is also an amazing tool. We can be intense for 30 minutes and get out of the gym knowing we emptied the Gas tank. We can also shorten the sessions to reduce volume and promote recovery because we aren't doing as much.

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Whatever we're doing we need to consider the necessity of progressive overload and how to use the levers. We get so much leverage when we utilize progressive overload. I recommend moving 1-2 levers at a time, so you can manage a few variables at a time while training.

We're all training to get better and that's exactly what progressive overload is for. We got to stay healthy and injury free so we can keep getting our reps in.

Keep getting those reps in amrap as many reps as possible.

-Coach Austin Structured Strength Systems-