Progressive overload—It’s non-negotiable when it comes to hitting your fitness goals.
Think of it this way: If you wanted to learn German, you wouldn’t learn the German alphabet one day, read a Spanish book the next, and polish things off with some Japanese on day three. No, you’d study German. All. The. Time. You’d start with the alphabet, move onto phonics, progress to reading and writing some basic words and sentences, and then switch to studying new vocab and grammar… you get the gist.
That’s exactly what progressive overload is to your body. It’s the gradual increase in stress that allows your musculoskeletal, neuroendocrine, and cardiovascular systems to get fitter, stronger, faster. Your body adapts to one stress, so you increase the stress. Your body adapts again, and you increase the stress again—all toward one specific goal. Maybe it’s mastering your first pull-up, running a marathon, or adding inches to your biceps and glutes.
That means that every time my schedule or available equipment takes a dramatic turn, I worry a little bit. Will I be able to stick with my workout program? Will my fitness progress take a hit?
Well, yes(ish) and no.
Case in point: Right now, I’m 200 miles from home, chilling at my cousin and her husband’s house. From the crib monitor I have perched next to my laptop, I can watch their two 10-month-old babies sleep. Yeah, this week, I’m staying with and playing nanny to the two squishies while their parents are on a (much-needed) vacation. It’s definitely out of my element, and I had no idea what would happen. I was nervous enough about watching them, let alone about how my workouts (and eating, but that’s another topic) would fare.
So did my workouts have to change? Well, a little bit. Back in Chicago, I’m in week four of a periodized strength training program that focuses on max strength and hypertrophy, using pretty “staple” moves like deadlifts, squats, bench presses, pull-ups, rows, etc. I’m also a few days into SoulCycle’s #TIU20 challenge (30 days, 20 rides). Obviously, I can’t make much progress toward my #TIU20 challenge progress while I am in a small country town that’s not yet into the boutique-fitness scene.
And what about my strength goals? I checked out gyms ahead of time and found some solid options within easy-sweating distance. Barbells, check. Cable machines, check. Seated calf machine? No dice. I adapt with the edge of a step and a couple of weight plates. Landmine? Nope. Since I can’t do my usual landmine shoulder presses, I use the opportunity to try out the Arnold press.
Sure, I made these changes simply in an effort to “make things work,” but the DOMS I’m currently feeling raise a great point: This is the kind of variety that our bodies actually crave. Small tweaks to your workouts—for example, changing grip, stance, load-type, or sets and reps—allow your body to adapt to a new stimulus without forgoing all of the gains you’ve already made. Oftentimes, exercisers worry so much about “keeping their bodies guessing,” drastically changing routines one training cycle to the next, that they forget about progressive overload. When your six-week workout program is done and you’re ready to start on the next one, progressive overload still matters.
For instance, if you performed traditional alternating dumbbell curls during one phase of your program, you do hammer curls, EZ-bar curls, or reverse curls the next. If you performed pushups during one cycle, triceps pushups, one-arm pushups, dumbbell bench presses, barbell bench presses, incline bench presses are all great options for the next cycle. The same is true with goblet squats, low-bar back squats, front squats, RDLs, conventional deadlifts, single-leg deadlifts. You don’t have to—and shouldn’t—reinvent the wheel every six weeks. Or you’ll find yourself going in a different direction every month and a half.
Don’t keep your body guessing. Keep it adapting.