Progressive Overload

When it comes to progressive overload, how does one know when to stop adding sets and just bump the weight up and decrease the amount of sets you have done? Does progressive overload work in a cycle like that? (This is when you’ve past the point of just adding weight every week and now are adding sets)

Bward,

The type of progressive overload you (or your coach) choose to prioritize typically reflects the type(s) of adaptations you’re programming for though there’s quite a bit of overlap initially.

Adding weight while maintaining ROM, volume, rest periods, etc. would be useful for improving strength performance in that particular context, for example. Adding sets while maintaining intensity, ROM, rest periods, etc. also can be useful at improving strength performance.

There’s no real objective cutoff here we can use to tell you when to stop adding sets or when to stop adding weight without at least a few other programming parameters being nailed down.

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