Progressive Overload is a training principle in which you progressively increase the challenges to your body over time. Doing the same exercise routine every day is good for maintenance but not effective for improvement.
Progressive overload in strength training easy to understand. To increase the demands on your nervous system and muscles, you lift heavier weights. What about Balance Training? To overload the system you would do exercises that are progressively less stable (harder to balance). For example, once you can sand on one leg for a good amount of time, try doing your upper body exercises (like arm curls) while standing on one leg. Start with lighter weights. Or try bouncing a tennis ball against a wall and catching it while standing on one leg. The idea is that to improve your balance, you need to do increasingly complex activities.
Another training principle is Individual Differences. Not all of you will be able to do these exercises. Some might even look fairly advanced for people with Parkinson's disease but this is not always the case. In our research program, we work with several people who could perform some of these advanced exercises or progressively train their bodies for these new abilities. They are within reach for many people but you have to know yourself, your limitations and a safe starting point.
Look at some of the exercises below and see different levels of challenge.
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This picture shows a progression of seated exercises. This will strengthen leg muscles and improve postural control and balance.
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| Here is the Tennis Ball example. |
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| Now the ball is being thrown to the side (laterally) and the ball is a weighted medicine ball. The increased weight makes the task more challenging. |
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| Next Step: Standing on an unstable surface. This device is called a Bosu Balance Trainer or Bosu Ball. There are other brands but Bosu is probably the most widely known. |
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| This is the "I wish" picture. Maybe you can do this. I cannot... Yet. |
