#7: Progressive Overload
There are many factors playing a part in one’s journey to gains-city.
To become a large bastard (large in a good way), the general consensus is that one needs to overload a muscle, or group of muscles. The only question is how.
You can overload your muscles by satisfying the blow six criteria:
Failure: The closer each set is to failure, the better the likelihood that you have exhausted the muscle.
Frequency: The more you work the muscle out, the more likely you will see some gains, even if you’re doing three sets of work.
Difficulty: Yes you can do three sets. But it’s one thing to execute three light sets of an exercise whilst playing with your phone, and another to really push yourself beyond the limits. In the case of the latter, yes, your muscle could be overloaded.
Rep Range: Three sets of one rep may not really cut it. Adding more volume by increasing the reps per set is a key part of the process. We’ve come to learn that higher rep ranges correlate with hypertrophy, in comparison with the lower rep ranges (5 - 9 reps) that are usually ideal for strength gains.
Range of Motion (ROM): Executing a half-squat will not give you the benefit a full-squat will give you. Having an on-point ROM is essential if you want to hit all the muscle fibers of that particular muscle.
Effort: This is where the mindset comes it. You just have to take the plunge and experience some element of ‘suffering’ if you are willing to overload your muscles. Only then, will they grow.
Regardless of the process, one might add that after completely exhausting the muscle, you should consider giving the same muscle group around 48 hours of rest, in order to recover. Sleep, during this time, is crucial. Because this is what really helps muscles heal and grow.
