Knowing Your Limits Will Help You Expand Them

When it comes to personal training, both inside and outside the gym, I’ve found that success comes from knowing where your limits lie. At first glance, this may seem counterintuitive. After all, the goal is to push past those limits, right? The truth is, understanding where your boundaries are is the foundation that allows growth in any area of life.

This is the principle I base my work as a personal trainer and entrepreneur on, and it’s embodied perfectly in the concept of progressive overload. Whether you’re pushing through physical barriers in the gym or scaling your business goals, learning how to grow by stepping just beyond your limits in a controlled and intentional way can create monumental transformations.

Here’s how I use progressive overload, both for my clients’ fitness goals and to fuel my personal and professional growth.

The Principles of Progressive Overload

Progressive overload isn’t just for weightlifting. It’s a mindset that helps us grow physically and mentally by building momentum, creating small wins, and stretching our perceived limitations step by step. Here are the key principles I emphasize with my clients and apply to my own life:

1. Gradual Increase in Intensity

When I train clients, I stress the importance of small, incremental steps. Whether it’s adding an extra rep, lifting slightly heavier weights, or increasing workout frequency, small changes build momentum over time and prove to clients that they’re capable of more than they imagine.

For example, I once worked with a client who was 400 pounds and could barely complete four sit-to-stands without getting out of breath. We worked on building his baseline strength one rep at a time, week after week. Fast forward a several months, and he’s now doing 50-pound goblet squats, 15 reps for three sets. He realized his strength not through one big leap, but through consistent, manageable progress.

Similarly, in my own business, I scaled up my personal training client roster one person at a time. I didn’t wake up managing 30 clients, writing blogs, and hosting a podcast overnight. I started with just one client and grew incrementally, adding to my workload little by little.

2. Individualization

I meet clients where they are, mentally and physically, and tailor their path to their goals. Progressive overload doesn’t mean pushing someone beyond what they’re ready for; it means nudging them toward the edge of their comfort zone in a safe and personalized way.

This principle applies universally. Take, for instance, a client who couldn’t walk properly due to a brain injury that caused drop foot. For eight months, we worked twice a week on foot exercises, squats, and short walks. His progress wasn’t linear, but his consistency paid off. Today, he holds 20-pound weights in each hand while squatting comfortably.

Outside the fitness realm, I use this same individualization strategy in scaling my other ventures, like launching my blog and podcast. Each step builds on the last, and I adapt my efforts based on the current bandwidth of my energy and resources.

3. Proper Form and Technique

Form matters. Whether it’s nailing the mechanics of a squat or working smarter in my business endeavors, quality always beats quantity. I teach my clients to work in the “two in the tank” mindset. That means finding a good challenge without risking burnout or injury.

When building my personal training business, I worked to “perfect the small reps” before scaling more broadly. I refined my client onboarding systems, scheduling, and communication to ensure everything was running smoothly before adding larger responsibilities, like creating new service offerings.

4. Rest and Recovery

Rest isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s where the magic happens. Whether you’re lifting or building a business, overtraining (or overworking) will land you in the same place—injury or burnout.

With my clients, I program rest periods both within their workout sessions and outside the gym. I remind them that recovery allows their body to adapt to the stress, rebuild, and grow stronger. Similarly, in my personal growth, I’ve learned when to step back to recalibrate. Taking a pause allowed me to rework my processes to better handle the influx of responsibilities as my client roster expanded.

5. Variation

Progressive overload thrives on introducing variety to keep things fresh and prevent plateaus. For clients, that might mean choosing new exercises or adjusting reps and sets. For myself, it looked like branching out from Instagram content to starting a blog, and eventually a podcast. Each new avenue challenged me to learn, adapt, and grow.

6. Listening to Your Body

I’m not in my clients’ bodies; I can’t feel what they feel. But I stress the importance of tuning in to their bodies’ signals and encouraging rest days or adjustments when needed.

This principle applies outside of fitness too. Learning to “listen” to the rhythms of my work-life balance has been instrumental. There were times when I needed to step back, reorganize, and acknowledge when I’d bitten off more than I could chew. By respecting those signals, I’ve been able to stretch my capacity sustainably.

7. Consistency

Consistency beats everything else. My approach with clients is simple: just show up. If you’re not feeling great, we’ll keep it light—even just walking is better than sitting on the couch. This habit-building mindset creates incredible results over time.

One client who initially hated working out has become not only consistent but my biggest evangelist. She shows up—even when feeling under the weather—because she knows continuing the habit is what matters most.

For me, consistency extended to patiently growing my business. I didn’t see immediate returns, but I committed to showing up every day. Blog post by blog post, client by client, my efforts compounded into success.

Applying the Principles to Life Beyond the Gym

Progressive overload taught me that monumental changes start with small, sustainable steps. It’s not about the big leaps; it’s about mastering the reps along the way.

For those starting on their fitness or personal growth journeys, remember the story of Milo and his bull. Milo didn’t lift a full-grown bull on his first attempt. He started with a calf and grew stronger each day as the bull grew heavier. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

If you’re working toward an overwhelming goal, focus on one thing you can successfully tackle today. Each step will build momentum, and over time, you’ll be amazed at the limits you’ve expanded.

Closing Thought

Progressive overload, whether applied to fitness or personal growth, teaches us that expansion comes through running up to our limits, learning from them, and slowly moving beyond them.

If you’re ready to harness the power of progressive overload in your life, start with where you are today. It’s not about being perfect from the start; it’s about showing up, doing the reps, and letting your growth compound over time. One step at a time, you’ll accomplish more than you thought was possible.