Both groups increasing weight and increasing the number of reps each week had similar increases in muscle growth. Still, the increased reps per set group had a small advantage in greater muscle growth of the rectus femoris. Increasing the weight had a better strength increase than increasing the reps.
CAN YOU BUILD MUSCLE WITHOUT PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD? RESEARCH SUMMARY
- Both groups increasing weight and increasing the number of reps each week had similar increases to build muscle. Still, the increased reps per set group had a small advantage in greater muscle growth of the rectus femoris.
- Increasing the weight had a better strength increase than increasing the reps.
WHAT DOES OVERLOADING YOUR MUSCLES ACCOMPLISH?
One of the basic tenets of muscle growth is that there needs to be progressive overload for muscles to get bigger. What is progressive overload? Progressive overload is the concept that muscles must be exposed to increased tension to keep making muscle gains. The easiest way to increase tension is to add more weight (i.e., lift heavy).
The classic story of strength training to gain muscle is the famous Greek athlete Milos of Croton, who carried a baby calf on his back. This is a classic example of progressive overload. As the calf gained weight every day, the weight he had to carry was heavier each day, and Milos gained strength. The classic linear periodization program utilizes this principle in which intensity is increased, whereas volume is reduced over time.
This is how most people design their resistance training program; they add weight to the bar. Progressive overload gradually increases the demands on your body to get bigger muscles.
HOW TO TRACK PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
There are ways to increase muscle size without adding weight each time you go to the gym. These are some of the other ways of increasing muscle overload without adding weights:
- Increasing Sets or Reps: Keeping the same weight but training with a higher number of reps than the previous session increases the tension on the muscle.
- Using a full range of motion: Using a lighter weight with a full range of motion or training at longer lengths is more difficult and results in greater muscle hypertrophy than training with a heavier weight at short muscle lengths (i.e., partial reps).
- Lifting a weight slower: Lifting the weight at a slower rate will increase the time under tension in which the muscle is placed under tension for a greater time.
- Training Frequency: Training a muscle group more often results in a greater training volume conducive to muscle growth. A greater training frequency results in a greater amount of reps per week, resulting in greater total stress on the muscle.
- Increasing Density Training: Increasing the amount of work performed in a shorter time elicits a greater training stressor in a shorter time frame. Dropsets, Supersets, and Rest-Pause are all examples of increasing training density.
These can be tracked with an excel spreadsheet or a workout app like Dr. Muscle.
MORE REPS OR WEIGHTTO BUILD MUSCLE?
These are all forms of progressive overload without increasing the amount of weight used. This implies that increasing weight is not the only way to gain muscle. Researchers wanted to compare a traditional progressive overload program in which a person added weight each week to a non-traditional progressive overload plan.
The non-traditional overload plan added reps each week and kept the weight the same. The researchers wanted to know if heavy weights or more reps to build muscle was more effective.
38 males and females were assigned to two groups in an 8-week training study. They trained each body part twice per week. The two groups completed a progressive overload program, but the programs were different.
GROUP 1: ADDING WEIGHT EACH WEEK: This group added weight each week but kept the same repetitions.
GROUP 2: ADDING REPS EACH WEEK: This group kept the weight the same but added reps each week.
Both groups trained to complete muscular failure. The groups were allowed to train their upper body on their own, but they had supervised lower body training. Why were only the lower body session supervised?
The researchers only looked at leg muscle growth and were less interested in the upper body responses. The lower body training consisted of squats, leg extensions, and standing and seated calf raises.
Both groups kept track of their food intake to ensure they were consuming the same amount of protein, calories, carbohydrates, fats, etc. The researchers measured muscle hypertrophy (i.e., quad and calf muscle growth) and strength gains before and after the eight-week training program.
RESULTS
There were no differences between the groups for nutrition, calories, fats, or carbohydrates. The groups consumed a protein that was not optimal for gaining muscle. The diet consisted of 1.2 g/kg/bw or .5 grams per pound of bw. Despite the lower-than-recommended protein intake, both groups gained equal muscle.
Muscle growth was similar for both groups, except for the rectus femoris section of the thigh. The rectus femoris had greater increases in muscle with the added repetitions (i.e., 12.3% total of rectus femoris for the reps group vs. 10.1% for added weight group).
The strength gains were better for the group that added weights than reps. The added weight group increased squat strength by 28%, whereas the reps group increased maximal strength by 22%. (Plotkin D, 2022)This suggests that adding weight is not the only way to gain muscle. You can add weight or add reps, or a combination of both. Adding weight or reps is an example of a single progressive overload system.Most lifters get confused about when to increase reps or weight while lifting. A double progressive system is the easiest progressive overload workout plan for beginners without getting too complicated.
WHEN TO INCREASE WEIGHT OR REPS TO BUILD MUSCLE
A double progression method involves adding both weight and reps. For example, let’s take the bench press. Choose a suitable rep range and sets. For this example, we will use 3 sets. Let’s say your first week; you can do 135 pounds on the bench press; here is what a double progression looks like.
The goal would be to stay with a particular weight until you complete 3 sets of 10. Once you complete 3 sets of 10 reps, it’s time to increase the weight by 2.5 pounds. While training, the research suggests it’s best to train close to failure. Take sufficient rest days to recover; sleep and adequate nutrition are essential for muscle gain.
REFERENCES
Plotkin D, C. M., Van Every D, Maldonado J, Oberlin D, Israetel M, Feather J, Alto A, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ. (2022). Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 10:e14142 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14142.
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