Progress is an important aspect of life, whether it’s in terms of one’s career, personal life or fitness. Progression in fitness entails getting leaner and stronger. It also includes becoming more flexible, energetic and toned compared to earlier. In sports, it ensures better performance on the playing field. Progress should enhance work capacity by improving physical functionality while exercising as well as in daily life.
Ensuring progress in fitness involves not letting the body adapt and being comfortable with the exercises one is doing. “Increasing the difficulty of movement over time with a goal to provide sufficient stimulus for growth is what principle of progression in training is all about,” says Aparajeet Nadar, strength and conditioning coach at High 5 Performance, Ahmedabad.
Importance of the principle of progression
When it comes to fitness, progressive overload is one of the fundamental tenets of the principle of progression. If you want to ensure continuous growth, you must push for progression in terms of variation, intensity, frequency, etc.
It helps counter general adaptive syndrome (GAS). The human body adapts to the stimulus (exercise) if it’s provided consistently. A wide variety of physical and physiological adaptations happen from the exercises we perform aerobically or anerobically. This changes the nervous system, muscular system, skeletal system, connective tissues, endocrine system and cardiovascular system.
“All we are doing when we exercise is attempting to adapt our bodies to a stimulus,” says Guwahati-based master personal trainer and nutrition coach, Ashish Baruah. “The body goes through similar physiological adaptations when learning any new physical activity.”
There is no perfect exercise routine for anyone, and the workout always needs to be updated and changed to match the adaptations within the individual. This is why progression and periodization (varying the exercise intensity, volume and frequency for optimal performance) are important.
How to incorporate progression in training
The body is always in a state of adaptation regardless of the training regimen. To improve performance over time, training must be modified to progressively overload the muscles. Without this, muscle growth will plateau, which can lead to muscle atrophy.
Each individual’s requirements vary depending on factors like training regimen, genetics and nutrition, among others. It is also dependent on personal goals (like weight loss or increasing muscle mass). The most common periodization would involve incorporating progressions every two to four weeks.
“For instance, let us say you assess yourself every six weeks. You notice that your gains have been slowing down, and you are not putting on as much muscle as earlier since your body has adapted to the routine. That’s the time for a new stimulus,” says Nadar.
Creating and modifying exercise programs for an individual can be complicated because there are many factors to consider, including their goals, tolerance for exercise, unique physical abilities and medical history.
While modifying exercises, the primary focus should be on intensity for continued increase in strength and muscle growth, followed by frequency or volume.
“Variables like repetition, sets, volume, duration, intensity and frequency are important components that specify how each exercise is performed and how the body reacts to the stress,” says Baruah.
Takeaways
- The principle of progression is important for continued increase in strength and muscle growth, along with preventing the body from adapting to the workout.
- The body is always in a state of adaptation with any training regimen. To improve performance over time, variations must be incorporated to progressively overload the muscles.
- A lack of progression can cause muscle plateau, which can lead to muscle atrophy.
- While modifying exercises, the primary focus should be on intensity, followed by frequency and volume.
