Progressive Overload Workout Plan (with PDF)

Hey, I’m excited to tell you about a great way to boost your weight training: The Progressive Overload Workout Plan! It’s perfect whether you’re new to fitness, a bit experienced, or a total pro. Our program has everything you need to step up your game.

Let’s dive into the idea of progressive overload, a proven technique for steadily getting stronger and building muscle. But what does it really mean?  Essentially, it involves gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts over time. You can do this by lifting heavier weights, holding them for longer, doing more reps, or fine-tuning your exercises.

Inside this article, you’ll find everything you need to know about progressive overload training, along with a detailed breakdown of our progressive weight training program. We’ve made sure that every aspect of the plan is explained in a way that’s easy to understand, ensuring that no matter where you are on your fitness journey, you’ll be able to implement it effectively.

So, if you’re ready to take your workouts to the next level and achieve the results you’ve always dreamed of, look no further than our Progressive Overload Workout Plan. It’s time to unlock your full potential and become the strongest version of yourself. Let’s do this!

What Is Progressive Overload?

Progressive overload is a fundamental principle in strength training and exercise science. It involves gradually increasing the demands placed on the body during exercise over time to continually make progress and improvements. This principle is essential for achieving gains in strength, muscle mass, endurance, or any other fitness goal.

The concept of progressive overload can be applied in various ways, let me explain:

• Increasing Resistance: This is perhaps the most common form of progressive overload, particularly in weightlifting. You gradually increase the amount of weight you lift during resistance exercises. For example, if you’re squatting 100 pounds in week one, you might increase the weight to 105 pounds in week two, then 110 pounds in week three.
• Increasing Repetitions: Another way to progressively overload is by increasing the number of repetitions performed with a given weight. For instance, if you’re doing three sets of 10 repetitions of bicep curls with a 20-pound dumbbell in week one, you might aim for three sets of 12 repetitions with the same weight in week two, and so forth.
• Increasing Sets: You can also add more sets to your workout routine to increase the overall workload. For example, if you’re doing three sets of bench presses with 50 kg in week one, you might increase it to four sets in week two, then five sets in week three.
• Increasing Frequency: Increasing the frequency of your workouts can also be a form of progressive overload. For example, if you’re currently working out three days a week, you might add an extra workout day in week two, bringing it to four days a week.
• Manipulating Rest Periods: Another way to apply progressive overload is by reducing rest periods between sets or exercises. By shortening the rest time, you increase the intensity of your workout, forcing your body to adapt and grow stronger.
• Time Under Tension: Incorporating techniques that emphasize time under tension, such as slow and controlled movements or paused reps, can effectively stimulate muscle hypertrophy and improve muscular endurance.

How Does Progressive Overload Work?

Progressive overload works by challenging your body’s physiological systems, particularly muscles, cardiovascular system, and neuromuscular coordination, to adapt and become stronger or more efficient in response to increased demands placed upon them during exercise.

Here’s how it works:

• Microscopic Damage and Repair: When you subject your muscles to stress through resistance training or other forms of exercise, it causes microscopic damage to muscle fibers. This damage triggers a process called muscle protein synthesis, where the body repairs and rebuilds the damaged muscle fibers, making them stronger and more resilient than before. This adaptation process is known as hypertrophy.
• Increased Motor Unit Recruitment: Progressive overload also improves neuromuscular efficiency by increasing the recruitment of motor units. Motor units consist of a motor neuron and the muscle fibers it stimulates^[1]. Initially, your body may only recruit a small number of motor units to perform a particular movement. However, as you progressively overload the muscles, your body adapts by recruiting more motor units, leading to greater muscle activation and strength gains.
• Improved Energy Systems: In cardiovascular training, progressive overload stimulates adaptations in your body’s energy systems. For example, when you engage in aerobic exercise, such as running or cycling, gradually increasing the intensity or duration of your workouts forces your body to utilize oxygen and produce energy more efficiently. This leads to improvements in cardiovascular endurance and aerobic capacity.
• Structural Adaptations: Over time, progressive overload can also lead to structural adaptations in bones, tendons, and ligaments. These tissues become denser and stronger to withstand the increased forces placed upon them during exercise, reducing the risk of injury.
• Continual Adaptation: The key to progressive overload is that it is continual and systematic. As your body adapts to a particular level of stress, you need to progressively increase the intensity, volume, or frequency of your workouts to continue stimulating adaptation and progress^[2]. This can be achieved through increasing weight, repetitions, sets, workout frequency, or reducing rest periods, or time under tension, as mentioned earlier.

How To Do Progressive Overload Correctly?

1. Set Clear Goals: Identify specific, measurable goals that you want to achieve. Whether it’s increasing strength, building muscle, improving endurance, or achieving a specific athletic performance, having clear goals will guide your training and progression.
2. Start with a Baseline: Before you can progressively overload, establish a baseline for your current fitness level. This includes determining your one-repetition maximum (1RM) for strength exercises, recording the number of repetitions you can perform with a given weight, or assessing your current level of cardiovascular fitness.
3. Gradually Increase Intensity: Choose one or more variables to manipulate for progression, such as weight, repetitions, sets, workout frequency, or time under tension. Start with a manageable workload that challenges you but allows for proper form and technique. Then, gradually increase the selected variable over time. Aim for small, incremental increases rather than large jumps to prevent injury and ensure steady progress.
4. Progression Rate: The rate at which you increase the intensity will depend on various factors, including your training experience, fitness level, recovery capacity, and individual goals. As a general guideline, aim to increase the workload by around 5-10% every 1-2 weeks for strength training. Adjustments can be more frequent for beginners or less frequent for advanced lifters.
5. Monitor and Track Progress: Keep detailed records of your workouts, including the weight lifted, repetitions performed, sets completed, and any other relevant variables. Tracking your progress allows you to objectively assess your improvements and make informed decisions about when and how to adjust your training program.
6. Periodization: Incorporate periodization into your training plan, which involves systematically varying the volume and intensity of your workouts over time. This helps prevent plateaus, reduces the risk of overtraining, and optimizes long-term progress. Periodization can involve different phases such as hypertrophy, strength, and power phases, each with its own focus and progression scheme.
7. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body responds to training. If you experience excessive fatigue, persistent soreness, or other signs of overtraining, scale back the intensity or volume of your workouts as needed. Rest and recovery are crucial components of progressive overload and overall fitness progress.

Progressive Overload Workout Routine

Before starting our progressive overload workout routine, it’s important to understand that consistent and structured training is key to achieving your fitness goals. This program is designed to progressively challenge your muscles and promote strength gains and muscle growth over time.

Each week, the intensity and volume of your workouts will increase slightly, pushing your body to adapt and grow stronger. Remember to prioritize proper form and technique to minimize the risk of injury.

Set and Rep Scheme

The main goal is to complete 24 reps

• Phase 1: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Phase 2: 4 sets of 6 reps
• Phase 3: 6 sets of 4 reps

Progression

Weight Selection

Find your strict 10 rep max, then calculate 85% of your 10 rep max, which is your baseline for progression.

Weight Progression

Increase the weight every week

• Upper body= 5lbs/2.5 kg
• Lower body= 10lbs/5 kg

Linear Progression

Once you fail to reach 24 reps in Phase 1, move to Phase 2

Example:  3 sets of 8 reps (Phase 1) → 4 sets of 6 reps (Phase2)

Progression Reset

During phase 3, there comes a point where you may find it challenging to complete the 24 reps. when this happens, you’ll need to reset the program. Take a five-day break, test your new 10-repetition maximum (10RM), calculate 85% of that, and restart the cycle from the beginning.

Progression Order: 3 sets of 8 reps → 4 sets of 6 reps → 6 sets of 4 reps till failure → Reset and repeat.

Day 1: Full Body

• Squat/Deadlift: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Barbell Rows: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Isolation workout of your choice: 3 sets of 10 reps
• Isolation workout of your choice: 3 sets of 10 reps

Day 2: Rest or Active Recovery

Day 3: Full Body

• Squat/Deadlift: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Barbell Rows: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Isolation workout of your choice: 3 sets of 10 reps
• Isolation workout of your choice: 3 sets of 10 reps

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: Full Body

• Squat/Deadlift: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Bench Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Barbell Rows: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 8 reps
• Isolation workout of your choice: 3 sets of 10 reps
• Isolation workout of your choice: 3 sets of 10 reps

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5 Day Unilateral Workout Program
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Linear Progression Example

Don’t worry, I’ll take you through an example to show you exactly how linear progression works in our program.

For example:

Phase 1:

• Week 1: 10 kg- 3 sets of 8 reps (Success)
• Week 2: 15 kg-3 sets of 8 reps (Success)
• Week 3: 20 kg-3 sets of 8 reps (Success)

Now let’s say you fail to reach the target volume of 24 reps on week 4 with 25kg

• Week 4: 25 kg 3 sets of 8 reps (Fail)

Now drop 2 reps per set, perform 4 sets of 6 reps, and continue like before.

Phase 2:

• Week 5: 25 kg- 4 sets of 6 reps (Success)
• Week 6: 30 kg- 4 sets of 6 reps (Success)
• Week 7: 35 kg- 4 sets of 6 reps (Success)

Now let’s say you fail to reach the target volume of 24 reps on week 8 with 40 kg

• Week 8: 40 kg- 4 sets of 6 reps(Fail)

Now you will drop 2 reps per set, perform 6 sets of 4 reps and continue like before.

Phase 3:

• Week 9: 40 kg- 6 sets of 4 reps (Success)
• Week 10: 45 kg- 6 sets of 4 reps (Success)
• Week 11:50 kg- 6 sets of 4 reps (Success)

Now let’s say you failed to reach the target volume of 6 sets of 4 reps in week 12 with 55 kg

You have completed one cycle. Rest for 5 days, then reset the cycle. For this, find your new 10 rep max. Use 85% of this weight as the starting weight for the new cycle of 3 sets of 8 reps and progress the new cycle similarly.

Progressive Overload Workout Plan PDF

Stay on track with your fitness journey by downloading our printable Progressive Overload Workout Plan PDF template for free. Whether you opt to store it on your phone for easy access or print it out to stash in your gym bag, our template ensures you stay organized and laser-focused on your goals.

Just click the button below to grab your complimentary PDF template and move one step closer to reaching your fitness goal.

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The Bottom Line

Following the progressive overload plan explained in this article goes beyond just changing your body. It has important benefits for you in many aspects of your life. It’s a meaningful journey toward improving yourself and growing personally.

With unwavering dedication, perseverance, and working out constantly to push your limits, you’re bound to witness not only tangible changes in your physique but also a profound shift in your mindset and overall well-being.

It’s important to keep in mind that fitness isn’t just a one-time goal, but a continuous journey that lasts a lifetime—an ongoing effort to become the best version of yourself. By sticking with this routine, you’re building the groundwork for a future you that’s healthier, stronger, and more resilient.

Reference

• H Peter Clamann, Motor Unit Recruitment and the Gradation of Muscle Force, Physical Therapy, Volume 73, Issue 12, 1 December 1993, Pages 830–843, https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/73.12.830
• Peterson MD, Pistilli E, Haff GG, Hoffman EP, Gordon PM. Progression of volume load and muscular adaptation during resistance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011 Jun;111(6):1063-71. doi: 10.1007/s00421-010-1735-9. Epub 2010 Nov 27. PMID: 21113614; PMCID: PMC4215195.