With many of us still not able to get into the gym, the challenge of progressive overload or making an exercise harder is something we’re all struggling with.
In the gym, if you want to improve your squatting the go to solution is to slightly increase the weight you’re lifting. Thus providing a greater stress on the muscles and a greater stimulus for growth.
So how do we do that at home with limited weights?
Here are a few factors you can manipulate to progressively overload a movement
⏰ TEMPO - sloooowww down. Manipulating tempo is a great way to turn an easy load into a real challenge.
🏋🏻♀️ RACK POSITION - adjust the way your load is carried or held in the movement. Here you see me working in the goblet position. I can progress from here to a suitcase rack, to a single arm front rack, to and overhead rack and REALLY change the effect the movement has
⛄️ DESTABILIZE - progress from stable positions to unstable positions. Seated to standing. Standing to half kneeling. Bilateral to single leg.
🧜♂️ ADD SETS AND REPS - take this time to focus on muscle endurance. Especially with bodyweight exercises. Adding reps and sets is always simple way to add work.
🔮 ISOMETRICS - incorporate static holds. This is a tool that is so often overlooked in normal gym routines. Throwing in an isometric is a great way to stimulate the muscle in a way it’s not used to. Also a great tool to pre-fatigue in a circuit or superset and make the following movements more challenging and effective.
Let me know how you’ve been making progress in the comments below!
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