3 Training Principles You Need To Know For Building Muscle and Strength

Training has been made to be ultra-complicated these days. However, when you strip away all of the nuance and confusion, real progress comes from following just three principles.

These three training principles form the foundation for consistent fitness progress and will guide you throughout your entire training career. It simply comes down to increasing the challenge over time, aligning the training with your goal, and allowing proper recovery.

This article will tell you what you need to know. Simplified.

1. What Is Progressive Overload?

Progressive overload is the essential training principle that says you must continue to increase training stress placed on the body over time. This will ensure continual adaptation.

Muscles will only grow stronger and larger when they are consistently challenged with slightly more resistance, volume, or effort than before.

Progressive overload simply means you need to do more work over time and is the fundamental training principle that drives all effective programs.

More Supporting research:

Schoenfeld et al. (2021) found that increasing load or repetitions can both produce similar hypertrophy outcomes.

A narrative review confirmed that progressive loading strategies reliably enhance strength and size across training populations (Wiewelhove et al., 2022).

2. What Is The Principle of Training Specificity?

Specificity means training should directly match the adaptation you want. The body improves at what it practices repeatedly. So if you want to be bigger, train to build muscle. If you want to lift more weight, focus on strength training.

Specificity simply means you should train for the outcome you want.

More Supporting research:

Adaptations follow the specific demands of training, with movements, intensity levels, and repetition schemes shaping the physiological outcome (Thomas et al., 2022).

Foundational literature on training science supports the same conclusion: specific training produces specific physiological outcomes (Zatsiorsky & Kraemer, 2021).

3. Why Recovery and Fatigue Management Is Important

Recovery is the process through which the body repairs muscle tissue, restores the nervous system, and supercompensates (i.e., adapts) after training. Without adequate recovery, progress can not continue as the body is constantly broken down.

Most importantly, recovery is not an option, but a necessity.

Key applications of recovery:

• Prioritize sleeping seven to nine hours per night
• Consume adequate protein (1.6-2.0g/kg) to support muscle repair and growth (Kerksick et. al, 2018). 
• Keep training volume within recoverable limits
• Use rest days or deloads when fatigue accumulates
• Hydrate consistently and manage lifestyle stress for optimal adaptation

Recovery simply means letting your body rest adequately between training sessions. 

More advanced lifters can also use forms of periodization. 

Supporting research:

• Recovery quality has a direct impact on training adaptation, and monitoring fatigue is essential for preventing overtraining and maximizing performance (Kellmann et al., 2018).
• A consensus statement on recovery in sport explains that insufficient recovery increases injury risk, reduces performance, and limits improvement across athletes and recreational lifters (Kellmann et al., 2018). 
• A large review from Wiewelhove et. al (2022) highlights that fatigue must be monitored and managed to ensure that training stress produces actual progress.

How To Apply These Principles To Your Training

The 3 training principles above function as a system, so you must apply all of them to your training. If one is missing, progress will become inconsistent.

For example, a lifter may be training for strength yet use loads that are too light (70% 1RM), increase reps for progressive overload, and train with low intensity every session.

However, when all three principles are aligned, results become predictable and sustainable.

This is the overarching path you follow from the day you start training until the day you end.

As hypertrophy and strength training are the two primary goals, we'll summarize how training for each can differ.

Application To Strength Training

Strength training ultimately improves the body's neuromuscular system, allowing muscles to produce more force. You're essentially "teaching" the muscles to work better together.

Progressive Overload For Strength Training

Strength training should focus on increasing the absolute load used over time. This is because strength reflects your muscles' ability to produce maximal force.

• Week 1: 3X5 w/ 100lbs
• Week 2: 3X5 w/ 105lbs
• Week 3: 3X5 w/ 110lbs

Specificity

Strength is an expression of your body's ability to produce force. Therefore, research shows that loads of at least 80%1RM should be used, while 85%1RM or higher are ideal. This is especially true for experienced lifters.

• Exercises- Large compound movements, i.e., deadlifts, bench press, rows
• Load- 80% 1RM or greater; 85%1RM or greater for intermediate lifters
• Reps- 1-5
• Sets- 3-5 sets. 
• Intensity- Stay away from repeated maximal efforts. Most sets should be brought to RPE 7-8.
• Rest- 2:00-3:00 is ideal for most trainees. 
• Special Notes- Your primary goal is to apply progressive overload by increasing load. Beginners can increase the load of lifts by 5-10lbs on a weekly basis.

Recovery

When strength training, recovery is needed to allow your central nervous system to rest. In addition, you need to recover from general fatigue.

Applying maximal loads can heavily contribute to fatigue if not monitored.

Application To Hypertrophy 

Hypertrophy occurs through the physical adaptations of the muscle itself; the muscle itself grows. This can occur in two different ways, but the same basic principles apply to both.

Progressive Overload

Progressive overload should involve a mix of overall training volume and intensity. While absolute load is not as big of a factor, it should still be applied, especially over time.

• Week 1: 3X8 w/ 100lbs
• Week 2: 3X9 w/ 100lbs
• Week 3: 3X10 w/ 100lbs
• Week 4: 3X8 w/ 105lbs
• Week 5: 3X9 w/ 105lbs

Specificity

• Exercises - All movements contribute. More focus should be on accessory and isolation lifts, i.e., leg press, dumbbell press, lat pulldown, chest flies
• Load - Moderate loads of 70-80% are ideal
• Reps - Moderate reps of 8-12 ideal
• Sets - 2-3 sets 
• Rest - 1:00-2:00. Longer rests for larger exercises
• Intensity - Be sure each set approaches failure (1-3RIR). 
• Special Notes - Hit every muscle group 1-2 times a week with 10-20 working sets per muscle group (Baz-Valle et al., 2021; Baz-Valle et al., 2022)

Recovery

Recovery from hypertrophy training involves clearing metabolic by-products, repairing any muscle damage that occurred, rebuilding tissue, and reducing overall fatigue. As a general guideline, smaller muscle groups usually require about 48 hours before they can be trained again, while larger muscle groups often need closer to 72 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the most important principle of training?

Progressive overload is the most critical because it drives the physiological need to adapt. Without it, the body has no reason to improve.

How quickly should I apply progressive overload?

Most new lifters are able to increase weight or reps every week (5-10%). However, this should not be a race, as progress will slow substantially once you pass the beginner phase. If you're brand new to training, use the first month or two to really learn the movements.

Does specificity mean I cannot mix training goals?

No. You can have secondary goals, but one primary adaptation should guide your program structure. This is the concept of hybrid training, concurrent training, or powerbuilding.

How do I know if I am recovering well enough?

Consistent strength increases, stable energy levels, and mood are good signs to monitor.

Can I still make progress with limited time?

Yes. As long as overload, specificity, and recovery are present, even two to three focused sessions per week can produce meaningful improvements (Fyfe et. al, 2022).

References

1. Baz-Valle, E., Fontes-Villalba, M., & Santos-Concejero, J. (2021). Total number of sets as a training volume quantification method for muscle hypertrophy: A systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(3), 870–878. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002776
2. Baz-Valle, E., Balsalobre-Fernández, C., Alix-Fages, C., & Santos-Concejero, J. (2022). A systematic review of the effects of different resistance training volumes on muscle hypertrophy. Journal of Human Kinetics, 81, 199–210. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2022-0017
3. Fyfe, J. J., Hamilton, D. L., & Daly, R. M. (2022). Minimal-dose resistance training for improving muscle mass, strength, and function: A narrative review of current evidence and practical considerations. Sports Medicine, 52, 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8
4. Kellmann, M., Bertollo, M., Bosquet, L., Brink, M., Coutts, A. J., Duffield, R., Erlacher, D., Halson, S. L., Hecksteden, A., Heidari, J., Kallus, K. W., Meeusen, R., Mujika, I., Robazza, C., & Beckmann, J. (2018). Recovery and performance in sport: Consensus statement. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(2), 240–245. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29345524/
5. Kerksick, C. M., Wilborn, C. D., Roberts, M. D., Smith-Ryan, A., Kleiner, S. M., Jäger, R., Collins, R., Cooke, M., Davis, J. N., Galvan, E., Greenwood, M., Lowery, L. M., Wildman, R., Antonio, J., & Kreider, R. B. (2018). ISSN exercise & sports nutrition review update: research & recommendations. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0242-y 
6. Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Haun, C., Whelen, M., & Alcantara, J. M. (2021). Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(Supplement 1), S95–S101. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9528903/
7. Thomas, E., Bianco, A., Paoli, A., Mancuso, E. P., & Palma, A. (2022). Training specificity for athletes: Emphasis on strength-endurance continuum and dynamic correspondence. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 7(4), Article 97. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9680266/
8. Wiewelhove, T., Raeder, C., de Paula Simola, R. Á., Schneider, C., & Ferrauti, A. (2022). Assessment of fatigue and recovery in sport: A narrative review. Sports Medicine International Open, 6(1), E7–E22. https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/all/doi/10.1055/a-1834-7177
9. Zatsiorsky, V. M., & Kraemer, W. J. (2021). Science and practice of strength training (3rd ed.). Human Kinetics. https://us.humankinetics.com/products/science-and-practice-of-strength-training-3rd-edition