One thing to remember about exercise, you only get the long-term benefits if you continue to exercise in the long term. In order to improve, to grow stronger, to increase your cardiovascular endurance, or to grow more muscle, you need to apply progressive overload, which simply means doing more than you did before.

For some exercises, this is easy to quantify. Last week, I did three sets of 10 reps on the bench press at 100 pounds. To make sure I am utilizing progressive overload, this week I will do the same number of sets and reps — three sets of 10, but I will try to do it at 105 pounds, or even 110 pounds if I am feeling strong.

For other exercises, it is not as easy. Pushups, for example, are hard to overload if you are already good at them. You could add weight on your back, or even a band, but that’s a little unstable. A pin-loaded machine, like a leg press, is also hard to overload if you can lift the full stack on the machine. In these instances, progressive overload takes the form of one more set or a few more reps, better form, or even more control over the weight you are lifting.  

Adding more reps and sets, even one more rep, is a very easy and reliable way to overload a movement. If you did 10 reps last week, 11 reps this week, and 12 next week at the same weight, you can objectively show that you are growing stronger. The same goes for sets. The key factor in this method is intensity. In each of these sets, you must push hard to ensure you are chasing that overload. This means that you have to choose a weight that is hard to do for your desired reps and sets.

On a more complicated exercise, like the squat for instance, improving your form can be a great way to apply progressive overload. If I can reliably squat 200 pounds for five reps, but on rep five my form breaks down a bit, my knees cave and I fall forward slightly, striving to maintain my form through that fifth rep is a form of improvement, and thus, is progressive overload. To make sure improvements are made, some people might film their working sets on their exercise they want to improve on, or choose other accessory exercises to strengthen their weaknesses, like doing glute bridges to improve the top portion of the squat, doing deep, heel-elevated squats, to improve depth and quad activation.

In the same fashion, if you simply do not want to add more weight to an exercise, and you have perfect form, you can try to exercise more control over a given movement. On the bench press, you might lower the weight as slowly as you can, or even pause at the bottom. This will challenge you to keep a tight midsection, keep your elbows tucked, and produce power without the aide of the stretch reflex of your muscles, or bouncing the weight of your chest.

If you are trying to increase your endurance, doing the exercise for longer and longer periods of time, like running for a few more minutes, or a little bit longer distance, can do wonders when the same increments are added in each session over an extended period. This works especially well for beginners. When looking to increase muscle mass, utilizing more sets, reps, or weight is a great way to reliably gain size for someone who is new to the gym. When working to get stronger, demonstrating more control over the weight and utilizing modifications like pause reps will generally be best.

As you spend more time in the gym, working toward your goals, you will eventually find something that works the best for you. As long as you stay consistent with your method of progressive overload, progress will come.