Changing any part of your body will take time. It will take effort. And it will take some patience.
With that there is one thing that will be constant toward just about any goal in health and fitness– progress.
I am not talking about seeing progress toward your specific goal as in weight loss or muscle gain, I am talking about progress in the actual gym. Many times we hear It as progressive overload, which just means progress over time in some way.
So let’s say you are doing a Romanian deadlift. On week one you did 8 reps at 100 pounds. Week two you did 8 reps at 105 pounds. Week three, 9 reps at 105 pounds. Week four, 10 reps at 110 pounds.
So each week you saw progress. From week one to week two you added 5 pounds. From week two to week three you did an extra rep. From week three to week four you added 5 more pounds and did another rep.
Now look at the progress from week one to week four, two more reps and 10 pounds heavier. Not a bad increase for a few weeks.
That is the basis of progressive overload. You did not just stick with 100 pounds for 8 reps week over week over week.
Now say you physically couldn’t do anything to progress this movement over that four week period then we have to get to the drawing board and figure out what we can do to spark some change into your routine.
But these are the things we are looking for. We want to see things change and progress, if they don’t then we will find out why and what the hell to do about It.
Now there are many other ways to use progressive overload other than just adding more weight or reps:
-More time under tension
-Less rest
-More sets
-Moving more efficient
-Moving the same weight faster
-Having more control
-Greater ranges of motion
We are never limited to one single area to see progress, all these things can play a role along the way. Now with these areas, It is not easy to figure out what can be done, or maybe what has already been done, without tracking your progress.
Writing down your workouts will let you see all of this. Write down what you did, how It felt, what else you could have done. This won’t just give you an idea of how things are going in the present but you can look back and compare things to weeks, months, years prior.
When we talk about progressive overload we always have to throw in the caveat, don’t increase something just for the sake of doing so.
If you aren’t ready to handle whatever increase you are throwing at yourself, then you did not really see any progress.
Rule #1: Never sacrifice form for weight on the bar
We want to see increases that you have the ability to handle. So if you can handle adding an extra set or a 3 second pause each rep, then go for It. Moving up just because you think you have to will not yield great results.
Find ways to progress every week, and if not every week, then every month.
In good health,
Jeff
P.S Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you change the way your body looks and feels…
1.) Would you be interested in testing out our program for two weeks… With no payment?
Right now you can give our program a shot for two weeks with no payment and get on the road to looking and feeling how you really want.
If you are interested in this free test, reply “TEST” to this email.
2.) Come in for a FREE body scan
We are letting you get a better idea of where your starting point is by getting a free InBody scan. This can test your body fat, muscle mass, and water levels.
If you would like a free InBody scan, reply “SCAN” to this email.
3.) Workout Programs
I have been toying with the idea of creating programs for anyone to use and follow. They would come complete with videos, descriptions, and program demos.
If you have any interest in a program such as this, reply “PROGRAM” to this email and I will get you the ideas that I have been thinking about.
