Muscle growth is imperative, especially for those of us over 50 or 60. However, it does get harder as we age. That’s why Progressive Overload is so important.
What is Progressive Overload?
Progressive Overload is the number 1 fastest way to build muscle – any any age.
The easiest way to think about progressive overload is that you are simply challenging your body to do more.
There are numerous ways in which you can challenge your body to do more. Here are the most common:
- More repetitions
- Use heavier weights
- More sets
- Less rest in between sets
- More difficult exercises
How does Progressive Overload create Muscle Growth?
By putting added stress on your muscles they are forced to grow (ie. get stronger).
For muscles to grow, they need a reason. For example, if the heaviest thing you ever pick up is a 5-pound bag of potatoes, then when there is a sale on the 10-pound bag, you’ll quickly realize you can’t even pick it up and hence, miss out on the sale! Or, potentially injure yourself attempting to pick up the 10-pound bag.
With progressive overload, you slowly over time increase the challenge on your muscles, allowing them to get stronger without injury.
When should you apply Progressive Overload?
You can start ‘considering’ progressive overload at any time; however, you’ll want to create a solid baseline before you worry about adding overload. This will depend on your prior experience with strength training.
If you are brand new, meaning you’ve never picked up a dumbbell before, you will likely stay at your baseline (ie. starting point) for several weeks.
However, if you’ve been strength training for any length of time, you can likely implement progressive overload much sooner. In the next section, I describe how to implement progressive overload into your strength training routine.
The key is to make sure you are able to perform the exercise with good form for a set number of reps (I prefer 8-10) for 3 sets first.
How do you apply Progressive Overload to your workout?
First, you create your baseline. I personally create a new baseline every time I change my training plan, which is usually every 8-9 weeks.
The first week is the baseline. This is when you are making your best guess of how much weight you can lift for your given number of reps and sets. During the baseline, you’re not trying to set a PR (personal record). Your focus is on good form. The weight should feel challenging while still very doable.
Let’s say your goal was to do 10 bicep curls using 10-pound dumbbells for 3 sets.
If you were able to hit your goal in the previous week, then you may be ready to apply progressive overload.
Some options are:
- Increase to 12 reps per set
- Increase the amount of weight in each dumbbell, for example 12-pound dumbbell
- add a 4th set using the 10-pound dumbbell
For a deeper dive into how to apply progressive overload, check out this video.