Information on the internet conforms to the negative Pareto principle – 80 percent of it is crap. This is true especially in the context of gym, bodybuilding, and weight training.
But, the funny thing is, there are two kinds of crap being touted out there.
On the other hand, you have the typical bro-crap – wrong on too many levels to count. Often too obsessed with minor details, even more often just flat-out wrong. Quite easy to spot with just a little bit of experience.
And then you have the so-called right way of training. Eat a ton, focus on the big barbell movements, and add weight to the bar.
The last point – increasing your training weights over time – is typically called the principle of progressive overload.
And its proponents are almost as wrong as the aforementioned bros.
Now, I hope you didn’t have a fit and rip off your toes or something, but are instead still reading this.
I am of course going on a hyperbole and generalizing things a little.
But only a little.
So let me clarify.
The “right” way of training
Let’s say you want to start your strength training career, and ask the internet what you should do. There’s basically a 100% chance you get recommended Starting Strength.
For those two of you who’ve never heard of it, Starting Strength is a simple strength training program for beginners. Hence the name.
There are two alternating workouts: one with the squat, bench press and deadlift; the another with again squat, military press, and power clean (which is very often substituted for something else). Most of the movements you do for 3 sets of 5 reps each.
And any time you can perform all 3 sets for the prescibed reps, you increase the weight for the next workout.
This is called linear progression, which is more or less correct.
It is also called the principle of progressive overload, which is very misleading. Yes, it is necessary to do more and harder stuff in the gym to get better. But, saying that it’s all about the load lifted is a gross oversimplification.
Aaand, it is quite often called the best – if not only – way for beginners (especially skinny, not-so-muscularly-talented beginners) to get big, strong, and awesome. And get the girl. Of course get the girl. It’s about making money out of insecure young men after all, so there’s got to be the girl. But I digress.
And this last point, here, is one of the biggest load of bullshit for a while.
We’ll soon see why. But not just yet.
Some background information is needed first.
Knowledge bombs. Or crackers really. They are kinda small.
Let’s talk about strength first. It makes sense (with Starting Strength and all), and it is required.
With those relatively easy-to-learn gym movements, there are basically two factors (two factors that you can influence, to be exact) setting the upper limit for your strength: the size of your muscles, the efficiency/performance/capability of the nervous system commanding them.
Veeery simplistically speaking, the former improves best higher volume training, i.e. with multiple sets of lower weights for higher reps (6-12); whereas the latter responds to higher weights for lower reps (<6). Bear this in mind for later.
Why the right way is kinda right in the beginning
And when you first start gym, your nervous system is by far the limiting factor. Your muscles are capable of so much more, but there’s nothing telling them to.
So, it makes sense to start your strength training career with a program focused more on improving your nervous system – like Starting Strength. That will bring your nervous system up to par relatively quickly, in a matter of some months or a year tops. And, since your muscles are basically unused to any training volume at all, it probably will increase their size as well.
But, sooner or later, your nervous system will catch up with the maximum capability of your current muscle size.
Why the right way is not right forever
And that’s where things can get ugly.
What people usually do, is bang their head against the wall with different permutations of the same 3×5 program. I know I did.
They increase their rest periods, strain even more, and pop a few blood vessels in their eyes every time they bench.
And they get exactly nowhere.
They might be able to add another 2.5 or 5 kg to the bar, but that’s about is.
Why?
Because their muscle size is the limiting factor for their strength. There’s simply nothing to lift those heavy-ass weights.
And that 3×5-type of program just isn’t providing enough volume to whip them into growing. No matter how many calories they ingest, or how many gallons of milk a day they drink (yes, that is indeed often recommended).
Why people do it nevertheless
Yet people still try to.
And that’s mainly because they are advised to. Indeed, the common recommendation is to “get stronger to get bigger”.
Which, as I just told you in a very convoluted way, just isn’t correct.
It should be “first get stronger while incidentally perhaps also getting bigger, and, when that stops working, get bigger to get stronger“.
Does not really have the same marketing appeal, does it?
Progressive overload correctly defined
By now, you might be starting to understand that progressive overload can be so much more than adding weight to the bar. Basically, in any activity some sort of progression is required to get better: longer distances walked, more difficult math problems solved, higher-level minibosses slain. And there are several ways to do that.
In the gym, adding weight is important. Especially so in the beginning, when it arguably is the best way of getting better in all respects (both strength and muscle size).
But, it will soon stop working on its own.
And when that happens, other training parameters – volume foremost – have to take the priority for a few months. In other words, try to progress on those. Apply progressive overload in those. Switch to 3 reps of 8 or something, and simply build it to 4 reps of 8 in one or two moths or so. The weight stays the same, but the total amount of work done, the total number of reps performed, is increased. That’s overload, there.
After that, switch back to a more strength-oriented program. That will let you beat your old records in no time. Your muscles will be slightly bigger after all that volume, and thus are no longer the limiting factor for your strength.
And after that, it’s again time for some pumping. Round and round it goes.
Of course, it will get more and more difficult as time goes by and you get better.
But understanding that it is not about just one single training parameter – even if it were your primary goal – will let you improve so much farther, so much faster.
-Antti
Check out EMDtool - Electric Motor Design toolbox for Matlab.
Need help with electric motor design or design software? Let's get in touch - satisfaction guaranteed!
