What Is Progressive Overload & How to Apply It?

For muscles to grow, you need to continuously challenge them with more than they’re used to. This is the principle of progressive overload. If you aren't progressively overloading your sessions each week, your muscles will have no reason to grow. But how exactly should you apply progressive overload to boost muscle growth? You can progressively overload your sessions in the following ways: 1.⁠ ⁠Increase the Loads Lifted: This doesn’t have to be by a drastic amount each week. In fact, if you try to make too big of jumps in weight, you won’t be able to sustain it. Even adding just a small fraction of weight, like 0.5-1 kg while maintaining proper technique, is enough to progressively overload your muscles. Let’s say you can currently squat 70 kg for 8 reps. Next week, you might try to increase the load to 72.5 kg for 8 reps, or even make a smaller jump like 71 kg for 8 reps. This would create a new stimulus for your muscles to adapt to and grow from. 2.⁠ ⁠Increase the Rep Count: Adding more reps is another great progressive overload technique to force your muscles to grow. Let’s say you’re doing 3 sets of squats for 8-10 reps with 70 kg. In week 1, you could do 8 reps for each set at 70 kg. Next week, aim to do 9 reps per set at 70 kg. If that goes well, continue doing that until you hit the higher prescribed reps for each exercise. Once you’ve hit the higher prescribed rep range for each movement, rather than continuing to increase the reps, you could add a small amount of weight and restart the process by going back down to 8 reps. 3.⁠ ⁠Execute the Given Tempo Speeds Properly: Be honest with yourself and ensure you’re executing the tempo speed correctly. If you slow down your reps, you can increase the amount of time that tension is placed on the muscle, stimulating more growth. 4.⁠ ⁠Clean Up Your Form: Often, when people think they are challenging their muscles more by adding weight to their lifts, they end up compromising their form and not executing the full range of motion. As a result, despite using a heavier weight, their target muscles aren’t working any harder. Instead, realize that if you do the same workout as the week before, but with better control, less momentum, and a full range of motion, you’ll activate your target muscles more effectively. This will result in successfully progressively overloading your muscles. If you have any questions about the above, feel free to message me!

Reps in Reserve (RIR)

For this program, we’ll be using the RIR tool, aka "Reps in Reserve" to progress each week and to set the expectations and intentions with intensity and how each movement should feel. Your training sessions should feel challenging, and you should also be focusing on feeling like the intended muscle/muscle group has been worked and is a bit fatigued or pumped. It’s important to understand that your training intensity across this next cycle will be a vital influence on building and reshaping your muscles. You want to be taking all working sets across the strength & hypertrophy sessions to within 1-3 reps of technical failure. There will be specific ranges prescribed each week that you’re intended to focus on and follow. Training within 1-3 reps in reserve of technical failure will stimulate a hypertrophic response, aka muscle growth. WHAT IS RIR? RIR is Repetitions In Reserve (RIR). RIR is a tool used to describe how challenging an exercise is supposed to feel by the number of reps you have left in the tank after completing a set with the weight/load you're using, or in other words, how many more reps could you have done before reaching failure on a set. RIR 0 - maximal effort RIR 1 - 1 repetition left RIR 2 - 2 repetitions left RIR 3 - 3 repetitions left RIR 4-6 repetitions left RIR 6-8 - light effort RIR 8-10 - no effort

Understanding Prescribed Tempo

Tempo is a great way to ensure there is time spent under muscle tension, this is a big component in hypertrophy training. If you’re not sure of how a tempo reads, please message me to double check. The tempo speeds are programmed with intention and will greatly affect how a movement feels and the stimulus of the movement; please never assume and just ask :) Tempo will always read in the following way. First number = the eccentric/lowering/ descent of a movement (this is movement dependent, for example a back squat will start with the eccentric/lowering, but a deadlift will start with the concentric/raising). Second number = the time spent in the bottom position of the movement/lift. Third number = the concentric/raising part of the movement, or the time it takes to get to the top of the lift. Fourth number = the contracted/pause at the top of the movement/lift before initing the next rep.

Take 5 minutes to flow through the following, complete as many quality rounds as possible: 5/ea. Forward & Backward Leg Swings 5/ea. Lateral Leg Swings 5 Bodyweight Good Mornings 5/ea. Lizard Lunge with Rotation 5 Glute Bridge March (right + left = 1 rep) 5 Glute Bridges (2-second hold at the top of each rep)

Bench Supported Cable Hip Abduction

SIngle Dumbbell B-Stance RDL

Barbell Hip Thrust

KAS Glute Bridge

Glute Focused Bulgarian Split Squat

Single Leg KAS Glute Bridge

Banded Lateral Steps (Ankle Banded)

Bicycle Crunch

If you have the extra time after your training session, take 5-10 minutes to walk on the treadmill before stretching. Spend between 5-15 minutes flowing through the following stretches: - Supine Banded Hamstring Stretch - Supine Banded Adductor Stretch - Supine Banded Abductor Stretch - Pigeon Stretch - Aim to hold each stretch/side for 30-60s before switching.

Take 5 minutes to flow through the following, complete as many quality rounds as possible: 30s on Machine of Choice at a warm-up pace 5 Air Squats 5 Bootstrapper Stretch 5 Tall Plank Alternating Toe Taps (right + left = 1 rep)

On a 25 to 35-minute running clock, accumulate as many rounds as possible of: 1:00-1:30 mins on Cardio Machine of Choice @ challenging effort 12 Shoulder Height Kettlebell Swings 10 Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High Pull 12/ea. Kettlebell Goblet Alternating Reverse Lunge 10/ea. Alternating Single Leg Crossbody V-ups Use a kettlebell load of choice, note load used. Record total rounds completed across time frame. Choose to complete between 25-35 minutes of today's sweat session. Note how long you sweat.

If you have the extra time after your training session, take 5-10 minutes to walk on the treadmill before stretching. Spend between 5-15 minutes flowing through the following stretches: - Half Saddle Stretch (right & left) - Seated Straddle Stretch (reach right & left) - Seated Straddle Stretch (reach to the middle) - Aim to hold each stretch/side for 30-60s before switching.

Take 5 minutes to flow through the following, complete as many quality rounds as possible: 5/ea. Forward & Backward Arm Circles 5 Lateral Arm Swings 5 Plate Full Raise 5 Plate Cuban Press 5 Scap Push-ups (from knees) 5 Plank Up/Downs (from toes or knees)

Machine Assisted Dips

3 x MAX

Smith Machine Shoulder Press (High Incline)

Single Arm Medial Delt Low Cable Lateral Raise

Straight Bar Cable Tricep Extension

Poliquin Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Ez Bar Skull Crusher

If you have the extra time after your training session, take 5-10 minutes to walk on the treadmill before stretching. Spend between 5-15 minutes flowing through the following stretches: - Assisted Lateral Neck Stretch - Anterior Shoulder Stretch - Thread The Needle - Childs Pose - Aim to hold each stretch/side for 30-60s before switching.

Take 5 minutes to flow through the following, complete as many quality rounds as possible: 5/ea. Sampson Stretch 10 Air Squats (2 second lower into the squat & 2 second pause in bottom) 10/ea. Alternating Forward Lunge Steps (Stationary) 5/ea. Half Kneeling Adductor Dips (2 second pause in dipped position)

Smith Machine Front Squat

Quad Focused Bulgarian Split Squat

Single Leg Seated Leg Curl

Heels Elevated Dumbbell Goblet Squat

1 1/4 Leg Extension

Standing Calf Raise Machine

If you have the extra time after your training session, take 5-10 minutes to walk on the treadmill before stretching. Spend between 5-15 minutes flowing through the following stretches: - Half Saddle Stretch (right & left) - Frog Stretch - Supine Pigeon Pose (right & left) - Standing Calf Stretch (right & left) - Aim to hold each stretch/side for 30-60s before switching.

Take 5 minutes to flow through the following, complete as many quality rounds as possible: 15/ea. of each Skipping Warm-up Variation 5/ea. 90/90 Hip Rolls 10/ea Toy Soliders 10/ea. Alternating Reverse Lunges

Every minute on the minute, complete the following for chosen time frame and intervals: Minute 1: Wall-Ball Shots Minute 2: Lateral Plank Walk Over Med-ball Minute 3: Hand Release Push-ups Minute 4: Cardio Machine of Choice Minute 5: Rest Use a wall-ball weight of choice. Don't worry about counting reps today, just focus on moving your body and getting a good sweat on! Record how many rounds you choose to do today. --------------------------------------------------- Choose to complete 3-6 rounds: 3 rounds = 15 minutes 4 rounds = 20 minutes 5 rounds = 25 minutes 6 rounds = 30 minutes --------------------------------------------------- Interval Options: 30s work/ 30s rest 35s work/ 25s rest 40s work/ 20s rest 45s work/ 15s rest

If you have the extra time after your training session, take 5-10 minutes to walk on the treadmill before stretching. Spend between 5-15 minutes flowing through the following stretches: - Straddle Forward Fold - Straddle Fold Reach Right & Left - Lizard Stretch (right & left) - Aim to hold each stretch/side for 30-60s before switching.

Take 5 minutes to flow through the following, complete as many quality rounds as possible: 5/ea. Scapula CARS 5 Bodyweight Y-T-W (one Y+T+W = 1 rep) 8 Pronated Grip Banded Pull Aparts 8 Supinated Grip Band Pull Apart 8 Banded Seated Row

Machine Assisted Neutral Grip Pull-up

3 x MAX

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

Rear Delt Cable Fly

Single Arm Half Kneeling Cable Lat Pulldown

Straight Arm Lat Pullover

Straight Bar Cable Curl

Straight Bar Reverse Cable Curl

If you have the extra time after your training session, take 5-10 minutes to walk on the treadmill before stretching. Spend between 5-15 minutes flowing through the following stretches: - 90/90 Chest Stretch - Bicep Stretch with Stick - PVC Shoulder Compression & Extension - Upper Back Stretch over Med-ball with stick - Aim to hold each stretch/side for 30-60s before switching.

Take 5 minutes to flow through the following, complete as many quality rounds as possible: 10 Air Squats 5 Bootstrapper Stretch 5/ea. Quadruped Hip CARS 5 Glute Bridge Walkout (out & back = 1 rep)

Smith Machine Sumo Squat

Trap Bar RDL

Front Foot Elevated Smith Machine Split Squat (Quad Focused)

45 Degree Cable Kickback

Iso-Lateral Kneeling Leg Curl

Sprinter Crunch

Medicine Ball Russian Twist

If you have the extra time after your training session, take 5-10 minutes to walk on the treadmill before stretching. Spend between 5-15 minutes flowing through the following stretches: - Couch Stretch (right & left) - Elevated Pigeon Pose on Bench (right & left) - Standing Hamstring Stretch on Bench (right & left) - Thoracic Opener on Bench - Aim to hold each stretch/side for 30-60s before switching.