I\u2019m on a mission!\u00a0 A mission to stop the \u201cpink dumbbell syndrome\u201d aka PDS.\u00a0 Ok yes,\u00a0 I totally made that up, but hear me out.\u00a0 How often do you look at the cover of a fitness magazine and see a beautiful woman on the cover with killer shapely muscles holding two pink (or sometimes green) dumbbells?\u00a0 I know this is more for the aesthetics of the magazine cover, but I also feel like it gives the illusion to the reader that those are the weights she uses to get those amazing muscles.\u00a0 This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth!<\/p>\n

In order to get those awesome, magazine cover worthy, muscles you have to progressively overload the muscle for it to grow.\u00a0 So those small 5 pound pink dumbbells won\u2019t do the trick.\u00a0 Let\u2019s talk about why.<\/p>\n

In order for muscles to grow (hypertrophy) they require a stimulus to basically tell your body \u201chey we need more muscle here\u201d.\u00a0 That stimulus, among some other things, is the weight you are lifting.\u00a0 Intense resistance training causes muscle fiber disruption and damage which actually stimulates muscle growth through the repair process.<\/p>\n

So, this is great right?\u00a0 All I need to do is just pick up some weights a few times and my muscles will grow!\u00a0 Ugh\u2026if only this was true.\u00a0 Our bodies are very adaptive and won’t change or improve unless you force it to do so.\u00a0 Lifting the same weight over and over without changing will lead to your body\/muscles adapting to that stimulus and won\u2019t continue to grow.\u00a0 To make any changes or improvements regarding our muscles we need to provide a stimulus to the muscle that is beyond what it has previously experienced\u2026this is progressive overloading.\u00a0 It\u2019s the ability to do more over time by changing certain training variables to make progress towards your specific training goal.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

So how do we actually progressively overload?<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Put simply\u2026we just want to do more over time.\u00a0 That can be done in a variety of different ways.\u00a0 The key is OVER TIME.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t happen overnight and MORE isn\u2019t always better.\u00a0 Remember that muscle growth actually happens during the repair process.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to start changing all of these variables all at once.\u00a0 The key is to start with changing one thing and keep all others constant.\u00a0 This allows you to truly gauge your progress<\/p>\n

So, what are your options for progressive overload?\u00a0 I have listed some easy ways below.\u00a0 These are by no means the ONLY ways to apply the progressive overload principle but they are a great place to start.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Increasing the volume<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\n
• \n

  Increase the number of reps<\/strong> performed with the same weight<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n

  \n

  Increase the number of sets<\/strong> performed with the\u00a0same weight<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  <\/h4>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Increasing the load (weight) and intensity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

  \n
  • \n

    Lifting heavier weights<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n

    \n

    Lifting the same weight after decreasing bodyweight<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n

    \n

    Decrease your rest between sets<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n

    \n

    Lifting load with more speed and acceleration<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    <\/h4>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Range of motion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    \n
    • \n

      Lifting the same load but with greater distance\/range of motion<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Next time you are in the gym try making one of these changes to your lifts and see how you feel.\u00a0 Don\u2019t forget to track your progress.\u00a0 Remember this is all about doing more over time.\u00a0 As long as you are consistently applying the progressive overload principle to your lifts you will likely see some pretty amazing results!<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Happy lifting my friends!<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Xx<\/p>\n

      Allison<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      I\u2019m on a mission!\u00a0 A mission to stop the \u201cpink dumbbell syndrome\u201d aka PDS.\u00a0 Ok yes,\u00a0 I totally made that up, but hear me out.\u00a0 How often do you look at the cover of a fitness magazine and see a beautiful woman on the cover with killer shapely muscles holding two pink (or sometimes green) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness"],"yoast_head":"\n