What does progressive overload primarily place on the body?

Progressive overload is a key principle in strength training and fitness that emphasizes gradually increasing the demands placed on the body to promote continuous improvements in strength, endurance, and overall fitness. By implementing greater incremental demands, individuals challenge their muscles and cardiovascular system, leading to adaptations that enable improved performance over time.

This approach is essential in helping the body adapt to new levels of stress, which can manifest as increased muscle mass, enhanced endurance, or improved metabolic efficiency. It encourages the consistent use of varied stimulus such as increasing weights, enhancing workout duration, or intensifying exercise intensity during training sessions. Engaging in this principle allows for ongoing progression and avoids stagnation in physical fitness.

The other options do not align with the concept of progressive overload. Instead of decreasing intensity or keeping it consistent, progressive overload aims to continuously challenge the body with greater demands. Minimal duration during workouts may compromise the effectiveness of training, while the idea of less intensity over time contradicts the very essence of progressive overload, which is rooted in enhancing performance through increasing physical challenges.