The only strategy you need to build strength fast.

Progressive over-load.

What is it?

It’s the idea that the body gets stronger with stress.

Gradually increasing the time, speed, or load of an exercise signals for adaptation.

And why is it important?

This concept is the basis for any improvement in your fitness.

It's easy to see how this applies to building muscle.

Lifting weights for muscle growth.

But most people don’t realize that this is a universal concept.

Active people have stronger joints, ligaments, and tendons.

It’s the guiding principle for how I prescribe exercise as a physical therapist.

Most people have a general understanding because this idea applies to all domains of life.

Build strength and avoid injuries with progressive overload.

3 tips to find the right resistance:

1. Start light, progress fast

Most people make the mistake of starting too heavy and not progressing fast enough.

With any new exercise, it’s best to start with less resistance.

Starting easy doesn’t set you back.

It gives your body a chance to learn the movement.

Fewer injuries and better technique when you start with less weight.

But if you want to build strength fast,

Repeat the same exercise for 8-10 weeks.

Resistance is added each week.

Or if you prefer running, go slow if you're a beginner and increase the speed or distance each week.

2. Warm up with 50% of the weight.

Or jog at 50% of your running speed.

The older I get, the more I realize the value of a warm-up.

It also allows me to check in with my body.

It lets me know if my body is stiff, tired, or sore today.

A few minutes of any movement will help you not just to avoid injury but also to improve performance.

Rehearse the technique of the movement.

Wake the muscles up.

I’m confident in pushing my body to its limits when I know I took the time to prepare.

Invest in a warm-up so you can make faster progress.

3. Not too easy, but also not too hard

Of course easy doesn’t allow for growth.

But making it too challenging causes physical and mental damage.

Yes, you need to challenge yourself but don’t do things today that you can’t completely recover from tomorrow.

I used to think muscle soreness was the goal of weight lifting.

But now I see the value of consistency.

If you want to run yourself into the ground on race day, that’s fine.

But real results require you to be able to show up again tomorrow.

If you’re doing 6 reps, feel like you can do 2 more.

If you’re going for a mile run, it should feel like you could go a little faster but not much more.

Hope this helps,

Tyler Van Acker, Doctor of PT

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