Progressive overload means gradually increasing training stress so you keep adapting. ACSM’s 2026 resistance-training guidance says you do not need maximal loads or failure every session.
Accessories earn a slot when they add useful sets after the main lifts, not when they fill time. ACSM’s 2026 overview ties strength to doing the important work early and hypertrophy to weekly sets you can recover from.
If a bar path makes a shoulder or elbow complain, change the press instead of forcing the same one. ACSM found full range and early-session work helped strength, and machines were not a worse tool than free weights.