To stimulate muscle growth, it is essential to continuously challenge your muscles beyond their current capacity. After a workout, muscles are temporarily weakened due to the stress placed upon them. They only adapt and grow stronger during the recovery phase, given they are provided with increased challenges in subsequent workouts. Without progressive overload—increasing intensity over time—muscle size and strength may stagnate or even decline. One effective method for achieving this is by gradually increasing the weight lifted; for example, if you can bench press 100 pounds for eight reps, aim for 110 pounds in the following session. This method works particularly well for beginners, who can often add 5 to 10 pounds weekly on major lifts like the bench press or squats. However, relying solely on increasing weight can lead to plateaus, as continuous exponential weight increases are impractical. Thus, incorporating additional strategies becomes necessary. Adding more repetitions is another viable approach; for instance, you could increase your reps at your current weight. By applying these methods systematically, you can keep forcing your muscles to adapt and grow over time, ensuring consistent progress in your strength training regimen.