To apply progressive overload to bodyweight training, we will introduce a new variable other than weight or reps. One that we can add is TIME!
You will have a fixed number of reps according to your goals.
Let’s say you are doing a push up…
You start with 100 push-ups for the first workouts.
Doing 100 push-ups will take you a lot of time when you first start training. Let’s say you complete 100 push-ups in 15 minutes.
Next session, you do 100 push-ups again. If you manage to finish doing 100 push-ups in less than 15 minutes, then you just progressively overloaded. You will always try to beat the time that it took in your previous session.
Same goes with any other bodyweight exercise.
You will always have a fixed number of reps.
An example training session:
- 100 push-ups
- 100 squats
- 100 lunges
- 100 bench dips
- 100 full sit-ups
Your training session would finish after you complete all these reps.
When you first start training, such a session can take you 35-45 minutes.
Over time it will take you less and less time to complete each session. A few months later, you will see that all these exercises take you less than 20 minutes to finish.
Since you decreased the time it took to finish the session, you just got stronger!