This post was originally sent to my private email list on December 5th, 2021.

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I haven’t talked about workouts much since transitioning to nutrition and lifestyle coaching earlier this year…

But a few recent conversations with new clients reminded me how few people actually utilize the world’s easiest progress-booster: progressive overload. Which simply refers to doing more over time during your workouts.

This can come in the form of:

  • More weight (most effective for most people)
  • More sets
  • More reps
  • Better pacing (ex. not rushing through sets)
  • Better mind-muscle connection (feeling the target muscle work)
  • Pauses
  • Slower eccentrics (lowering phases)

The list goes on.

But how you actually progress doesn’t matter nearly as much as whether or not you’re doing something tangibly better over time. Otherwise your body won’t have a reason to change and develop—especially if your goal is fat loss and “toning up.”

To use a more specific example:

Let’s say you want more definition in your arms. But all you’re doing is waving around 3-8 pound dumbbells during Peloton classes. Do you really think that’s giving your arms a reason to change?

Compared a traditional strength training program that utilizes progressive overload on an arm-focused exercise like a Close Grip Bench Press—which might look like this:

Week 1: 3 sets of 10 reps with 65 pounds
​Week 2: 3 sets of 12 reps with 65 pounds
​Week 3: 3 sets of 10 reps with 75 pounds
​Week 4: 3 sets of 12 reps with 75 pounds

This simple progression would take you from 1,950 pounds of “volume” (total amount of exercise) to 2,700 pounds of volume in only a month. Imagine if you followed a similar model for another 3-6 months (a blip on the radar in the grand scheme of things).

Do you not think your arms would look noticeable different after moving hundreds (or thousands) of pounds on a regular basis?

To be clear: I’m NOT saying you have to be the strongest person in the world to get results. But you can’t aimlessly pursue fatigue or calorie burning during your workouts and be surprised when that continues to produce little to no results.

*You’re not burning anywhere NEARLY as many calories as your gadgets say you are anyway.

So here’s what you’re going to do instead (if you’re remotely interested in transforming your body):

  1. Write down your program in your phone’s Notepad (or in an actual notebook: my personal favorite)
  2. Record your results (ex. sets and reps and weights used) for the next week
  3. Aim to beat those results over time (your weight jumps do NOT need to be large from week to week or month to month)
  4. Increase non-weight metrics (ex. sets or reps or the length of your pauses) when you can’t add more weight (like during at-home workouts with limited equipment)

That’s it.

That’s the secret sauce you can use to transform your body in 2022.

I recognize that most people won’t use it because it’s painfully simple. Some may call it “boring” because they prefer to “mix it up.”

Which is fine.

I’m sending you this anyway in case you’re the exception who thinks getting results in more fun than arbitrarily switching up your workouts and hoping something magically changes.

Sam

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