Progressive overload is a concept that’s absolutely foundational to making real progress in the gym, but is often misunderstood or misapplied.
Now, I’ve coached a lot of people over the years, from total beginners to competitive athletes, and one thing I see over and over again is confusion around what progressive overload actually is, and more importantly, how to apply it properly. A lot of folks hear the term tossed around like a buzzword, but they’re not quite sure how it plays out in their training. Unfortunately, that misunderstanding is one of the biggest reasons people stall in their progress, even when they’re putting in the effort.
So let’s break it down properly.
What Is Progressive Overload?
At its core, progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed on your body during training, specifically on your muscles, but also on your connective tissues and your entire neuromuscular system. That word gradual is key here. We’re not talking about jumping 25 kilos on your squat overnight. We’re talking about consistently doing just a little more over time (more weight, more reps, more sets, more control, more range of motion, more intensity, or even more complexity).
Resistance training is essentially applying stress to the body, and progressive overload means increasing that stress as your body adapts. Without that increase, your body has no reason to continue adapting. It’s like telling your muscles, “We’re good here,” instead of, “We’ve got more work to do, so we need to get stronger.”
It’s More Than Just Muscles
When we talk about stress in training, people tend to zoom in on the muscles, and for sure, they’re a huge part of the picture. But there’s more going on behind the scenes. Your nervous system plays a massive role. It’s responsible for recruiting the right muscle fibres, coordinating movements, and interpreting the signals that come from training. That’s why when you’re new to training, a lot of your initial progress is actually neurological. Your body is learning how to coordinate and move efficiently.
Over time, though, for continued progress, we do need to challenge not just the muscles, but the entire system (muscles, tendons, joints, connective tissue, and the nervous system).
The Types of Stress That Drive Progress
When we’re looking to build muscle (hypertrophy) and, to a large extent, increase strength, there are a few specific kinds of stress that matter most. Let’s break them down:
- Mechanical Tension: This is the king of muscle growth. Mechanical tension happens when muscles contract under load, especially through a full range of motion and under control. Think of a heavy, slow, controlled squat or a well-executed dumbbell press. The greater the tension placed on the muscle fibres (particularly when they’re under stretch) the greater the stimulus for growth.
- Metabolic Stress: This is the one you feel as the “burn” or “pump” during training. It’s caused by the accumulation of metabolites (like hydrogen ions and not lactic acid, contrary to popular belief), which happens when muscles are working hard under fatigue. It doesn’t replace mechanical tension, but it can help enhance the muscle-building stimulus, especially when used strategically (think: drop sets, short rest periods, higher rep sets).
- Muscle Damage: While not the primary driver of growth, a bit of muscle damage (the microtears that occur when you challenge muscles in new ways) can contribute to adaptation. That said, chasing soreness is not the goal, it’s just a byproduct that can occur, especially when introducing new exercises or increasing volume/intensity significantly.
So, when we talk about progressive overload in practice, it’s not just “add 5 kilos every week.” That’s part of it, but it’s not the whole picture. But how do we actually progressive overload in practice?
How To Progressive Overload
Let’s talk about how to progressively overload because this is where most people in the gym go off course. It’s one thing to understand that progressive overload is about increasing stress on the body over time, but the application of that principle is where the magic happens.
Before we dive into the “how,” let’s make sure we’re clear on one thing. When it comes to building muscle and strength, mechanical tension is the most important stimulus we have. It’s the one that gives you the best return on your time and effort.
Yes, other factors like muscle damage and metabolic stress can contribute, but they’re secondary. Muscle damage, for example, often gets misunderstood. Just because a muscle is damaged doesn’t mean it’s growing. I could hit a muscle with a hammer and cause massive damage, but that’s not going to lead to hypertrophy (muscle growth). Damage by itself doesn’t drive adaptation, it’s the tension placed through the muscle, under load, over time, that creates meaningful growth.
So let’s stay focused: mechanical tension is your main driver, and progressive overload is the method we use to increase that tension as your body gets stronger.
The Big Misconception: You’re Not “Borrowing From the Future”
Here’s where a lot of people misunderstand progressive overload. They think it’s about forcing heavier weights onto the bar every week, and chasing new personal records every session. That mentality can actually hold you back, or worse, get you injured.
Progressive overload isn’t about forcing your body to do something it’s not ready for. It’s about building the capacity over time so that heavier loads become possible.
Think of it this way, you don’t lift heavier weights and then adapt. You adapt first, and because you’ve adapted, you’re now capable of lifting heavier weights. It’s a subtle shift in mindset, but it makes a huge difference in how you train.
So instead of thinking, “I have to do more today to force adaptation,” think, “I’ve been adapting through consistent, quality work, and today, I’m expressing that adaptation by handling more.”
The Many Ways to Apply Progressive Overload
Now that we’ve covered what progressive overload is and why it’s crucial, let’s talk about how to actually apply it in the gym. A lot of people lock in on just one method, usually adding more weight to the bar, and while that’s definitely effective, it’s far from the only way to progressively overload your training. We have talk about progressive overload methods before, but it makes sense to touch on some of them here again.
In reality, the most successful training programs, and the lifters who see long-term results, use multiple methods of overload depending on their current goals, training phase, and recovery capacity. So let’s break them all down.
1. Increasing the Load (Adding Weight)
This is the most straightforward and commonly used method. If you benched 60kg for 3 sets of 10 last week and you bench 62.5kg for the same reps this week, that’s progressive overload. It’s clean, measurable, and effective, but only when used correctly.
The problem is, many people become obsessed with adding weight every session, often at the expense of technique or recovery. If you’re lifting heavier but your form is breaking down, that’s not true progression, that’s just ego lifting. Real progression happens when you earn the right to increase the weight through consistent, high-quality training.
2. Improving Technique and Control
Progression isn’t just about lifting more, it’s also about lifting better. Let’s say you perform a bench press with poor scapular retraction, elbows flaring out, and a rushed eccentric. If the next week, you repeat the same weight but with improved form, better control, and a full range of motion, you’ve absolutely progressed. You’ve increased the mechanical tension on the target muscles without changing the load.
This is especially important for intermediate and advanced lifters, where improvements in form can unlock new levels of muscular stimulus and injury prevention.
3. Controlling Tempo
Tempo is a powerful but often overlooked training variable. Slowing down the eccentric (lowering) phase of a lift, adding a pause at the bottom, or controlling the concentric (lifting) phase all increase time under tension, which increases stimulus.
For example, doing a squat with a 3-second descent, a 1-second pause at the bottom, and then a controlled ascent is far more demanding than bouncing in and out of the bottom with no control, even if the weight is the same. More challenge, more adaptation.
4. Increasing Volume (Reps or Sets)
Volume is simply the total amount of work you’re doing, usually measured in total reps, sets, or tonnage (weight x reps x sets). Increasing reps from 8 to 10, or adding an extra set to your workout, is another form of overload. Over time, that accumulation of volume drives muscular growth.
This method is especially useful for hypertrophy goals. Just make sure you’re recovering well between sessions, because more volume means more demand on your system.
5. Reducing Rest Periods (Increasing Density)
By shortening your rest periods between sets while maintaining the same workload, you increase the density of your session. This ramps up cardiovascular demand, metabolic stress, and overall training intensity.
It’s a useful technique for hypertrophy or conditioning phases, but keep in mind that reducing rest can compromise performance in heavy, strength-focused sessions. Use it when appropriate for your goals.
6. Increasing Range of Motion
Working a muscle through a greater range of motion increases the mechanical tension placed on it. Think stuff like going deeper on a squat, using a deficit on a deadlift, or getting a full stretch on a dumbbell fly.
It’s not always applicable, as some movements have a fixed range or you have specific limitations, but where possible, it’s a powerful way to challenge the muscle more thoroughly without necessarily increasing the load.
7. Tracking Decreased RPE for the Same Load
This isn’t a direct overload method, but it’s a valuable way to monitor progress. If a set that felt like an RPE 9 last week now feels like an RPE 8, that’s a sign your body has adapted to the stimulus. You’ve become more efficient, even if the weight hasn’t changed.
It’s a reminder that not all progress shows up as bigger numbers, sometimes it’s how much easier the same numbers feel.
What Is Progressive Overload Conclusion
Progressive overload is not one-dimensional. It’s not just about slapping more plates on the bar every week. It’s a principle of doing a little more over time, in one way or another.
Sometimes, the best progression you can make in a session is perfecting your form. Other times, it’s pushing for an extra rep, shortening your rest, or just executing the same weight with more confidence and control.
So before your next workout, ask yourself: What variable can I improve today?
It doesn’t always have to be heavier. Sometimes, the smartest progression is simply doing the same thing, but doing it better.
Alright, so in practice, when we’re looking at progressive overload, we first want to focus on improving our technique and control. We then want to look at increasing the weight, or the reps, or the sets. And it’s not essential that you progress every single session. But you should see progression over time. If you’re using the same weights month after month after month, something needs to change. And you don’t need to go to failure to see progress.
I hope this answered the question of what is progressive overload, and you have a much clearer understanding of what you need to do to progress in the gym. If you need help with your training specifically, we do also offer online coaching which can help you to both get the results you desire, but also learn more about training principles and programming.
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