4 Ways Progressive Overload Will Really Help You Smash Your Fitness Goals

January of 2023 is over and we’re now into the 2nd month of the year. Are you sticking with your new year's resolutions? How many years have you said “new year, new me” but haven’t seen much of a change or a change that lasts long term? If you’re looking to make a lasting change and a sustainable fitness lifestyle you might want to get acquainted with the idea of progressive overload.

Progressive overload is a fundamental concept in fitness that refers to the gradual increase of stress placed on the body during exercise. This can be achieved through various means such as increasing the weight lifted, increasing the number of reps or sets, or increasing the difficulty of the exercise.

Progressive overload is important for a number of reasons:

1. It helps prevent plateaus: If you're not consistently increasing the demand on your body, your progress will eventually come to a halt. Progressive overload ensures that you're constantly challenging your body and adapting to new levels of stress.

2. It promotes muscle growth: When you lift weights, you're causing microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Your body then repairs these tears, leading to an increase in muscle size and strength. By progressively increasing the weight lifted, you're forcing your muscles to continually adapt and grow.

3. It improves cardiovascular fitness: Similar to how progressive overload helps with muscle growth, it also helps improve cardiovascular fitness. By gradually increasing the intensity of your cardiovascular workouts (such as running or cycling), you're forcing your heart and lungs to adapt and become more efficient.

4. It helps prevent injury: By gradually increasing the demand on your body, you're less likely to suffer from an injury due to overexertion. By contrast, if you jump into a high-intensity workout without properly preparing your body, you're at a greater risk of injury.

Let's recap! Progressive overload is a crucial aspect of fitness training that you can learn to use. It helps prevent plateaus, promotes muscle growth and cardiovascular fitness, and reduces the risk of injury. It's important to consistently challenge your body in a safe and controlled manner in order to see continued progress and improvement.

While we’re on the topic of progress, go check out my last blog post on progress tracking!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you found this post helpful!

Until next time! Salamat and si yu’us ma’ase!