While the principle behind progressive overload is true, eventually you would reach a stopping point. It is impossible to continuously add weight, reps, or sets to your muscle building routine. Instead, the quickest way to build muscle mass is to incorporate fluctuating progressive overload. This not only overcomes the practical limitations of progressive overload but, also, facilitates greater muscle growth.
With progressive overload, you eventually reach a point where adding more weight becomes absurd. If you were too keep adding five extra pounds every week to your muscle building routine, you would eventually get to absurdly high amount in a few months. This same idea is true for adding sets and repetitions, as well. However, the way to overcome this obstacle is to use fluctuating progressive overload.
Another name for fluctuating progressive overload is non-monotonic training. A workout routine using only progressive overload is called monotonic training, which involves continuous increases in stress while no decrease at all. Rather, non-monotonic training includes lifting smaller amounts of resistance periodically. The weeks that you place less stress onto your muscles gives your body a chance to repair them while also keeping them working.
Picture yourself on a muscle building workout routine. You train for five weeks, increasing the weight by five pounds every week. While you are getting stronger, the weight is becoming harder and harder to maintain. If you were to incorporate fluctuating progressive overload into your routine, you would take a week off by training with half of the number of sets. This decrease ins stress is actually the quickest way to build muscle mass. This rest period allows you muscles to grow, since they had previously been under almost constant stress.
Fluctuating progressive overload is the best way to gain muscle quickly and easily. You can include this principle with any muscle building exercise that you do. All that you need to do is get out there and start using it!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
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