How do you progressively overload flywheel training?

A question we often get at Exerfly is how to progressively overload for flywheel resistance training (FRT).  At the simplest level, you can progress FRT the same way you would traditional resistance training – by manipulating one or more training variables (i.e.  volume or load/intensity).

Progressive overload:

Progressive overload is the act of gradually increasing the stress on the body.  In strength training this is accomplished by manipulating training variable(s), generally by increasing intensity and/or volume.  To continue making positive adaptations in your strength training program, you must progressively increase a given stimulus.  A lack of a progressive stimulus will result in a training plateau or potentially even a detraining effect (i.e. reduced performance).  This is why progressive overload is the cornerstone of any strength training program regardless of which periodization scheme you are using.

In this blog we will explain the most commonly manipulated training variables and how they are overloaded in a FRT program.

Volume:

Volume refers to the total number of repetitions (reps) that are performed for an exercise and is calculated by set x reps.  For instance, if an individual was prescribed 3 sets of 8 reps, the volume of the exercise would be 24 reps.  There are 2 simple ways to accomplish progressive overload of volume, by either adding additional reps per set or adding additional sets each week (Table 1 & 2, respectively).

Table 1. Progressive overload by increasing the reps per set

Table 2.  Progressive overload by increasing the number of sets

Load:

Load which is also commonly referred to as intensity can be defined by the amount of load that is moved, in our case this is quantified by inertial load.  Progressive overload can be achieved when you increase the inertial load of the movement each week (Table 3).  You can also monitor your FRT volume, by calculating load x sets x reps, which will account for changes in both volume and intensity (Table 4).

Table 3. Progressive overload by increasing the load each week

Table 4. Progressive overload by FRT volume (Increases in load and reductions in volume each week)

Motorized Boost:

Exerfly’s motorized boost adds an additional eccentric “boost” based on the amount of energy that is produced during the concentric rep’s.  This motorized boost drives the eccentric output past the normal 1:1 ratio (concentric:eccentric) that is traditionally seen with FRT and creates an accentuated eccentric load.

Example of Motorized Bulgarian Split Squats

The eccentric boost is another form of intensity.  Unlike load, increases in the motorized boost will only add additional demands to the eccentric portion of the exercise which poses challenges when programming.  Nevertheless, the motorized boost still can be progressed in a similar way to all the previous training variables explained above (Table 4).

Table 5. Progressive overload by increasing the motorized boost each week.

Conclusion:

Progressive overload is a cornerstone of every training program regardless of periodization scheme or training modality.  With FRT, progressive overload is often over complicated and misunderstood.   Similar to traditional resistance training, to achieve progressive overload you will simply need to increase or manipulate the volume and/or intensity of an exercise each session/week.  Specifically, with FRT an increase in volume can be achieved through increases in reps or sets, whereas an increase in intensity can be achieved through increases in inertial load or motorized boost.  Lastly, fluctuations in both intensity and volume can be tracked through FRT volume and maybe better suited for those coaches who want to reduce volume and increase the intensity (or vice versa).

For further information or questions please contact me at joey.szymkowicz@exerfly.com