Training Principle #2: Overload & Progressive Overload

Key Takeaway Points (TLDR):

1. Overload is the minimum level of exercise required to initiate progress. Progressive overload further describes how this minimum level of required stimulus increases as one’s level of fitness improves.

2. Overload is the switch that initiates the stress-recovery-adaptation cycle. Without it, recovery is not warranted, and any desirable subsequent adaptations are unnecessary (no progress is made).

3. Overload is the summation of many exercise variables, not just weight. The most useful variables to manipulate for the purposes of continuing progressive overload are weight, reps, number of hard sets, and number of assistance exercises. The latter two are volume-related variables that can always be increased to reintroduce progress.

4. While important, variables like technique, tempo, proximity-to-failure, rest interval, and frequency should generally not be manipulated for the purposes of creating overload. These should be pre-established variables within the greater program structure.

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Second only to specificity, the principle of overload is a primary tenet of strength training that must be considered when designing and implementing any high-quality program. Despite the concept of overload being a relatively simple principle, even experts in the field mistakenly conflate overload with other ideas and concepts. Additionally, there are overload-related errors that  are ubiquitous amongst novice trainees. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the overload principle is necessary.

Overload describes the minimum level of exercise stimulus (stress) required to initiate the desired process of improvement towards one’s goal. Recall the stress-recovery-adaptation cycle discussed previously. Within that same paradigm, overload is the required level of training stress that subsequently necessitates the recovery and adaptation responses. This is quite important and can be often overlooked. If a bout of exercise does not meet the required overload threshold, then there will be no adaptations/improvements from that training session. In other words, if a “workout” does not correctly manage the calculus of exercise-related variables which cause sufficient physiological overload, then it may be a waste of time and effort. 

Similarly, we have the concept of progressive overload. Progressive overload further details how this required minimum threshold of stress is an increasing target. As one’s level of fitness increases over time, so too does the overload requirement. Therefore, training variables must continuously increase over time if long-term continued progress is the goal. There are many training variables that, in sum, constitutes the total amount of stress that aims to exceed the goal threshold of overload which will bring about progress towards the goal. This is a good thing, because if there was only one manipulable variable, training progress would quickly become stuck.

Most novice strength trainees have a handle on how progressive overload is applied to the loading variable (just add weight). However, eventually everyone will realize that the weight on the bar cannot perpetually increase week after week forever and ever. As training status/maturity increases, progress slows and the ability to add weight every session will eventually cease. Unless other exercise variables are well-understood, many trainees will get stuck and find themselves plateaued. Luckily, there are other variables in addition to weight that can be improved/increased to assure continued progressive overload can still be applied:

1.  Increased Load/Weight

2.  Increased Repetitions

3.  Increased Number of Hard Sets (Volume)

4.  Increased Assistance Exercises (Volume)

This is a rank-order list of improvable variables to continue progress. Start with increasing weight whenever possible and work down the list. If load cannot be increased, and if set repetitions cannot be added, then volume (either by way of added sets or added exercises) is the final adjustment that can always be made. When everything else is stuck, volume can always be added to create sufficient overload.

Now, this list is in no way representative of the many variables that could be altered. This list omits several important strength training variables. Generally speaking, and for the purposes of strength and hypertrophy (muscle-building) training, important variables like technique, tempo, proximity-to-failure, rest intervals, and frequency should largely be held constant. These variables are important to dial in, but after they are, they should not be altered very much.

The progressive overload model also points to a couple additional problems that are commonplace. Most conventionally written resistance training programs will not account for the necessary adjustable factors to continuously produce progressive overload. Consider the following common template:

Exercise #1 :  4 x 6

Exercise #2 :  4 x 8

Exercise #3 :  3 x 10

Exercise #4 :  3 x 12 

With the template above, there is no room to manipulate anything other than the weight selected for the given exercise, which we have already established as inevitably becoming plateaued. The reps, sets, and exercises are established and rigid. So, unless someone knows how to alter these correctly and progressively, programs like this will only work for a short while and their usefulness will be quickly exhausted—there is just no avenue for progressive overload.

Lastly, progressive overload inherently requires consistent, frequent, hard effort. While this is my last consideration on the topic of progressive overload, it is the most important. Without consistent, hard training sessions that are organized with adequate weekly frequency, progressive overload does not exist (see errors #4-#6 here). Without hard effort, there is no overload. And, without proper frequency, there is no progressive overload. Overload only becomes progressive when it is reoccurring.

In short conclusion, a bout of exercise (e.g., strength training session) must be adequately stimulative. The minimum amount of required stimulus to create progress is called overload. This threshold will increase as progress is made. There are exercise-related variables that should be altered to achieve this, as well as variables that should not be altered. Above all else, consistent, frequent hard effort is always required to improve.