How To Train Hard & See Peak Results

Use this training principle to stop wasting time and start making gains.

In this article:

• A surefire way to guarantee you’re training hard in the gym.

• Two ways to implement progression in your training.

The Purpose Behind This Article

As I’m sitting down to write this article, I’m finishing up the last bite of my post-workout meal. It’s a bowl of cottage cheese and strawberry fat-free Greek yogurt with a handful of raspberries sprinkled on top. This is one of my favorite protein/carb meals because it’s easy to make, has great macros, and tastes great.

I mentioned my post-workout meal because it also means I just completed a workout. I trained hard during the workout, which is what this article is all about. But it’s not necessarily about individual feelings or sensations that indicate whether or not you’ve trained hard.

It’s more about me providing you with a principle, and methods of employing that principle, that will guarantee you’re training hard. The principle I’m speaking of is called progressive overload and it’s a foundation of effective training.

The name in itself sounds pretty hard, if you ask me. Overload isn’t a soothing word; it’s intense, driving, and extreme.

When you think of something being overloaded, you think of it being pushed to it’s limits. I guess this is really what progressive overload guarantees for anyone who continually and consistently uses it; they’ll be pushed to their limits.

Defining Progressive Overload

So, what is progressive overload, exactly?

Progressive overload, simply put, is doing more, over time, in the gym.

This is accomplished through several progression methods, but my two favorites are: