Milo of Crotona

Have you heard the story of Milo of Crotona? This ancient Olympic wrestler (532-516 BC) exhibited qualities similar to Hercules in that he was of massive size and stature, he possessed great strength, and he was an extraordinary athlete. He was also five times victorious from the 60th and the 62nd to the 66th Olympiad. And here’s an interesting little tidbit: Earlier in his life, upon rising each day, this old chap would hoist a young calf above his shoulders. As months passed, the calf grew larger, and Milo found himself lifting increasingly heavier loads. Even as the calf developed into a full-grown steer, Milo continued to haul it atop his shoulders. The end result of his heifer hoisting: An impressive physique  and the brute strength of a god in those primeval times.

Milo’s story presents an important lesson to be learned in human physiology. In order to obtain the muscularity and strength you desire, you must continually stress your muscles with progressively heavier loads. This is a problem I see many times in the gym when I’m not training someone. It’s surprising how many I’ve seen that lift the same weight day in and day out, and then they ask why the can’t seem to get bigger. Progression is key, and without overload, there will be no progression.

An easy solution to this problem: track your weights. Write them down in a training log and assess your performance at the conclusion of each workout. The moment you do this, you will start to recognize when the time has come to increase the weight. Strength precedes size, so as you grow stronger, you will experience gradual gains is muscle size.