Dr. Slava Shut

Building strength is a process. No one starts out at their best. You can get to the best of your ability through effort. Whether you’re a natural talent or a little behind in strength, you can always get stronger. 

Welcome to Topic Thursday, where we talk about something specifically related to health, finance, or life in general. Today, we’re going to talk about the secret to gaining strength: progressive overload.

The Science Of Strength

The first step is to determine how strong you are already. The best way to do this is by attempting a personal best at a lift or exercise.

When you’re attempting to determine the maximum amount you can lift at a given time, you have to be very particular about the details. Your form has to be good. You need to focus on the exercise. It’s going to take your maximum effort.

When you find your maximum that you’re capable of lifting, you’re still not done. Now, you have a good point to start from.

Progressive Overload

This is the point at which you can start to implement progressive overload in a training routine. A balanced workout routine should include exercise as often as possible throughout the week. Trying to fit it all in one day won’t get you results, so make the gym a habit.  Each time you exercise, you should try to focus on a different aspect of your health.

You might work out your upper body on one day, your lower body on another, and do cardio on a third day. This is a pretty common way to split up workouts.

When it comes time to work out in the area that you want to get stronger, you can use your maximum amount to calculate the amount of progressive overload you need for your body to become stronger.

What is a compound exercise?

A compound movement is a pattern that requires motion at multiple joints to complete the exercise. Bench pressing, squatting, and overhead pressing are all examples of compound movements. Squatting requires ankle, knee, and hip mobility. Pressing requires wrist, elbow, and shoulder mobility.

Here are three great compound exercises for athletes:

Squat Press – The squat can be a great bodyweight exercise for beginners. When you’re ready to get stronger, you can add weight and push more than you weigh.

Overhead Press – The overhead press is executed by pushing weight up overhead. It’s a great exercise for arm, chest, and shoulder strength.

Running – Improving your maximum potential doesn’t have to only be about strength. Running is crucial for increasing the length of time you can endure physical exertion. Your cardiovascular system plays a part in all physical exercise, so strength here translates well to strength in other areas.

When it comes to building overall strength regardless of the activity, compound exercises build strength most efficiently. To get stronger, you need to concentrate on compound movements in your workout routines.

There are some useful variations to each of these exercises. Depending on what you’re focused on, you might want to lift heavier some weeks than others. You may need to train your cardiovascular system in different amounts throughout your fitness journey.

Lifting progressively more and more weight over time will cause your body to adapt. Over time, you will become physically stronger and capable of lifting more than you could when you started.

Do you experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, stiffness, or muscle pain? Physical therapy can make all the difference with your athletic recovery. If you want to help make the soreness from your workouts less painful, contact my team to schedule a 1-on-1 with me. Let’s get you back to the healthiest, strongest version of yourself.