Today we’re going to talk about progressive overload as it pertains to both life and in the gym.

Progressive overload is everybody’s favorite term when it comes to training, but for some reason a lot of people still don’t abide by it.

And the reason for this is newbie gains.

Any time we start learning something new whether it’s the gym or an instrument or something else, we get used to how quick and easy it is to make progress.

You start lifting in the gym and you don’t even have to think about progressive overload. All of your lifts just keep going up because your body is putting on strength and muscle at a ridiculous rate.

This works the same way with our bodies as it does our minds. If you decide to learn about something new you’re going to soak it all up in the beginning.

But like anything, as you get better or learn more that progress is going to stagnate. It’s going to take more time and effort to continue to make progress since you’ve built yourself up to a competent level.

So this is how to actually use progressive overload to your advantage to keep making progress.

I’m going to talk about this in the context of exercise, but go ahead and use exercise as a metaphor for anything that you’re trying to learn.

Intensity

When you start working out from square one you learn nothing about the intensity it takes to continue to make gains once the newbie gains are gone.

You actually start out on the complete opposite side of the fence.

It’s easy to get injured when you’re first starting, so you start slow.

• You learn about different lifts, muscle groups, and movements
• You learn about different ways to train
• You learn what good form and technique looks like

It’s all just a process of figuring things out for a few weeks or a few months, and even that is enough to put on some muscle. Then once you get your feet under you and start to get past that stage and into actually doing some exercise, it really doesn’t take much intensity to make gains.

You get in the gym, you hit some lifts, you push yourself a bit, you go home, you eat some protein. Things keep progressing without much intensity.

There’s a clip that describes this perfectly of Chris Bumstead working out with David Laid. David cuts his set short when he clearly had a lot left in him, and Chris goes onto explain that’s not how lifting works.

Chris Bumstead is a great example. He’s won Mr. Olympia 6 times. How is it possible for him to keep coming back looking better and better each time when he’s already at his peak?

He understands progressive overload. He knows he has to come back the next year looking better, and he knows he has to continue to train harder to get there.

The main point here is that it’s common to get used to the newbie gains you get when starting something new, specifically the gym because you’ll continue to make “easy” progress for up to a year.

At that point you have to recognize where you are and make the switch to training with more intensity. Start tracking your lifts, your weight, or your look to make sure you’re still making progress where you want to.

But again apply this to anything. As soon as you become a bit competent in something, recognize that you’re going to have to up the intensity to keep making progress.

Work smart, consistently

That leads us to this next point, which is to combine that intensity with consistency.

Something I’ve become way too aware of is people going to the gym day after day, year after year, and never making any progress.

If you were to ask them why, yes it has to do with them not training hard enough, but more that they’re inconsistent.

You see them for three weeks straight and then they’re gone for a while, and this cycle just continues.

Do not be the person that does something and never gets any better.

If you’re going to do something — whether that is to get in shape, learn an instrument, or pick up a sport — be aware of what you’re doing. Be the guy that makes rapid progress while everyone else has stagnated.

Look up the best ways to improve at what you’re doing — the biggest lever moving tasks you can do — and focus on those consistently.

Making rapid progress is a mindset. You know those people that seem to casually just be good and get good at everything they do? Like they aren’t even trying but somehow they have the most success?

They’re working smart and consistent. Working hard is just an amplifier.

They take the 80/20 principle to the extreme. They identify the most important tasks that will move them forward, they identify how to do those tasks the best way, and they do them consistently. That’s it.

When it comes to working out that might mean developing the most efficient program and working intensely on that program consistently.

When it comes to learning guitar that means practicing songs, fretboard knowledge, and improvising, and doing those things consistently to make rapid progress.

This isn’t just how you make fast progress in your health, but in anything you want to pursue.

The cheat code

Back to fitness. Here’s some practical advice.

Over the years of lifting I found a way to always force yourself into progressive overload when lifting.

The drop set.

We all know it’s there, but people use it sparingly. I use it whenever possible.

If you aren’t aware of the drop set, essentially you do your normal set, pushing yourself to failure, and you cut the weight, usually by more than half, and push yourself to failure again at this lower weight.

I don’t know if there are studies on this, all I know is that it works. Push yourself on that drop set to do as many reps as possible and you’ll notice that you’ll be able to lift more the next time. It’s the perfect cheat code to consistently push yourself harder.

I do this wherever possible.

• On cables it’s easy to move the pin to a lower weight
• Grab lighter dumbbells
• Go from full pullups to jumping up and resisting yourself down

Get creative with it, and try to do it wherever possible.

You need progressive overload in your training and in life. It’s the thing we all know about but don’t embrace. It’s the classic battle of comfort.

Continue to add intensity, learn the most effective way to do things, and do them consistently to see the best results, no matter what it is you’re doing.

Apply this to fitness, as you should, but then use that as a metaphor to go out and let those fitness principles positively effect other areas of your life.

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