3. Increase Time Under Tension: Every time you do an exercise, like a squat, for example, you’re putting your muscles under tension— that “time” you’re working is known as time under tension (TUT). So, another way to apply progressive overload is by increasing the TUT for any given move. If you normally take three seconds to lower down in a squat, slowing down to four to five can add more challenge to your quads, glutes, and hamstrings.
4. Frequency: Frequency can look like increasing the number of days you train, or it can mean bumping up the overall number of training sessions. This can look like adding another day per week that you train (i.e. from three days to four) or increasing the number of sessions overall (say, by adding a second training session in the evening one day when you trained in the morning.)
When is it time to use these progressive overload techniques?
According to Tamir, there are a few signs you’re ready to up the intensity. First, you can consider your RPE or rate of perceived exertion. “It’s a rating between 1-10 with 1 being the easiest and 10 being the hardest,” says Tamir. When lifting weights, “if you are not getting into those higher numbers around 8, 9, or 10, then you can increase the weight at the reps you have decided to go for.” Ideally, you should feel challenged enough at the end of your rep range where you almost can’t do any more—at least an 8 on the RPE scale. If you don’t feel that you’re quite there, then that’s a sign it’s time to employ one of these progressive overload techniques.
Another method Tamir cites is called reps in reserve (RIR)—basically, how many you have left in the tank until you can’t eke one more out. “If you are able to complete all the reps for the given sets and still feel like you have more than two reps at the end that you can do, you should go up in weight,” he says. Finally, another benchmark for strength training is assessing your rep ranges. If you tell yourself you’re going to work within a range (i.e. 6-8 reps) and you can continuously hit 8 reps, that’s a sign it’s time to increase your weight, according to Tamir.
Progressive Overload Training Tips
If you’re ready to try progressive overload training in your fitness routine, keep these tips in mind from the pros.
Progress does not have to be linear.
Yes, one of the core tenets of progressive overload is to bring you past fitness plateaus, but it’s important to note that there’s nothing inherently wrong with a plateau. In fact, Sotir says that sometimes it’s actually an important stage in your fitness journey.
“We need a flat stage where we are actually assimilating all of these new gains…It’s gain, absorb, have it normalize, grow, then stabilize, normalize, own it, and then grow and then stabilize, normalize, own it,” she says. “That period of staying at a level and becoming really good at it is good for the muscular tissue, it’s good for the bones, it’s good for the connective tissue, but it’s also something that we’ve labeled as negative very often.” It can be thought of as being “stuck,” but she says it can also be seen as developing mastery. Then, once you’ve dialed in there, you can work on busting past it!
Proper form is key.
Form should always be a priority in your workouts, and it’s no different with progressive overload. “Don’t get caught up too much in wanting to increase weights all the time or increase quickly,” says Tamir. “This can lead to overtraining and injury.”
Make time for recovery.
Recovery is one of the most important things to prioritize in your routine, no matter your goals. “The things outside the weight room, including sleep, nutrition, and other recovery methods have a big impact on improving strength,” says Tamir. So if progressive overload is a goal for you, it’s even more important you’re taking rest days—you want at least 48 hours or two days off before working the same muscle groups again—and eating enough protein, carbs, and other important nutrients.
Trust yourself and your body—but don’t be afraid to push a little.
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in blindly following a training plan or comparing yourself to the person next to you at the gym. But Sotir advises trusting your own body and instincts, and only pushing yourself when you feel ready—definitely do not ignore your body if it’s screaming at you to drop your weight or take a break.
“Trusting your perception of your own experiences is really important. We are often compared against people who are bigger, taller, stronger, have been doing this for longer. But the reality is we know how we feel. We know if we feel weaker, we know if we feel stronger,” she says. “Trust what you think, but don’t lose sight of the fact that you are not just there to go through the motions. If you are trying to progress, you need to make choices that advance the ball a little tiny bit when you’re ready to do it.”
Related:
Get more of SELF’s great fitness coverage delivered right to your inbox—for free.