This beloved phrase often gives lifters the wrong impression, and their progress in the gym suffers as a result.
If you spend any time in fitness spaces online, you’re bound to come across the term “progressive overload.” This is said to be the secret to continual muscle growth.
While this is absolutely true when the term is understood correctly, the name “progressive overload” itself conveys, in the minds of many lifters, an idea quite different from its true definition. Rather than the correct definition (the continual increase of demands on the muscles over time to cause continual adaptation), many lifters take it to mean that they must continually try to do more than they are currently capable of to force adaptation. This could take the form, for example, of trying to add weight to the bar before they are truly ready in an attempt to force their muscles to grow. This misconception, understandable as it is, causes many to injure themselves or develop excessive fatigue from their training. The constant attempts to push their limits can (and eventually, will) halt a lifter’s progress.
So, what is the solution? It is to understand progressive overload as “progressive loading”; that is, to add load over time as needed, rather than preemptively. Your muscles do not need to be pushed to their absolute limit to grow: they will respond perfectly well to stress near their limit. As a general rule, you only want to add load once the current load is no longer sufficiently challenging. By adopting this mindset, you can avoid putting the cart before the horse, take the anxiety out of training, and increase difficulty only when your body signals it is ready.
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