Progress Is Power
Why Progressive Overload is the Secret to Lasting Results
“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don't look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That's the only way it happens - and when it happens, it lasts.”
- John Wooden
Each of us has a different goal regarding our health and fitness; however, a common theme amongst most is that we want to progress. My current goal is to build muscle and lose body fat, a method known as body recomposition, so over the last 4 years, I’ve learnt to level up my fitness training with the help of one training principle I have implemented consistently in all of my programming phases.
So if your goal is to build muscle, lose fat, or boost endurance, progressive overload is the principle that will take your training to the next level.
Progressive overload simply means gradually making your workouts harder—whether by lifting more, doing more reps, or pushing longer—to challenge your muscles and spark growth. Progressive overload is key for anyone looking to continually improve strength, endurance, or muscle mass. This training principle can be applied to any workout, including strength training and cardio workouts.
There are a few different ways to add progressive overload into your training:
1. Increase the weight you lift
Start with a weight that challenges you while still allowing correct form. As you get stronger, gradually add more weight to keep your muscles working harder.
2. Increase total training volume
Volume = reps × sets × weight.
Pair weight increases with small rep or set increases to avoid endless repetitions.
Match your rep range to your goal:
Strength: 1–6 reps
Hypertrophy: 8–12 reps (this rep range aligns with muscle growth)
Endurance: 12–15 reps
3. Increase time under tension
If you don’t have heavier weights, make your muscles work harder by keeping them under tension longer. You can:
Slow down the lowering phase (eccentric).
Add pauses or pulses.
Use tempo training.
Try drop sets.
Shorten rest times.
You could use a mixture of the following techniques; however, be mindful not to try and tackle them all at the same time to risk hitting a training plateau.
Some of my own personal tips for progressively improving your workouts include…
Track your workouts - this is the most important tool you can use to ensure you are progressing and not staying stagnant during your workouts, consistently lifting the same weights. Without tracking, it’s more difficult to increase the intensity week on week if you don’t keep a record of previous metrics. When you can’t physically see the progress you are making, it’s easy to become demotivated and give up on yourself.
Consistency is key - progressive overload becomes more difficult to achieve if you aren’t consistently performing the same workout each week. I encourage you to stick to the same routine for a minimum of 4-6 weeks whilst steadily increasing the intensity. If you are struggling to see any progress after this time, you can adjust your training accordingly.
Increase intensity slowly - you should be aiming to increase the intensity of your workout by 10% a week to avoid injury. For example, increasing each set by one extra rep, using tempo to increase time under tension or moving up a weight category from 20kg to 22kg. I can’t emphasise this enough, but avoid changing multiple factors each week as this can overload the body too quickly and potentially cause injury.
Listening to your body - If you are feeling excessively tired or constantly sore, it may be a sign that you’re progressing too fast or need to allow your body longer recovery time.
Ready to break through plateaus and finally see results? Let’s build a progressive overload plan tailored to your goals. Click here to get started today.