What Nine Years of Strength Coaching Taught Me About Challenge

Doing the same thing again and again won’t keep building muscle once your body has adapted to the demand.

The human body needs challenge to grow and change.

You may have heard the term progressive overload. It is admittedly clunky, but it captures this requirement. Increasing the weight you lift is one way to build strength.

For example, you may start with 5-pound dumbbells for bicep curls. When you can consistently do three sets of 12 reps with good form and feel you could do another rep or two, you may be ready for a small increase in weight. When you increase, you may initially be able to do only eight reps. Allow your body time to adjust to the new demand.

Other factors you can vary include the number of sets, the number of reps, the speed of lifting and lowering, and the use of isometric holds.

Challenge is in the eye of the beholder.

I watch my clients closely when I introduce a new exercise, weight, tempo, or hold time. I respect them when they say no, which they do occasionally. I listen when they say how many reps or how long a hold works for them. I see them accept the new challenge and organize their bodies to meet it.

I go through the same process in my training sessions.

Progressive overload is a given. I am also realistic. A shoulder injury could set me back to a lighter weight. Adding a new challenge, like lifting a knee to hip height to balance during overhead presses, will likely make me choose slightly lighter weights.

Adding a balance requirement to a lift is a good example of the kind of challenge I am looking for. It changes the task and gives me something new to practice.

I don’t strength train individual muscles just to look pretty or to lift on their own. I train so my whole system works together to work, play, enjoy, invent, and explore movement.

I emphasize form to stay focused on how my body is organized and functions. I remember the days when I sat for hours hunched over a computer, dealing with hip, shoulder, and neck pain. I cherish my current routine of standing tall, with shoulders relaxed and ribs aligned over a neutral pelvis. The random aches and pains are gone, replaced by stronger muscles, an integrated core, and functional mobility.

After nine years of coaching, I still love seeing what happens when someone tries something they weren’t sure they could do. I also love discovering that in myself. A heavier weight, a new movement, a longer hold—each is a chance to learn what we can do now and build toward what we want to do next.

What challenge would you like to grow into?

The truth I’m training for: being ripe for a challenge keeps me growing.