Runners push themselves to run farther and swimmers dare themselves to swim faster, just as people lifting weights may want to be able to lift heavier or longer. It's important to regularly make headway on your strength goals by following the principles of progression and overload.

If you stagnate at a set weight, eventually, your muscles won't break down and build back up stronger —they'll simply maintain their strength. Progression is a key aspect of overload.

Often, people do the same workouts over and over again, which results in a level of familiarity that can slow physical progress. In order to properly overload the body, progression is key. Once an exercise starts to feel easy, it's time to up the ante so you're regularly overloading your muscles and adapting.

It is also important not to always work at high intensities, which could lead to overtraining. Sometimes progressing is as simple as changing the exercise you're doing to something different. There are different types of progression you can employ to advance your workout, including exercise frequency, intensity, and duration.

How often you work out can depend on a number of factors. Two to three days per week is the recommended frequency for full-body strength training. If you start off lifting weights just once a week, you can progress by upping it to two or three.

If you split your strength workout between the upper and lower body, you might try incorporating an additional day for each. Intensity is how hard you work out during a session.

Variables that affect intensity can include the type of exercise, number of sets and reps, and amount of weight you lift. You can adapt the intensity of your workout to your strength goals.

As a beginner, start off with lighter weights, more reps, and fewer sets. As you advance, you might start using heavier weights with fewer reps per set or a higher number of sets with a modest amount of repetitions in each.

The duration of your workout is also malleable. If you are doing a full-body weight lifting session, it may take you longer to complete your desired number of sets and reps for each muscle group. Split or targeted workouts, on the other hand, may take less time.

You can try working out for longer with similar weights to what your body has adjusted to, or add adjustable weights and work out for a shorter period of time.

When your workout becomes easy or you feel like you could keep going after completing your desired sets and reps, it may be time to change it up. An effective way to progress is to hit your target reps and sets for an exercise, then increase the weight by a small amount the next time you perform the exercise.

For example, if you do three sets of eight reps at 60 pounds successfully, up the weight to 65 pounds on a subsequent attempt. It's unlikely you will be able to hit the new target each time. If you only do six or seven reps after increasing the weight, that is still considered a success.

Your goal should be to outperform your previous try even slightly. Even though it might not be consistent, a little progress is still progress. Targeting similar muscle groups with different exercises is also an effective way to build strength.

For example, if you are working your triceps, try including skull crushers , tricep dips, and other tricep exercises in your routine instead of sticking to just one.

The progression principle instructs that the overload process should not be increased too quickly, or improvement is unlikely to occur. Progression should be small and incremental. Overload that is increased too rapidly can result in injury issues or muscle damage.

For example, jumping from 50 pounds to pounds in one session is too much for the body to handle. Instead, stick to small increases. Exercising above the target zone is counterproductive and can be dangerous—potentially resulting in injuries.

You shouldn't expect to increase your weight or reps at every workout or even every week. Building muscle takes time. But if you've been lifting the same for a few weeks or months, it might be time to switch it up. While consistency is crucial when weight training, you shouldn't attempt to train hard all the time.

Pushing yourself too hard too often will lead to overtraining , which can be both physically and mentally draining. Overtraining is when a person believes that the harder and longer they lift weights, the better they'll get.

On the contrary, continual stress on the body and its joints, as well as constant overload, can potentially result in exhaustion and injury. The body needs ample time to recover between sessions. Be sure to incorporate regular rest days throughout your week to give your body a break. If you still want to move, try including stretching sessions or yoga on these days.

Progression in weight training takes time. When you first start a new workout or set a new strength goal, it can be hard not to move too fast or demand too much of your body from the start. It's important to have patience and remind yourself that you can only progress as quickly as your body will let you.

As you challenge your body in healthy, productive ways, remember to practice good form and listen to your body, taking rest days as needed. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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What Is Progressive Overload Training? Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M. Benefits Drawbacks Examples Ways to do it Tips By changing or progressing your workouts, you can keep your muscles challenged and stay stronger.

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Jul 30, Edited By Candice Abellon. Medically Reviewed By Daniel Bubnis, MS, NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS. Share this article. Read this next. The Minute Full-Body Dumbbell Workout. Medically reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, M. READ MORE. Understanding Heart Rate Zones for Effective Workouts Targeting heart rate zones as you exercise is one way to maximize the benefits you get from your workouts.

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