Progressive overload is the key to unlocking results

Progressive overload. 

A term you may or may not be familiar with, but if you have a health and fitness goal you want to achieve, this is definitely an essential component to the success of that goal. 

So what is progressive overload?

Developed over years of training, first commonly used to rehabilitate soldiers in World War II, progressive overload is simply the process of ‘gradually’ increasing stress upon the body in order to stimulate an adaptation. Progressive overload can be implemented in many forms, from how much weight you lift, the amount of sets and reps, to the frequency of your training, just to name a few. 

Why is this important for success?

When you exercise, your body gets subjected to stress. The body then has to adapt to the stress in order to maintain homeostasis (normal function). Once the body has adapted, that stress now isn’t enough to create a new adaptation, so more stress is needed to further develop the body. This is where you’d increase weight lifted, distance ran etc. Whatever you’re looking to improve. 

Make sense? 

As an example If you were looking to train for your first marathon, you wouldn’t just head straight out your house and complete 26.2 miles. I mean you could, and fair play to you, but this would probably come at a cost. Injuries, no future adaptation to your cardiovascular endurance and probably not the greatest performance. Gradually increasing the distance over weeks of training, and slowly developing that speed will allow for an adaptation to occur and result in you completing your first marathon with a better time and not feeling like death.

This law of progressive overload can be used in other walks of life, what others can you think of?