Latest / Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40 / 30. What Is Progressive Overload and Why You Need It

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30. What Is Progressive Overload and Why You Need It · Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today I want to speak to two different women because I know you both are listening.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: The first woman is not lifting weights yet.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've been thinking about it, maybe you know you should, maybe you have tried before and it just didn't stick.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: So if that's you, then this episode is not about making you feel behind.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: But I hope to give you the simplest possible way to get started and actually stay consistent.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: And the second woman is already lifting.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're showing up, you're putting in the work, you're pretty consistent, but sometimes you might be just going through the motions a little, like grabbing the same weights, doing the same number of reps, maybe the same routine over and over again.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: So if that's you, this episode is going to help explain why you might feel like you've hit a plateau and what to do about it.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you are just starting out or you've been at this for years, progressive overload is the principle that makes all the difference.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: And by the end of this episode, you will understand exactly what it is and how to apply it to your life and your workouts right now.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Midlife Glow Up Podcast, where we simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits for women over 40.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Joan Dandano, your midlife health and wellness coach.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are ready to feel strong, consistent, and confident in this season of life, you are in the right place, my friend.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: So today we are wrapping up a three-part series, and I want to connect the dots before we just dive right in.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: So in episode number 28, we talked about why walking, yoga, and Pilates cannot be your whole fitness strategy in midlife.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Strength training is the non-negotiable.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Your muscles need it, your bones need it, your metabolism needs it.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: In episode 29, we covered the five fitness components that complement your strength foundation: balance, core, mobility, flexibility, and recovery.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: And why training those things is how you build a body that works for the long game.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: And today we're bringing it all together and talking about the engine underneath all of it, the mechanism that makes strength training actually work.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Without this piece, you can lift weights for years and still plateau.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: But with it, everything changes.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: So this is the final piece of the puzzle.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: And this is the piece that I built and created my FitZone membership around.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So FitZone is my online live fitness membership with progressive strength training designed specifically for women in midlife, with live Zoom classes and an on-demand library of workouts ranging anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: And you can join from anywhere in the world and train at any time that works for you.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are not currently strength training, I want to make this as simple as possible for you because I think one of the biggest reasons that women don't start or they don't stay consistent is that they're overthinking.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: They wonder what weights to use, how many reps, which exercises should I do, and in what order, and how many days of the week.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: So overthinking becomes the obstacle.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so here's the answer: do not overthink it.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Just start.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Start by establishing the habit first.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: The refinement can come later.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So the framework that I recommend to all of my clients who are just getting started, and the one that I tell them to come back to anytime they get off track is what I call the two by five strong method.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: It is beautifully simple.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Two days of strength training per week minimum.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And in each workout, you cover the five fundamental movement patterns: push, pull, hinge, squat, and core.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: So for example, that might look like push and pull on Monday, think chest press and rows, and then hinge and squat and core on Wednesday.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or you could do all five patterns in every session with different exercises each time.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Either way works, but the point is that you are covering the full body and you are hitting the movements that matter for functional fitness and you're showing up twice a week with intention.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: You do not need to start heavy.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: You do not need to know everything.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to start.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Start with body weight, start with three pounds, start with five pounds.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Wherever you are is the right place to begin.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: The progression comes once the habit is already established.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll refer you back to episode number four, Strength Training After 40, How to Stay Strong, Energized, and Injury Free.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: And in that episode, I go deeper into the two by five strong method.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: I also have a reel that I just did on Instagram a little bit ago and it walks through the two by five strong method.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll keep that link in the show notes as well.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: I recommend just go watch it, save it, use it as your starting point.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now, once you have that foundation in place, this is where progressive overload comes in.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what the rest of this episode is about.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: So what is progressive overload?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Your body is incredibly smart.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: It is designed to adapt.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: So when you give it a physical challenge it has not encountered before, it responds.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: It says, Wow, that was hard.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: I need to get stronger so that doesn't happen again.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then it gets stronger and it builds muscle and it strengthens bone and becomes more capable.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And that is what we call adaptation.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: And progressive overload is simply the practice of giving your body a new challenge before it gets too comfortable with the current one.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: So most women think that progressive overload means adding weight.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, that is one way to do it.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: But there are actually many ways to progress.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: And this is important for the woman who is not yet ready to go heavier.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: You can add reps, you could add sets, you could slow down the tempo, specifically in the lowering phase, like down, two, three, up one.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: And that'll increase what we call time under tension.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And it makes the muscle work harder without having to touch heavier weights.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: You could also reduce your rest time between your sets.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: You could increase your range of motion.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: You can progress to a more complex version of the same movement.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: So progressive overload is not necessarily always about lifting more.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's certainly not about lifting more than you're ready for.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: It is a progress.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: It is about consistently giving your body a slightly bigger challenge than last time, in whatever form that takes for you right now.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: The key is moving forward with small intentional steps consistently over the weeks, over the months, over the years.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: And that is what builds a strong, capable, thriving body.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: And the research supports this.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: So a major analysis of strength training studies found that progressive overload was the single most important variable in long-term strength development.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: And studies done specifically on women in midlife consistently show that progressive resistance training improves not just strength, but balance, bone density, and functional independence.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: So this is what works.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to explain how you can actually include this and embrace this in your fitness program.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, how come, if this is so effective, why is this a topic that we don't hear more about?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Or why, when we show up to the group fitness class at the gym, why are we doing the same workout we did last week or last month?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's very repetitive.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: We do the workout, we go home, we're using the same weights, we're doing the same reps, it's the same like sequence of exercises, the same routine.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it feels like the right thing because you're being consistent and you're working hard and you're showing up, but your body adapted to that workout a long time ago.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And now it's just coasting on easy street.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: It has no reason to keep changing because you're not giving it a new challenge.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: So you have actually hit a plateau in your results and your strength because the stimulus stopped progressing.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: So consistency without progression is maintenance.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: And in midlife, our hormones are working against our ability to build muscle and to retain muscle.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: So by doing the same thing over and over again, we're actually, in essence, going backwards.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I really hope that doesn't discourage you.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: I hope this encourages you to just change something.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: So those same eight-pound dumbbells that you've been using for two years, your body stopped being challenged by them a long time ago.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I say this with compassion because it is important that you're showing up.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: It is important that you're strength training.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, absolutely.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: But again, we have so many odds working against us that the reason I'm explaining this and educating on this is because once you know, you can do things differently moving forward.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: I want to share a personal story here to help illustrate this a bit.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I've said before, I've been lifting weights for a really long time.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: So this is not new for me.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's been six years since I've been coaching and teaching my current version of FitZone, which is the virtual live classes.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I teach six classes per week, and I have been doing that consistently for six years now.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: And when the pandemic first hit, I had a few random dumbbells at my house.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so over time, I have accumulated a nice set of dumbbells and they go uh 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I was realizing a couple of years ago that between the 15 pounds and the 20 pounds was a pretty decent jump for me.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was the 15s were getting a little too easy, but the 20s were still a bit too hard.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I put 17 and a half pound dumbbells on my Christmas list as well as a weighted vest, and Santa brought me both.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I was super enthusiastic to try out my new weighted vest.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, I did too much too soon and I ended up getting injured.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: And during that recovery period, I stayed far away from my 17 and a half dumbbells and I stuck with my 15s because I was scaling back, I was letting my body heal.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And during that period of focusing on recovery, I was using less intensity, still going through all the movements, but I needed my body to recover.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so I had a necessary reset before building again.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: But once I healed, I was ready to progress a little bit heavier from my 15s, which at that point had gotten easy.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I was ready to ease in gradually using my 17 and a half.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Isn't it funny that they're 17 and a halves?
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why somebody chose exactly in between 15 and 20 and not just using 18s, but either way, I started to use them gradually.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it has now been a year.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I realized something recently that in the workouts in the past couple of weeks, I've been reaching for my 17 and a halves instinctively.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like I haven't really touched my 15s recently at all.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: The default used to be my 15s for certain exercises, and now my default is 17 and a halves.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm telling you, it has taken me an entire year to progress to that point.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, someone who's been lifting weights since high school, a meaningful jump in weight is not easy.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's not frequent.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: We can really only go so heavy, but that shift for me from 15s to 17 and a halves, I'm proud of it.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I can tell I'm already eyeing the 20s.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I share this because I want the woman who's holding the five-pound dumbbells to hear this.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: It took me a full year to make that jump.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: A full year of consistent work plus a setback and a recovery and a patient progression.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need to jump in to 20 pounds right away.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: You need to be at five pounds this month.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're starting to eye those eight-pound weights, baby steps taken consistently over time to progressively overload is where the magic happens.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: I also want to mention how I structure the progressive overload inside of Fitzone for the workouts that I create for my membership, because it speaks directly to how progressive overload can be done well.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: So we do not push progressively harder indefinitely.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's just impossible.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: There's only so much we can lift, right?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: But roughly every four weeks of progressive training, I then shift us into what I call a deload period.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: A couple of weeks of lighter weights, higher reps, more cardio, total body movement.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it gives our bodies a chance to fully recover and consolidate the gains before the next build phase begins.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: So smart programming is not always about going heavier every single time.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's about pulling back intentionally so that you can go harder and heavier later.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: So here's what progressive overload actually looks like.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Week one, you might do three sets of 10 squats with 10-pound dumbbells.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: It feels challenging.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Week two, those same squats feel still pretty hard.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Week three, they feel more manageable because your body has started to adapt and get stronger.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Week four, you opt into 12-pound dumbbells, or you add a fourth set.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or you keep the same 10-pound dumbbells, you keep your three sets, but you slow down your time under tension.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe you lower yourself down in that squat in three seconds instead of one second.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Your body has a new challenge, and that's when adaptation really begins.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: This is not extreme, it's small intentional steps forward.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: And over months and years, these steps stack into something that actually is remarkable and changes your body.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: There is a moment in progressive overload that I love.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's when a weight that used to feel heavy starts to feel manageable or even easy.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: And that moment is your body telling you it's ready for more.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's your green light.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: So for the woman who's starting with five pounds right now, please hear this.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: You are not behind.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: You're exactly where you need to be.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: The jump from five pounds to eight pounds is just as meaningful as the jump from 15 to 17 and a half.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: Progress is progress and it all counts.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: But if you don't start, there's nothing that you can build from.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things about progressive overload is that it's not going to happen by accident.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: You can't just walk into the gym and randomly add weight and call that a progressive program.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Real progression requires structure.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: So knowing which exercises to build on in which sequence, knowing when to push and when to pull back, when to have a deload period, and knowing how to build this over weeks and months, not just one session to the next.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: And this is not necessarily knowledge that most people have.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Programming fitness is a skill that takes years of study and experience to do well.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: And you should not have to become an expert in exercise science to just to get strong.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: But you do need to figure out your own programming.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: And this is exactly what a coach is for, and this is exactly what I built FitZone for.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: So every single workout inside of FitZone is built around progressive overload.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: I have done the programming for you.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: I have designed the progressions and I have sequenced the movements and I've planned out the build so that week after week your body has a new challenge.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: So all you have to do is show up and do the work, and I handle the rest.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: So you're not left guessing or repeating the same workout, hoping for different results.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're following a plan that is specifically designed for you to move forward.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's designed for the woman who's busy in this stage of life by somebody who understands what your body actually needs in this season.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Let's recap the three-part series that we have done together.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: So episode 28 was explaining how walking and yoga and Pilates, while so good for you, are only part of the picture.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Strength training needs to be the non-negotiable.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's not optional in midlife, it is foundational.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then episode 29: strength training works best when it is supported by all the things that walking and Pilates and yoga give you, like balance and core and mobility and flexibility and recovery.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: These need to be the complement to the foundation of strength training.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: These are not extras.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: They are what take you from being fit to being functional, from working out to training for the life that you actually want to live.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: Longevity and quality of life are the goal.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: And these five things are a big part of how you get there with strength training.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then episode 30, today, this is about progressive overload and why it is the most important mechanism that makes strength training actually work.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you're just starting out with a two by five strong method or you have been lifting for years, but now you realize you need to pay attention to your load, the principle is still the same.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Keep giving your body a reason to adapt.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Baby steps taken consistently over time is the whole game.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Strength training as the foundation, the five components as the framework, and progressive overload as the engine.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: So when you put it all together, you are not just working out.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: You are building the woman that you want to be for decades to come.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: And to both women that I spoke to at the top of this episode, the one who is not yet lifting and the one who is lifting but not progressing, you now hopefully understand what you need to do to move forward.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: And the question is, what will you do with this feeling that you have right now of inspiration?
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: Will you take action or will you stay where you are today?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: If everything we have talked about across these three episodes has you feeling a little overwhelmed, like how the heck am I supposed to fit all of this in when I can barely even make time for a shower?
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: That feeling is exactly why I built FitZone.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: You are not supposed to figure all of this out on your own.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it does not take hours and hours at the gym.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Fitzone is my online live workout membership designed specifically for you, where all of these components are already baked in for you.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: The progressive strength training, the balance work, the mobility, the flexibility, the recovery, it's all there.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: You do not have to figure out how to piece it all together because I have already done that for you.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: In between our strength sets, we focus on balance.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: In the beginning and the end of our workouts, we focus on flexibility.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: We work mobility into the routine.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: So all you have to do is show up and I take care of the rest.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: And right now during the FitZone Flash sale, you can actually access Fitzone for only$27 for 30 whole days.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: This means you get a plan that works, that's built for your body for this season of life.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: No guesswork, no overwhelm.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: And this is built by someone who is currently living in a midlife body and who is currently and has in the past coached hundreds of women through this.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: The Fits on Flash sale ends tomorrow.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: So this is your last chance to take advantage at this price.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: So don't let this be the episode you listened to and then did nothing with.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: The link is in my show notes to grab your spot before the sale closes.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, the woman in her 70s who moves freely, who lives fully, who never has to slow down because her body won't cooperate, she is waiting for you.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Make her proud.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, my friend.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, progress over perfection and consistency over intensity.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep growing, keep glowing, and bye for now.