Whether you run, lift weights, or prefer to get your sweat on in Reformer Pilates classes, if you’ve hit a plateau lately there’s a likely reason - you aren’t prioritising progressive overload.
While there aren’t any shortcuts to reaching your fitness goals, progressive overload is the principle that enables you to achieve PBs and physique-focused objectives, regardless of the discipline. And, if your training programme doesn’t prioritise progressive overload, you run the risk of plateauing – going through the motions without advancing closer to your goal.
As well as minimal measurable improvements (such as increases in strength or speed, for instance), this can manifest as low motivation and increased frustration and irritability. Your sessions may feel unchallenging and uninspiring.
Although it’s absolutely OK to exercise without a performance or physical goal in mind (you can totally train for enjoyment, mental wellbeing, social connection, and so on), if you do happen to be working towards a target, ensuring that your programme factors in progressive overload will not only help you avoid a plateau in the first place, but also help you arrive at your goal as efficiently as possible. Win-win.
The best bit? (Depending on the goal, of course) you don’t need access to any specialist equipment, nor any expensive gym memberships. You can even implement progressive overload into your home workout plan.
To help you incorporate progressive overload into your own training programmes, we asked Lucie Cowan, master trainer at Third Space, to break down the need-to-knows. Don't miss your all-important warm up exercises and cool down exercises, while you're at it.
Progressive overload could be key to workout gains: your guide
What is progressive overload?
“Progressive overload is a fundamental principle in weight training and exercise science,” Cowan says. It involves gradually increasing the challenge of your training over time to continually stimulate the body’s muscles and systems, “thereby promoting adaptation and improvement in strength, endurance, or other fitness goals,” says Cowan. “This can be achieved by increasing the weight, repetitions, sets, or difficulty of exercises in a systematic and progressive manner.”
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Why should I make progressive overload a part of my training?
According to Cowan, there are six main reasons to make progressive overload a part of your training…
1. It improves muscle strength
“When you consistently challenge your muscles by progressively increasing resistance or intensity, they adapt to become stronger and more resilient,” says Cowan. This is what leads to muscle growth and improved performance.
2. It helps to prevent plateaus
We’ve touched upon it already, but Cowan reiterates the importance of progressive overload for avoiding plateaus. The human body, she says, is highly adaptable and quickly adjusts to the demands placed upon it.
“Without progressive overload, your progress may plateau as your body becomes accustomed to the current level of exercise. Continuously increasing the challenge ensures that your body keeps adapting and progressing," she explains.
3. It promises to optimise your results
According to Cowan, progressive overload maximises the effectiveness of your workouts. “By progressively increasing the difficulty, you stimulate muscle fibres more effectively, leading to greater gains in strength, muscle size, and endurance.” Sounds good, right?
4. It prevents injury
It'll probably come as no surprise that gradually increasing the intensity and duration of your workload is essential for allowing your body time to adapt. Not only that, but it gives your muscles time to learn how to perform exercises at more challenging intensities without overstressing tissues and joints.
“This reduces the risk of overuse injuries that can occur when pushing too hard, too soon,” says Cowan.
5. It encourages sticking to a plan
“Progressive overload promotes long-term adherence to a fitness programme by providing a structured approach to improvement,” says Cowan.
Not sure what that means? Essentially, it helps you avoid burnout and boredom by ensuring workouts are appropriately challenging. It makes workouts not so easy you lose interest yet not too difficult that your goals begin to feel unachievable – in other words, engaging.
6. It encourages goal progression
Speaking of goals – progressive overload is a simple way to ensure that you’re always inching closer to reaching your targets, whether that’s to hit a new deadlift PB, increase your 5k time, or achieve ten chin-ups in a row. “Progressive overload is essential for making continuous progress towards your desired outcome,” says Cowan. “It ensures that you’re consistently moving closer to your goals over time.”
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What is the simplest way to progressive overload?
You've heard about how great progressive overload is for a whole range of reasons - now, how do you actually incorporate it into your weekly workouts? “Achieving progressive overload requires a systematic approach to gradually increase the demands placed on the body over time,” says Cowan.
Try this: This can be done by increasing the number of reps or sets of an exercise, the load, the time under tension, altering training frequency or intensity, or decreasing rest periods between sets. For example, if you currently do ten rows, squats and lunges every time you're at the gym, can you aim for twelve or fifteen? The next time, can you up your weight a little?
Some methods may be more suited to your personal goal than others. For example, if your goal is to get a squat PB, gradually increasing the load will help more than decreasing rest periods. Case in point: one 2022 study published in The Open Access journal found that increasing repetitions and load are both viable strategies for "enhancing muscular adaptations over an 8-week training cycle." So, there are options, depending on what your circumstances require.
Cowan shares that there are eight simple strategies to ensure progressive overload…
1. Set clear goals
“Define specific, measurable goals related to strength, endurance, or muscle growth,” she advises. Having a clear target will influence your training programme and progression, and will help to keep you motivated.
2. Track your progress
Cowan recommends keeping detailed records of your workouts, including the weights lifted, repetitions performed, and sets completed. “This allows you to monitor your progress and identify areas where you can increase the challenge,” she says.
3. Gradually increase intensity
Make small, incremental changes to your workouts to increase the level of challenge over time. This could look like:
- Adding more load
- Increasing your number of repetitions or sets
- Increasing the difficulty of your exercise.
4. Follow a structured plan
Cowan advises. “This could be a programme designed by a personal trainer, a reputable fitness resource, or an app tailored to your goals and fitness level.”
Workout plans, at the ready.
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5. Vary your workouts
Prioritising some variety in your workouts will help to continuously challenge your muscles in different ways, Cowan says. “This could involve changing exercises, equipment, or training methods to prevent adaptation and plateauing.”
In other words, you might opt for a Pilates workout one day and tailored strength training for beginners session the next. The world is your oyster, and variety is key here.
6. Listen to your body
This one's key, and something we advise in any MC UK article. “Pay attention to how your body responds to training and adjust your approach accordingly,” Cowan emphasises. “Push yourself to work hard, but also prioritise rest and recovery to prevent overtraining and injury.”
7. Periodise your training
Cowan recommends implementing periodisation. Never heard of it? Simply, it involves organising your training into distinct phases, each with its own focus and intensity level (remember the runner you see posting about deload week? Yep, that's periodisation).
Why is this so effective? Well, because "it allows for planned cycles of progression and recovery to optimise long-term results.”
8. Stay consistent
Last but by no means least, staying consistent with your training is absolutely key if you're looking to improve your fitness via progressive overload. “Consistency is key to achieving progressive overload,” Cowan says. “Stick to your training schedule, and make gradual adjustments as needed to keep moving towards your goals.”
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Is progressive overload necessary for muscle growth?
Progressive overload, personal trainer Lucie Cowan says, is the foundation of effective and sustainable fitness training. “It drives adaptation, prevents stagnation, reduces injury risk, and ultimately maximises results, making it indispensable for anyone striving to achieve their fitness goals.”
