Priniciples of Progressive Overload for Weight Training

The physiological principle on which strength and endurance development depends is known as the OVERLOAD PRINCIPLE. The principle states simply that the strength, endurance and hypertrophy ( hypertrophy= increase in muscle size ) will increase only when the muscle performs for a given period of time at its maximal strength and endurance capacity, i.e. against workloads that are above those normally encountered.

However once an adaptation has taken place the stimulus ( weight) that was sufficient to produce that adaptation ( increase in strength) is no longer an overload ( to the now stronger muscle). That is, the resistance must be increased to produce further gains/ adaptation. This is known as PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD.

Overload can be achieved by manipulating combinations of training frequency, intensity and duration.

INTENSITY is the factor normally increased to produce gains in strength or muscle size. Intensity can be increased by:

-Adding more resistance ( weight ).
-Increasing the number of repetitions for a given weight.
-Decreasing the rest intervals.
-Etc.

If the overload stimulus is removed, strength, size and endurance will revert back towards pre training levels and this is known as DE TRAINING.