Simple yet effective 🏋🏻‍♂️

I. Reps, Sets and Load 💪

In the gym world, there is a term commonly thrown around: "progressive overload" - it means gradually increasing the intensity of your workouts so that your body can adapt and become fitter, faster, and stronger.

When it comes to strength training, we can change three main things to increase that intensity: the amount of weight we lift, the number of repetitions we perform and the number of sets we do.

But which one should we change first?

Increasing the weight might seem like the obvious choice, but it can also be the most challenging. Sometimes, increasing the weight too quickly can cause your technique to break down, making the exercise less effective or increasing the risk of injury. So, let's take a moment before adding more weight.

Today, I want to share a simple and effective way to make sustainable progress in your strength training program.

In a nutshell, we start by adding sets, then repetitions, and finally, we increase the weight.

The best way to explain this is through an example. Let's say you can currently do eight solid push-ups. Any more than eight, and your technique starts to break down. That would be what's known as your technical 8-rep max.

For your first session, you would do three sets of six repetitions (3x6). Repeat this session a few times until it feels strong and confident, with no missed reps. Then, it's time to start adding sets. The progression would look like this:

Remember, you might need to repeat each session multiple times before progressing. It's important to own each session before adding that extra set. Once you have reached 5x6, it's time to increase the repetitions. In this example, we will be conservative and only increase by one rep. Reset the sets back to three, and the next progression would look like this:

Again, repeat the process of adding one rep and resetting the sets.

You are now completing five sets of your previous technical rep max. Congratulations 🥳 Now, you have a choice. For example, with push-ups, you could:

Retest your technical rep max and repeat the process using the new higher number.
Increase the difficulty of the push-up by adding weight or resistance bands.
Move on to a more advanced movement, like a bodyweight dip.

Quick recap: First, add sets, then repetitions, and finally, increase the weight or difficulty.

Another cool feature for all the geeks out there is the total number of reps performed goes up and down in waves.

3x6 = 18 reps
4x6 = 24 reps
5x6 = 30 reps
3x7 = 21 reps
4x7 = 28 reps

These mini-resets help to reduce the intensity before building it back up again, keeping your body feeling fresh without burning out.

So there you have it - a simple yet effective way to progress in your training. Enjoy!

II. Push-up Continuum

Viewing an exercise on a continuum can be really helpful! Imagine push-ups, for instance. If doing a full push-up is a bit challenging for you right now, no worries. Just look down the continuum, and you'll find a more suitable version, like a modified push-up.