The universal law of strength gains

The fitness industry keeps making fitness more complicated on social media. It’s a never ending cycle of making more content on fitness.

Many gym guys stay on the same level for months or years. They go to the gym every day but keep lifting the same weight and look the exact same as a few months ago.

This is because so many of them forget about the universal law of strength gain.

Progressive overload.

It’s one of the simplest things to keep focusing on to build more muscle mass and become stronger.

In simple terms it’s: ‘Training harder than last time’. The concept behind it is simple: the body is an adaptation machine. In order for it to become bigger and stronger we need to continue challenge it.

To do this we need to keep increasing the amount of weight we lift.

There are many ways of performing progressive overload. Here are the 3 I use to improve my workouts week after week. (And as a result improve my body week after week).

1.) Higher weights
Pretty straightforward, but effective. As your muscles get stronger you can lift heavier weights and this results in muscle growth. It’s a positive cycle where you keep getting stronger and as a result can lift heavier weights.

2.) More reps
When you’re adding an extra repetition with same weight you’re still lifting more weight. Lifted 80kg for 4 reps last week on the bench? Try 80kg for 5 reps this week.

3.) More sets and deeper range of motion
If you’re stuck on the same weight and rep range there are still ways to overload. You can add an extra set to the exercise or perform every repetition with better form or deeper range of motion.

Final tip: Bring a notepad to the gym or document your exercises in a note taking app. This way you keep track of your lifts and have some form of accountability. It’s the perfect thing to do while you’re resting between sets.

Keep improving 👊

Ivan