If you’ve ever hit a plateau in the gym, stopped making progress like you used to or wondered why the weights that once felt challenging now feel easy, the answer is simple: your body needs a switch-up. And while that’s a good thing because it means you’re getting stronger, it also means you need to keep raising the bar if you want to keep seeing progress. That’s where progressive overload comes in.
Progressive overload is the backbone of strength training and muscle growth. In the simplest terms, it means gradually increasing the stress you place on your muscles so they’re forced to adapt, whether that’s lifting more weight, pushing through extra reps, or refining your form and slowing the exercise down to increase the time under tension so that the movement hits harder.
It’s the single biggest principle behind strength training, muscle growth, and even endurance gains. Without it, training becomes maintenance. With it? That’s where the results really start to show.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what progressive overload actually means, why it works, and most importantly, how you can apply it in your own workouts (weight training and bodyweight workouts). You’ll also learn what to do when progress slows and how to keep your training moving forward for the long run. Plus, we’ll share practical examples and tips so you can level up your training, without burning out or risking injury.
What Is Progressive Overload?
“Progressive overload is the principle of gradually increasing the demands placed on your muscles over time so they continue to adapt, grow, and strengthen. It’s not just about adding more weight each week; progressive overload can also mean increasing reps, slowing your tempo, improving your form, or reducing rest time to make an exercise more challenging.” - Samantha Cubbins, Lifting Club Manager, Gymshark
At its core, this method ensures your body keeps adapting to new stress. Muscles respond to three key training stimuli: mechanical tension (the force placed on your muscles during contraction), muscle damage (the microtears caused by training that rebuild stronger), and metabolic stress (the fatigue and “burn” that comes from pushing your muscles close to failure). Together, these drive adaptation and growth.
How that adaptation looks depends on your training goal:
Strength training typically uses lower reps with heavier loads to improve neuromuscular efficiency (how well the nervous system coordinates our muscles to move), and maximal strength (the total amount of force your muscles can produce).
Hypertrophy training (muscle growth) focuses on moderate reps and controlled tempo to maximise mechanical tension and metabolic stress.
Endurance training uses lighter loads or higher reps to increase a muscle’s ability to sustain repeated contractions over time.
Without progressive overload, your body gets used to the stimulus, adaptation slows, and progress stalls. “Tracking your training, whether it’s the weights lifted, reps completed, or tempo used, helps ensure each session pushes just beyond your previous best.” mentions Sam.
For example: If you always squat 40kg for 3 sets of 10, your body will eventually stop seeing that as a challenge.
Instead, try squat 42.5kg, for 12 reps instead of 10, or slow your tempo down for your original 10 reps so the lift feels heavier - that way, you’ve created new stimulus, and your body has to adapt to that extra push. This adaptation is what builds strength, size, and endurance over time. It’s why seasoned lifters can squat triple their bodyweight, and why you can’t expect results from doing the exact same routine for months on end.
How to Use Progressive Overload In Your Workouts
Progressive overload isn’t just about adding more weight every week; it’s about finding different ways to keep challenging your muscles so they keep adapting. Each of these methods works slightly differently, but all share the same goal: applying a greater training stimulus over time to promote growth, strength, and endurance.
The methods
Increasing reps or sets
One of the most straightforward ways to apply progressive overload is by adding more reps or sets to your exercises.
Doing this increases your training volume - the total amount of work your muscles perform, which has been shown to play a major role in hypertrophy. Studies show that performing higher training volumes (more sets per muscle group per week) led to significantly greater muscle growth compared to lower volumes [1].
Why it works: More total reps or sets means more overall tension and fatigue for the muscle to recover from - both are key drivers of adaptation.
Try this: Once you can perform all your sets at the upper end of your rep range with good form, add an extra set before increasing weight.
Shortening rest times to increase intensity
Reducing rest between sets increases metabolic stress, one of the three main mechanisms of muscle growth. Shorter rest intervals elevate fatigue and keep muscles under tension longer, but timing matters, and this is where you have to get real specific.
Rest intervals of 60–90 seconds can boost hypertrophy, while longer rests (2–3 minutes) may be better for strength since they allow more recovery for maximal load performance [7]. So if you’re goal is hypertrophy, shortening your rest time is a way you can progressively overload your sessions.
Why it works: Less rest keeps your heart rate elevated and muscles under metabolic pressure, increasing the demand for adaptation.
Try this: Gradually reduce rest times by 10–15 seconds between sets, but maintain good form. Avoid cutting rest on heavy compound lifts.
Expanding your range of motion (e.g. squatting deeper)
Moving through a fuller range of motion (ROM) recruits more muscle fibres, increases time under tension, and promotes balanced muscle development. This could mean squatting deeper, lowering the barbell further on a bench press, or leaning lower into your lunge.
The result? Even when training at the same level and putting in the same amount of work, when you train with a full ROM, it leads to greater muscle strength and thickness than partial ROM training [8].
Why it works: A longer ROM challenges muscles at more stretched positions, which can amplify muscle tension, triggering protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy to stimulate more growth.
Try this: Start by improving mobility and control at end ranges rather than forcing depth, quality movement beats chasing range.
Training the same muscle group more frequently
For experienced lifters, frequency can sometimes be more effective than just adding load. Hitting each muscle 2–3 times per week can keep muscle protein synthesis elevated more consistently, leading to better gains over time.
Dankel et al. (2017) found that spreading the same weekly training volume across more frequent sessions led to similar or even superior strength and hypertrophy outcomes compared to fewer, higher-volume sessions [5].
Why it works: Frequent exposure to stimulus (the stress or workload placed on the muscles) allows more opportunities for adaptation while managing fatigue.
Try this: If you currently train a muscle once a week, split that volume into two sessions instead, like upper/lower or push/pull splits.
Move with better form and control
Simply improving your execution is one of the most underrated ways to overload. Focusing on form, tempo, and the mind-muscle connection increases the force placed on your muscles during contraction on the target muscle, even without heavier weights. Controlled movement and internal focus enhance muscle fibre recruitment and overall hypertrophic stimulus [1]. To back this, Sam mentions “adding weight isn’t progress if your form collapses and injury strikes. Long-term success means moving well and heavy”.
Why it works: Better control ensures the muscle, not momentum, is doing the work, maximizing every rep.
Try this: Slow down your eccentrics (the lowering phase) to 2–4 seconds, and consciously engage the target muscle through each rep.
Progressive Overload With Weight Training
When it comes to progressive overload, weight training gives you the most straightforward tools. Because you can measure and adjust the load precisely, it’s easy to track progress and ensure you’re challenging your muscles in a structured way, especially on big compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, leg presses and hip thrusts. The key is to make gradual, manageable changes rather than chasing big jumps that compromise form or increase your risk of injury.
For example, one study found that gradual load increases of 2–5% per week over an eight-week period led to significantly greater improvements in maximal strength compared to unstructured training [9]. The takeaway? Keep the changes small and the schedule consistent.
Below are the most effective methods that lifters use to progressively overload their training. Each technique creates a slightly different stimulus, from building raw strength with heavy weights to increasing muscle size or work capacity.
Increase load: Add 2.5-5% weekly if your form stays solid under the weight. A 60kg squat could become 61.5–63kg the following week.
Add reps: If 3x8 reps feels comfortable, push to 3x10 before increasing weight.
Add sets: Bump from 3 to 4 sets to increase the total volume.
Reduce rest: Cut a 90s rest to 60s to increase intensity and metabolic stress (this may turn your workout into more aerobic heart rate zones, e.g zone 3).
Change tempo: Slow down the eccentric part of the movement to increase the time under tension, e.g lowering the barbell in 4–5 seconds on squats or bench press before pressing back up.
Keep constant tension: Not fully locking out or letting the muscles relax at the bottom of the range of motion, e.g keeping a slight bend in your legs at the top of RDLS.
Range of motion: Switch exercises up to lengthen your range e.g swap rack pulls for full deadlifts; add deficit deadlifts for an extra stretch.
Before applying any of these methods, make sure you’re comfortable with your current weight and form; progressive overload only works when the foundation is solid. Tracking is just as important. Everyone’s progress looks different, and factors like recovery, stress, or even hormonal fluctuations can affect how much you can push week to week. If you’re not able to lift heavier one day, don’t sweat it, focus on maintaining good form and revisit progression when your body’s ready.
12-Week Lower-Body Progressive Overload Workout Plan (Weight Training)
Weeks 1–4: Foundation Phase (Technique + Volume)
Goal: Build lower-body strength and muscle by gradually increasing load, reps, and intensity across three 4-week phases.
Frequency: 2–3x per week
Focus on form and controlled tempo (2:2:1).
Barbell Back Squat — 3 sets of 10–12 reps
Romanian Deadlift — 3 sets of 10–12 reps
Leg Press — 3 sets of 10–12 reps
Walking Lunges — 3 sets of 12 reps per leg
Weighted Calf Raise — 3 sets of 15 reps
Progression Tip: Add 2.5–5 kg weekly if all reps are completed with good form.
Weeks 5–8: Development Phase (Load + Intensity)
Increase weight and lower reps to focus on strength development.
Front Squat — 4 sets of 8–10 reps
Bulgarian Split Squat — 4 sets of 8–10 reps per leg
Romanian Deadlift (heavier) — 4 sets of 8–10 reps
Leg Curl Machine — 3 sets of 10 reps
Seated Calf Raise — 4 sets of 12 reps
Progression Tip: Add load weekly or increase range of motion.
Weeks 9–12: Intensification Phase (Strength + Power)
Focus on heavy compound lifts and controlled eccentric tempos (3–4s lowering).
Barbell Back Squat (heavy) — 5 sets of 6–8 reps
Sumo Deadlift — 4 sets of 6–8 reps
Deficit Reverse Lunge — 4 sets of 6–8 reps per leg
Hack Squat or Goblet Squat (heavy) — 4 sets of 8 reps
Standing Calf Raise (pause at top) — 4 sets of 10 reps
Progression Tip: Increase weight or add a pause at the bottom to extend time under tension.
Progressive Overload With Bodyweight Training
One of the most common questions on Reddit and TikTok is “can I progressive overload without weights?” The answer is… yes.
Many of the same principles apply here - reps, sets, rest times, and tempo, but bodyweight training also gives you extra ways to level up, like adjusting your stance, shifting leverage, or progressing to harder exercise variations. Your body becomes the weight, and how you move it determines how much resistance you’re working against. By tweaking just one progressive overload method, you can make simple exercises like push-ups, squats, and pull-ups brutally effective. But remember “gains happen outside the gym too. Sleep, nutrition, hydration, and deload weeks are all part of the plan to build muscle.” says Sam.
The goal is the same as lifting: keep making it just a little harder so your muscles have no choice but to adapt. Here’s how you can do it:
Increase reps/sets: 20 push-ups → 25; 3 sets of bodyweight squats → 4 sets.
Change tempo: Pause at the bottom of a push-up, or take 5 seconds to lower down.
Reduce rest: Limit recovery time to keep muscles under constant tension.
Positional shifts: Elevate feet in hip thrusts for bodyweight glute training, or move hands closer in planks for more core activation.
Progress variations:
Squats → Bulgarian split squats → pistol squats
Push-ups → decline push-ups → diamond push-ups → archer push-ups → one-arm push-ups → handstand push-ups
Pull-ups → weighted pull-ups → archer pull-ups → one-arm pull-ups
Each variation shifts your leverage, stability, and muscle recruitment, increasing the challenge without adding external weight. For example, moving from a standard push-up to an archer or one-arm variation loads one side more heavily, forcing greater muscle activation and balance control - a form of overload in itself.
12-Week Lower Body Progressive Overload Workout Plan (Bodyweight Training)
Weeks 1–4: Foundation Phase (Volume + Control)
Goal: Build leg strength, balance, and endurance without equipment.
Frequency: 3x per week
Bodyweight Squats — 3 sets of 15 reps
Reverse Lunges — 3 sets of 12 reps per leg
Glute Bridges — 3 sets of 15 reps
Step-Ups — 3 sets of 12 reps per leg
Calf Raises — 3 sets of 20 reps
Progression Tip: Focus on slow tempo (3s down, 1s up) and perfect form.
Weeks 5–8: Development Phase (Tempo + Range)
Bulgarian Split Squats — 4 sets of 10 reps per leg
Single-Leg Glute Bridges — 4 sets of 10 reps
Wall Sits — 3 sets of 45 seconds
Jump Squats — 3 sets of 12 reps
Calf Raises (single-leg) — 3 sets of 15 reps per side
Progression Tip: Add a pause at the bottom or reduce rest times.
Weeks 9–12: Intensification Phase (Power + Stability)
Pistol Squat (or assisted) — 4 sets of 6–8 reps per leg
Jump Lunges — 4 sets of 10 reps per leg
Hip Thrust (single-leg) — 4 sets of 12 reps
Cossack Squats — 3 sets of 10 reps per leg
Wall Sit (1 min hold) — 3 rounds
Progression Tip: Increase reps, extend hold times, or slow down the eccentric phase.
Progressive Overload for Beginners vs Experienced Lifters
New to weightlifting?
If you’re just starting out on your strength journey, the simplest and most effective way to apply progressive overload is by gradually adding weight to the bar or bell. Early on, your nervous system adapts quickly, allowing you to make consistent strength gains (otherwise known as “newbie gains”) just by lifting a little heavier each week. You don’t need complicated techniques; focus on mastering form first, tracking your lifts, and slowly increasing either the load, the reps, or the sets. Even small jumps (like 1–2kg increases) can create the stimulus your muscles need to grow stronger.
Been here a while?
For experienced lifters, progress isn’t as straightforward. Once your body has adapted to years of training, simply piling on more weight won’t always yield results. Instead, frequency can be the game-changer. Rather than overloading in just a couple of heavy sessions, spreading your training stimulus across more frequent workouts may keep muscle protein synthesis elevated more consistently.
A 2017 study highlights this point, showing that trained individuals may benefit more from increased training frequency compared to just adding extra sets or weight in fewer sessions [4]. The takeaway? If your progress has stalled, try training a muscle group more often throughout the week (e.g., 3 shorter sessions instead of 1–2 long ones). This approach provides repeated, manageable doses of overload without overwhelming recovery, helping you break through plateaus and continue building muscle.
Benefits of Progressive Overload
Increased Muscle Size (Hypertrophy That Actually Lasts)
Hypertrophy, or muscle growth, thrives on gradual progression. Each time you challenge your muscles with more reps, sets, or load, you create tiny micro-tears in the muscle fibres. When these repair, they rebuild thicker and stronger to handle the increased workload next time [3].
But here’s the catch: adding too much weight too fast (aka ego lifting) can backfire. It increases your risk of injury and takes the focus off proper form and control, both of which are key to hypertrophy. Research shows that consistent, small progressions are more effective for long-term growth than sudden, unsustainable jumps.
Example: Instead of jumping from 20kg to 30kg on your squat, add 1–2kg or an extra rep each week. Over time, those small increases add up to major gains.
Build Strength (Train Your Muscles and Your Nervous System)
Strength isn’t just about big muscles; it’s about how efficiently your nervous system can recruit them. When you gradually lift heavier weights, your body learns to fire more motor units (muscle fibres controlled by a single nerve) and coordinate them better [2].
Think of it like upgrading your muscles’ “software.” As your brain learns to send stronger signals, your muscles become more powerful and more efficient, making you gradually stronger.
Example: Over time, you’ll notice everyday tasks, like carrying heavy shopping, running up stairs, or moving furniture, will start feeling easier because your neuromuscular coordination has improved.
Why it matters: You’re not just training for the gym; you’re training for functional strength that supports you in real life.
Prevent Plateaus & Keep Climbing
If you’ve ever wondered why your lifts or physique aren’t progressing despite consistent training, it’s probably because the stimulus—such as the amount of weight lifted, total reps performed, or overall training volume— isn’t increasing, and that’s what we call plateauing.
Without progressive overload, training adaptations stall. Gradual progression keeps muscles challenged and ensures continual improvements rather than stagnation. If adding load or volume isn’t working, consider increasing how often you train a muscle per week - frequency can often be an overlooked driver of growth.
In one 2017 study, it was discovered that increasing training frequency, even when total volume stayed the same, produced similar or greater strength and hypertrophy gains compared to simply adding more sets in one session [4].
Example: If you’ve been training legs once a week, try splitting your volume into two sessions (e.g. quads on Monday, hamstrings on Thursday) to keep stimulating growth without overtraining.
Boosts Both Cardio & Muscular Endurance
Overload doesn’t only apply to strength; it can also improve your endurance levels. By performing more repetitions with lighter weights, or by increasing the total volume of work, you build muscular endurance and boost your cardiovascular system, allowing your muscles to sustain effort for longer periods without fatigue.
Repeated exposure to slightly higher workloads improves your muscles’ oxidative capacity (how efficiently they use oxygen for energy), building endurance over time, allowing you to breathe better and move stronger.
Example: If you’re lifting 10 reps comfortably, push to 12 with the same weight, or reduce rest between sets from 90 to 60 seconds. The small shift ups your heart rate, increases your muscular endurance and improves how efficiently your heart and lungs deliver oxygen to working muscles.
Improve Body Composition
More muscle = more energy burned at rest. By pushing progressive overload, you’re building lean mass that improves metabolic health and can shift body composition over time. The science of it? Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat, meaning building muscle increases resting energy expenditure (REE)* and supports long-term fat loss.
But training alone isn’t enough; your nutrition has to support the process. To gain muscle, you need to eat enough protein to support repair and a calorie surplus to fuel growth. Without sufficient fuel, your progress will plateau no matter how hard you train.
Example: Pair consistent overload training with a high-protein diet, and you’ll build lean muscle, which in turn helps shift body composition and increase calorie burn, even on rest days!
*Also known as resting metabolic rate (RMR).
Keep Yourself Motivated
There’s nothing like seeing your numbers climb week to week. Tracking those wins, whether that’s an extra rep in your back squats, heavier dumbbells, or finally nailing a pistol squat, builds confidence and keeps motivation high. Research shows that self-monitoring and tangible wins can help sustain motivation and commitment to your training.
Example: Use a workout tracker or notes app to log your lifts. Watching your squat climb from 40kg to 60kg over a few months doesn’t just prove progress; it fuels consistency.
Small wins create momentum. That steady sense of progress is what keeps you coming back to the gym long after motivation fades.
Progressive Overload FAQs
What is the 2 for 2 rule in progressive overload?
The 2-for-2 rule is a simple guideline for knowing when it’s time to increase weight. If you can perform two extra reps beyond your target rep range in your last set, for two consecutive workouts, it’s a strong sign you’re ready to progress. Why? Because it shows your muscles and nervous system have adapted to the current load, and you’ll need a new challenge to keep growing stronger. For example, if your program calls for 3x8 bench press and you hit 10 reps in the final set for two weeks in a row, it’s time to add some weight!
Progressive overload should feel gradual, not forced. Jumping too quickly risks poor form, burnout, or injury. A good rule of thumb: aim for small, sustainable progressions like the 2-for-2 rule every 1–2 weeks, as long as your technique stays strong. Remember, progress isn’t always linear. Some weeks you’ll add weight, other weeks you’ll add reps or refine your form. The goal is consistent forward movement, even if it’s just by a small margin.
How often should I increase weight or reps?
There’s no one-size-fits-all timeline; it depends on your training experience, recovery, and the lift itself. Beginners may be able to increase every week, while advanced lifters might only see small progress every few weeks or even months. The key is to let performance guide you. If your form stays solid and the last few reps feel challenging but doable, it’s safe to add weight or reps. Think of progression as a marathon, not a sprint; slow, steady increases pay off more than rushing.
Should I focus on weight, reps, or frequency first?
Start with the variable that fits your goal and experience level:
Beginners: focus on reps and form first. Once you can complete the top end of your rep range consistently (e.g 12 reps for hypertrophy), up the weight.
Intermediate lifters: weight and reps usually go hand-in-hand. Increase one, then once you can complete one with ease, focus on the other.
Advanced lifters: frequency is your biggest driver of progress, since your muscles are well-primed at this point, they need more consistent stimulation to keep adapting.
All three- weight, reps, and frequency are part of your progressive overload toolkit. The “best” one depends on where you are in your training journey.
How can you prevent a plateau?
Deload weeks: Take 5–7 days where you intentionally reduce training intensity (lighter loads) or volume (fewer sets/reps). This gives your muscles, joints, and nervous system time to recover from accumulated fatigue. Think of it as hitting the reset button, so when you return to normal training, you’ll often find performance and progress bounce back stronger.
Change rep ranges: If you’ve been stuck in the same 8–10 rep range for months, your body has likely adapted. Dropping to 4–6 reps with heavier weight pushes your strength capacity, while moving to 12–15 reps increases muscular endurance and creates a new hypertrophy stimulus. Shifting rep ranges keeps muscles guessing and challenges different energy systems.
Advanced techniques: Methods like drop sets, supersets, rest-pause sets, or ‘burnout sets‘ increase training variation and push your muscles past their usual fatigue point. These intensifying techniques overload the muscles in new ways without always needing to add more weight, making them great tools when you’re short on time or equipment. Progressive overload strategies, including periodization (cycled workout plans), are also effective at overcoming plateaus and sustaining long-term gains [5].
Switch exercises: Sometimes progress stalls because you’re over-relying on the same movement pattern. Swapping a flat bench press for an incline bench shifts emphasis to the upper chest and shoulders, while a conventional deadlift vs. a sumo deadlift challenges your hips and back differently. Novelty in exercise selection can reignite adaptations by hitting under-trained muscle fibres. Win!
Check nutrition: Training is only half the equation when it comes to seeing results from resistance training. Without the right fuel, your body can’t repair and grow. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle tissue (aim for ~1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight per day), while carbs restore glycogen to power your sessions. For hypertrophy, a slight calorie surplus ensures your body has the energy resources to actually build new muscle. For more info on this, check out our guide to how much protein you should be eating.
Do you always need to lift heavier weights to use progressive overload?
Not at all. Adding weight is the most obvious way, but it’s only one tool. Progressive overload is really about continually asking your body to do more than it’s used to. That could mean increasing reps, doing an extra set, reducing rest times, or focusing on stricter form. For example, slowing down your squats so you control the lowering phase increases time under tension and makes the same weight feel harder [6]. The key is to apply gradual increases in challenge so your muscles keep adapting.
How long does it take to see results from progressive overload?
Most people start to notice changes in strength within 2–4 weeks, as your nervous system gets better at recruiting muscle fibres. Visible muscle growth (hypertrophy) can take 8–12 weeks, depending on training experience, diet, recovery, and consistency. Think of progressive overload as a long game; it’s the training principle that keeps you progressing for months and years, not just weeks.
Can progressive overload help with fat loss, or is it just for building muscle?
Both. While it’s mainly linked with building strength and muscle, the added muscle mass from progressive overload raises your resting metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories even when you’re not training. Pair that with a smart nutrition strategy, and progressive overload supports fat loss while shaping lean muscle for better overall body composition.
What happens if you don’t use progressive overload?
If you keep lifting the same weights, reps, and sets week after week, your body adapts and eventually stops changing. That’s why people hit plateaus and struggle to see progress; the stimulus isn’t strong enough to trigger growth anymore. You can’t keep lifting the same weight, week in week out and expect results. Without progressive overload, you maintain rather than progress. So if your goal is strength, size, or endurance, you’ll need to keep giving your body a reason to adapt.
Can beginners use progressive overload, or is it for advanced lifters?
Progressive overload works for everyone; it just looks different depending on your level. Beginners usually see fast progress simply by practising movements more often and adding small amounts of weight each week. For experienced lifters, the jumps are smaller and require more creativity, like adjusting frequency, training volume, or advanced techniques (e.g. supersets, rest-pause).
How do I know if I’m overdoing progressive overload?
Signs of overdoing it include constant fatigue, dips in performance, poor recovery, or nagging injuries. Overload should feel challenging, but not crushing. A good rule of thumb = increase one variable at a time (weight, reps, or sets), and keep jumps small (5–10% is typical). If you start plateauing or feeling run down, deload weeks or switching up exercises can reset your progress.
Final Thoughts
Progressive overload is the foundation of strength training. Whether you’re working with barbells, dumbbells, or just your own bodyweight, the principle remains the same: challenge your muscles with more than last time, and they’ll adapt.
Progress doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen, rep by rep, week by week. Bad workouts can come and go, and often your plaatues require some problem-solving to figure out why your progress is stalling. But if you track your training, vary your approach, give your body time to recover, and do that consistently, you’ll see the strength, muscle, and confidence gains you’ve been chasing.
Ready to apply it? Explore our Training App for guided weightlifting workouts for different training levels, complete with tracking tools to keep you moving forward.
References:
Schoenfeld, B. J. “The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2010). PubMed
Folland, J. P., & Williams, A. G. “The adaptations to strength training: morphological and neurological contributions to increased strength.” Journal of Physiology / The Physiological Society (2007). PubMed
Aube, D., Wadhi, T., Rauch, J., Anand, A., Barakat, C., Pearson, J., Bradshaw, J., Zazzo, S., Ugrinowitsch, C., & De Souza, E. O. “Progressive resistance training volume: effects on muscle thickness, mass, and strength adaptations in resistance-trained individuals.” Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 36(3) (2022). PubMed+1
Dobson, N., De Souza, E. O., et al. “The Effect of Low-Load Resistance Training on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy.” International Journal of Sports Rehabilitation / Journal of Sport Rehabilitation (2021). Human Kinetics Journals
Mangine, G. T., Hoffman, J. R., Wells, A. J., et al. “The effect of training volume and intensity on muscular adaptations in resistance-trained men.” European Journal of Applied Physiology (2015). PubMed
(Umbrella review authors) — e.g., Baz-Valle, E., et al. “A Systematic Review of The Effects of Different Resistance Training Volumes.” PMC / open access article (2022). PMC
Grgic, J., Lazinica, B., Mikulic, P., Krieger, J. W., & Schoenfeld, B. J. “The effects of short versus long inter-set rest intervals in resistance training on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review.” European Journal of Sport Science (2017). Frontiers+1
Pinto, R. S., Trajano, G. S., et al. “Muscle fiber hypertrophy in response to 6 weeks of high- versus low-load resistance training.” (often referenced in preprint / Biorxiv). BioRxiv
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