Progressive overload can be thought of as progressively increasing the load of your program to continually add increased challenge to you over time. Doing so forces your body to continually grow, helps you break through plateaus and helps you see more and more results as time goes by. This also stops your program from becoming stale because it?s always in motion to combat our body?s foremost antagonistic, be clear surrounding elder political boss itself.
Think of it this way, as time tries to break down muscle, progressive overload forces you to gain muscle. Applying progressive overload helps stop, or at least dramatically slow the aging process down when it comes to muscle loss and the host of other issues that come with the loss of muscle. The reason progressive overload is especially important for women is that women are far more prone to muscle loss and at risk for musculoskeletal ailments such as osteoporosis as they age.
Here?s how to apply progressive overload. When it comes to cardio, simply go a little bit further, a bit faster or a bit more often. By a bit, we?re talking adding about 4-5% increases to your program. For example: If you were going to run 4-5% longer than your 30 minute jog, you?d end up running about 1.5 minutes longer. You could also try going faster by trying to cover 5% more distance during your 30 minute jog. It?s not a lot but, it does the job and over time, it?ll add up. If you were lifting weights, apply the same percentage of overload.
You should look to add progressive overload in 2-week increments as a general guideline. In other words, add 5% extra load every two weeks to your weight training program. Now that you?re clear on how to add progressive overload, let?s add one more guideline to your program.
You can?t add progressive overload to your work out every two weeks indefinitely. Eventually, your body is going to need a breather so here?s what you do. Follow a two steps forward, one step back pattern. For example: If you?re on a staircase, climb two steps in a row, then step back one, then climb two more. If you?re a little confused, try it on the steps and it?ll make perfect sense. When you start climbing the steps, you?ll notice that you eventually get to the top and you?ll notice that there are times when you drop back to a load you did a few steps ago. This allows your body to build a little then recover and then build a little more. It?s the perfect format for getting long-term continual results from your program.
It?s also so important workout for women format to follow because women don?t gain muscle as easily as men do. Now don?t worry, this isn?t going to ?bulk? you up. A very serious weight program only adds about 1 pound of muscle per month so there should be no concern regarding getting too big?it just won?t happen.
Here?s what will happen when you add progressive overload to your work out program as a woman: You?ll get thinner thighs, a tighter waist, leaner arms and smooth lines where you never thought you?d see smooth lines.
Start using this fabulous fitness principle to your advantage right away and you?re going to start enjoying these kinds of wonderful results for years to come from this women?s workout format!
Though progressive overload is the key fitness principle, there are more fitness principles that play a supporting role in helping you define and unveil that lean physique you?ve always wanted.
