Progressive Overload: What It Is And Why You Need It In Training

Progressive overload is increasing stimulus in a number of ways, including increasing load, time under tension, tempo or volume, reduced rest or additional training sessions.At Rebuild Health and Fitness, we use progressive overload in programming to ensure members get the most out of each session. “If you want to get at better anything, you must have a level of progressive overload to it.”What is progressive overload?Progressive overload is a methodology in programming in which stimulus is increased over time - throughout a cycle. Kramer et al (2002) write: “Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed on the body during resistance training. In reality, resistance training is only effective for improving health and performance if the human body is continually required to exert a greater magnitude of force to meet higher physiological demands. Thus, a gradual increase in demand of the resistance training program is necessary for long-term improvement in muscular fitness and health.'This enables members to build up strength over the weeks, gradually increasing the load without overloading or injuring themselves. It’s a scientific methodology that is proven to be effective and ensures our members get the most out of every session, see results at the end of the cycle while still being able to maintain proper technique.Why do we use it in training?Using this methodology enhances strength through specific adaptation to increased demand (SAID) - it's a proven format by sports scientists. By gradually overloading the body, it will adapt to the required stimulus, making you gradually stronger. 'You can't do it any other way actually - it's not like this is just our opinion, it’s a fact,' explains Coach James. 'If you want to get stronger or you want to build more muscle, you must have some level of progressive overload and that can come in so many different ways. You need to understand, it needs it.'This overload must be tracked so you know you’re progressing, otherwise, you’re only guessing your results. Through using Wodify to log and track each lift and movement and time, our members can see their progress in the gym and know they're improving.