Progressive Overload Explained: Grow Muscle & Strength Today

With any training regimen the body is always in a state of adaptation. To continuously improve performance over time, your training must be modified to increase the acute variables and progressively overload the muscles.

In this blog we will look beyond the pseudoscience and dive into the underlying scientific principles behind progressively overloading the neuromuscular system, and the potential benefits with respect to resistance training and muscle development.

For fitness enthusiasts, NASM-CPTs, Corrective Exercise Professionals, and more, this topic is important to master. 

The Principle of Progression states that increases in time, weight or intensity should be kept within 10% or less each week to allow for a gradual adaptation while minimizing risk of injury. Without this progressive overloading, muscle growth will plateau.

A decrease in loading over an extended period can actually cause muscle atrophy – a loss in skeletal muscle size and strength. With consistent training the body will adapt to the progressions and meet the demands of the stress placed upon it.

As the body adapts to the current resistance training program, the client will notice the same sets and reps are no longer difficult to complete. There are several levers the trainer can pull such as increasing the repetitions, intensity, timing, distance, or introducing a variety of movements to increase the demand on the muscles. One of the most common and effective ways to challenge the client and avoid plateau is to increase the load of the resistance training.