Bodybuilding, revered as both a sport and an artform, finds its historical roots in what enthusiasts often call the "Bronze Age of Bodybuilding." The German showman Eugene Sandow, celebrated as the Father of Bodybuilding, famously launched the sport’s popularity after being inspired by classical statues on a trip to Rome. Yet, the underlying philosophy of bodybuilding goes much deeper, centering around one core tenet: progressive overload.
Progressive overload is the essence of muscle growth, known as hypertrophy. This principle dictates that by consistently and methodically increasing the intensity of training, by a selection of factors such as stimulus (weight) or volume (reps and/or sets), this increase in mechanical tension disrupts muscle protein integrity, triggering muscle protein synthesis and in result, an increase in lean muscle tissue. Today, progressive overload is a staple of both traditional and science-based training programs, proving itself time and again as an effective approach for building strength and size.
Interestingly, this powerful concept wasn’t invented by Sandow. Instead, it dates back to Milo of Croton, an Olympic champion wrestler from the 6th century B.C. Milo was known for his immense strength and physique, reputed to be unmatched among his competitors. His training method, immortalized in the tale of "Milo and the Bull," is the origin of progressive overload itself. The legend tells of Milo lifting a calf onto his shoulders and carrying it each day; as the calf grew, so did the stimulus. Eventually, the calf matured into a bull, and Milo had gained extraordinary strength alongside a muscular physique.
This story of gradual adaptation reflects the heart of progressive overload: consistency and perpetual challenge are crucial for growth, be it in strength or in life itself. Though historians question the story’s accuracy, it has been preserved and published by classical philosophers and writers like Pausanias and Strabo. The myth of Milo remains a poignant symbol of this timeless principle, raising the question: can an ancient fable inform modern training philosophies? Is there scientific truth behind Milo’s legendary method?
In 2010, Dr. Mark D. Peterson and his team published: Progression of Volume Load and Muscular Adaptation During Resistance Exercise. This study, now foundational in sports and exercise science, is one of the most referenced works on progressive overload. It involved 83 participants (43 men and 40 women), with an average age of 25 years and an inexperience in resistance training for the past year. Participants undertook a 12-week unilateral bicep resistance program, training their non-dominant arm while using their dominant arm as a control.
During each session, participants performed various bicep exercises (bicep curls, preacher curls, and concentration curls) with a set tempo of 2-2 (2 second eccentric and 2 second concentric). The training volume was administered over three phases:
Muscle volume was measured through MRI scans, while strength improvements were assessed through maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and one-rep maximum (1RM) tests, both at baseline and the end of the program.
The study discovered that progressive increases in volume load (calculated as repetitions multiplied by weight per repetition) were positively correlated with hypertrophy, particularly in women. For men, however, short-term progressive overload did not yield significant hypertrophy gains, likely due to the study’s limited duration. Extending the timeframe over several years would likely result in predictable hypertrophy for both sexes. Thus, while the results highlight a baseline difference, they affirm that progressive overload is a universally sound approach for hypertrophy, albeit often requiring a long-term commitment for optimal outcomes.
Milo of Croton's tale embodies the principle of progressive overload, a concept now unequivocally validated by science. Although he lived thousands of years before modern research, his approach has withstood the scrutiny of time and scientific examination. Today, progressive overload remains as relevant as ever, proving Milo’s method not only correct but timeless in its application to hypertrophy.