What Is Microloading And Can It Get You A New PB In The Gym?

Many lifters reach a point in their training programme where they hit a wall. Each gym session, they end up lifting the same amount for the same number of reps. 

It is a frustrating part of weightlifting where progress slows, and patience becomes the name of the game. For beginners coming off their initial gains, it can be especially disheartening to hit the plateau. 

The rapid increase in load that a newcomer, or someone returning to training, can lift is due to the body’s neuromuscular adaptation. 

This is a form of general adaptation syndrome (GAS): disruption of the body’s status quo via the workout, resistance and adaptation phase, followed by an exhaustion or overtraining phase.   

A more experienced lifter, whose body has already adapted, may struggle to add weight, despite increases in reps and sets. The answer to continued progress, for both beginners and experienced weightlifters, might be found in microloading.

 

What is microloading?

Microloading is a technique used in strength training where lifters increase the load by very small amounts instead of the standard increments. 

While everyone wants to increase the weight more dramatically, sometimes the nervous and muscular systems are not ready for an extra 5kg, but they can manage an increase of 1kg or 2kg. 

Although the idea existed and was practised years before, it was first named microloading in the 1990s, in Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness Magazine. The article featured the subheading, “For big gains, think small.”

 

What are the benefits of microloading?

Progressive overload

A key part of any workout programme is progressive overload. The increasing difficulty forces the body to adapt, whether that is more reps, more sets, more weight or a change in tempo. 

Without progressive overload, gains in power, muscle mass, speed and strength will stall, leading to frustration. Microloading allows for continued progress by increasing the weight. 

 

Break plateaus

Microloading can break a longstanding plateau when there has been no increase for a while. It can help push past the point where you got stuck and provide momentum in your programme. 

A note of caution: there are times when a plateau is perfectly normal. It takes time for the body to adapt, and just because you are not adding more weight every single week does not mean that muscle is not being built. 

Setbacks like illnesses, holidays and injury niggles can put a temporary dent in progress and are not plateaus. 

 

Perfect for upper body lifts

The upper body muscles are naturally smaller and therefore can push and pull less mass than the lower body. That makes microloading more beneficial for achieving your next bench press PB. 

 

Psychological benefit

As the weight increments are so much smaller, it can be less intimidating than a bigger weight jump. Starting a movement from a place of possibility rather than with a fear of failure and an ‘it’s too heavy’ attitude can give you a psychological advantage. 

 

Alternative to increasing reps

For gym users who have limited time, increasing the weight can be a good alternative to adding a few more reps or sets while using a lower weight. 

 

Injury prevention

Instead of big jumps in mass, using smaller weight increments can help prevent potential injuries and strains when the muscles or joints are not strong enough. 

 

How are fractional plates used in weight lifting?

Traditionally, Olympic weight plates come in increments of 5kg up to 25kg. Fractional plates are added to the bar to bridge the gap between larger plate amounts.

Available in 0.5kg increments, they are designed to work with a two-inch diameter Olympic barbell and are added onto the bar in the same way as standard weight plates. 

 

Track progress

As any good personal trainer would tell you, it is wise to make a note of what you are lifting each session so that you can see your progress on paper, or more usually, in an app. You can use this information to see when it is time to add more mass to the bar. 

 

Percentages

Another way to look at using fractional plates is to do the maths on the percentage increases and record them. For example, a jump of 1kg on a 40kg bench press is a 2.5 per cent increase, whereas it would be 1.25 per cent for an 80kg lift. 

 

Time your use of fractional plates

Training larger, lower body movements is easier to increase the weight quickly, and it is only when reaching your one rep max that you might consider using fractional plates. 

However, upper body movements, such as a shoulder or bench press, tend to use lower weights and you might find fractional plates useful from the start. This is particularly true for weightlifters who are a slight build. 

 

Can other techniques help break a plateau or hit a new PB?

Achieving a new one-rep max courtesy of fractional plates is not the only way to increase strength. Using microloading in conjunction with other weightlifting techniques that utilise GAS can also show significant results.  

 

Reps and sets

The strength-endurance continuum outlines the types of adaptations that occur when certain numbers of sets and reps are adhered to in a workout. 

Low reps and high weight can optimise strength.  For example, 1-5 reps at 80-100 per cent of a one-rep max. 

Moderate reps and weights can produce hypertrophic effects, i.e. size. For example, 10-12 reps at 60-80 per cent of a one-rep max. 

 

Tempo and eccentric loading

Tempo lifts work by working the eccentric or lengthening part of the lift, as opposed to concentric loading. One example is lowering into a squat position slowly to the count of five before rising at a normal speed. 

Eccentric loading has been shown to create faster gains in strength as muscles have a higher capacity to carry weight when they are lengthening rather than contracting. 

These two methods, combined with very small increases in load through microloading, can help regain momentum in your weightlifting workouts and beat those annoying plateaus.