Beyond the Numbers: How to Actually Feel Progressive Overload
By Tessa — Lifting heavy and lifting you up. Strength is the whole personality. ·
It’s Not Just About the Plates
I’ll be the first to admit it: I love the sound of iron clanking. There’s something about hitting a new PR that makes you feel like you could punch a hole through a brick wall. But if you spend your entire workout chasing a number on the bar, you’re missing the point.
I’m Tessa, and if you’ve been hanging around my corner of the internet, you know I’m obsessed with the fundamentals. Last year, when I stood on that podium at my first powerlifting meet, I didn’t get there by just slapping more weight on the bar every single week. I got there by respecting the process of progressive overload—and realizing that “overload” doesn’t always have to mean “heavier.”
The “Everyman” Trap: Why We Overcomplicate It
We live in a world of fitness influencers who make training look like a high-stakes math equation. You feel like if you aren’t tracking your RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion), your velocity, and your macro-split down to the gram, you’re failing.
Listen, I’m a personal trainer in Denver, and let me tell you: half my clients are just trying to fit a workout in between a soul-crushing commute and trying to feed their kids. If that sounds like you, stop overthinking it. Progressive overload is literally just doing a little bit more than you did last time. It’s the "hero’s journey" of your gym bag—you start as the person who struggles to squat the empty bar, and you end as the person who makes it look like a warm-up.
Rethinking the Variables
If you’re stuck, it’s probably because you think the only way to progress is by adding five pounds to the bar. Spoiler alert: that’s a one-way ticket to a plateau or an injury. If we only focus on load, we eventually hit a wall. Here’s how I actually structure progress with my online clients when the weights just aren’t moving:
1. Tempo is Your Best Friend
Can you control the descent? If you’re dropping into a squat like a sack of potatoes, you’re cheating yourself. Slow down that eccentric (the lowering phase). Take three full seconds to go down. You’ll find that 135 pounds feels a whole lot heavier when you aren’t using momentum to bounce out of the hole. It makes the muscle work longer, and that is a massive win for growth.
2. Tighten the Rest Periods
If you usually take three minutes between sets of deadlifts, try cutting it to two minutes and fifteen seconds. Keeping the load the same but decreasing your recovery time forces your cardiovascular system and your muscles to become more efficient. It’s a sneaky way to make the same weight harder without risking your form.
3. Volume over Intensity
Maybe you can’t hit a new 1-rep max today. That’s fine. Can you do an extra set? Can you squeeze out two more reps with the same weight you used last week? Increasing the total volume (sets x reps x weight) is one of the most reliable ways to signal to your body that it needs to change.
When Life Gets in the Way
Barbell, my golden retriever, is the only one who doesn’t judge me when I have a “bad” training day. We all have days where we walk into the gym, the bar feels like it’s made of lead, and we just want to go home and nap.
Here’s the thing: you don’t have to set a personal record every single session. That’s not sustainable, and frankly, it’s exhausting. Sometimes, progressive overload is just showing up and practicing your technique with perfect form when you’re tired. That’s a win. You’re building the neural pathways that make you stronger in the long run. If you’re consistent, the numbers will follow. You don’t need to be perfect; you just need to be a little more intentional than you were yesterday.
Practical Steps for Your Next Session
If you’re feeling lost, try this: pick one lift—let’s say the overhead press. Write down exactly what you did today. Next week, don’t just aim to go heavier. Aim to make the last rep look as clean as the first rep. Focus on your bracing, your grip, and your breathing.
If you manage to do the same weight but with better control, you have successfully overloaded your system. You’ve mastered the movement. That is progress.
Strength isn’t just about the weight on the bar; it’s about the character you build while you’re under it. It’s about being the person who shows up for themselves, even when the progress feels slow.
So, how’s your training going lately? Are you hitting a wall, or are you finding new ways to challenge yourself? Drop a comment below or shoot me a message—I’d love to hear what’s working for you (or talk about how much energy your dog has, because let’s be honest, Barbell is a menace in the best way).
Keep lifting, keep growing, and keep being the best version of yourself. See you at the rack!