“
When the muscles are gradually asked to work against more resistance, they have a reason to adapt.
Almost three in four Australian adults aged 18–64 aren't doing the recommended amount of muscle-strengthening activity.¹ Being active isn't the same as giving your muscles a real challenge.
Most people don't need a new workout. They need more resistance built into the one they've already got time for.
Sports coaches and physiotherapists are experts in helping people get more from their training. We asked three of them to share their insights: Libby Birch, four-time AFLW premiership player and physiotherapist; Brendan Whelan, Head of Athletic Performance, National Pathways at Rugby Australia; and sports physiotherapist Eddie Farah.
They explain how adding small amounts of resistance to familiar movements can make your muscles work harder. PTP Integrated Strengthwear applies this principle through athletic apparel with removable micro-weights, allowing you to add resistance to your regular routine.
How weighted clothing can support progressive overload
For Brendan Whelan, Head of Athletic Performance, National Pathways at Rugby Australia, effective training isn't always about adding more sessions. It's about finding ways to make the movement already in a program deliver more.
"In elite sport, one of the most important questions isn't, 'How do we add more training?' It's, 'How do we get a greater result from the time and movement already in the programme?'"
That thinking is grounded in progressive overload – the established training principle of gradually increasing the demands placed on the muscles so they have a reason to adapt.
"When the muscles are gradually asked to work against more resistance, they have a reason to adapt. PTP Integrated Strengthwear applies that same established principle to the movement you already do."
While each weight is small, Whelan explains that its impact builds through repetition.
"The individual weights may be small, but the effect compounds across hundreds or thousands of movements. That means the muscles need to produce more force and the body needs to use more energy without requiring you to learn a new workout or add another session."
"The activity remains familiar, but your body is getting a greater muscular and metabolic stimulus from the time you are already spending moving."
While Whelan explains why small amounts of resistance can make familiar movement more demanding, physiotherapist Eddie Farah says where and how that resistance is applied also matters.
"One of the fundamental principles we use in physiotherapy and strength training is that the body adapts to the demands placed on it. If we want muscles to become stronger and more capable, we need to expose them to an appropriate level of resistance. The load needs to be meaningful enough to create a stimulus, but controlled enough to support natural, confident movement."
In PTP Integrated Strengthwear, removable micro-weights are positioned across the muscle bellies of the arms and legs, distributing resistance across the working muscles rather than concentrating it in one place.
"The same amount of weight can affect the body very differently depending on where it is placed. PTP Integrated Strengthwear distributes micro-weights across the muscle bellies of the moving limbs, rather than concentrating the load directly at the joints. This increases the resistance the muscles work against while supporting natural movement patterns – so the body works harder without the movement feeling awkward or heavily loaded."
PTP has worked alongside coaches, sports scientists and practitioners behind elite performance since 2010. Integrated Strengthwear applies that expertise to regular activity, adding a controlled muscular challenge to the movement you are already doing.
More work without it feeling harder
In matched walking and jogging testing, responders burned up to 35% more calories, while reporting a similar level of effort.*
That is a compelling addition to the muscular challenge: more calorie burn from the same activity.
You can find out more about the science behind PTP Integrated Strengthwear, here.
Make your everyday movement count for more
Libby Birch values how easily Integrated Strengthwear fits into the activities people already do. As an athlete and physiotherapist, she sees value in adding a muscular challenge to familiar movements, from squats, lunges and step-ups to walking the dog.
Start each garment at around half its available load and stay there for at least two weeks while your body adjusts. Once you are moving comfortably and naturally, increase the weight, duration or difficulty one at a time, keeping your movement controlled.
You can start with one piece or combine tops, shorts and sleeves to suit your activity. The removable weights let you adjust the resistance as you progress. If the load changes your technique or causes discomfort, reduce or remove it and always seek professional advice before starting exercise or returning from an injury.
Too many Australians are missing out on muscle-strengthening activity. PTP Integrated Strengthwear helps you apply the same training principles as elite athletes, whatever your level, so you can get more from every move.
Ready to Shop?
References
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia's health 2024. Based on self-reported 2022 National Health Survey data, 73% of Australian adults aged 18–64 did not meet the recommendation for muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days per week.
- Based on acute, single-session treadmill testing comparing the same walking and jogging conditions with and without a calf-anchored, distributed limb-loading setup of approximately 3–4% of body weight. Perceived effort was self-reported. Individual results vary. Source: Willis A. How Much Weight Should You Wear? A Physical Therapist's Guide. KILOGEAR, 2026.