“Steady Increments are the key for Long-Term
Results”
For those who train at
our facility, they know that training should be tough. They also know that training
shouldn’t be stupid. We are happier with steady progress, than rapid gains.
There is a saying that ‘Strength is lost at about the same rate that it is developed’
and we are strong supporters of this idea. More importantly, we don’t want
people who aren’t ready for the long haul. We want athletes who will train
equally hard in winter, even if their six pack is covered by two jumpers.
Progressive overload
is a fundamental training principle. When we adapt to a certain training load,
its training effect decreases. In order to disrupt the body’s homeostasis, we
need to manipulate the training load by increasing weight, decreasing rest time
or modifying tempo, for a training effect (adaptation) to be observed once
again. Simply put: to get stronger
or more endurance, the volume/intensity of an exercise needs to be increased.
Just like when someone
first discovers a sport they love and overkills it, this information can be misused. Many people
aim to increase their lifts by big amounts, and although this may be successful
for one or two sessions, the longevity of such a method is short-lived. It also
doesn’t let the trainee know exactly where they stand. Failing on a 90kg Bench
Press, when your last session was 80kg doesn’t let you know if 82.5kg or 87.5kg
is your max. It puts you in a big range, and you never know your exact strength
level. In addition, missing constantly in training is not a good thing. It
teaches you that it’s ok to miss lifts, when its not, fries your CNS and is a form of negative reinforcement.
When applying
progressive overload to your program, imagine yourself walking on a tight-rope.
Would you rather take small steps and get to other side, or take bigger steps
and run the risk of falling off continuously?
