Person Z
Helder, When I stop progressing on weight and reps, I just add an extra set, is this a viable option for continuing to increase progressive overload?
Helder
I used to be in this same wavelength, however experience with myself and my clients has proven this to be a very ineffective way of progressing.
Person Z
Why?
Helder
If we increase the number of sets in a workout and we maintain the same number of workouts over the weeks and months, this will most likely increase central nervous fatigue which will cause a reduction in the number of stimulating reps achieved to failure in later workouts. If goal is to build muscle, we want to make sure we get the reps that really count, so fatigue through increased volume can be detrimental in the long run.
Person Z
So what would you do?
Helder
I would first look as to why you are not progressing, there could be many factors, but assuming nothing has changed and everything was optimal I would most likely swap that exercise for another exercise that elicits the same outcome you are trying to achieve. You can always return to the other exercise after a few weeks to see if you can make progress.
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